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News Briefs:
Catholic women plan meetings
Iowa Deanery
BARNEVELD -- The Iowa Deanery spring meeting will be held at Immaculate Conception Parish here Wednesday, May 12. Theme is "Catch the Spirit."
Registration is at 4:30 p.m. followed by business meeting at 5; concelebrated Mass at 5:30
with Fr. Lorin Bowens, Lime Ridge, diocesan moderator, as homilist; and dinner at 6:30. The program will feature Dorene Shuda, Jefferson, diocesan organization chairman, who will entertain, inspire, and inform women about the council.
Reservations are due May 7 to Mary Ann Myers, 410 Jenniton Ave., Barneveld, WI 53507. Cost is $6.
Madison Deanery
MADISON -- "The Pilgrim Spirit" is the theme of the Madison Deanery spring meeting Tuesday, May 18. St. Dennis Parish here will host the event.
Registration is at 5 p.m. followed by a concelebrated Mass at 5:15 with Fr. Lorin Bowens, Lime Ridge, diocesan moderator, as homilist. Dinner will be served at 6:30.
Fr. Tait Schroeder, parochial vicar, St. Dennis Parish, will be the evening speaker. He states, "Pilgrimages have been part of our Christian faith from the earliest days. These important journeys can be a part of our lives as we try to draw closer to Christ. I invite you to hear about some of the pilgrimages that I had the opportunity to make while studying in Rome and how you can have a 'pilgrimage spirit' here in the diocese and in your parishes."
Reservations are due May 10 to Donna Hellenbrand, 5750 Enchanted View Ln., Waunakee, WI 53597. Cost is $9.
Plant sale at St. Aloysius,
Sauk City
SAUK CITY -- The Rite of Spring Great Green Plant Sale will be held at St. Aloysius School on Saturday, May 8, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the St. Aloysius School gym at 608 Oak St., Sauk City.
The sale will feature perennials, herbs, and wildflowers from Gloria's Flowers and Annuals. Gardeners are welcome to bring their extra seedlings to the sale.
Cocoa bean hulls, which can be used as mulch, are available for sale now and will also be sold at the plant sale.
Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the St. Aloysius School endowment fund.
For more information or to purchase cocoa bean mulch, contact Julie Lamberty at 608-643-6868 or 608-643-2319.
Community Health and Safety Fair
JANESVILLE -- A Community Health and Safety Fair will be held on Saturday, May 15, at St. Patrick School, 305 Lincoln St., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The free event - open to all community residents - will showcase health and safety issues from 20 community organizations. For example, the American Red Cross will offer a blood drive and provide information on its "Together We Prepare Program." Mercy Health System will offer free health screenings.
The Wisconsin Better Badger Bus will offer a free early childhood presentation at 10 a.m. Used cell phones will be collected to benefit Janesville YWCA domestic violence survivors. Healthy refreshments will be available.
The event is sponsored by the St. Patrick Family Ministry/Social Concerns Committee. To make
a blood donation appointment, call 1-800-GIVELIFE. For more information on the fair, call Jason Dowd, 608-756-1789, or Kathie Fritz, 608-754-0531.
St. Maria Goretti fun run/walk
MADISON -- The 2004 St. Maria Goretti Parish Festival Fun Run/Walk will be held Sunday, June 6. It features a three-mile run or a 1.5-mile walk through the neighborhood surrounding St. Maria Goretti Church.
The event begins at 10 a.m. with check-in at 9:30 a.m. at the entertainment tent on the festival grounds. The event will be held rain or shine.
To register, complete the registration form and return it with a check made out to St. Maria
Goretti Parish for $10 per person to: SMG Parish Office, 5313 Flad Ave., Madison, WI 53711, on or before May 23 to be assured of a T-shirt. For information, call Holli Kirchner at
608-270-1277 or Kelley Engle at 608-828-9880.
Mass in Latin, Schubert Mass
at Holy Redeemer, Madison
MADISON -- Mass will be offered in Latin, according to the current rite, at Holy Redeemer Church, 120 W. Johnson St., by Msgr. Paul Swain, pastor, on Friday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m.
For the sake of estimating how many missal booklets to print, those wishing to attend should
call Holy Redeemer parish office at 608-255-1658 or Richard Bonomo at 608-258-8613 and leave name and the number of people in one's party.
People are invited to join in this opportunity to gain some experience in actively participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in what is still the official language of the Roman Rite.
On Sunday, May 9, the Holy Redeemer Parish 9:30 Choir will be singing Franz Schubert's Mass in G and his last Tantum Ergo in conjunction with the regular 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass.
All are invited to attend. No prior reservations are necessary for this Mass. Overflow
parking is available in the public parking ramp between Johnson and Dayton Sts. at Carroll St.
Ecumenical service at St. Coletta
JEFFERSON -- St. Coletta of Wisconsin invites the community to the seventh annual Ecumenical Vespers Service, themed "Light for the Nations," on Thursday, May 6, at 7 p.m. in the St. Coletta Chapel, located on Hwy. 18, Jefferson. The service is celebrated as
a part of National Day of Prayer, when the nation comes together to pray for the needs of our country and communities.
Choirs from Jefferson area parishes will perform, including the St. Coletta NOVA Choir, Immanuel United Methodist Church, St. Lawrence Catholic Parish, St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish, and St. Mark's Lutheran Church. Following the service, all guests are invited to an ice cream social held in St. Joe's dining room, adjacent to the Chapel.
St. Coletta of Wisconsin, with a corporate office in Jefferson, offers programs in southeastern and southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Visit www.stcolettawi.org
Parenting workshop in Pardeeville
PARDEEVILLE -- A free workshop on "Teaching Kids to be Responsible" will be presented by Paul Gasser on Thursday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, 318 S. Main St. here.
The presentation will be filled with practical ideas to use with children. The information, skills, and strategies offered will help parents to immediately feel more in control and understand even the most challenging situations.
All are welcome to attend. Child care is provided. For more information, call 608-429-3030.
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Nominate someone
for "Profiles from the pew"
To nominate someone to be featured in "Profiles from the pew," download a nomination form (PDF file).
"Profiles from the pew" runs in the Catholic Herald print edition
NOTE: The nomination form is 269 KB in size and may take a long time to download on a dial-up Internet connection. It is a Portable Document Format file, also called a PDF, which can be viewed using the freely available Adobe® Reader® software. Many computers already have this software and will automatically open the document when you click the nomination form link, above.
Adobe Reader is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
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Motherhood:
A blessing of a lifetime
By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
(See also front page photo.)
MADISON -- Mother's Day this year will be different for Melanie Pfeil, parishioner at St. Paul's University Catholic Center in Madison.
Three months ago, she became a new mother, giving birth to Maria, a beautiful blue-eyed baby.
"I'm still in awe," said Melanie about motherhood. "You become a part of the realm of parenthood, a special sisterhood you didn't know existed."
Power of prayer
But the first few days of parenthood were marked by difficulty for Melanie and her husband, Scott, because Maria experienced a stroke and seizures on the second day of her life.
Prayer sustained them, though, and all around them were signs that the Holy Spirit was with them, said Melanie. She knew the strength she felt came from prayer. Family, friends, and acquaintances joined in praying for Maria. For example, people such as St. Paul's undergraduate retreat participants lifted up the new little life in prayer.
"I know the grace from that was present," said Melanie.
Plus, in the hospital the Pfeils were comforted with a midwife, doctor, and nurse with whom they had previous - and unexpected - connections. For instance, a nurse who had helped Scott's family 25 years ago happened to be there to assist the new family as well.
Medication for the first month controlled seizures and now Melanie and Scott watch for signs of stiffness on Maria's left side, a possible effect of the stroke.
But Maria is already grabbing for things with her left hand, said Melanie. "I think she's been healed because of prayer."
Mother's faith in action
Motherhood has turned Melanie's faith into a faith of action, showing her love for her baby and husband in everyday activities, she said. "It's good to be at peace with the little things you can do for God and others and let that be your prayer," she said.
One of the things Scott's mom told Melanie was that "out of everyone in the world, I was the best person who could be Maria's mom and that's why I'm her mom," she said. "That's something to think about forever."
When asked what traits make a good mother, Melanie said, "Definitely the first is love." She noted that because her own parents died when she was very young, she was blessed to receive the mothering of many people.
"A good mom knows her limitations, surrounds herself with people to support her, and knows how to ask for help," said Melanie. "Community is so important" as is hope, she said. Scott said a good mother is nurturing, patient, and flexible as well.
Blessings of new life
What is the greatest blessing for the new parents?
"To know you have co-created with God this beautiful person," said Melanie. "We've been really open to however God wants to use her. Her life has already touched so many people. I always pray she will experience life to the fullest."
"And that she'll be happy and confident," added Scott.
"And be able to bring that to others," said Melanie. "We always said we wanted our marriage to increase the love in the world. She's a good way to bring that to fruition."
Fort Atkinson: Plans
for new church move ahead
By Audrey Mettel Fixmer
CATHOLIC HERALD CORRESPONDENT
FORT ATKINSON -- St. Joseph Parish here recently completed the sale of its property on N. Main St.
A meeting between architects, contractors, and parish representatives culminated in the signing of an agreement to build a new church, gathering place, school, and parish center on Endl Blvd. This is on property purchased earlier on Fort Atkinson's south side.
After receiving the necessary approval from the Diocese of Madison, Pastor Fr. Bill Nolan and the pastoral council of St. Joseph signed an irrevocable letter of credit whereby approximately 70 percent of the church property will be turned over to GNI Developers for 1.3 million dollars on or before April 30, 2005.
The developers have granted an extension of four months to vacate the premises instead of the earlier agreed upon date of Dec. 31, 2004. GNI will construct a store on the land and then lease it to Walgreen Drugs on a long-term lease.
Father Nolan signed the construction manager's contract with Tim Wiedenbauer of the Kollosso and Wiedenbauer Construction Firm following a two-hour meeting conducted by Justin
Arndt and Kristy Sands of the architectural firm Zimmermand Design Group out of Milwaukee. In attendance were Wiedenbauer, Father Nolan, and 18 parishioners who are directly involved with the project.
The agenda for the meeting included 24 items, everything from contract details to occupancy prior to completion. Of special concern was the occupancy date for the school. Would it be ready for the second semester in January 2005?
Father Nolan stressed the importance of a contingency plan. Several possibilities were
mentioned, including renting temporary space or utilizing portable classrooms.
Key players in the building project from the parish are: Ron Gromala, project engineer; John McKenzie, parish council chairperson; Pete Goihl and Elmer Ambrose, building committee co-chairs; Jim Gross, Al Keating, and J. Michael Phelps, trustees; Len Bannon, principal; Dave Head, custodian; Patrick Teed, electrical maintenance; Linda Scott McCabe, bookkeeping; Steve Holz, building construction; and Robert Janes, mason.
Work will begin soon, but no date has been set as yet for the groundbreaking ceremony.
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