Bishop's Schedule: Bishop George O. Wirz Saturday, January 15, 2005 10:30 a.m. -- Participate in Communal Celebration, Sacrament of Reconciliation, Blessed Sacrament Parish, Madison 5:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, Blessed Sacrament Parish, Madison

Vocations: Answering the 'universal call to holiness'

		Under the Gospel Book + Bishop Robert C. Morlino

Dear Friends,

The current issue of the Catholic Herald contains a special supplement [print edition only] on vocations. The Second Vatican Council has taught us that there is in the Church "a universal call to holiness" meaning that the married life, the single life, the consecrated life of poverty, chastity, and obedience for men and women, the diaconate, and the priesthood are all responses to the Lord Jesus who calls us to be saints, who calls us to holiness.

All of these vocations are therefore very precious and personal gifts. The one truly called to marriage realizes his or her best in the sight of God by being married and faithful. The one called by Christ to follow Him as priest realizes his best as a faithful priest. And so it is with each of the vocations mentioned.

"If there is a shortage of priests, we should by all means recruit, invite, and encourage young men, but above all we must pray - if there is a shortage the only reasonable place to begin is by widening the gate of our hearts to God's graces which can work for us far more than we could ever ask or imagine."

Priests come from faithful marriages

We are struck and frequently comment on the shortage of priests. And such is truly the case. But we rarely comment on the shortage of faithful marriages according to the mind of Christ. We all know of the tragedy of divorce in our society, not to forget more recent attempts to take the place of God and redefine marriage itself. Threats against the sacred vocation of marriage are threats against the sacred vocation of priesthood because faithful priests come from faithful marriages according to the mind of Christ.

As of this January we have 13 men studying for the priesthood at the varying levels of high school, college, and formal theological preparation. Two of these fine young men, Eric Sternberg and Michael Radowicz, were ordained deacons last summer and will be ordained priests this May, leaving us with 11 men to continue on in addition to those who might begin their seminary formation at various levels next fall.

So in the first place all of us must pray that the men of the Diocese of Madison will listen for the Lord's call and be generous in their response. The fine quality of so many young men in our diocese assures us that this is a very reasonable hope, but in the end, it is clearly a matter of God's grace.

Faithful celibacy cannot be marketed

Sometimes we are tempted to look for ways to "market" the priesthood. While it might be possible to "market" the priesthood in our culture and society, it is not possible to "market" the celibate priesthood. The faithful sacrifice of the companionship of Christian marriage for the sake of God's Kingdom cannot be marketed - it is a gift for which we must humbly beg on our knees in prayer.

The desire of some to remove this practice of celibacy for priests in the Western Church often reflects a desire to control production by careful marketing as our culture and society like to do in other areas. But faithful celibacy in the priesthood cannot be marketed and produced by human means or effort. This reemphasizes the mysticism of the priest as in the person of Christ Himself. The gift of celibacy, for which the priest completely depends on the grace of the Lord from moment to moment and day to day, binds him mystically to Christ in a way which cannot be duplicated. And so pray we must for good and faithful priests.

Widen gates of our hearts

The fact that young people in general in our society want to be called to higher standards and to rise above any sort of mediocrity works in our favor at this time. Despite the shortage of priests and despite the shortage of faithful Christian marriages, we have every reason to be hopeful because the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church according to the promise of Christ Himself. And for there to be Church, there must be Eucharist, and for there to be Eucharist, there must be ordained priesthood.

If there is a shortage of priests, we should by all means recruit, invite, and encourage young men, but above all we must pray - if there is a shortage the only reasonable place to begin is by widening the gate of our hearts to God's graces which can work for us far more than we could ever ask or imagine. We know then where we must begin, humbly on our knees in prayer, so that the Lord who is unreasonably generous in His mercy may once again accomplish marvelous deeds among His people by raising up in abundance faithful Christian marriages and faithful priests.

Thank you for reading this. God bless you and your loved ones. Praised be Jesus Christ!

Bishop's Letter

Dear Friends in Christ:

The tragic events in South Asia as a result of the earthquake and its aftermath, including flooding and destruction of infrastructure, have touched the hearts of us all. The number of people affected is truly overwhelming. The need for immediate care and long term rebuilding is immense. This natural disaster reminds us of our oneness as children of God despite the many ways in which we separate ourselves from one another.

Many have asked what we might do as Church to support those in need. Catholic Relief Services has long been a positive presence in the countries affected by this natural disaster. Staff is already in the area offering physical and spiritual support not only to Catholics but to all.

I am asking that all parishes in the Diocese of Madison take a special collection this weekend and/or next weekend to support the outreach of Catholic Relief Services. With CRS we know that the administrative costs will be kept to a minimum and that the funds will be used in ways that truly help those in need.

Please forward your collections to the Office of Finance of the Diocese of Madison as soon as possible so that they may be quickly sent to CRS to assist in this vital outreach. Please also pray for the victims, living and dead, their families, and for the safety of those who help them.

Thank you for your generosity and care for others. May God bless you in the New Year.

Faithfully yours in Christ,
Most Reverend
Robert C. Morlino
Bishop of Madison