Bringing hope:
Missionaries were there before tsunami hit

		Propagation  of the Faith  Msgr. Delbert  Schmelzer

The Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore, India, was one of the coastal areas in Southeast Asia hit by the tsunami.

A local church filled with worshippers was completely destroyed by the massive waves. The parish priest told of how a statue of the Blessed Mother - the Lady of Madras that originally was in the church - later was discovered in the bushes near the sea, about a mile-and-a-half away from his church. He said: "Mary left to be with her people as they were swept away to their deaths. She stayed with them until the end."

With the people

The church there, as in so many places throughout the missions, has also been "with the people" through so much, even before the disaster struck.

Fr. Thomas Simon, a local priest there, wrote to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith: "It is our obligation, as taught by Jesus Christ, to look after these people, the majority of whom are not even Christian."

Father Simon and other priests, Sisters, Brothers, and lay catechists teach in primary and secondary schools, while also offering vocational training. They run health and family programs, and teach everything from personal hygiene to AIDS prevention.

Offering hope

These days, those men and women are working overtime to help the victims of the tsunami, bringing them help and offering them the hope that comes from Jesus Christ.

Sr. Angelina, a Comboni Sister, is also experienced in offering others that hope, specifically to children in the Diocese of Kitale in Kenya. Bishop Maurice A. Crowley commends the bravery of Sister Angelina and the others in her community who have dedicated themselves to working in the two poorest parishes in his diocese. "We could not survive without them," he says. The Sisters run the medical clinics and staff two schools.

Perhaps the most vital service they provide is the center for street children, nearly all of them orphans - having lost their parents to the AIDS virus; many of these children also suffer from the disease.

The Sisters give these children stability by educating them and offering them health care. They relieve the children's fears and loneliness by teaching them about Jesus Christ and his unconditional love for them - even to his dying on a cross. As Sister Angelina says: "We also give them the hope and promise of eternal life by telling them of the glorious resurrection of our Savior. Many of them feel they can die happily, knowing of what is to come."

'Good Friday' situations

"Good Friday" situations - and mission priests, Sisters, Brothers, and lay catechists are there, proclaiming the life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This Lent, through the Propagation of the Faith, you can be with them, helping support that service day-after-day in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Pacific Islands. Perhaps you can offer $40 - $1 for each day of Lent - in support of this life-giving, hope-giving service of the church throughout the Missions?

Above all your prayers are needed for the church in the developing world and for the missionaries who remain witnesses of the love and compassion of our Lord and of his sustaining hope.

Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer is director of the Propagation of the Faith for the Diocese of Madison. Contributions to the Propagation of the Faith may be sent to: P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI  53744.

Building for the love of God:
Priest inspires parish

		Grand Mom  Audrey  Mettel Fixmer

I am told that there are some priests who say they will never get trapped into the role of Church Builder. Now that I have served on a building committee for our parish for the past year, I can see what an all consuming job it is.

I understand why any priest who took on such a role willingly has to be a glutton for punishment. Either that or he must have the vision of a Joan of Arc, the physical stamina of a Hercules, the tough skin of an elephant, the heart of a Mother Teresa, and the business acumen of a Donald Trump. Anything less would spell disaster.

Perfect choice

I guess that's where a good bishop comes in. Bishop William H. Bullock, now bishop emeritus of the Madison Diocese, had the vision and the leadership to recognize the needs of our parish in Fort Atkinson. He could have sent one of several other priests to us who had most of the virtues of the Builder, but he also recognized the need for a man with great charisma who could unite a church torn by opposing views.

Bishop Bullock must have prayed for God's guidance because he picked the perfect priest for the job when he appointed Fr. Bill Nolan as our pastor nearly three years ago. What a gift!

God's will

Father Bill's call to the vocation came later in life when he had heart surgery at the age of 26. He had already graduated from Edgewood College with a bachelor's degree and was a successful businessman managing a hotel in Madison.

He told me that as he spent time recovering from the heart surgery, he had time to pray and ponder, asking himself if this was all he wanted to do with his life.

After playing the role of a priest in third grade, he had often thought about the priesthood. The seed that had been planted so long ago had sprouted under those intense lights of the operating room.

Could the lifestyle changes be any greater in the seminary than those imposed upon him by his doctor? No more smoking, much less drinking, and dedicated physical exercise. Of course it meant an end to dating, and obedience to his bishop, but he could learn to live with that too if it was God's will.

Father Bill came to us from a small parish in Cambridge, half the size of St. Joseph and with no parochial school. Already his work doubled because he took the role of school administrator very seriously. Within a few months he knew every child by name, and one class even lined up to give him a hug before he left the room.

Building plan

The job of assessing the needs of the parish had already begun under Father Bill's two predecessors, and a building committee, or at least the nucleus of one, was set up. An architect presented a plan for building on a new site and another architect did a plan for remodeling on the same site.

Bishop Bullock reviewed both plans and firmly stated that he would not approve any plan for rebuilding on the same site, since it was landlocked and already too small.

Fund raising began in earnest, and hundreds of parishioners came forward with pledges. Nevertheless, a group of parishioners still protested the very idea of tearing down their church.

Working together

When a new bishop was appointed, Bishop Morlino, he was barraged with complaints and had to take several months to weigh all sides before he could make the decision in favor of building on a new site. The decision was made. Some were elated and others angry or just sad.

This is where the charisma comes in. And Father Bill has been blessed with tons of it. He has managed to make everyone happy by preaching and living the Christian virtue of love.

We rejoice whenever we see those who were once so vocal in their protests now working side by side on the new facility. They are volunteering thousands of hours for God, for the church, and for Father Bill.

Inspiring all

Fr. Bill always seems to find time for a smile, a hug, and a thank you. Any gesture out of the ordinary is bound to elicit a thank you note from this generous man.

The church is now nearing completion, but will Father Bill take any credit for it? No, he will quickly tell you that it is due to the generosity of his people.

But all of us know that it takes more than the little people. It takes a great man to inspire them.

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Pharmacist: Punished for beliefs

	Guest Commentary  Matt Sande

It's a sad day for Wisconsin when a medical professional is punished for his deeply held religious convictions.

Administrative Law Judge Colleen M. Baird's recent decision to reprimand and limit the license of Wisconsin pharmacist Neil Noesen for his conscientious refusal to dispense birth control is an unconstitutional infringement on his free exercise of religion. Moreover, it will serve only to aggravate the already acute shortage of pharmacists in this state by discouraging people of faith from entering the field.

Conscience, freedom

The Noesen case is entirely about conscience and religious freedom. No one in the case - the prosecution, the defense, or the judge - is disputing Noesen's basic right to a conscientious objection. The only ones disputing it are Planned Parenthood, Inc., and NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin.

The question is: How did Noesen go about exercising his conscientious objection? The state is contending he did it inappropriately.

But there is nothing in the law pointing to how to do it appropriately. There is no state law, code, or regulation that governs how a pharmacist is to exercise his or her conscientious objection. So how can Noesen be charged with a violation of conduct when the judge cannot point to anything he specifically violated? The case is a sham.

Need to expand law

Noesen's case highlights the critical need for passage of the Pharmacists' Conscience Clause Bill. Current law already protects health care employees from being fired or otherwise discriminated against based on a conscientious refusal to participate in surgical abortion and sterilization. The pharmacists' conscience clause bill would extend that conscience protection to pharmacists who refuse to participate in chemical abortion and euthanasia.

The morning-after pill - which is simply a double dosage of the typical birth control pill - and other hormonal "contraceptives" will often act to cause early chemical abortion by preventing a newly conceived child (human embryo) from implanting in the womb. No pharmacist should be forced to daily check his or her conscience at the workplace door.

The bill will not ban drugs such as the morning-after pill and the birth control pill. It simply recognizes that employers cannot force pharmacists to directly participate in what they know to be the killing of another person. It thereby reaches a middle ground where the pharmacist can be protected and the woman can legally access her prescription.

Matt Sande is director of legislative affairs for Pro-Life Wisconsin in Brookfield.