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News Briefs:
Diocesan Choir plans concert
May 7
MADISON -- The Madison Diocesan Choir will present its spring concert Saturday, May 7, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center.
The concert, "Sing Ye Heavens! Hymns from the Old and New Worlds," begins at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel. The event is free to the public, although a free will offering to support the choir is welcome. The center, located at 702 S. High Point Rd., is wheelchair accessible. A reception will follow.
Dr. Patrick Gorman, director since 1992, said the hour-long performance will include an opportunity for the audience to join the choir in singing well-known hymns, such as "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name." Large-print programs will be available.
Rosary March held
at Holy Redeemer
MADISON -- The spring International Rosary March will be held Sunday, May 1, at 2 p.m. at Holy Redeemer Church in Madison.
Msgr. Paul J. Swain will deliver the homily. The intention for this Rosary March is "That Our May Devotions in Honor of Mary May Bring Us Closer to Jesus in this Year of the Eucharist." There will be a special presentation of flowers and a May Crowning of Our Blessed Mother and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
A 15-decade rosary will be prayed while processing around the Holy Redeemer block with the Pilgrim Virgin Statue. The rosary will also be prayed simultaneously inside the church.
Knights of Columbus Tootsie
Roll Drive
MADISON -- The annual Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll Drive will be conducted this weekend throughout the state.
KCs and wives from Council 531 will collect donations for the mentally handicapped at Masses at St. Joseph and St. James Churches Saturday, April 30, and Sunday, May 1; on the Capitol Square on Friday, April 29, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and at Copps and Sentry Supermarkets. Those contributing receive a Tootsie Roll as a token of appreciation.
Anyone wishing to help may contact chairman Rob Christianson at 608-223-2077 or call the club at 608-204-7028.
Mother's Day breakfast
in Cross Plains
CROSS PLAINS -- Knights of Columbus Council 3924 and the St. Francis Xavier Youth Group will host and serve a Mother's Day breakfast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, May 8, in the new St. Francis Xavier Fellowship Hall. Roses and greeting cards will be sold.
Tickets are $7.50 for adults ($8.50 after May 1), and $4.50 for children six to 12 ($5.50 after May 1). Children five and under eat free. Advance tickets are available at all State Bank of Cross Plains locations: Middleton, Madison, Mt. Horeb, Waunakee, and Cross Plains.
Proceeds from the breakfast will be used for landscaping the grounds around the hall. Proceeds from the rose sale will be used to fund the pro-life billboard across from Planned Parenthood.
Mother's Day Tea on May 7
at All Saints
MADISON -- Celebrate Mother's Day weekend with your mother, daughter, granddaughter, or special person who is just like a mother to you. Join the All Saints Neighborhood for a Mother's Day Tea on Saturday, May 7, at 1 p.m. for tea and desserts.
Call 608-827-2222 to make a reservation. All Saints is located off Watts Rd. across from the Princeton Club-West.
Lafayette Deanery meets May 12
YELLOWSTONE -- "Celebration of Life and Motherhood" is the theme of the Lafayette Deanery meeting Thursday, May 12, at St. Michael Parish here.
Registration is at 5:30 p.m. followed by the business meeting at 6; concelebrated Mass at 6:30 with Fr. Lorin Bowens, Lime Ridge, diocesan moderator, as homilist; and dinner at 7:15. Carol Vander Sluis from Elizabeth House will speak at 8 followed by Benediction. There will be a baby shower for Elizabeth House.
Reservations are due May 2 to Kay Jacobson, 608-776-3692, or to Peggy White, 608-543-3940. The cost is $6.
Sauk Deanery meets May 17
LA VALLE -- Tuesday, May 17, is the Sauk Deanery meeting at Holy Family Parish here. Theme is "The Eucharist Beyond the Mass."
Registration is at 8:30 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9. Sr. Jean Ferstl, Racine Dominican and pastoral associate at St. Luke Parish, Plain, and St. John Parish, Spring Green, will speak on the theme at 10. A concelebrated Mass will be offered at 11 with Fr. Lorin Bowens, Lime Ridge, diocesan moderator and host pastor, as homilist. Luncheon will be served at 11:45. There will be adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. followed by Benediction.
Reservations are due May 7 to Janice Dreischmeier, S849 Dreischmeier Rd., Wonewoc, WI 53968. The cost is $9.
Italian dinner in Beloit
BELOIT -- On Saturday, May 7, "Joe's Special Italian Dinner" will be served at 6:45 p.m. in the Marian Guild Hall at St. Jude Parish.
Tickets for the event cost $25 each. Due to limited seating, reservations must be made by Wednesday, May 4, by calling Marie Splan at 608-364-2825. Groups may reserve tables for eight persons.
Proceeds from the dinner will be used for two trips that offer service hours for Confirmation candidates.
Blood drive May 3
SINSINAWA -- Sinsinawa Mound Center will host a blood drive sponsored by the Red Cross Tuesday, May 3, from 1:30 to 5 p.m. All are welcome.
Use the main entrance. Sinsinawa Mound is located on Cty. Rd. Z, off Hwy. 11, about five miles northeast of Dubuque.
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Be friends
with Christ:
Bishop addresses new pope's spirituality
By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
MADISON -- Pope Benedict XVI says we must accept the responsibility of being friends with Jesus Christ.
That was one of the points Bishop Robert C. Morlino made during his homily at St. James Parish, Madison, April 24. The Mass marked the 100-year anniversary of the parish and also served as a time to pray for Pope Benedict, who was installed as the new Holy Father the same day.
"You're asked to share this celebration," Bishop Morlino told the St. James parishioners. "Today we have the formal beginning of the ministry of Pope Benedict XVI."
As you've shared unselfishly for so many years, it is fitting to open our hearts wide to a celebration that covers the earth, he said.
Addressing relativism
In these first days, Pope Benedict has been made famous by some for having used the term "dictatorship of relativism," said Bishop Morlino. "Pope Benedict does not approve of the
'dictatorship of relativism' and neither does the bishop of Madison."
We have a wonderful image in today's Scripture of Jesus as a rock on which some will fall - such is their destiny, he said. It's scary that there are those whose lives are lived in such a way that they choose to make Jesus a stumbling stone for themselves, he said. "They've made a choice so that Jesus is an obstacle for them."
That image captures what Pope Benedict refers to when he mentions the "dictatorship of relativism," he said. "Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life,' not 'I'm the way, the truth, and the life for those who think I am.' Jesus said, 'There is truth and I'm the truth.'
"We live in a culture that does not want to believe there is objective truth and so Jesus is a stone over which many stumble," said the bishop. "But free will can change people's destiny."
Destiny can be changed by the proper use of freedom - the freedom to choose what we ought to do, he said. We are called to invite people to change their destiny. If we get swept up by that relativism, we're not going to reverse that destiny, he said.
"The dictatorship of relativism leads nowhere happy. It leads to a sad destiny," he said. "We're here to love, serve, and save the culture under God's grace and the leadership of this great pope."
Choosing 'Benedict'
The bishop shared his opinion on what choosing the name "Benedict" may mean.
The First Vatican Council in 1870 took many years to re-form the Church. Pope Pius IX and Pope Pius X implemented that council. Then it was time to integrate that council into the Church's history and move on, he said.
"Every council has to be integrated into the whole history of the Church," he said. When Pope Benedict XV took the name "Benedict" in 1914, it was to say that Vatican I is integrated and it is time to move on, he said.
Now it's getting to be 50 years after Vatican II and just as that line of two Popes "Pius" came to an end, now we have the line of Popes "John," "Paul," and "John Paul" coming to an end. We have another Pope Benedict who wants to make sure Vatican II is integrated into the Church, Bishop Morlino said, which means a final clarity of Vatican II.
"The dust still hasn't settled about what Vatican II means," he said. "By taking the name 'Benedict,' I think Pope Benedict wants to say it's time for the dust to settle. I hope and pray he means to say that: that we'll get clarity so the council can be lived and we can move on."
Having a final correct interpretation of Vatican II is a pressing need, he said, because so many continue to disagree with the authentic interpretations proclaimed by John Paul the Great.
Friendship with Christ
Bishop Morlino's last point addressed the spirituality the new pope's pontificate will follow: growing in friendship with Christ.
Friends know one another well, said the bishop. "Jesus said, 'I call you friends.' Not only does he want to teach us everything from the Father, but knowing our sins, he says, 'I call you my friends.'
"Pope Benedict says let's accept the responsibility of being friends with Jesus Christ and pray, 'Thank you Jesus for making me your friend,'" said Bishop Morlino. "Imagine if every disciple prayed that every day and meant it. Pope Benedict wants to lead all of us into a deeper acceptance of Jesus Christ."
It's not an easy friendship with Jesus Christ because we can't manipulate him, he said, but it's a joy because we can be sure he's not trying to manipulate us. "When we're in that friendship, we're never alone. No one can place an obstacle between us and Jesus Christ.
"Pope Benedict said Jesus Christ is a friend who never takes something away from us and always gives us what is for our best," he said.
Let's go on every day with our new pope and let's be full of life and hope, said Bishop Morlino. "Let's say every day many times that beautiful and brief prayer, 'Thank you Jesus for making me your friend.'"
Beloved statue:
Found beneath debris at damaged cathedral
By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
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Articles on Cathedral fire:
Past articles on Cathedral:
Diocese of Madison site:
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MADISON -- Hope shone forth once again as the silver-plated, three-foot statue of Mary that had stood on a ledge at the side of the sanctuary at St. Raphael Cathedral was recovered from debris in the fire-damaged building April 18.
Since the March 14 fire, parishioners have been asking about the statue all the time, said Msgr. Paul J. Swain, cathedral rector. The statue had been in the cathedral since the 1950s.
The statue, which had been lifted out of the cathedral with a crane, now lies in storage. It appears undamaged except that it just needs to be cleaned up, said Monsignor Swain.
Items retrieved
As for other items in the cathedral, the altar was lifted out of the building with a crane and sustained little damage except for a chipped corner, he said. The bishop's chair was retrieved, but it was pretty well burned, he said.
Seven of the 14 Stations of the Cross were also recovered as well as some pieces of the missing arm of the crucifix that was retrieved earlier. Recovered items are being stored in the rectory and storage areas.
Stabilizing building
There has not been a whole lot of debris removal yet, said Monsignor Swain.
Engineers continue to evaluate the walls and steeple of the building, which are being stabilized as a precaution with long metal braces.
The windows continue to deteriorate, he said. Plastic covering around the top edges of the walls now protects exposed bricks.
Water damage
Most of the damage done to the steeple appears to be cosmetic and is mostly due to the pressure of the water used to put out the fire, he said.
Over three feet of water was pumped out of the cathedral basement.
No decisions about the cathedral's future have yet been made.
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