News Briefs: St. John Vianney to mark 50 years JANESVILLE -- St. John Vianney Parish will celebrate its 50th jubilee with a 6 p.m. Mass of Thanksgiving Sunday, Aug. 14. Bishop Robert C. Morlino will preside at the Mass. Pastor Fr. Donn Heiar will concelebrate, along with former pastors and associate pastors of the parish. Religious Sisters with ties to the parish, Knights of Columbus, and charter members will attend. Mass will be followed by a reception in the parish commons and tours of the remodeled facility. Those with questions may call the parish at 608-752-8708. Workshop at All Saints on medical access MADISON -- All Saints Retirement Center will present "Free Medical Access Workshop for Elders" on Thursday, Aug. 11, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Presented by Kirke Rogers, the workshop will provide practical actions elders can use to improve communication with health care providers. Funding from the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation makes the workshop possible. All Saints Retirement Center is on the corner of Watts Rd. and Commerce Dr. in Madison. There is no fee and all are welcome. R.S.V.P. to 608-827-2222. Refreshments will be served. Women's retreat accessible to disabled MADISON -- The Diocesan Women's Retreat to be held Friday, Aug. 19, through Saturday, Aug. 20, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center will be accessible to the disabled. The retreat is wheelchair accessible. There will also be assistive-listening devices for the heard-of-hearing and a sign-language interpreter for the deaf. The retreat master is Bishop Robert C. Morlino. In this Year of the Eucharist, Catholic women of all ages are invited to gather with Bishop Morlino to pray and reflect on what it means to not only to receive the Eucharist, but to live out the grace of Eucharist in their daily lives. Registration deadline is Aug. 12. For more information, call Jack McBride at 608-821-3161 or e-mail mcbride@straphael.org 'Search for Serenity' retreat SINSINAWA -- "Search for Serenity: The 12 Steps and Beyond" will be held at Sinsinawa Mound from 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, through 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11. People who are in recovery and their loved ones are encouraged to attend. The retreat will be led by Steve Ellsworth. He is the editor of The Good Stuff, an e-mail missive targeting friends in recovery with motivational and spiritual thoughts for each week. Registration deadline is Aug. 26 and there is a fee. For information, contact Janice DeMuth at 608-748-4411, ext. 869, or visit www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter Support group for separated, divorced MADISON -- A peer support group for those hurting from separation, divorce, or loss of a significant relationship is open to all ages/faiths at a Madison parish. New Directions will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Aug. 11 and 25, at St. Dennis Parish Center, 413 Dempsey Rd., top floor. For information, call 608-821-3170.
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Madison pilgrims: Excited about trip to World Youth Day

By Julianne Nornberg and Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

(See also front-page photo and sidebar: What is World Youth Day?)

MADISON -- Several groups of pilgrims from the Diocese of Madison will be traveling to Germany to attend World Youth Day (WYD).

Group with Ben Weisse

According to Ben Weisse, associate director for youth ministry in the diocesan Office for Justice and Pastoral Outreach, he is in charge of a group of 38 people, including seven under 18 years of age, 19 under 30, and 12 over 30. They will leave on Aug. 14 and return on Aug. 25.

Parishes are represented from Ashton, Boscobel, Dodgeville, Janesville, Madison, Mt. Horeb, Platteville, and Stoughton.

Priests traveling with this group: Frs. Paul Ugo Arinze, St. Joseph, Dodgeville; Rob Butz, Immaculate Conception, Boscobel; Randy Timmerman, St. Paul University Center, Madison; and Steve Umhoefer, Nativity of Mary, Janesville.

Weisse attended the last WYD in Toronto, Canada. "It's such an awesome experience to be with so many others with the same faith, particularly meeting people from other parts of the world and putting a face to the universal church."

Members of the Madison delegation will be hosted by St. Elisabeth Parish in Wuppertal, Germany. Some will stay with families and others in the parish hall. Besides WYD activities, this group will travel to Salzburg and also visit the former concentration camp at Dachau.

Mark Piper, 17, a member of St. Ann Parish, Stoughton, said he is "waiting in anticipation" to attend World Youth Day. "It should be exciting," said the senior at Stoughton High School. Piper is on the parish Vocation Committee and plans to serve as a catechist this year.

Group with Fr. Nielsen

Forty-one people from the Diocese of Madison will travel to World Youth Day with Fr. Eric Nielsen, pastor of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish, Sullivan, and St. Mary Parish, Palmyra. They leave Aug. 9 after a Mass with Bishop Robert C. Morlino and return on Aug. 24.

Members of the group range from ages 18 to 44, with 40 people under age 30 and two people over age 30. In order to get to know one another, group members have gathered twice before departure.

They represent parishes in Bloomington, DeForest, Evansville, Fennimore, Footville, Lancaster, Madison, McFarland, Monona, Montello, Stoughton, Sullivan, and Waunakee.

Father Nielsen has been to WYD in previous years in Paris, Denver, and Rome. This is the third WYD pilgrimage group he will be leading.

"They're in for an exciting time with many Catholics from around the world," said Father Nielsen. "It will rejuvenate their faith and give them hope for the future." Many of them will receive a call in their hearts to some type of vocation, he said.

This group will be staying with host families in Osnabruck, north of Cologne. On their way home, they will spend two days in Paris.

Seminarians

Coming together as the universal church, seeing and hearing the Holy Father in person, sharing the Catholic faith with young people from around the world - these are some of the things World Youth Day (WYD) participants anticipate, including seminarians of the Diocese of Madison. Some seminarians will travel with diocesan groups to WYD. They eagerly anticipate the gifts the experience will bring.

Seminarian Marc Ganser, whose home parish is Immaculate Heart of Mary in Monona, will begin his spirituality year at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Col. He attended WYD in 1997 and 2000 and looks forward to participating in the celebration of being part of the universal church.

At WYD, "all cultures can converge and unite under the vicar of Christ," he said. "It's awesome to see and hear the pope. It gives you hope. When you see people sharing that, it builds the church, especially the youth."

"We are the light of Christ. We have to share it between us first and then go back to our countries and share it with everyone," said seminarian Gabin Nofodji, who is attending WYD for the first time. Nofodji will be a first year college student at Seton Hall College Seminary, in South Orange, N.J. His home parish is St. Peter, Madison.

Seminarian Brian Dulli, whose home parish is St. Maria Goretti in Madison, will begin second theology studies at Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Ill. He is excited to have the chance to get to know Pope Benedict and see the way he addresses youth.

He is especially looking forward to a special gathering with the pope with seminarians from all over the world - to be able to feel a special bond with the Holy Father as future priests of the new millennium, he said.

"It's also good to be in pilgrimage with other young people," said Dulli. "I want to be filled with the love of Christ - I have to learn myself what it means to love young people."

Fr. Jim Bartylla, director of the Diocese of Madison's Office of Vocations, attended a previous World Youth Day in Paris in 1997.

"It was a wonderful exposure to the true universality of the Catholic Church - in essence, its catholicity," said Father Bartylla.

"These young people love Christ, love the pope, love their church, and will securely bring about the new evangelization in this new millennium. I look forward to sharing these spirit-filled days with our young pilgrims of the Diocese of Madison," he said.

Group from Beloit

Attending WYD from St. Jude Parish in Beloit are Pastor Fr. Steve Kortendick, Religious Education Director Ann Henning, and students: Jenna Butzler, Jimmy Plasky, and Erin Mulligan.

Father Kortendick said he is anticipating a once in a lifetime experience with youth and their leaders from around the world.

The St. Jude group has also been assigned to families in Wuppertal.

Spiritual Feast:
Scott Hahn will be featured speaker Sept. 10

MADISON -- This year's Spiritual Feast with the theme "Salvation comes from our God . . . and from the Lamb" will be held Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison.

The featured speaker, Dr. Scott Hahn, is a popular Catholic lecturer, apologist, and theologian. He will speak on the richness of the sacraments, the power of reconciliation, and the Mass as the heavenly liturgy described in the book of Revelation.

Hahn is a former Protestant minister and a convert to Catholicism. He currently is a professor of theology and Scripture at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, where he has taught since 1990. He is the founder and director of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

He has produced hundreds of audio and video tapes which have been effective in helping Protestants and lapsed Catholics to re-embrace the Catholic faith. His books include Understanding the Scriptures, Swear to God, Lord Have Mercy, The Lamb's Supper, First Comes Love, and Rome Sweet Home.

Bishop Robert C. Morlino will celebrate Mass to conclude the day at 4 p.m. The day will begin with registration at 8 a.m. Throughout the day there will be talks by Hahn, music, book sales, and fellowship. The opportunity to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available over the lunch period as well as the opportunity to receive individual prayers after Mass provided by prayer teams.

Pre-registration is $30 or $33 at the door. Box lunches may be purchased for $6.25 by those who pre-register by Sept. 3. Participants can also bring their own lunch or visit nearby restaurants.

Overnight rooms are available at the center with advanced registration (single rooms, $30 per night; double rooms with one double bed, $40 per night). Checks may be mailed and payable to: CCR, 214 Sauk Creek Dr., Madison, WI 53717-1818.

Spiritual Feast is sponsored by the Madison Diocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal. For more information, call 608-833-6560. Pre-registration is due Sept. 3.