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News Briefs:
Rosary March: October 2 at Holy Redeemer
MADISON -- The fall International Rosary March will be held Sunday, Oct. 2, at 2 p.m. at Holy Redeemer Church in Madison.
Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer will deliver the homily. The intention for this Rosary March is "That Our Rosary may lead us to a greater appreciation of Jesus' presence in the Holy Eucharist."
There will be a special presentation of flowers to Our Blessed Mother and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Young people and adults who participate in the presentation of flowers should bring their own flowers.
A 15-decade rosary will be prayed while processing around Holy Redeemer Church with the Pilgrim Virgin Statue. The rosary will also be prayed simultaneously inside the church.
Bereavement series
MADISON -- A four-week bereavement video series entitled "No One Cries the Wrong Way" will be presented October 5, 12, 19, and 26 with a group reunion to be held on November 16.
The series will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Dennis Chapel, 505 Dempsey Rd., Madison. Sessions will be facilitated by members of the St. Dennis Bereavement Ministry Team. They will include a series of videos narrated by Fr. Joe Kempf, prayer service, group discussion, and refreshments.
There is no fee but attendance is limited. To register, contact the St. Dennis office at 608-246-5124 by Monday, Oct. 3. For more information, contact Kathy Saunders at 608-222-9558 or Darlene/Duane Woldt at 608-222-2125.
Dinner for singles
MADISON -- If you are single (never married, divorced, or widowed), you are invited to join former Diocesan Singles Club members for dinner on Saturday, Oct. 15, at CJ'S East, 801 Atlas Ave. (Hwy. 51 and Cottage Grove Rd.).
Social and cocktails begin at 6:30 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. Bring cards or board games for after-dinner socializing.
For questions and reservations, call Barb at 608-238-7749 by Friday, Oct. 14, at 9 p.m.
Peer support groups
MADISON -- Peer support groups for those hurting from separation, divorce, or loss of a significant relationship are open to all ages/faiths at two Madison parishes.
Friends on a Journey will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 6 and 20, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, 401 S. Owen Dr.
New Directions will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 13 and 27, at St. Dennis Parish Center, 413 Dempsey Rd., top floor. For information, call 608-821-3170.
West Dane
Deanery meeting
ROXBURY -- "The Web of Life" is the theme for the West Dane Deanery Council of Catholic Women fall meeting Tuesday, Oct. 11, at St. Norbert Parish here.
Registration is at 8:15 a.m. followed by the business meeting at 9. Guest speaker at 9:30 will be Kathleen Vinehout, a dairy farmer who is the Wisconsin Farmers Union representative to the Wisconsin Legislature. She will give practical advice on what Christian citizens can do to take to take an active role in government.
A concelebrated Mass will be offered at 11:15 with Fr. Lorin Bowens, Lime Ridge, as homilist. A luncheon will be served at noon.
Reservations are due October 4 to Jill Breunig, 7135 Dorf View Ct., Sauk City, WI 53583. Non-perishable items are requested for the food pantry. The offertory collection will be for Fr. Rudy Breunig for his mission work in Costa Rica.
Sauk Deanery meeting
LIME RIDGE -- Thursday, Oct. 13, is the date of the Sauk Deanery Council of Catholic Women fall conference at St. Boniface Parish here.
Registration is a 8:45 a.m. followed by the business meeting at 9:15. Fr. Jim Murphy, Portage, will be the guest speaker at 10:15. He will speak on "Ministering in Prisons."
A concelebrated Mass will be offered at 11 with Fr. Lorin Bowens, host pastor and diocesan moderator, as homilist. A lunch will be served 11:45 a.m. A question and answer session with Amish women will follow.
Reservations are due to Bernice Mueller, P.O. Box 44, Lime Ridge, WI 53942, by October 6. The cost is $8. Those attending are asked to bring three five dollar items to be used for the silent auction.
Cartoonist: To share faith in Platteville
PLATTEVILLE -- Madison cartoonist Jason Kotecki has been invited to Platteville for an adult ministry presentation at St. Mary Parish. He will speak about living and loving with a childlike faith.
Hilarious anecdotes, colorful artwork, and a bit of cartooning are featured in a presentation that will inspire and encourage. Kotecki will be speaking on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m.
Since its debut in 2000, his comic strip, Kim & Jason, has appealed to worldwide readers of all ages with its humorous childlike look at life. For more information go to www.KimandJason.com
Marriage Encounter weekend
MADISON -- Madison Marriage Encounter is hosting a special Marriage Encounter Weekend for recovering alcoholics and their spouses on October 7 to 9. The weekend will be held at the Bishop O'Connor Center in Madison.
All faiths are welcome. To register, or for more information, call 608-821-3175, or visit the Web site at www.marriageencountermadison.org
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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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Ghana delegation:
In Diocese of Madison
By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
(See also front-page photo; and sidebar, below.)
MADISON -- Thirteen members of a delegation from the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga in Ghana are visiting the Diocese of Madison until October 5.
Participating in the Global Solidarity Partnership between the two dioceses that began in 2002, the delegates are being hosted by 18 parishes in the Diocese of Madison.
On September 23, the day after their arrival in the United States, the delegates learned about Diocese of Madison offices at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison and had a chance to meet diocesan staff.
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"We are happy to be here," said Fr. Moses Akebule, administrator of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bolgatanga and coordinator of the partnership program in Ghana. "In our culture, a friendship begins when you visit a friend. You know where we live and we know where you live."
During this visit, he said, "we will concretize this partnership. We will share our vision together. We ask God to keep us together and bless us."
Father Akebule brought greetings from his bishop, Bishop Lucas Abadamloora, to everyone in the Diocese of Madison.
"A very warm and enthusiastic welcome to my brother priests and brothers and sisters from the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga," Bishop Robert C. Morlino said in greeting during a welcome Mass September 23 at the Bishop O'Connor Center.
"It really is a pleasure to have our brothers and sisters with us," he said. "We welcome them with open arms."
He wished them health, safety, and joy during their visit to the Diocese of Madison.
"You're a great gift," he told them in his homily. He offered the Mass for the bishop of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, the priests and religious of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, and all of those in the delegation visiting the Diocese of Madison.
Those in the delegation from Ghana include: Father Akebule; Sr. Elizabeth Mgbaramuko; Fr. Augustine Ayaga; Paulina Awuni; Ben Rogers Bagnabu; Anthony Awiah; Moses Aduku; Sr. Matilda Amoah; Simple John Aniba; Emelia Alhassan; Fr. Charles Akabote; Thomas Awiapo; and Fr. Richard Archambault.
Fair trade: For Ghanaians
By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
MADISON -- The 13 delegates from the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga in Ghana joined people of the Diocese of Madison at the launch of Catholic Relief Services' (CRS) Fair Trade Chocolate Program featuring Divine Chocolate - the first farmer-owned chocolate brand in the world.
The CRS Fair Trade Chocolate Program helps farmers in Ghana by distributing fair trade chocolate through A Greater Gift in Madison and throughout the U.S.
The event was held at the Catholic Multicultural Center in Madison September 23.
Perspective from Ghana
One of the delegates, Fr. Augustine Ayaga, coordinator of social services for the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, shared information about Ghana. He first explained the colorful dress worn by the Ghanaian delegates, which represented the colors of the country's flag: red symbolizes sacrifice, gold symbolizes the richness of the people, and green represents the resources of the country.
Ghana has 220 billion people and the people of Ghana are noted for their hospitality, said Father Ayaga. An extended family system and a culture rich in music and dance are characteristics of Ghana. In the north, which is the poorest region in Ghana, the main occupation is farming crops such as millet and rice.
"The church is trying to help people feel secure," he said.
Fair trade program
Michael Sheridan, economic justice program officer from CRS, shared information on CRS's efforts in fair trade.
"The choices we make have consequences," he said. "When you buy fair trade products, you're promoting economic justice and increasing global solidarity."
Sam Tokheim of A Greater Gift explained that Divine Chocolate is produced from cocoa beans of Kuapa Kokoo ("good farmer cocoa"), a cooperative that ensures that its 47,000 cocoa bean farmers in southern Ghana get a fair price and are treated with dignity.
People in the U.S. are invited to buy fair trade chocolate, give it as gifts, sell it as a fundraiser, and promote it. Fair trade gives us the opportunity to uphold the dignity of the human family, Sheridan said, noting that fair trade is a way to put Catholic social teaching into action. Two other CRS fair trade programs include Just Coffee and Work of Human Hands.
We live in a world with a lot of struggles and economic justice seems overwhelming, so it's exciting to think about how we're impacting global problems, said Bob Chase, executive director of SERRV International, which runs A Greater Gift. He mentioned that a fair trade
conference will take place in Chicago September 30 to October 2 and that those interested may visit www.fairtradefutures.org
Those attending the launch event sampled Divine Chocolate and shopped for fair trade handcrafts.
For more information on the CRS fair trade program, visit www.crsfairtrade.org |
St. Joseph Church: Sustains fire one week
after dedication
By Audrey Mettel Fixmer
CATHOLIC HERALD CORRESPONDENT
FORT ATKINSON -- Just one week following Bishop Robert C. Morlino's dedication of the new St. Joseph Church and School, a fire broke out in the church, which stunned the community and tested the members as well as the newly installed emergency system. Both proved they were able to handle emergency setbacks.
Pastor Fr. Bill Nolan and his hearty team of volunteers, under the direction of Steve Holz, are thankful for the Fort Atkinson Fire Department for their swift response to the smoke alarm. Although they are saddened by the setback, they are counting this as just one more hurdle to mount.
At 9:48 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, the Fort Atkinson Fire Department traced a smoke alarm to the new St. Joseph Church on Endl Blvd. At this point no dollar amount has been estimated on the damage, which is mostly caused by smoke and water.
The organ console will have to be replaced, as well as a smaller electronic piano ruined by water. The sanctuary floor, which was elevated three steps, and thus leaked water into the insulation below, had to be dismantled and replaced. The flooding of the church floor also caused damage to the legs of the pews. They were made of laminated wood which blistered from
the flooding. Dry wall will also need to be replaced in some areas.
Services as usual
Although it is estimated that restoring the entire worship space to its full function may take as long as a month, services will go on in the parts of the building that were unaffected. Sunday Mass will be celebrated in the parish dining room, which can seat 400 people, with additional seating available in the Gathering Space, and daily Mass will be
held in one of the conference rooms. The school and offices were unaffected and continue to function as usual.
Since none of the worship space can be used until repairs are complete, funerals and weddings will be held at St. Coletta's Chapel in Jefferson, or in other alternative places.
Efficient response
The fire, which started sometime after Father Nolan left the church at approximately 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept.18, was confined to the console of the newly remodeled pipe organ, moved from the old site. The heat from the fire set off the fire alarm, which activated the sprinkler system in the church.
The Fire and Security Company, which monitors the church and school alarms, dispatched the Fort Atkinson Fire Department. They also notified the five members on the parish call list, who met the firefighters on the premises at 1660 Endl Blvd.
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Upon entering the church fire fighters were forced back by the heavy, blinding smoke. Special equipment led the firefighters to the organ, the source of the fire. The firemen were forced to smash the organ console with an ax. The intense heat released immediately set off the sprinkler system, which poured 35 gallons of water per minute from each head. Four heads in the sanctuary managed to flood half the church.
After the fire was out and it was safe to enter the building, parish members were called for cleanup. By midnight more than 40 church members were hard at work mopping up and cleaning up debris. Some of them worked until 4 a.m.
Clean up
The work goes on each day as more people pitch in to clean up and make the most of yet another setback. Volunteers will continue to do some of the work. Actual construction, however, will be completed by hired workers.
When Father Nolan was asked how he was holding up, he replied, "I'm tired, but so is everyone else. We're also thankful for the Fort Atkinson Fire Department and all of the wonderful people who show up here day after day to lend a helping hand. We have a great parish here and a beautiful church and school. We have much to thank God for."
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