News Briefs: Closing Mass for the Year of the Eucharist MADISON -- A Closing Mass for the Year of the Eucharist will be held Sunday, Oct. 16, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 5101 Schofield St., Monona. The Mass will begin at 3 p.m. and conclude with a Eucharistic Procession (outdoors, if weather permits), followed by Benediction. Bishop Robert C. Morlino will be the main celebrant of the Mass, with priests from the diocese concelebrating. Each parish has sent a delegation to the Mass, but others are welcome to attend. As of September 1, over 30 priests and nearly 600 people representing parishes have indicated they would attend. Assisted listening devices and large-print worship aids will be available upon request from a greeter and a sign language interpreter will be present. For more information, contact the Office of Worship at 608-821-3081 or worship@straphael.org or visit www.madisondiocese.org/worship. Care Net Banquet MADISON -- Care Net's 20th Anniversary Banquet will be held Thursday, Nov. 17, at Monona Terrace Convention Center. Registration is at 6:15 p.m. with the banquet beginning at 7 p.m. Liz Osborn, executive director of Care Net Pregnancy Center, will be sharing her own testimony at this inspiring anniversary banquet. To sponsor a table of eight, the cost is $300. Individuals, churches, or other organizations could host a table or individuals can donate a table sponsorship. Individual tickets are available for $40 per person. For more information or to register, call 608-258-9473, e-mail karrind@carenetdane.org, or register at www.carenetdane.org Mothers of Preschoolers at Night STOUGHTON -- Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) at Night will hold their October meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in the gathering area of St. Ann Parish, 323 N. Van Buren St. Judy Davis, a counselor, will speak on discipline. Each meeting includes an inspirational speaker, a small discussion group, and an activity. Childcare is not provided; however, babies birth through three months are welcome. There is a $2 fee per meeting and scholarships are available. For more information, call Susan Cook at 608-877-4039 or contact the parish office at 608-873-7633. Library association WISCONSIN DELLS -- The Wisconsin Chapter of the Catholic Library Association will hold its fall 2005 conference at the Wintergreen Resort & Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells on Friday, Oct. 21, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Events scheduled include breakfast, fellowship, shopping, an opening prayer and discussion of business, and presentations. Presentations will include discussions on curriculum mapping and the growing place of graphic novels in school libraries. There will also be a presentation by the Cooperative Children's Book Center titled Outstanding New Books for Children and Young Adults. Following the presentations, there will also be a roundtable discussion on the issue of censorship in Catholic schools. For more information, visit http://www.viterbo.edu/library/wcla, call 608-849-9224, or e-mail jelvekrog@charter.net. Weekend for men STOUGHTON -- A Men's Christian Experience Weekend will be held October 21 to 23 at St. Ann Parish. "We Are One Body" is the theme for the third annual retreat co-hosted by St. Ann Parish and Holy Mother of Consolation Parish, Oregon. Men will have the opportunity for spiritual growth through presentations and activities by reflecting on their relationships with God and others. All men over the age of 18 are invited. The weekend begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and will conclude about 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Overnight stay at the facility is a part of the weekend. All meals are provided. The registration fee is $40 per person. Enrollment is limited to 30 participants. Registration forms may be picked up at the parish offices. For additional information or to obtain a form by mail, call Dan Schultz at 608-873-0475 or e-mail Dancan2doit@aol.com 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 a Madison parish. New Directions meets 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13 and 27, at St. Dennis Parish Center, 413 Dempsey Rd. Friends on a Journey meets 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at Our Lady Queen of Peace, 401 S. Owen Dr. For information, call 608-821-3170. Post-abortion retreats offered MILWAUKEE -- A Catholic retreat for post-abortion women and men will be held in the Milwaukee metropolitan area beginning Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. and concluding Sunday, Nov. 6, at 12:30 p.m. This retreat is sponsored by Post Abortion Helpline of Milwaukee. The staff includes two priests and three post abortion counselors. For a private room for two nights and all meals, a fee of $70 per person or $130 per couple is requested. The exact location of the retreat is not publicized in order to protect the privacy of all participants, but complete information is given to all those interested in attending. Call Patti at 414-645-4050. For more information visit www.postabortionhealing.org
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Partnership:
Sharing our cultures

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 visited the Diocese of Madison from September 22 until October 5.

Related articles: Oct. 13, 2005 edition: • Sidebar: A cultural exchange: Delegates, host parishes share views Sept. 29, 2005 edition: • Ghana delegation: In Diocese of Madison • Sidebar: Fair trade: For Ghanaians Sept. 15, 2005 edition: • African delegation: To visit Madison • Sidebar: New fair trade program launched July 28, 2005 edition: • Donkey Project fundraiser in Janesville June 30, 2005 edition: • Madison Diocese answers global justice, solidarity, and peace call Jan. 27, 2005 edition: • Thomas Awiapo: Catholic Relief Services changed his life July 29, 2004 edition: • Walking together: Bishop from Ghana shares his perspective Dec. 25, 2003 edition: • Diocesan delegation travels to Ghana March 27, 2003 edition: • Global Solidarity Partnership Program: Diocese of Madison ~ Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga Aug. 1, 2002 edition: • Delegation visits Ghana: Global Solidarity Partnership links dioceses

Participating in the Global Solidarity Partnership between the two dioceses, the delegates were hosted by 18 parishes in the Diocese of Madison.

In 2002, the partnership between these two dioceses began when a delegation of seven members from the Diocese of Madison visited northern Ghana. When the second delegation from the Diocese of Madison traveled to the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga in January 2004, the signing of the partnership agreement made the partnership formal.

Partnership participants

Those in the delegation from Ghana included: Fr. Moses Akebule, administrator of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bolgatanga and coordinator of the partnership program in Ghana; Sr. Elizabeth Mgbaramuko of the Centre for Development Communications; Fr. Augustine Ayaga of the Diocesan Development Office (diocesan coordinator of social services); Paulina Awuni of the Christian Mothers Association; Ben Rogers Bagnabu, regional manager of Catholic education; Anthony Awiah of the Diocesan Laity Council; Moses Aduku, project manager of the Partnership Poverty Reduction Project; Sr. Matilda Amoah, religious education coordinator and representative of the Religious Women Council; Simple John Aniba, representative of the Navrongo Deanery; Emelia Alhassan, representative of the Bolga Deanery; Fr. Charles Akabote, administrator of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Cathedral in Navrongo; Thomas Awiapo of Catholic Relief Services in Ghana; and Fr. Richard Archambault, vicar general.

Participating parishes in the Diocese of Madison included: St. Joseph, Baraboo; Our Lady of Assumption, St. Jude, and St. Thomas, Beloit; Nativity of Mary and St. John Vianney, Janesville; St. John the Baptist, Jefferson; St. Clement, Lancaster; Blessed Sacrament, St. James, St. Maria Goretti, and St. Peter, Madison; St. Barnabas, Mazomanie; Sacred Heart, Reedsburg; St. Norbert, Roxbury; St. Ann, Stoughton; St. Bernard and St. Henry, Watertown; and St. Andrew, Verona.

A range of activities

While in the Diocese of Madison, the Ghana delegates participated in various activities. For instance, at St. John the Baptist Parish in Jefferson, the visitors went on a walking tour of the town, spoke with children in the school and religious education classes, and visited a nursing home and a farm.

At St. Bernard Parish and St. Henry Parish in Watertown, the delegates took a trip to Milwaukee, attended parish Masses, and visited Old World Wisconsin. The delegates hosted by Sacred Heart Parish in Reedsburg interacted with students at the school and toured a medical facility plus grain and dairy farms and Devil's Lake State Park.

In Janesville at Nativity of Mary Church, the visitors toured Rotary Gardens and the General Motors plant and heard the Beloit-Janesville Symphony Orchestra at the Janesville Performing Arts Center. At St. Peter Parish in Madison, delegates went to the Farmers' Market, attended a Badgers football game, took a ride in a convertible car, and visited cheese factories and a brewery.

Prioress general:
To speak at St. Thérèse
of Lisieux lecture series

MADISON -- Mother Mary Assumpta Long, co-founder and prioress general of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Mich., will be speaking at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison as a part of the St. Thérèse of Lisieux lecture series Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m.

Mother Assumpta holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Peabody College, a master's degree in religious studies from Providence College, and a licentiate in sacred theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

She has taught at the elementary, secondary, and junior college levels and has served as president of Aquinas Junior College in Nashville, Tenn.

Former president of the Forum of Major Superiors, Mother Assumpta has also assisted Cardinal John O'Connor in forming the Sisters of Life in New York City in the early '90s and has served on the boards of several Catholic universities and organizations.

Her community's primary apostolate is Catholic education in the spirit of the New Evangelization.

Her talk is titled "Consecrated Life: a Mosaic of Unity in Diversity" and will be preceded by a prayer service.

For free tickets or for more information, contact the Office of Religious Education at 608-821-3160 or ore@straphael.org. Admission is by ticket only.

New reporter hired

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Kathleen "Kat" Bushman is a new reporter who joined the Catholic Herald staff October 3.

A 2004 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Bushman has a bachelor's degree in genetics and life science communications. A member of St. Paul's University Catholic Center in Madison, she interned there after graduation, working as a receptionist and helping out in various ways, including coordinating marriage preparation.

During her college career, Bushman wrote and copyedited for the Daily Cardinal, the student newspaper. She also interned in the research communications division at University Communications, the public relations arm of the university, where she wrote press releases and articles for Wisconsin Week, a publication distributed to faculty and staff. Writing is something she has enjoyed all her life.

Working for church

When Bushman saw the ad for the reporter position in the Catholic Herald, "It felt perfect because I have become very much involved in the church," she said. "To do what I love for the church is very important."

As a student attending St. Paul's University Center, she became involved in Bible studies and large group gatherings. She volunteered there for 16 hours a week one summer, which allowed her the opportunity to attend daily Mass. When she interned at St. Paul's after graduation, she lived there as well.

"Working and living and interacting with everyone so passionate about their faith really gave me an opportunity to become closer to God," she said. "He has done such wonders in my life and I really feel He brought me to the Catholic Herald because I feel this is the direction He wanted me to go."'

Excited about position

Originally from Greendale, south of Milwaukee, Bushman is the daughter of Karen and Thomas Bushman. She has two brothers, Jeremy, 25, and Martin, 17. Her hobbies include writing fiction and poetry, reading, and running.

"I am very excited to be working here and have felt welcomed by everyone," said Bushman. "When I meet someone new, it's always with a big smile and a welcoming attitude."

During October, Bushman will be training with reporter Julianne Nornberg, who will be leaving the Catholic Herald November 1 to become a full-time mom.

World Youth Day 2005: A joy-filled experience

By Fr. Jim Bartylla
VOCATION DIRECTOR, DIOCESE OF MADISON

(See also front-page photo.)

World Youth Day was a joyous, faith-filled experience. Over 1,100,000 young people joined the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for his closing Mass on Sunday, Aug. 21, at Marienfeld. The crowds were overflowing and larger than estimated.

Young people yearn for the truth - the truth only the Church can give. Watching these young people literally run after the Holy Father was a profound experience. This Vicar of Christ draws youth in a manner greater than any rock star or performer. Literally, young people would see the Holy Father from the sidewalk as his "popemobile" passed by on the street, and they would run after the car. Young people would be in tears chasing after him.

On Thursday, people lined the banks of the Rhine River to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father as his boat made its way to Cologne Cathedral. In so many ways, we all can learn much from the simple, innocent faith of youth who came to Cologne to see their Holy Father and who joined in a spiritual experience of Christ and His Church that will stay with them for a lifetime.

We pray together for conversion of hearts and for continuing spiritual growth for the World Youth Day pilgrims and for all youth. Praised be Jesus Christ!