• Articles on St. Raphael Cathedral News Briefs: Educators' day on Catholic social teaching MADISON -- Madison Diocese Religious Educators' Organization (MDREO) will host "Catholic Social Teaching Within Our Ministry" on Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Catholic Multicultural Center, 1862 Beld St. The day begins at 9 a.m. with a gathering, followed by business meeting and prayer. Susanna Herro, director of the diocesan Office for Justice and Pastoral Outreach, will speak about Catholic social teaching in lives and parishes. She will focus on the practical aspects of making the teachings come alive in youth ministry and parishes. Sr. Felissa Zander, principal at St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission in Reserve, will talk about the work, joys, and challenges. Cost is free for MDREO members and $20 for non-members. For more information or to RSVP by January 23, contact Sandy Blevins at 608-362-1231, ext. 115, or sandy_ola@charterinternet.net Visionary from Medjugorje speaks at parishes MADISON/PALMYRA -- Evenings of prayer will be held with Ivan Dragicevic, a visionary from Medjugorje, on Monday, Jan. 23, at St. Peter Church, 5001 N. Sherman Ave., Madison, and Tuesday, Jan. 24, at St. Mary Church, 919 W. Main St., Palmyra. On June 24, 1981, Dragicevic was one of six children who began to receive apparitions from the Blessed Virgin Mary in Medjugorje. The evenings of prayer will begin with rosary at 6 p.m. followed by Mass and a presentation by Dragicevic. He will share his experiences and relate Our Lady's messages of peace, conversion, fasting, monthly confession, reception and adoration of the Eucharist, Bible reading, and prayer. For information call 608-846-5395. No tickets are necessary, but seats may be limited; a free-will offering will be taken. Enrichment Day for married and engaged couples MADISON -- On Saturday, Jan. 28, Gary Chapman (author of The Five Languages of Love) will present "A Growing Marriage" conference for all married and engaged couples from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Lake City Church, 4909 Buckeye Road. Chapman will talk about how to strengthen, encourage, and even repair marriages. The conference will provide an opportunity for couples to get to know each other better. For questions, call the Diocese of Madison Family Ministry at 608-821-3175. For further information or to register online, go to www.agrowingmarriage.com Ecumenical service held in Columbus COLUMBUS -- The annual service celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, sponsored by the Columbus Ecumenical Association, will be held Sunday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m. at St. Jerome Church. Homilist will be Bishop Linda Lee, Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church. The theme is "Where Two or Three are Gathered in My Name." Music will be furnished by the Faith Lutheran Choir and St. Jerome New Hope Singers. Participating in the service will be pastors from Faith Lutheran Church, United Presbyterian, Church of the Nazarene, United Methodist, Olivet Congregational, Seventh Day Adventist, and St. Jerome. Following the service refreshments will be served in the school gym. The public is invited. Volunteers sought for mission work in Mexico this year MADISON -- The Latin American Mission Program (LAMP) is seeking volunteers to spend two to three weeks this summer in Mexico to teach religion, arts and crafts, and English; to cook for volunteers; or to be a driver, among other opportunities. Registration for those interested in volunteering this summer will be held Sunday, Jan. 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Catholic Multicultural Center, 1862 Beld St., Madison. For further information write LAMP, P.O. Box 85, Madison, WI 53701-0085, or call 608-845-7028, 608-255-5284, or 608-868-7816. Madison Marriage Encounter hosts special event for all couples MADISON -- Madison Marriage Encounter is hosting a special event for all couples on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Bishop O'Connor Center, 702 S. High Point Rd. This Marriage Encounter Renewal Night is open to all couples, regardless of whether or not the couple has previously attended a Marriage Encounter Weekend. The Renewal Night to strengthen and enhance marriage will feature a panel discussion on "Marriage and Spirituality." There also will be a silent auction fund-raiser. Bring a snack to share for a social time with old and new friends. Soda and water will be provided. Couples of all faiths are invited.
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Evangelization and Catechesis: Changing the name of religious education office reflects on its mission

By Kathleen Bushman
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Following Bishop Robert C. Morlino's recent assumption of the role of director for the Diocese of Madison Office of Religious Education, the office has just undergone a name change.

	Related article: December 29, 2005 edition: • Relevant Radio: Diocese enters into partnership to strengthen evangelization, catechesis, communications

The new Office of Evangelization and Catechesis joins many dioceses from across the country who have taken this step in an attempt to better reflect through its name the nature of its mission: to introduce people to the person of Jesus Christ and help them know, love, and serve him more deeply, said Eric Schiedermayer, executive secretary of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, explaining the name change.

Reflecting the mission

To evangelize is to proclaim Christ and his teaching, especially to people and cultures who have not yet effectively met him, he said. And catechesis, which derives from a word meaning "to echo," signifies how the Catholic Church does not advance her own creations and ideas, but echoes the teaching of Christ.

"It is hoped that changing the name of the office will help address a misunderstanding that is sometimes associated with the term 'religious education,'" Schiedermayer said. "In today's society, this term often connotes a strictly academic process involving only children.

"On the contrary, our work aims to help form people with an integrated faith, not simply an academic one. Catechesis is a life-long process of initial conversion, formation, education, and ongoing conversion."

Jack McBride, an associate director with nearly 20 years service in the diocesan office, said he is pleased with the name change.

McBride, who focuses on adult education efforts, worked with the U.S. Catholic Bishops on their 1999 statement, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, which stated that "Adult faith formation . . . must be the central task in the catechetical enterprise," becoming "the axis around which revolves the catechesis of childhood and adolescence as well as that of old age."

The name change, said Sr. Marcia Vinje, associate director who works with the diaconate program and lay ministry training, "gives people a clearer idea that evangelization and catechesis is not just intellectual but a formation of the whole person: your spirituality, your daily life according to what you believe as a Catholic."

"I've thought that 'religious education,' in people's minds, was very limited," said Ben Weiss, associate director who will be working with both the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis and the Office of Justice and Pastoral Ministry.

Evangelization and catechesis, he said, implies not just "book smarts," but implies the whole faith dimension of a person.

The new name not only fits closer to the current programs and mission of the office, Weiss said, but may also in some ways affect how they are able to grow: "Many times, words shape reality."

Making disciples

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the name catechesis was given to the church's efforts "to make disciples, to help men believe that Jesus is the Son of God so that believing they might have life in his name, and to educate and instruct them in this life, thus building up the body of Christ."

"Through this name change . . . the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis hopes to initiate a discussion and renewed focus on Christ's invitation to all of us to 'Go and make disciples,'" said Schiedermayer.

"The work of evangelization and catechesis is the privilege and obligation of all baptized Christians," said Bishop Morlino.

"To 'evangelize' means to bring good news. The good news is the person of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. To evangelize is to proclaim Christ and his teaching, and I urge every Catholic to join in this work."

Foundations of church

The reaction of people in the diocese to the name change has been positive. Fr. Richard M. Heilman, pastor of St. Ignatius Parish, Mt. Horeb, and St. Mary Parish, Pine Bluff, said that he actually cheered when he opened a letter announcing the name change.

"I hope the title is going to lead us to a place - and I'm sure it'll lead us - where it's every bit as much about conversion of heart as it is about the filling of the mind," he said.

"I've always felt the horse before the cart in catechesis needs to be evangelization, needs to be a conversion of heart to break open the Word of God, of faith, and discover the wonders of our faith," he said. "I see in the title an effort to help people discover conversion and transformation in their lives."

Cindy Fischer, the director of religious education at St. Patrick Parish in Lodi, said that when the pastor shared the news about the name change at a staff meeting a few weeks ago, she was really delighted.

About the change from "religious education" to "evangelization and catechesis," she said, "I think in a sense it's a bit broader and in a sense it's a bit more specific" about the role of evangelization and catechesis in the church.

As to Bishop Morlino acting as director of the new office, she said, "It seems a natural fit, because evangelization and catechesis are so foundational to us as a church. It just made sense to me."

Vocation journey: Priest shares story

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Msgr. Mike Burke, pastor of St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison, shared his vocation story during the recent Life Directions Weekend held at the Bishop O'Connor Center.

The weekend provided an opportunity for single Catholic women and men to reflect on their vocational call and learn about the priesthood and consecrated life.

A diocesan priest for 32 years, Monsignor Burke said, "It's amazing how God touches people. It's not one particular moment."

He advised the weekend participants to be patient. "God doesn't act real quickly," he said. "There's a process that goes on. Everything happens for a reason in our lives."

He said there are three things that are critically important in discerning a church vocation: a real hunger and thirst for God; reliance on the spirit of God working within oneself; and the ability to pray and communicate with God.

Born and raised on a farm near Seymour (seven miles west of Darlington), Monsignor Burke said he was the oldest of eight children. He went to public grade school and high school, then attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.

Monsignor Burke had experiences with relatives who were priests and Sisters. There were also many young priests in his small hometown parish. "The parish was a hub of our life," he recalled. "That created a hunger and thirst for me. The Catholic faith was very important in our lives."

	Related article: January 12, 2006 edition: • Editorial -- Vocations: Take time to listen to God

While at Loras, he found himself attending Mass every day. "That had a huge impact on me. I felt that something was missing in my life." He talked with a priest at Loras and told him he wanted to be a priest. The priest encouraged him to try it. "You won't know until you try it," he told him.

Monsignor Burke then went on a weekend retreat at a Cistercian monastery near Dubuque. "That sealed the deal," he said. He enrolled in the Holy Name Seminary college program in Madison and was ordained in 1974.

Of the priesthood he says, "It's the absolute best. After 32 years I'm in the right place in my life and I thank God for it. It is worth every minute of it."

He admitted there are challenges, but God and other people help him cope with them.

Monsignor Burke also discussed his 18 years at Holy Name Seminary as rector and vocation director, along with his work at St. Maria Goretti and his involvement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison football program.

He encouraged those considering the priesthood or religious life to try it. "You'll never know what it's like until you get into it," he said.