• Articles on St. Raphael Cathedral
	News Briefs: Prayer vigil: To remember victims of violence MADISON -- A prayer vigil to remember the victims of violence and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean will be held Friday, Nov. 17, at Saint Mark Lutheran Church, 605 Spruce St., Madison, and the Catholic Multicultural Center, 1862 Beld St., Madison. The vigil is also an expression of support for persons taking part in the annual vigil at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas (SOA), at Fort Benning, Ga., on November 17 to 19. The Madison vigil will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Saint Mark with a short prayer service, followed by a solemn funeral procession to the Multicultural Center. Persons taking part in the procession are invited to bring flashlights. The vigil at the Multicultural Center, beginning at about 6:30 p.m., will include prayer, singing, and brief reflections on repression in Latin America, including murder and torture. The vigil is being sponsored by SOAW-Madison and Pax Christi Madison. Persons attending the vigil are asked to park at Saint Mark Church or on the street at the Multicultural Center or in its parking lot after 5:30 p.m. Saint Mark is east of Park St. on Spruce St. one block south of Olin Ave. and one block north of Beld St. For more information on the vigil, contact Dennis Collier at 608-221-8025. Thanksgiving ecumenical service MCFARLAND -- Christ the King Catholic Parish, McFarland Lutheran Church, and McFarland United Church of Christ will celebrate a Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. at the McFarland United Church of Christ. All are invited to attend. The service will include music, the reading of Scripture, and community expression of thanks to God for the blessings we all enjoy. Following the service, everyone is invited to a social. At the time of the offering those attending can bring forward gifts of canned goods and paper products. Items that are needed include shampoo, tissue, toothpaste, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies. Financial offerings will go to the Interfaith Hospitality Network that serves homeless families with children in Dane County. Community Thanksgiving meal in Highland HIGHLAND -- The seventh annual Highland Community Thanksgiving Day Meal will be served at 12 noon on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 23, at SS. Anthony and Philip Parish Center gym, 726 Main St., Highland. The event is sponsored by the Highland Area Churches. Rides are available. Reservations are appreciated. Call 608-929-7490 by Sunday, Nov. 19, to make reservations. An ecumenical thanksgiving prayer service will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Montfort United Methodist Church in Montfort. Bring a non-perishable food item or a cash donation for the Iowa County Food Pantry to the service. Help for the grieving: Retreat and service planned at Sinsinawa SINSINAWA -- "Grief Retreat: Journey toward Wholeness" will be held at the Sinsinawa Mound from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, led by Sr. Mary Hopkins, a certified grief specialist and advanced grief counselor. There is a fee and the registration deadline is November 24. For an additional fee, participants can reserve a room for overnight if they plan to attend the Remembering Service on Sunday. Sunday, Dec. 3, at 1:30 p.m. is the "Remembering Service: Remembering Our Loved Ones at Holiday Time." This ecumenical service will honor family and friends who have died. Participants may honor their deceased loved ones by displaying a personalized ornament on a tree in the chapel. To remember a loved one(s) with an ornament contact Janice at 608-748-4411, ext. 811, by November 22. After the service, participants will be able to take the ornament home. Picture Hope calendars available MADISON -- To purchase a calendar featuring the winners of the Picture Hope youth contest, stop by the Catholic Multicultural Center at 1862 Beld St., Madison, just off Park St. For more information on the calendar or other activities and ways to volunteer at the center, call 608-661-3512. Nominate someone for "Profiles from the pew" To nominate someone to be featured in "Profiles from the pew," download a nomination form (PDF file, 269 KB). "Profiles from the pew" runs in the Catholic Herald print edition NOTE: The nomination form is a Portable Document Format file (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.

State referenda: Both pass, to mixed response

By Kathleen Bushman
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

(See also front-page table of 2006 Elections Referenda Results.)

MADISON -- As the heated and controversial election year came to a close, Wisconsin voters upheld the definition of marriage as "one man and one woman," but also told legislators they would like to reinstate the death penalty.

	Related article: November 16, 2006 edition: • Eye on the Capitol -- Reflections: On election 2006 referenda

Although the response to the marriage amendment was gratifying to Catholics who had been striving to educate voters on a "yes" decision, the death penalty referendum approval, though expected by some, was a disappointment.

"In their votes . . . the people of Wisconsin reaffirmed their intention to preserve the one man, one woman institution of marriage in our state. The bishops are most grateful to all those who voted for the amendment," said John Huebscher, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference.

On the death penalty referendum vote he commented, "The bishops thank all who voted 'no' on the advisory referendum. They deeply appreciate their support for the value of human life."

The results of the November 7 election, though still unofficial, show that the marriage amendment to the state constitution passed with over 59 percent of the vote, nearly 400,000 more votes across the state. The advisory referendum on the death penalty passed with a slightly less impressive difference of a little less than 231,000 votes.

Voter education

Many people have credited churches for the results of the election, due to their push to educate voters on the issues. The Diocese of Madison was a particularly strong voice in the debate.

"Looking at this election cycle, one area that came out strongly is that the Catholic Church's mission is to call everyone to salvation," said Susanna Herro, director of the Office of Justice and Pastoral Outreach for the Diocese of Madison. "With two referenda issues that touched so closely on our beliefs, Bishop Morlino called us, as Catholics, to examine the issues more deeply. Instead of letting the political parties define the debate, the Catholic Church took an active role."

Even after the election, some people remained confused about whether the church can speak out on issues, Herro said. But that answer is an unequivocal "yes."

"One bright spot in the muddiness of the electoral process has been reinforcing the message that the church has a right, given in both the federal and state Constitutions and by the Wisconsin Election Laws, to communicate with its members on legislative issues," she said.

"Political advertisements and secular media are not the best sources for forming a conscience that seeks to support the Catholic faith," Herro said. "We have a lot more education to do, but the Madison Diocese took major strides in living our faith by 'being in the world, but not of it.'"

Death penalty

The "yes" vote on the death penalty advisory referendum, with a difference of only 11 percent of state voters, was about the same as early polls had suggested.

"Though disappointing, the outcome was expected given that the death penalty is generally popular in polling on the question," said Huebscher. "At the same time, polls have shown that more Wisconsinites support life in prison than the death penalty, when given the option. That will be critical in any coming debate on the question."

But the referendum was only advisory, reminded Huebscher; Wisconsin still remains without the death penalty. Most of the legislators who voted simply for a referendum weren't also committed to voting for actually enacting the death penalty, he noted.

And with the changes in the state Assembly and Senate and a governor who has already stated he would veto any such measure, an attempt to reinstate capital punishment in Wisconsin would most likely fail.

"I think, short-term and long-term, we are not going to have the death penalty," Huebscher said.

Inside the Vatican:
Why Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

First in a two-part series on George Weigel's lecture presented at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison on November 9

MADISON -- What happened at the papal conclave in April of 2005? Why did the cardinals elect Joseph Ratzinger to succeed Pope John Paul II? What has happened in the first 18 months of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy and what are the urgent challenges he faces?

	Future lecture: The next lecture in the St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series will be presented on March 8, 2007, by Professor Duncan G. Stroik of the University of Notre Dame. He will speak on "Ex Cathedra: A city set on a hill cannot be hid."

These are some of the questions George Weigel answered in his lecture as part of the St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series on Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center.

Weigel is currently a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a Catholic theologian, and one of America's leading commentators on issues of religion and public life. In his lecture, Weigel demonstrated an insider's knowledge of the workings of the Vatican. It's no surprise. Weigel was the biographer of Pope John Paul II and had intimate access to the late Holy Father.

In introducing him, Bishop Robert C. Morlino said that lay leadership in the church to build a just society is at the core of the Second Vatican Council. "Dr. George Weigel is an exemplar of what it means to take up the mission of Vatican II," said Bishop Morlino. "His closeness to Pope John Paul the Great as his definitive biographer has been a deep inspiration to me and all of you."

Most diverse papal conclave

Weigel began his lecture with an analysis of the papal conclave of 2005. He noted that it was the most diverse conclave and perhaps the last when electors from Europe would be in the majority. Of the 115 electors, 57 were from outside Europe in 2005.

Why did the most diverse electorate so quickly settle on Cardinal Ratzinger? Weigel gave three reasons:

Affirmation of John Paul the Great

1. The rapid election "was a singing affirmation of Pope John Paul the Great and the accomplishments of his pontificate. Cardinal Ratzinger was the closest intellectual collaborator of John Paul and had his "Good Housekeeping seal of approval," quipped Weigel.

Endorsement of Joseph Ratzinger

2. It was a "ringing endorsement" of Joseph Ratzinger, who had asked Pope John Paul II three times (in 1991, 1996, and 2001) for permission to retire from Vatican service and return to Bavaria to take up the threads of his intellectual work. "Pope John Paul II said, 'I can't do this without you. Please don't leave,'" Weigel said.

What did the late Holy Father and the cardinals know about Ratzinger? "They knew he is a man in whom one senses a palpable holiness, a man who can invite others to share in his holiness," observed Weigel. "We saw it at John Paul II's funeral. He transformed it from a media circus to a moment of prayer."

The cardinals also knew Ratzinger as a "man of extraordinary intelligence in doctrine and theology," noted Weigel. His knowledge goes well beyond Catholic theology to other religions. He refers to his library as "his family," said Weigel. "I'm glad I don't have to dust those 20,000 books!"

Ratzinger also can preach and teach well. He can take complex ideas and "render them accessible to 99.5 percent of the human race. He's a gifted catechist and homilist." Weigel observed that Pope Benedict XVI has been drawing larger audiences than his predecessor. This wouldn't continue for 18 months unless people were "being fed (spiritually)," said Weigel.

He is a "man of exquisite manners and humility," said Weigel. Cardinals report that he was the Curia official who was "most interested in listening to them and their problems." They admired his work as dean of the College of Cardinals. He managed the meetings with great skill, decency, and respect for others, said Weigel.

No more 'doing it my way'

3. It was a clear signal that the 40-year effort to attempt to bend church teachings and adjust them to the demands of the modern world (what Weigel calls the "doing it my way" approach) had failed.

The election of Benedict XVI showed that the Catholic Church was "secure in the knowledge of its moral and doctrinal patrimony," said Weigel.

Next: The main themes in the first 18 months of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy and the challenges he faces.

St. Bernard, Madison:
Begins centennial year celebration

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- St. Bernard Parish in Madison kicked off its year-long centennial celebration during a Mass and luncheon on Sunday, Oct. 22.

Bishop William H. Bullock, bishop emeritus, presided and preached at the Mass. He greeted the people by saying, "I'm happy to be here to begin your centennial celebration. You don't look 100," he told the packed church. "We are looking forward to the next 100 years."

Concelebrating were Msgr. Michael Hippee, the current pastor, and Fr. Francis Schmidt, a former associate pastor.

Anniversary year

Theme of the centennial celebration is "Through Him, with Him, and in Him." The parish has planned key anniversary celebrations throughout the year, including opening and closing Masses, a Lenten parish mission, and a series of special gatherings during the year.

"We hope to use our centennial to invigorate the spiritual life of our parish, to enliven our service to one another, and bring us together as sisters and brothers in Christ," said a message from Monsignor Hippee and the Centennial Committee.

History of service

In his homily at the Mass, Bishop Bullock commented on the Gospel from Mark, which stresses the importance of loving service. "Christ reminds us to serve others, that we are measured by that," noted the bishop.

He observed that in his recent encyclical, God Is Love, Pope Benedict XVI joins the love of God with love of neighbor. "Pope Benedict says the church cannot neglect charity," said Bishop Bullock.

"For 100 years, St. Bernard Parish community has been reaching out in service to the poor and underprivileged. You have connected what goes on in this church, the celebration of sacraments and the Eucharist, with service on the street."

Prayers of the Faithful included prayers for the parish St. Vincent de Paul conference, Luke House, and the mission parish in Tanzania.

Parish has aged well

In his message in the parish bulletin, Monsignor Hippee said, "God has richly blessed our parish with 100 years of living as church in this eastside Madison location. Our parish has aged very well because of the deep faith of our ancestors and ourselves.

"We savor our past with deep gratitude for the sacrifices and dedication of those many, many parishioners who have gone before us. What we see from the height of our 100 years as a parish is indeed a glorious past. The future now extends before us. Pray with me that our parish will continue to blossom in the present and in the future years. . . 'through him, with him, and in him.'"