• Articles on St. Raphael Cathedral
	News Briefs: Series for returning Catholics MADISON -- Have you not been to church lately? Because you drifted away? Were disillusioned? Were hurt? Were too busy? Felt unwelcome? Were misunderstood? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you are invited to a series for returning Catholics sponsored by the westside Madison parishes. The parishes invite people who have drifted away to come and talk about the Catholic Church - or just listen. No questions or concerns are too small. The series will be held on Wednesdays, Jan. 10, 17, and 24, at 7 p.m. in the Gathering Space at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 401 S. Owen Dr. Parishes facilitating and sponsoring the series include Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady Queen of Peace, St. Bernard, St. Joseph, St. Maria Goretti, and St. Thomas Aquinas Parishes. For more information, call Sr. Sue Hetebrueg at 608-231-4609 or hetebrueg@qops.k12.wi.us Retreats on life of Mother Teresa SINSINAWA -- The life and work of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta are the focus of retreats at the Sinsinawa Mound. A retreat open to all will be held from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, and a youth retreat will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14. Linda Schaefer, photojournalist, author, and former CNN editor who lived and worked with Mother Teresa from 1995 to 1996, will share her experiences of the work and influence of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and how it relates to present circumstances in the world. Schaefer's insights into Mother Teresa's great love, compassion, and humbleness will call each person to develop compassion through nonviolence, contemplation, and service in the world today. Josephite Father Michael van der Peet, a personal friend of Mother Teresa's for 22 years, will join Schaefer to give presentations. At the youth retreat, "Leap of Faith," a group of college students with a music ministry, will perform. Cost for the Saturday retreat is $60, including noon and evening meals. Cost for the youth retreat is $10 per student and includes the noon meal. Registration deadline for both retreats is January 5. For information, contact Bobbi Gillott at 608-748-4411, ext. 857. Cartoonist to speak in Verona VERONA -- National speaker and cartoonist Jason Kotecki will share his personal journey of faith in his presentation, "Uncovering Your Treasure: Making a Difference for God," at St. Andrew Parish in Verona on Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. The event will be for all middle school students and their parents from St. Andrew Parish. Hilarious anecdotes, uplifting stories, scriptural references, and cartooning are featured in his presentation. Kotecki is the author of the book Escape Adulthood: 8 Secrets from Childhood for the Stressed-Out Grown-Up. His comic strip, Kim & Jason, appeals to worldwide readers of all ages. For questions about the event, call 608-845-6613. Retreat for college students at Camp Gray BARABOO -- From Wednesday, Jan. 10, through Friday, Jan. 12, VISION, a retreat for all college age students, will be offered at Camp Gray, E10213 Shady Lane Rd., Reedsburg. This will be three days of reflection, prayer, and fun at Camp Gray. For more information or to register, visit www.campgray.com/vision or call 1-800-711-4729. There is a fee. Support groups for divorced, separated, loss of relationship MADISON -- Two local parishes offer peer support groups that provide support to those hurting from separation, divorce, or loss of a significant relationship. The groups are open to all ages and faiths. People interested in attending do not need to be a member of the parishes. For information, call 608-824-0014. Friends on a Journey meets on the west side from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4 and 18, at Our Lady Queen of Peace, 401 S. Owen Dr. New Directions meets on the east side from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 and 25, at St. Dennis Parish Center, 413 Dempsey Rd. Memorial prayer service to remember Edgewood community MADISON -- On Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 a.m., Edgewood High School, 2219 Monroe St., will host a Memorial Prayer Service to remember loved ones who have been members of the Edgewood High School community. The event will take place in the chapel. Call 608-257-1023, ext. 133, for more information. 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.

Lessons and Carols:
Christmas with Diocesan Choir

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

(See also front-page photo.)

MADISON -- Attending the Madison Diocesan Choir's "Lessons and Carols" is a beautiful way to get into the real Christmas spirit. The choir, directed by Dr. Patrick Gorman, certainly provided an outstanding holiday concert on Sunday, Dec. 17, at the Bishop O'Connor Center.

Those who missed it will have another chance. The choir will present "Lessons and Carols" again on Saturday, Jan. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter Church, 5001 N. Sherman Ave. on Madison's east side. There is no charge but donations to the choir are appreciated.

This is not a typical Christmas concert. Glenn Schuster, the organist, invited those attending to spend time in prayer and meditation as he played two preludes.

Then the choir processed in singing "Once in Royal David's City" with a soprano solo by Amy Treinen and a quartet solo by Pat Paska, Laura Zimmerman, Jerry Maly, and Ron Paska.

Bishop Robert C. Morlino greeted those attending, followed by praying of the "Lord's Prayer." Then followed the first of nine Scripture readings, beginning with Adam's temptation and ending with the birth of Christ.

Each reading was followed by songs with the choir, sometimes joined by congregational singing. The songs included a wide range of pieces, including one sung in Swedish and another in Latin. One of the most unique is the "Prayer of Saint Francis," an unpublished piece by William Beckstrand. Bass Tom Eichman sang a solo on this lovely song.

Bishop Morlino himself read the ninth lesson on Jesus's birth, followed by the rousing "Go Tell It on the Mountain."

Before the final blessing, Bishop Morlino congratulated the Diocesan Choir. "What a beautiful job you do. How hard you work so God's grace can be channeled through you," he told the choir.

The bishop also noted that angels were often the messengers from God, because they bring news that the human intelligence has difficulty understanding. For example, an angel appeared to Mary to tell her she would be a virgin and mother. An angel appeared to the women after the Resurrection.

"It takes the intelligence of an angel to show us how God works in human beings," said the bishop. "We all have weaknesses, and yet the Lord can do great things and he does do great things in us.

"Let's not forget the beauty of Christmas and the truth about humanity. We are all tired and have a lot to do at Christmas, but let's not forget the great things the Lord can do with our humanity."

Chad McEachern:
Named Director of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Madison

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

(See also front-page photo.)

MADISON -- Bishop Robert C. Morlino has announced that Chad McEachern has been named Director of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Madison.

McEachern will officially begin his duties with the diocese in February 2007.

Bishop Morlino commented, "Chad has served with great distinction in the area of stewardship for the National Catholic Bioethics Center, where I presently chair the Board, as well as in several other diocesan contexts.

"I have every confidence that he will work well with my brother priests, our diocesan staff, and myself as we face so many challenges for serving our people, not the least of which is providing for a cathedral church. I know that he is eager to meet everyone here and to collaborate effectively with all in the days ahead," said Bishop Morlino.

McEachern comes to the Diocese of Madison with experience in management and development. He has served as executive director of St. Edmund's Retreat Center in Mystic, Conn., since November of 2005, where he has directed and managed all aspects of a $1.7 million budget.

He has collaborated with the center's president in developing and executing the strategic plan that provides for the physical, financial, staffing, and ministerial resources to fulfill the mission of St. Edmund's Retreat Center.

He has directed the communications program to promote the retreat center and its products and programs. In addition, he has reorganized the development program to expand fundraising capacity for annual and capital needs.

Prior to his position at St. Edmund's, McEachern was vice president for operations and development for the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Boston, Mass., and Philadelphia, Pa. He established goals for the development, communications, and internal operational activities at the center.

At the Bioethics Center, he directed and managed all aspects of the center's development office, including major gifts, grant stewardship, direct mail, database management, and public relations. He also worked with the president and chairman of the board to secure major multi-year gifts. He also created, designed, and implemented new public relations materials to ensure a unified "brand awareness" in all products.

McEachern was also director of development for Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, Mass., in the Archdiocese of Boston. He served as assistant director of stewardship and development for the Diocese of Providence, R.I. In Providence he coordinated planning, direction, and production of all phases of a $5 million annual Catholic Charity Fund Appeal. He increased the total number of donors by 15 percent and funds raised by 14 percent.

He also served as assistant director of the foundation and special products for the American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Foundation in Washington, D.C., and was a major gifts consultant for United Service Organization in Washington, D.C.

McEachern received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vt., and pursued theological studies at St. Bonaventure University, Olean, N.Y., and Washington Theological Union, Washington, D.C.

He is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the National Catholic Development Conference.

Priests from Spain:
Serving at parishes in Sauk City, Merrimac

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

SAUK CITY -- Two priests from Spain have taken positions at St. Aloysius Parish in Sauk City, linked with St. Mary Parish in Merrimac. Fr. Miguel Galvez is administrator of the parishes while Fr. Faustino Ruiz is the parochial vicar. Their appointments officially took effect on November 8.

They replace Fr. Kevin Holmes, who was named pastor of the downtown Madison parishes after Bishop Swain's appointment as bishop of Sioux Falls, S.D.

Father Ruiz was able to assume his position right away, but Father Galvez was delayed because of difficulties with his visa. Those matters were resolved and Father Galvez has now arrived.

In an interview, both priests revealed their happiness at serving in the Diocese of Madison and showed their sense of humor.

"I am very happy to arrive," said Father Galvez. "Father Faustino has done a terrific job. The people really love him."

For Father Ruiz, the last two months have been challenging. He admits his English is not very good (Father Galvez, on the other hand, is very fluent in English).

"I am very happy that Father Miguel is here," said Father Ruiz. "The people are very patient. I was asking God for the coming of my savior," he joked. "And I meant Father Miguel!"

Father Ruiz has been preaching in English and his language skills have been improving by leaps and bounds. He wrote his homilies and had a woman in the parish check them. Then he practiced "50 times." He has received letters and comments from parishioners saying they have appreciated his homilies and they are praying for him.

The priests are members of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, founded in Spain in 1982 by Fr. Alfonso Galvez, uncle of Father Galvez.

A native of Murcia, Spain, Father Galvez came to the U.S. in 1987 when he was 13 years old. "My family moved to Albuquerque, N.M. My parents worked for three years at the University of New Mexico," he explained.

He spent his first year of high school in New Jersey, then returned to Spain. He obtained a Bachelor's Degree in philosophy and education from the University of Murcia and a Bachelor's Degree in theology from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, both in Spain.

Father Galvez was ordained to the priesthood on March 3, 2001. He has been a teacher and dean for the past five years at an American high school in Spain and served as associate pastor at a parish. "This is my first real parish," he said."I'm very excited to do something more priestly. In a parish you're there with people to guide them."

Father Ruiz was born in Ecuatorial Guinea in Africa, where his father worked for the Spanish government. He has been a member of the society for 25 years, first as a lay member and then as a priest (ordained in 1991). He has served at parishes in Ecuador and Chile.

How did the priests come to the Diocese of Madison? Father Galvez said the order wanted to expand to other places. The order is already serving in New Jersey. They visited several dioceses, including Madison. "Bishop Morlino was very interested in having us work here," said Father Galvez. "He said he could use priests who are bi-lingual. He saw an opportunity. We were happy to say 'yes.'"