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News Briefs:
Hesburgh Lecture
at O'Connor Center
MADISON -- The Notre Dame Club of South Central Wisconsin and the Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Madison present the 2006-2007 Hesburgh Lecture.
Dr. Dan Lapsley will speak on "Moral Character and Catholic Education" on Thursday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Bishop O'Connor Center, 702 S. High Point Rd.
Lapsley will discuss the current state of moral character education in America. While moral education is often a source of debate in public school districts, it is much less controversial for Catholic schools. However, the goal of providing a solid moral foundation for students is often equated with providing a solid religious foundation for students. Lapsley will discuss how Catholic schools and educators can improve their efforts to provide both.
Lapsley is a professor of psychology and the research director of the Center for Ethical Education at the University of Notre Dame. He also teaches for the Alliance for Catholic Education program. He currently serves on the executive board of the international Association for Moral Education, and on the editorial boards of several periodicals.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
Retreat on Psalms
SINSINAWA -- "The Psalm Retreat: A Day of Renewal for Clergy, Liturgists, and Church Musicians" will be offered at Sinsinawa Mound from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22.
Psalms is perhaps the most emotionally raw book of the Bible. Putting the Psalms - the very prayers Jesus prayed - into our own mouths can offer an encounter with God that may invite rest and restlessness alike, both peace and passion.
The retreat leader, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from Strawberry Point, Iowa, is in the midst of a four-year study of the Psalms. A musician, liturgist, and hymn writer, Richard holds a Master's Degree in Theology and the Arts from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
The registration deadline is January 15. Fee is $50.
For more information, contact guest services at 608-748-4411 or visit www.sinsinawa.org
Hearing loss program
MONROE -- Hearing loss cannot only be frustrating, but it also can affect quality of life. The good news is that hearing loss can be greatly improved with the appropriate technology.
On Wednesday, Jan. 17, Monroe Clinic will present "Can You Hear Me Now?" featuring Monroe Clinic Audiologist Dana Truttmann. The event will be held at 6 p.m. in Founders Hall of Monroe Clinic, 515 22nd Ave. in Monroe.
The public is invited to participate in this free event, in which Truttmann will help attendees discover: the latest in hearing aid styles and technologies, how hearing better can improve quality of life, and the options for treating hearing loss.
Truttmann recently received her Doctor of Audiology degree from the Arizona School of Health Sciences.
Refreshments will be provided at this free HealthADVANTAGE event. To register, call 1-877-865-1462 or go to www.monroeclinic.org and click on "Classes & Events."
Project FACE mental health groups
MADISON -- Project FACE (Four Agency Cooperative Effort) is offering a variety of mental health groups to Dane County residents in January to June 2007.
Groups being offered include, but are not limited to: an Addictions Recovery Group; depression groups; anger management groups; "Parenting Paths"; a "Survivors of Suicide" group; women's trauma groups; and a "Men's Well-Being Group."
Also available are groups for adult survivors of sexual abuse; domestic violence groups; and a psychotherapy process group. In addition, Project FACE offers support groups for men and women involved in the criminal justice system.
Project FACE also offers three groups in Spanish: a women's group; an anger management group; and a mental health support group.
For more information about any Project FACE group, call Katie McIntyre, coordinator, at 608-256-2358.
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 (PDF file, 269 KB).
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Chalice of salvation:
Diocese promotes
vocations program
By Fr. James Bartylla
DIRECTOR OF VOCATIONS
(See also front-page photo and sidebar.)
How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will raise the chalice of salvation and call on the Lord's name (Psalm 116:12-13).
Perhaps the most sublime symbols of the vocation of priesthood are the paten and chalice that hold the Body and Blood of Christ.
It is for this reason that the most precious gifts at a priestly ordination are the chalice and paten. These sacred vessels are blessed, often by the bishop and sometimes by the pope, forever to be used for sacred use at the altar by a priest.
Intimate connection
Indeed, an old tradition has the parents of the newly-ordained priest putting their wedding band in the stem of the chalice as a sign of the fruitfulness of their marriage that has brought a son forward as a priest of Jesus Christ.
It is in this intimate connection of the priesthood and Eucharist that the Office of Vocations, together with the Madison and Janesville Serra Clubs and the Southwest Vocations Club, promotes the Traveling Chalice Program for Vocations in parishes throughout the diocese in order to build vocation awareness of priesthood and other church vocations.
How it works
Its beauty lies in its simplicity, impact, and fruitfulness.
The Traveling Chalice Program is simple to implement. The chalice and paten are put into a beautiful wooden case with a glass front. Each weekend, at one of the Masses, the chalice and paten case is presented after Communion by the priest to a different family in the parish to take home for the next week.
The family takes the case home, displays it in a prominent location, and prays together for vocations each day, such as at the evening meal.
The family prays for increased vocations and for the seminarians of the Diocese of Madison. This continues each week with another family from the parish.
If a parish has a vocation committee, they can easily make this their project. If not, it can easily be implemented by staff or a few volunteers.
Visible impact
The parishes that have implemented the Traveling Chalice Program praise the program for its visible impact. It is a tangible way of increasing the awareness of vocations to the priesthood.
Images create attitudes and attitudes lead to actions. Children begin to ask questions and more people will be talking about vocations and the priesthood in particular. It receives wide acceptance from the parishioners who are eager to join the weekly program.
Families begin to pray together and realize the value of family prayer. It brings a greater sense of community to a parish as families share a common project.
The fruitfulness of the Traveling Chalice Program is very poignant when the chalice and paten are eventually given to a man ordained from the parish. The parish then purchases another chalice, paten, and case to continue the program.
The newly-ordained priest will always remember his home parish and is strengthened in his connection as a priest-son of the parish.
Easy to implement
I strongly encourage parishioners to speak to their pastors about starting a Traveling Chalice Program at their parish. The program is easy, affordable, and straightforward.
The Vocations Office of the Diocese of Madison, the Serra Clubs, and the Southwest Vocation Club stand ready to help the parish implement the program.
The Vocations Office has materials and instructions for acquisition of the chalice, paten, and case, as well as implementation and maintenance of the program.
We express our sincere thanks to Fr. Paul Arinze, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Dodgeville, for sharing with us his experience and expertise in implementing the Traveling Chalice Program.
If you are interested or have further questions, please contact me, Fr. James Bartylla, at 608-821-3088 or vocations@straphael.org
May the Lord bless us with workers for His vineyard.
Silent No More:
At Capitol, women will share abortion stories
MADISON -- By some estimates, 26,000,000 women have had 47,000,000 abortions since the procedure was legalized nationwide in 1973. Yet the majority are uncomfortable talking about it.
Breaking the silence that permeates the stigma surrounding abortion, a group of courageous women from throughout Wisconsin will gather at the state Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 16, from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., in room 415NW to share their stories. The Wisconsin event is one of many happening around the country and in Washington, D.C., in January as part of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, commemorating the Roe vs. Wade ruling legalizing abortion.
"The reality of abortion is often very different from what a woman expects when she walks into an abortion clinic, and contradictory to what most of the propaganda available today suggests," said Jane Frantz, event coordinator.
"We are silent because we're too afraid and too ashamed to talk about it. Yet the pain is excruciating, unbearable at times. Many of us have lived with our secret for decades, and paid dearly by struggling with addictions, depression, lost employment, failed marriages, and even suicide.
"Once we begin to tell our story, we realize we're not alone and we experience relief and discover hope in the healing process," said Frantz. "This gathering is a time for those who are comfortable to be open and honest about how we have experienced and overcome the devastating aftermath of abortion, so that our legislators, medical community, clergy, and the public in general can hear the truth."
This year's event begins at 11:30 a.m. outside the state Capitol with participants gathering and carrying "I Regret My Abortion" signs. They will proceed into the rotunda at 11:45 a.m. to pray. At noon they will move to room 415NW and share their testimonies as well as hear from legislators who honor their responsibility to respect, value, and protect life.
At 2 p.m. the group will walk down State St. and board the #80 bus to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, where they will present their testimonies to medical students and doctors.
For more information about this event or how to be Silent No More, contact Jane Frantz by calling 920-740-3573 or e-mailing jfrantz@new.rr.com or visit www.silentnomoreawareness.org
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