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News Briefs:
Rural and Urban
Life Gathering
DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Speakers and participants from three states want to put the 2007 Rural and Urban Life Gathering - and our region - on a DIET.
Development, Investment, Energy, and Taxes affect every one, but they're usually left to specialists and experts. They affect diet, health, and security now and in the future - in every way.
Speakers for this conference, which will take place Thursday and Friday, Feb. 1 and 2, at the
Shalom Retreat Center, 101 Davis St., Dubuque, will share practical ways and exciting examples of how we can work together to control local diets. This annual event of Churches' Center for Land and People gathers individuals, families, churches, rural and urban groups ecumenically for action. The Diocese of Madison is one of the sponsors for this Rural and Urban Life Gathering 2007.
The Churches' Center for Land and People calls individuals of the tri-state to the 2007 Rural
and Urban Life Gathering to rethink our collective DIETs. The gathering is open to people from both religious and secular walks of life.
The Churches' Center for Land and People is a non-profit organization based in Middleton,
Wis., and serving Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin farmers ecumenically. For conference registration information, go to www.cclpmidwest.org or call Holly Deschenes at 608-234-2696.
Grief series offered
at Monona parish
MONONA -- Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Monona is offering the grief series No One Cries the Wrong Way. This video series, featuring Fr. Joe Kempf, will be presented on Saturday mornings during the month of February from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Reflection and discussion will be included. A reunion morning will be held at a later time.
The series is free and open to all denominations, but registration is required. To register,
call Kathy Bier at the parish office, 608-221-1521.
Self-management course for diabetics
BARABOO -- St. Clare Hospital, Baraboo, is offering a self-management course for people with diabetes. Each participant is welcome to bring a support person.
Group sessions will be held on four consecutive Mondays beginning Jan. 22 from 1 to 3:15 p.m. at St. Clare Hospital. Group follow-up classes are scheduled at three and six months.
To register, or for information, call Melanie Mielke at 608-356-1510.
Protecting children
from Internet dangers
OREGON -- The Internet is a wonderful tool, but it also has its downside. Predators roam the Internet looking for children. So how do you protect your kids?
A presentation for parents and students in grades seven to 12 - "NET SMARTZ: How to identify predators and dangers for children and youth on the Internet" - will discuss what parents and students need to know about Internet predators and dangers for children on the Internet.
The program will be held Sunday, Jan. 21, from 9 to 10 a.m. at Holy Mother of Consolation (HMC) Parish (between Masses, in the hall). Guest speaker will be Paul Sever, parent, HMC parishioner, high school catechist, and law enforcement officer.
All HMC high school classes that meet on Sundays should attend this session in lieu of classes.
Day of Prayer for Unborn Jan. 20 in Jefferson
JEFFERSON -- All are invited to join in the third annual Day of Prayer and Sacrifice for the Unborn on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Parish in Jefferson.
Perpetual Adoration begins before the 7:30 a.m. Mass, then continues all afternoon up until the time of the 5:30 p.m. Mass. "Praying before the Holy Eucharist can bring the graces we need to see the end of abortion in this country and to restore moral sanity in our world," said Patti Chmielewski, Jefferson County chapter chair of Wisconsin Right to Life.
Signing up to be an "adorer" is not required but may be done by contacting Chmielewski at patti_cakes4@hotmail.com
Prayer service to be held at Madison parish
MADISON -- The Respect Life Committee of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish is sponsoring a prayer service on the 34th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. All are welcome to come to Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 401 S. Owen Dr., on Monday, Jan. 22, at approximately 9 a.m. (following the 8:15 a.m. Mass) for a 20-minute prayer service.
A Rosary for Life will be prayed following the prayer service for anyone who wishes to participate.
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Nominate someone
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 (PDF file, 269 KB).
"Profiles from the pew" runs in the Catholic Herald print edition
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Pro-life billboard
in Madison: It has saved lives and changed hearts
By Greg Wagner
FOR THE CATHOLIC HERALD
"I think that billboard probably saved her life."
In October of 2003, at the call of Bishop Robert C. Morlino, the Knights of Columbus spearheaded the diocesan wide "billboard project."
The billboard campaign was started in conjunction with the pernicious opening of the Madison Planned Parenthood abortion center located on Madison's east side.
Unfortunately this scourge on Madison and on our diocese remains in business, destroying lives, both physically and emotionally. Yet, as the scourge remains, so does the billboard, standing as a sentinel overlooking the abortion center.
Has the presence of this billboard saved lives and changed hearts? We believe "yes," many lives have been saved. There are two stories to validate this claim.
Billboard was lifeline
We recently had a conversation with Leslie Graves, a counselor with Rachel's Vineyard.
A young lady called her office and offered the following: "She told us that after her abortion, she drove to the clinic every day to see that billboard located near Planned Parenthood that says 'I REGRET MY ABORTION - and if you do too, there is hope . . .'
"She drove there every day just to see that billboard. It was her lifeline. She said that
after the abortion her despair was so deep that she had taken a couple of overdoses of pills. I think that billboard probably saved her life."
We also heard from a pro-life friend of a young pregnant lady who was driving down to Madison for her appointment at the Planned Parenthood abortion center. When turning into the clinic parking lot, she saw the "I REGRET MY ABORTION" message and turned around, went back home, and made an appointment at the local crisis pregnancy center. She gave life to her baby!
Power of prayer
The Knights would like to see this campaign not only continue, but to expand. We can use everyone's support to keep this campaign effective.
Everyone can help in one aspect of this campaign that is having a tremendous impact, though it cannot be quantified - the power of prayer.
Chad Droessler, a seminarian in our diocese, says this of the billboard project: "As Christians we are called to defend the defenseless. To aid in this complex task we have the power of prayer to help change the 'culture of death,' as described by John Paul II, into a 'culture of life.' This is exactly what we do every time we converge at the abortion clinic to pray.
"However, stationing a group of people outside the clinic for 24 hours, seven days a
week, is a tough task in our busy lives. This is why the K.C. sponsored billboard is very important for our ministry. It is a wonderful statement to have a billboard of our Blessed Mother watching over a place that brings so much sorrow to our Father's heart. It is statements, like the billboard, which truly spreads the message of truth to a secular world."
Prayer was brought to the abortion center this last summer again, when the seminarians of
the diocese, along with the Knights of Columbus, sponsored a 24-hour prayer vigil in front of the clinic.
Fr. James Bartylla, director of vocations for the Diocese of Madison, says, "The billboard of the Knights of Columbus is a front-line reminder to the people of the Madison area of the horrors and emotional pain of a woman who survives, but is permanently traumatized by the abortion of her child."
Effective location
This billboard is so effective because of its location - directly across the street from, and overlooking, the abortion mill.
Amy Hying, a sidewalk counselor, says, "Every week since the beginning of this year, a friend and I bring life through prayer of the Rosary to the place of death at the Madison abortion center. There have been cases that while I'm talking to the pregnant women I point up to the billboard and share the 'Silent No More' message of how abortion hurts women. It is truly a great way to reach out to many women, and also many men, as they drive by on Hwy. 51!"
Financial support
The cost of this campaign is not insignificant. Yet, lives are being saved! How much money is too much, if lives are being saved? If God has blessed you, we ask you to share your blessings and support this campaign.
Donations can help as follows: $25 funds the billboard for eight hours; $75 funds the billboard for one day; $550 funds the billboard for one week; one hour of prayer - priceless - thank you.
Donations can be sent to: Joseph Boehnen - Knights of Columbus, Attn: Billboard Campaign, 105 Brenda Cir., Mt. Horeb, WI 53572.
Let's Make a
Wave workshop
By Susanna Herro
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF JUSTICE AND PASTORAL OUTREACH
(See also front-page sidebar.)
Each act of kindness, each action of care and concern builds the Culture of Life. Our parishes are centers of compassion. From the prayers we offer, to the meals and food we provide, to the counseling, our parishes promote a Culture of Life. These acts of compassion show our inter-connectedness and give us a way to be Christ to each other.
This Sunday, Jan. 21, the "Let's Make a Wave" Respect Life Workshop will showcase how small actions can ripple into a great wave of love.
• Terry Walsh of Safe Place for Newborns will tell the story of how a few people made it possible for unwanted newborns to be safely tended, instead of being abandoned and left to die.
• Parishioners from Blessed Sacrament, Madison, including Devon Kinne, will share the ups and downs of establishing an Elizabeth Ministry outreach. This ministry reaches out to fellow parishioners challenged by any child-bearing issue: miscarriage, multiple births, stillbirths, and other areas.
• Michelle Horton and Vicky Franchino, from Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Madison, will be sharing how educational activities, from stem cell research to blood pressure screening, have positively impacted the participation level on life issues.
• New diocesan pro-life efforts will be highlighted by Susanna Herro, director of Justice and Pastoral Outreach.
• Brian Kelly of Relevant Radio will share his humor and expertise on how to spread the good news of the gift of life.
Tens of thousands of pro-life people are converging on Washington, D.C., this weekend. They are traveling days and hours by car, bus, and plane to be part of the March for Life.
Perhaps you wanted to go, too, but just could not. If you have a small voice urging you to do a little more on life issues in 2007, if this is your time to take the plunge and make a wave, come to "Let's Make a Wave."
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