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News Briefs:
Presentations: On divorce, annulment, and remarriage
MADISON -- Jay Conzemius, J.C.L., director of the Tribunal for the Diocese of Madison, will discuss the teachings of the Catholic Church regarding annulment issues and will provide specific information about the annulment process in the diocese at upcoming presentations at several parishes.
There will be an opportunity for discussion and interaction, as well as the opportunity for group questions. After the presentation, Conzemius will make himself available on a one-to-one basis to address personal situations.
Upcoming presentations will be held on:
• February 5 at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison
• February 15 at Sacred Heart Parish in Reedsburg
• February 22 at St. James Parish in Madison
• March 5 at St. Joseph Parish in Dodgeville
• March 13 at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish in Sun Prairie
• March 19 at Nativity of Mary Parish in Janesville
All of the presentations will begin at 7 p.m. Pre-registration is preferred but walk-ins are welcome. To register or for additional information contact the Tribunal at 608-821-3060 or send an e-mail to tribunal@straphael.org
Heart Month: Events
at Monroe Clinic
MONROE -- February is a month to celebrate heart health awareness and Monroe Clinic announces two community events:
• "Healing Your Heart: Secrets for a Long and Vibrant Life" is a community presentation featuring Cardiologist Dr. Bruno Cortis. A wellness speaker and author, he will share his insight into the links between heart disease and stress. He will also motivate attendees to adopt the seven steps to vibrant health. This presentation will be held on Monday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m. at the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center.
• Monroe Clinic is hosting a Heart Health Open House on Thursday, Feb. 15, from 3:30 to 7 p.m. in Founders Hall, lower level of the Clinic Building in Monroe. Attendees will be able to: receive a Healthy Legs Vascular Screening, learn about advancements in cardiac services, participate in low-impact exercises, discover recipe ideas, get details on the new Dialysis Center, check their BMI with diabetes experts, and explore wellness opportunities available at Monroe Clinic.
To register for these free events, call 1-877-865-1462 or visit www.monroeclinic.org and click on "Classes & Events."
Mission effort: McFarland informational meeting
MCFARLAND -- On Sunday, Feb. 4, at 12 noon, there will be an informational and recruiting meeting about the Southern Exposure house-building program at Christ the King Parish, 5306 Main St., McFarland. People are invited to learn more about how they might participate in continuing Fr. Stan Martinka's legacy.
Come early and enjoy a pancake breakfast prepared by the Men's Club. More information is also available at www.southernexposure.org In addition, Greg Simonis, Jr., has created a new Web site about the recent trip with photos at: www.greatdesigns4u.us/juarez
Vocations director:
To speak at Ashton
ASHTON -- Fr. James Bartylla, Madison diocesan vocation director, will give a presentation and speak on vocations at St. Peter Parish, Ashton, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m.
Entire families across the diocese are invited to attend this inspirational evening.
St. Peter Church is located at 7121 Cty. Hwy. K just north of Middleton. For more information, contact Mary Beth at 608-836-9081.
Sinsinawa Mound Valentine event
SINSINAWA -- The Valentine's Day Event will be held Wednesday, Feb. 14, at Sinsinawa Mound featuring the River's Voice. Musicians Trish and Richard Bruxvoort Colligan offer stories, laughter, and music for all ages.
Dinner will be served at 5:45 p.m., and the concert is at 7 p.m. Tickets for the dinner and concert are $25 per couple or $15 per single. Tickets for the concert only are $15 per couple or $8 per single. The dinner reservation deadline is February 7.
For more information, contact guest services at 608-748-4411 or visit www.sinsinawa.org
Marriage Encounter weekend
MADISON -- Madison Marriage Encounter is sponsoring a retreat weekend February 9 to 11. To enhance a marriage or make a good marriage great, try attending a retreat weekend, away from the daily distractions and tensions of life. The focus will be on one another only.
The weekend will be held at the Bishop O'Connor Center, 702 S. High Point Rd., in Madison. All faiths are welcome. To register, or for more information, call 608-821-3175 or visit www.marriageencountermadison.org
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Jack McBride dies:
Served on diocesan, national levels
-- Posted: 2/5/2007, 4:14 p.m. Central Time
By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
(See also front-page photo.)
MADISON -- Jack J. McBride, associate director of the Diocese of Madison's Office of Evangelization and Catechesis and a national leader in adult religious education, died on Thursday, Feb. 1, at age 53 after a long battle with cancer.
Bishop Robert C. Morlino will preside at McBride's Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 11 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Madison. Bishop Morlino commented about him, "Jack was a very faithful co-worker of the truth. Even when he was quite sick, Jack was determined to work hard so that people could receive the truth of Christ. His fidelity to the truth was a sign that he drew his strength from the truth.
"Jack, his wife and children, and all who knew and loved him will be in prayers in the coming days. We pray for the repose of Jack's soul and we pray that God will grant him a place of happiness, light, and peace in the kingdom of His glory for ever and ever."
Expressed gratitude
Eric Schiedermayer, executive secretary for the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, expressed his gratitude not only for McBride's many years of dedicated service to the universal and local church, but also for the personal support and friendship shown by McBride when Schiedermayer arrived in the Diocese of Madison a year ago.
"Without Jack, this could have been a very difficult year. I continually relied on his wisdom and compassion to help me get my feet on the ground here in Madison. Jack was a tremendous gift from God to both our office and myself personally. His absence will be dearly felt," said Schiedermayer.
He added, "Jack isn't done with us yet however. I'm constantly requesting his intercession and assistance in our work, and urge all those who work in diocesan catechetics to do the same."
Wonderful example
Gloria Brockman, administrative assistant, started working in the former diocesan Office of Religious Education, now known as the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, in January of 1986, McBride was hired in July of 1986.
"It is very hard to know what to say about a person you've known for so long. So many feelings come to the surface," said Brockman. "Jack loved his family first; he was so proud of Mary, Andrew, Megan, and Sarah. He was close to his Mother Marie and sister Mary Beth and kept in contact with his dad.
"Jack was through and through Irish and proud of it. He was a wonderful example of what a family man should strive to be. I feel like we know each other's families. We shared many of the joys and a lot of the sorrows," said Brockman.
"He was always someone you could talk to, even if you had differing opinions. He loved his work in adult formation and the people of the Diocese of Madison that worked in adult formation/religious education. He loved all in the Catholic community in the Diocese of Madison, I know he held them all in his hands," she said.
Brockman added, "Jack was friendly, always ready with a smile, compassionate, strong-willed (or as I would call it 'Irish'), loved chocolate chip cookies and peach pie. He was my friend, my co-worker, my boss and I will miss him with all my heart. I will never forget him. He was a wonderful example to those that are fighting cancer. He never gave up!"
History of service
McBride was born on April 22, 1953, in Cleveland, Ohio, to John and Marie McBride. He married Mary Hesse on June 11, 1977. They were blessed with three children: Andrew, Megan, and Sarah.
McBride graduated from St. Joseph High School in Cleveland in 1971 and Marquette University in 1975. He received a master's degree in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School in 1980.
He was a former faculty member of St. Edward High School in Cleveland and Edgewood High School in Madison. He served as a director of religious education at Sacred Hearts Parish in Sun Prairie and St. Joseph Parish in Madison.
From 1986 to the present he served the Diocese of Madison as associate director for the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis. In June 2006, he was presented the Distinguished Service Award by the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership (NCCL), in recognition of his dedicated and selfless service to the catechetical mission of the church.
McBride served as the chair of the NCCL's Adult Formation Task Force. He also served as a consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' National Advisory Committee on Adult Religious Education, a group he also chaired.
He served on the Wisconsin Committee on Central America and was a human rights observer in El Salvador. He was a developer and editor for National Issues Forums in the Catholic Community. He spoke at and participated in the International Conference on Adult Religious Education in Dublin, Ireland.
He is survived by his wife and children, as well as his sister, Mary Beth McBride (Thomas) Doyle. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jimmy.
'That McBride humor'
His published obituary noted, "Jack will be remembered as a devoted husband and loving and caring father. He found great strength in his relationship with God. He was passionate about education within the Catholic faith and dedicated to service within the church.
"He had a great smile and an infectious laugh. His practical jokes and what Mary referred to as 'that McBride humor' will always be the heart of many great stories. Jack loved to spend a quiet night on the porch staring at the sky with pipe or cigar in hand.
"He always had time to listen and had a unique way of getting to the essence of a problem and finding a solution. Jack was a charismatic man who touched the hearts of all the people around him."
The family expressed how grateful McBride was for the support, prayers, cards, and letters they received. "They provided all of us great joy and comfort," they said.
The family also thanked the doctors and nurses of the University of Wisconsin Hospital Oncology Department for their care and kindness. In the spirit of practicality and giving that McBride lived his life by, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to University of Wisconsin Cancer Center-G.I. Research Fund.
Mass and visitation
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 602 Everglade Dr., at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, with Bishop Morlino presiding and Fr. Michael Klarer, Monroe, as homilist.
Visitation will be held at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, on Friday, Feb. 9, from 5 until 8 p.m. with Evening Prayer at 8 p.m. There will also be a visitation on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.
Arrangements are being handled by Gunderson West Funeral and Cremation Centers, 7435 University Ave., phone 608-831-6761, www.gundersonfh.com
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Silent No More: Women reveal abortion's hidden legacy
By Kathleen Bushman
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
MADISON -- "No one told me."
It was a phrase repeated often by the many women who took the microphone at the Silent No More Awareness gathering at the state Capitol building January 16 to tell their stories of abortion.
But with each story, these women were hoping that their words would reach another woman who might be considering abortion, that she might not have to say the same thing.
Destructive legacy
In the weeks surrounding the 34th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, which legalized abortion in the United States, hundreds of post-abortive women at Silent No More Awareness Campaign events around the country gave testimony, whether vocal or silent, to the destructive legacy of the practice.
Here in Wisconsin, the local branch of the national project backed by Priests for Life arranged a day of activities at the Capitol building and later outside the University of Wisconsin Hospital.
Women and men stood outside the Capitol as well as inside the rotunda bearing signs reading "I regret my abortion," and "Women need love, not abortion." And before ascending to a committee room to give their testimonies, they prayed in the Capitol rotunda, holding hands as lawmakers and other people walked past.
Later, they shared their stories in a room overflowing with interested listeners.
Sharing stories
The topic of abortion, one woman said, is like the three monkeys - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
"But it's the responsibility of those of us who have gone through it to share our stories so that people can see it, can hear it," she said.
Many of the women were young when they had their abortions, one as young as 15 years old.
Many of them spoke of the things they did to forget about their abortion, numbing themselves with alcohol and drugs.
One of the women who had come from La Crosse to share her story had been driven to the abortion clinic by her parents 31 years ago. And afterward, she was told she couldn't mourn her loss openly by discussing it with anyone.
"It is really hard to put 31 years in a few minutes," she said. "I want to tell you how devastating abortion is, not just mentally, but physically."
Finding healing
She had suffered through phantom pains for years, and after seeing a doctor who diagnosed them, she went online and found many other women had suffered the same. She has found healing in sharing her testimony and going to retreats.
"A big part of my healing has been turning to God for his help," she said. "My experience will no longer be used for bad, but it will be used for good.
"I want people to know that although you might think it's an easy way out" it isn't, she said.
After sharing their stories at the Capitol, the women carried their signs through the streets and on the buses out to the UW Hospital, where they repeated their tales for those in the medical community.
Help is available
"Abortion affects everyone, whether they're aware of it or not," one of the women said. But there is help available.
"If you've had an abortion, I want to let you know you're not alone," she said. "There is hope, love, and happiness in my heart again; that's why I'm silent no more."
For more information visit www.silentnomoreawareness.org
Guided by the Spirit:
Cluster planning and parish models
By Grant Emmel
VICE-CHANCELLOR
(See also front-page links to previous articles.)
Last week we talked about the groupings of parishes, known as clusters, which are beginning to meet around the diocese to prepare their first recommendation to the Planning Commission due March 9.
Each parish brings to their cluster a unique set of activities, strengths, concerns, and history that the cluster needs to take into account by open discussion. Each parish's self-evaluation, presented in their completed Long or Short Criteria Evaluation Form, should be an honest and accurate picture of life in the parish that the members of the cluster core team will consider.
Looking at 'big' picture
It is expected that the cluster core team will combine each parish picture into a larger picture of the entire cluster. This cluster "big" picture is the starting point for the cluster core team, the present reality that exists in the form of the sacramental life, the programs - catechetical, educational, and outreach, and the administration - resources and persons, of the cluster, all set against the backdrop of the current diocesan priest shortage.
This step alone will take some time but it is very important, as, with any process, the end results will be directly impacted by the integrity of the starting assumptions. Once this "big" picture is acquired, the cluster needs to ask itself, "What stands out in this picture, good, bad, or indifferent?"
While this is a somewhat subjective view of the picture, it will be compared with the more objective view presented by the CARA data and the quite objective verification data submitted by each parish.
'Hoped for results'
With all of this information, the cluster team should have an excellent idea of the cluster, one that will lead them into defining their preferred future. The cluster must look
at their "hoped for results" using the Bishop's goals as landmarks and think about what could be done in order to achieve those results.
Doing this will require the cluster to ask themselves very difficult questions. For example, a cluster of three parishes should ask: "What would we look like if we still had three communities, or two communities, or even one community?"
Honestly reflecting upon and discussing these possible realities, along with remembering that "a parish is a community surrounding a pastor," not a building, should allow the cluster core team to recommend a healthy model for the cluster's future.
Partnership parishes
Knowing the definition of a parish helps to understand the various models that have been set before the cluster core team. A partnership is a significant sharing connection between two or more parishes. This implies that there are multiple parishes, each having a pastor.
Significant means much more than sharing a pancake breakfast but instead could mean sharing an entire religious education program or possibly an entire outreach program, programs that either parish separately would have difficulty in doing alone.
Linkage
A linkage is two or more parish communities that are connected by the sharing of a pastor. This is a natural extension of a partnership but it implies much more.
Because of the sharing of a pastor, it is expected that many programs would be shared between the parish communities because it is only that sharing that is going to make the pastor's job any easier or the linked parishes more effective as a community reaching out with the face of Christ.
It is not uncommon in the Diocese of Madison for linked parishes to have virtually nothing in common but the pastor, something that is unacceptable by any measure going forward.
Merged parish
A merged parish is two or more communities that become one community under one pastor. There are many reasons why communities would want to merge into one community, not the least of which is the more effective use of priest leadership and the better use of resources as a larger community.
It is very important that this merging be done in a sensitive and cooperative manner with an eye to the future, and with a hand on the past. The parish community of All Saints in Berlin under the leadership of Fr. Jerome J. Maksvytis is an good example of how multiple parishes can come together to create a stronger, more vibrant community, one that is looking to the future without forgetting the past.
Other models that are possible involve a well-defined coordination between persons in the leadership positions of the parish. These models are called the Leadership Team model and the Parish Director model.
Parish Director model
The Parish Director model involves one priest who oversees a Parish Director in the pastoral care of, generally, one parish. It is expected that the Parish Director would have a similar philosophical and theological education as a priest (such as a deacon, vowed religious, or even lay person) but would primarily oversee the administration of the parish while helping to direct the various ministries taking place. This person is held accountable to the supervising priest for all activities and is appointed by the Bishop.
Leadership Team model
The Leadership Team model is an extension of the Parish Director model in that it involves one or more priests, along with two or more qualified, professional persons taking
direction from the priest(s) in coordinating the pastoral and administrative care of two or more parishes. There typically is a lead priest who coordinates the sacramental ministries among the parishes and who speaks for the cluster of parishes.
All of these models have been defined to help provide a structure to each of the 41 clusters in the Diocese of Madison, regardless of their present reality or their hoped for future all while keeping the goals of the Bishop clearly in focus. This important work is being done throughout the diocese by well over 600 persons, both religious and lay, persons for whom we should pray that they continue to be . . . Guided by the Spirit. Mary, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us!
If you have any questions at all, contact us at guidedbythespirit@straphael.org or mail us at Guided by the Spirit, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719.
Next Article: Questions and Answers
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