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| July 5, 2007 Edition | ||||
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Planning Commission final recommendations: What's next for the Diocese
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Hardship ClustersCLUSTER 15 |
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These recommendations are the culmination of nine months of conversations among parishes and between the parishes and the Planning Commission as all prayed and deliberated about the parish reorganization for the Diocese of Madison.
After being sent to Bishop Morlino, the individual recommendations were sent to the respective Core Committee members representing each parish.
Seeking input
Additionally, the Bishop has asked for the opinions of the various diocesan bodies that he relies upon for guidance and direction, namely, the College of Consultors, the Diocesan Finance Council, the Presbyteral Council, the Diocesan Pastoral Council, the Priest Personnel Board, and the Diocesan staff. This group of nearly 65 persons is expected to respond, either by meeting or individually, by August with their comments and suggestions, so that the Bishop has ample time to consider their input.
Another source from which the Bishop expects to receive input is those clusters who, because of unusual circumstances, believe that the recommendations presented by the Planning Commission represent a hardship to their parishes and cluster. The Planning Commission as part of their deliberations, identified four clusters as being "hardship" clusters for the Bishop to plan to visit and discuss the Final Recommendation with the cluster as a whole. (see sidebar).
Other clusters who believe that they have an urgent need to discuss their cluster's Final Recommendation with Bishop Morlino should have their Cluster Chairperson contact Grant Emmel (608-821-3010, guidedbythespirit@straphael.org) to discuss their need. All hardship clusters should also contact Grant Emmel to schedule their meeting with Bishop Morlino.
Visit Holy See
After all of these consultations, the Bishop will visit the Holy See in September to discuss the plan with Roman Curia officials to ensure that he has followed all applicable canon law and given due concern to everyone involved.
Implementation process
Upon his return he will announce his directives in October and the Diocese will officially begin the Implementation Phase of Guided by the Spirit at the Diocese of Madison Parish Leadership Conference, October 23 and 24 at the Bishop O'Connor Pastoral Center.
This conference will be a time for parish leadership, such as pastors, priests, administrators, principals, directors, managers, sextons, council members, and others in parish leadership roles to come together in faith to attend over 50 presentations and workshops on a wide variety of topics related to parish management and change as part of Guided by the Spirit. It is hoped that every parish will make this event a priority and send persons to attend. Look for more information to arrive at your parish in the very near future.
What to do while we wait
Many people have asked, "What should I do while we wait for Bishop Morlino to come to a decision?" An excellent idea comes from the letter the Bishop sent out to each of the nearly 700 Core Committee members along with the Final Recommendation from the Planning Commission.
In that letter, the Bishop gave thanks for all of the hard work that has been done and the good work that has been accomplished. He made a simple request of them, a request that, as he said, "has supernatural consequences for the future of all in the Diocese of Madison." I share that idea here with you.
"Pray. Pray unceasingly for our Diocese. Call upon the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Archangel Raphael, our patron. There is nothing more important for our Diocese at this time than for all of us to drop to our knees and ask God for His help as we begin this new discernment period and as we prepare for the Guided by the Spirit Implementation process.
There are many in the Diocese working very hard to prepare materials to assist us in the implementation. It takes time to do things correctly, something each of you know personally after these last eight months and anything worth doing is worth doing well. Pray for my staff as they prepare for the implementation, that they are given the wisdom and fortitude to assist us in the coming years of change.
There are many in the Diocese who are filled with anxiety and concern for how the changes that are coming will affect them. This is a real unknown for many and it is challenging their faith. Pray for them, that our Mother Mary will lift them up and console them. Pray that the Archangel Raphael will protect and guard them as they live out their changes. I will be visiting with those people who have concerns with the Final Recommendations; please pray for me as I meet with people from around the Diocese."
Are we doing the right thing?
Another question that has been asked is, "How do we know we're doing the right thing?" One answer is that you can look at the fruit of the work you are doing. The readings for this past week are especially relevant to this as we continue our journey, Guided by the Spirit.
The phrase, Guided by the Spirit, is spoken of in the reading of Paul to the Galatians as he exhorts us who are called by the freedom of the Gospel to fulfill the law by love of neighbor; to accept the guidance of the Spirit, given by Christ through His cross and resurrection; and to receive and live out the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, fruits that are indicative of the kind of life we are leading.
What a truly wonderful gift that we have been given and something beautiful for us to hope and strive for as we journey on in the Diocese of Madison, working to build a stronger and more vibrant Diocesan Church, living in the Spirit, following the Spirit, and being Guided by the Spirit.
If you have any questions at all, please contact us at guidedbythespirit@straphael.org or mail us at Guided by the Spirit, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719.
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Holy Redeemer, Madison:
Begins 150th anniversary celebration
MADISON -- Holy Redeemer Parish in Madison will begin the celebration of its 150th year this July.
Though the anniversary of the first Mass is on Thursday, July 12, the formal celebration will begin with Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, 120 W. Johnson St., at 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 15, with Bishop Robert C. Morlino as the principal celebrant.
Anniversary events
The Mass is open to all interested parties. Overflow parking is available in the city ramp between Johnson, Dayton, and Caroll Sts.; in the cathedral parking lot (off Fairchild); in the county ramp across W. Main St. from the cathedral, and in the city ramp on Lake St. (all city and county ramp parking involves a fee).
Those who have current, historic, or family ties to the parish who would like to attend a banquet and program at a nearby hotel after the Mass are asked to contact Richard Bonomo at 608-258-8613 or bonomo@tds.net immediately to request an invitation. Requests will be honored to the extent that seats are available. There is a fee of $12 per adult (children having a children's dinner are admitted at no cost).
Other events for the sesquicentennial year are planned, including a picnic, open to all interested parties, at Vilas Park at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12.
Historical notes
Holy Redeemer Parish is the second-oldest Catholic parish in the city of Madison. It was formed at the direction of Bishop Henni in response to insistent requests by the German members of the mostly Irish congregation of the "Madison parish," which eventually came to be known as St. Raphael Parish, who wanted a church and school at which to worship and to educate their children in accordance with German custom and manner.
The first Mass of the newly formed "German parish" (as it was first known) was celebrated in a small red brick church which had been built for the purpose by the Esser construction company.
The current church was built in 1869 and enlarged some years later by the addition of a chancel. Holy Redeemer Church is one of the few churches which was not substantially affected by the renovations of the 1960s and 1970s and still retains, by and large, the appearance it had at the start of the 1900s.
School in German
The pastor of the newly formed parish, Father Haidar, also ran a school for the German children, in German, in the church. The parish built a school just before the start of the 20th century which functioned until the mid-1960s, when the changing demographics of the neighborhood led Monsignor Gabriels to conclude that the school should be closed.
The Holy Redeemer school building is the oldest standing school, public or private, in the city of Madison. It is currently used for parish programs and is also a base of operations for Pregnancy Helpline and Pro Labore Dei (which provides meals for the homeless).
Demographic shifts
The demographics of the parish have changed greatly over the years. The Germans have, for the most part, moved on to heaven or elsewhere on earth. The great bulk of the parishioners have not lived in the downtown area for many decades, as the passing years saw a great decline in the number of resident families downtown as families moved to other parts of the city and to the suburbs.
For this reason, in approximately 1966, Holy Redeemer was stripped of its territory and was made into what was then called a "universal parish," with the privilege of registering parishioners from anyplace in the diocese. Indeed, people who worship at Holy Redeemer often travel substantial distances to do so, for various reasons.
Present day
The parish has seen another major demographic change: the influx of Hispanic Catholics.
In the 1980s, Centro Guadalupano saw a sharp rise in the number of Latinos coming to Mass in its small chapel and approached Holy Redeemer with a request to have the Centro's Spanish-language Mass there. The parish gladly agreed to this.
Over the course of time, the Latino population grew and found a permanent home at Holy Redeemer Parish. They were no longer visitors, but parishioners, and, in a way "missionaries" (who organized Spanish Masses at St. Joseph Parish and St. Peter Parish).
Today, of the approximately 800 registered families, about 600 are Spanish-speaking. The actual population is much higher as many do not register because of cultural habit.
Holy Redeemer Parish thrives as a volunteer-driven parish. Parishioners are united in an affection for our particular sacred place, and united with many others in a particular Eucharistic devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ, who is exposed at all times in a monstrance in the parish perpetual adoration chapel.
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Offices and mailing address: Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719
Phone: 608-821-3070 Fax: 608-821-3071 E-Mail: info@madisoncatholicherald.org