• Articles on St. Raphael Cathedral
	News Briefs: Apostolate: Hosts summer day Aug. 24 LAKE DELTON -- The annual Summer Day for the Handicapped will be held on Friday, Aug. 24. As in the past, it will all take place at the Tommy Bartlett Water Show site at Lake Delton. It will feature the presentation of the Tommy Bartlett Water and Thrill Show. The people of the Tommy Bartlett Water Show go "all out" for the Apostolate to provide a beautiful and fun-filled day. The day will begin with a concelebrated Mass at 11 a.m. in God's great "cathedral of the outdoors," offered right at the show site. Twenty priests will offer the Mass. Following the Mass, a box lunch will be served to all attending followed by the water show. "This is a day of great power. It clearly demonstrates the give and take of life. Handicapped and non-handicapped people alike bring joy to people's lives, give great hope to all, and we all make the world a better place," said Msgr. Tom Campion, Apostolate director. To make a reservation, write Monsignor Campion at Box 443, Monroe, WI, 53566. There is no cost as expenses are paid by friends of the Apostolate. Transportation is furnished when possible. The event is held rain or shine, as guests will be under cover or outside, as they choose. Diocese of Madison: Guided by the Spirit 'hardship' cluster meetings The "hardship" cluster meeting is an opportunity for Guided by the Spirit committee members and parish leadership to discuss the Planning Commission's Final Recommendation for their cluster with Bishop Robert C. Morlino. The Planning Commission, when formulating their recommendations, thought that some clusters would benefit from a face to face meeting with the Bishop where the ramifications of the recommendation could be discussed openly. The term "hardship" is not meant to imply a problem or issue but only that special care is indicated. • Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007, 7:00 p.m. At St. Patrick Parish Hall (church basement), Albany Cluster 31 Parishes: St. Patrick, Albany; St. Victor, Monroe; St. Rose of Lima, Brodhead Cluster 17 Parishes: St. Mary of Lourdes, Belleville; St. James, Dayton; St. William, Paoli; St. Andrew, Verona • Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007, 7:00 p.m. At St. Patrick Parish Center, Lodi Cluster 34 Parishes: St. Patrick, Lodi; St. Thomas the Apostle, Poynette; St. Michael, Dane • Thursday, Aug. 23, 2007, 6:00 p.m. At Holy Redeemer Parish Hall, Madison Cluster 15 Parishes: St. Raphael Cathedral, St. Patrick, Holy Redeemer, St. Paul University Catholic Center, all in Madison • Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007, 7:00 p.m. At St. Aloysius Parish, Sauk City Cluster 30 Parishes: St. Aloysius, Sauk City; St. Norbert, Roxbury; St. Barnabas, Mazomanie; St. Mary, Merrimac Brewers baseball game: Support sought for seminarian outing MADISON -- On Friday, Aug. 17, seminarians from the Diocese of Madison will be treated to a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Joining them will be staff of the diocesan Office of Vocations; priests who have mentored seminarians this summer; and members of the Serra Clubs of Madison and Janesville and the Southwest Vocations Club. A bus ride and tailgate party precede the game. The baseball game is a "summer send-off" to the seminarians before they head back to school. "It's a good time to hang out with the seminarians and other people who are supportive," said Justin Hall, a seminarian attending St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, Denver, Colo., this fall. "You don't see guys from other seminaries during the year, so it's good to be with them," said Hall. "And I enjoy baseball and the Brewers." Madison Serran Tom Hanlon went on the trip last year. "I saw the camaraderie among the seminarians. It made me see what a nice opportunity this is for them." People are invited to sponsor a seminarian or priest for the game. Cost is $50 per person, but any contributions are welcome. Send checks payable to Serra Club of Madison to Office of Vocations, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719. Support groups for separated, divorced, loss 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, Aug. 2 and 16, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 401 S. Owen Dr. New Directions meets on the east side from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9 and 23, at St. Dennis Parish Center, 413 Dempsey Rd. Support group for birth parents MADISON -- A Birth Parent Support Group will meet Tuesday, Aug. 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 5 Odana Ct. Sponsors are Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services. This ongoing support group, held the second Tuesday of every month, is for people who have placed their child/ren for adoption and is free, safe, and confidential. For registration, contact Alice at 608-270-6635 or apearson@lsswis.org or Trish at 608-833-4800, ext. 109, or pregnancy@tds.net Adoption orientation meeting MADISON -- Interested in adopting? Learn about domestic and international adoption services at an adoption orientation meeting on Monday, July 30, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Catholic Charities, 426 S. Yellowstone Dr., Suite 100, in Madison. To register, call 608-833-4800. For more information, contact Jerilyn Robinson at 608-833-4800, ext 104, or jrobinson2@tds.net 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.

Program for children's safety: Being implemented in diocese

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

(See also front-page sidebar: Decree of Promulgation.)

MADISON -- The Diocese of Madison is implementing a new program in all Catholic schools and catechetical programs to help maintain a safe environment for children.

Called "Valuing God's Gifts in Ourselves and Others," the program was developed specifically for the Diocese of Madison's Office of Safe Environment in cooperation with experts in the diocese.

The program grows out of the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People issued in 2002 in the wake of revelations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the Catholic Church. The Charter asked each diocese to "provide education and training" about "ways to make and maintain a safe environment for children."

The goal of the program is to provide learning that will promote and protect, as much as possible, the health and safety of the children and young people in parishes, schools, institutions, and communities.

"This goal flows first of all from the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, who showed constant care for the vulnerable, most especially for the children," says the program guide.

New program

In the Diocese of Madison, much of the emphasis since 2003 has been on training adults, said Sr. Marcia Vinje, director of the diocesan Office of Safe Environment (OSE). "We started out with the VIRTUS program for children in 2004 but weren't satisfied with that," she said.

Kate Wiskus, former coordinator for safe environment, established a committee of people from Catholic schools and catechetical programs who wrote a curriculum tailored to the Diocese of Madison. The program was piloted for one year from 2005 to 2006 in some of the parishes. "In 2006 to 2007, we asked all parishes to use it and evaluate it," said Sister Marcia.

"The 2007 edition puts more emphasis on tying safety to religious values," she said. "In Wisconsin public school children are trained in these safety issues, but we want to make an explicit link to the dignity of all people as children of God.

"We employed a consultant for catechetical textbooks to help us refine the initial lessons in this direction, and to make the material more user friendly for catechists who don't have educational background. Lessons on Internet safety were also added," said Sister Marcia.

In response to evaluations, the scenarios for role-playing were enlarged and made "more real," she added.

Bishop's decree

Bishop Robert C. Morlino has now issued a Decree of Promulgation (see front page) saying that the "Valuing God's Gifts" program will be taught in every school and religious education program in the diocese effective August 15, 2007.

In his decree, the bishop emphasizes that schools and catechetical programs "always recognize and support parents as the primary educators of their children." He says that parents are to be informed of the schedule, nature, and content of the lessons planned. If parishes wish an alternative program, the Office of Safe Environment must approve it.

"The big focus is on parents having the main responsibility to teach their children," said Sister Marcia. "We want to support them so that they can teach this to their own children also."

She said homeschool families could use the program, too.

Safe Environment Week

For the first time, the diocese will also observe the week of November 4 to 11, 2007, as Safe Environment Week for Children. "Schools and catechetical programs are asked to teach the curriculum that week," said Sister Marcia.

"This also helps parents know when it's going to happen so they can reinforce the ideas at home," she noted.

She explained that there are lesson plans for each grade level from kindergarten through grade 10. "It's all correlated with the diocesan learning standards for religion and health," she said.

The lessons are to be taught annually. The age appropriate lessons are designed to help children and young people develop the vocabulary and life skills such as boundary distinctions that are needed to ensure that they can not only recognize the inappropriate behavior of others, but also apply learned skills for personal safety.

Cooperative effort

Although the program is coming out of the Office of Safe Environment, Sister Marcia noted that the Office of Catholic Schools (OCS) and the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis (OEC) have been involved in the process all along the way. "They've been working with us step by step," she said.

She thanked all those who have contributed to the development of the curriculum, including Judy Peppard and Jim Silver, formerly with the OCS; the late Jack McBride, OEC; and Wiskus. Ann Princl provided much of the research and Gail Nichols, former assistant superintendent of Catholic schools, assisted with revisions.

The following people helped in the development, evaluation, and initial revisions of the lesson plans: Heidi Chew, Edgewood High School, Madison; Mary Crombie, St. Jerome School, Columbus; Tina Davies, St. Mary School, Platteville; Sandra Dunn, St. Patrick Parish, Cottage Grove; Diane Kruzicki, St. Victor Parish, Monroe; Ann Princl, St. Andrew Parish, Verona; Holly Tourdot, Blessed Sacrament School, Madison; Adrienne Van Norman, St. Jerome School, Columbus; Jane Von Feldt, St. Clement School, Lancaster; and Laura Winslow, Holy Ghost-Immaculate Conception School, Dickeyville-Kieler.

People involved in the final phase of the program included: M. Jean Frisk, Dayton, Ohio, catechetical consultant; Rachael Miller Crigler, OSE; Michael Lancaster and Monica Bischoff, OCS; Eric Schiedermayer, OEC; and Sr. Marcia Vinje, OSE.

On-site audit

Besides this new program for children, the Office of Safe Environment is also in the process of an on-site audit July 23 to 25 as part of the U.S. bishops' safe environment program. "This is part of the U.S. bishops' commitment to keep things transparent," said Sister Marcia. "The bishops are cooperating to ensure the safety of children and to help the public have confidence that we're doing everything we can."

The Diocese of Madison asks that all adult employees and all adult volunteers who work with children take part in the VIRTUS education program. Background checks are also done on all employees and adult volunteers who work with children.

"We also have a separate program for parents to help them have a conversation with their children about safety," said Sister Marcia.

Her office also makes sure that everyone is informed about the diocesan policy for the protection of children. It is posted on the diocesan Web site (www.madisondiocese.org).

For more information about the new program for children or other issues, contact Sr. Marcia Vinje at the Office of Safe Environment, phone 608-821-3133 or e-mail: mvinje@straphel.org

Incidents of sexual abuse should be reported to Kevin Phelan, chancellor, at 608-821-3162 or e-mail: pastoral@straphael.org

Field of dreams: Volunteers transform diocesan baseball field

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- The Bishop O'Connor Center (BOC) staff had dreamed of improving its baseball field. But it took some dedicated volunteers to make the dream become a reality.

Recently Bishop Robert C. Morlino blessed the renovated field, with his own "team" of diocesan seminarians standing with him. Bishop Morlino thanked the many friends and benefactors "for giving us really the best field in Madison."

He added, "We're very proud that this is part of the Bishop O'Connor Pastoral Center. We're proud that we have facilities here that encourage excellence in sports."

Tom Murphy, director of engineering and custodial services at the BOC, said the project "enlarged the field and completely restructured the infield."

He credited Jeff Haen of Haen Real Estate in Madison and Jack Mulvoy for spearheading the project. Haen said he was motivated by his enjoyment of the sport. He also has a son who plays baseball at Edgewood High School (EHS) in Madison. The EHS junior varsity and freshmen baseball teams use the BOC field and the varsity practices on it. "I also coach a Babe Ruth team that plays here," said Haen. Murphy noted that other youth baseball teams use the field.

Haen coordinated the work to renovate the field, which is maintained by the BOC staff. He and Mulvoy solicited donations from Edgewood parents, area businesses, and interested persons. Some subcontractors contributed time and money to the project.

The Diocese of Madison's Office of Stewardship and Development held a reception to thank those involved with the project. They provided hotdogs, soda, and Cracker Jacks prior to a game between Edgewood and Portage.

"Celebrating the renovation is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished together," said Chad McEachern, director of stewardship and development. "Having an opportunity to say 'thank you' is an important part of that effort."

Bishop Morlino threw the first pitch and stayed to watch part of the game with the seminarians.