• Articles on St. Raphael Cathedral
	News Briefs: Choral Music Reading Session MADISON -- The Office of Worship is hosting a Choral Music Reading Session on Wednesday, Aug. 22, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at St. Albert the Great Parish in Sun Prairie. The session is designed for choir directors, organists, liturgists, pastors, and all who work to plan music for the parish musical ensembles. Choir members also are welcome to come and sing. Participants will sight-read a variety of music appropriate for use in the liturgy. Music for choirs of varying sizes and abilities will be reviewed, including music for unison choirs, two-part, SAB, and SATB choirs, as well as mixed choirs with instruments. The music has been selected to assist planners find music that they can use in the upcoming liturgical year. Music for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time, the Liturgy of the Hours, and other occasions and rituals has been selected. Suggestions for the use of each piece will be made to help directors in their planning. Patrick Gorman, director of the Office of Worship, the Diocesan Choir, and the St. Raphael Cathedral Choir, will direct the session. Don Kometz, director of music and liturgy at St. Albert the Great Parish, will be the accompanist. There is no registration fee, but pre-registration by August 15 is requested. Each participant will receive a free packet of music. There is a limit of four free packets per parish. More than four singers may come from a parish, but they may need to share music. St. Albert the Great Parish is air conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For directions, visit the parish Web site at www.saintalberts.org/contact.htm For more information about the reading session or to register, call the Office of Worship at 608-821-3080 or e-mail worship@straphael.org Seminarian vigil at Planned Parenthood MADISON -- Come and support our seminarians as they hold a Respect Life Vigil at the Planned Parenthood, 3076 Orin Rd., just off Stoughton Rd. in Madison, following liturgy at St. Patrick Church on Wednesday, Aug. 15, for the Assumption of the Blessed Mother. Seminarians will be in prayer on the sidewalk outside Planned Parenthood from 1 until 10 p.m., and at prayer before the Blessed Sacrament at St. Peter Church on Sherman Ave. from 1 to 9:30 p.m. They will return the following morning beginning at 9 a.m. and end the vigil and prayer at both locations at the same times as the evening before. Bishop Robert C. Morlino and diocesan priests will join in prayer with the seminarians on Thursday, Aug. 16, at 2 p.m. at the Planned Parenthood. We ask for your support by joining them in person and as always in prayer. Thank you for advocating for those most vulnerable in our society and your commitment to life. For more information, contact Scott Emerson at the Office of Vocations at 608-821-3135 or scott.emerson@marquette.edu or Tom Nelson at the Office of Justice and Pastoral Outreach at 608-821-3093 or tnelson@straphael.org Diocesan Lay Institute session starting MADISON -- Applications are now being accepted for the 2007-2008 Diocesan Lay Institute. The Diocesan Lay Institute is a spiritual and academic opportunity for people who have the desire to grow in their faith, and especially to apply it in leadership and service within their parish communities. Classes are held the second Saturday of each month from September to June. The institute is sponsored by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis at the Diocese of Madison. Information about requirements, format, cost, schedule, and course descriptions is available on the Diocesan Lay Institute Web site at www.madisoncatholic.org/oec/dli For more information, call Monica Grant at 608-821-3160. New look MADISON -- The Diocese of Madison has debuted a new design for its Web site. Check it out at www.madisondiocese.org Featured on the Catholic Herald section of the Web site is a new feature of "Reading the Catholic Herald" of the newspaper featured in exotic locales. You can find it by navigating on the diocesan Web site to the "News/Media" menu, and selecting the Catholic Herald. Black Hawk's journey: Commemorative gathering at Sinsinawa SINSINAWA -- A 175th Commemorative Gathering of the Black Hawk War will be held at Sinsinawa Mound on Saturday, Aug. 11. The historical events which took place in August 1832 on local tri-state soil will be retold. People will gather to honor the spirit, leadership, and journey of Black Hawk and the Sauk (Sac)-Fox Nation. "Black Hawk's Journey: Return to the Homeland" will begin at 9 a.m. and will include speakers and ceremonies, as well as traditional drumming, dancing, and singing. Native American tribal leaders and presenters will share their history and vision for the future. All who seek peace and fellowship between all peoples and those interested in Black Hawk era history are invited to attend all or part of the day. Principal Chief Kay Rhoads of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma and direct descendant of Black Hawk will be an honorary guest. Other guests include Kerry Trask, author of Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America; Preston Duncan; and Wildhorse Singers. At 7 p.m. a free performance of the play River of Tears is scheduled, followed by drumming. The play portrays events about the Black Hawk War taken from military journals and retold through the spirits of the Sauk and Fox Warriors, women, and children. A portion of this event was made possible by a grant from the Dubuque Racing Association. A suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for youth is appreciated. Early registration for limited overnight accommodations and boxed lunches ($5) are due by August 6. Call guest services at 608-748-4411. Those attending are welcome to bring their own picnic lunch. The evening meal is on your own. Walk-ins are welcome. More information is available at www.sinsinawa.org, or by calling Bobbi Gillott at 608-748-4411, ext. 857. Sinsinawa Mound is located on Cty. Rd. Z, off Hwy. 11, about five miles northeast of Dubuque. Day trip: Opportunity to learn more about Father Mazzuchelli MADISON -- Blessed Sacrament Parish's Rosary Altar Society is sponsoring a day trip to the Sinsinawa Mound and the surrounding areas to learn more about 19th century Dominican Father Samuel Mazzuchelli on Thursday, Aug. 16. Venerable Father Mazzuchelli is currently in the canonization process (his next step would be beatification - the last step before formal canonization as a saint). If he is canonized, he would be the first canonized saint who lived and worked in Wisconsin. The day pilgrimage will begin with Mass at Blessed Sacrament Parish (2131 Rowley Ave.) in Madison at 8:30 a.m. The bus will leave the parish for Southwest Wisconsin around 9:15 a.m. The pilgrimage will make stops in places where Father Mazzuchelli lived, worked, and is buried, including New Diggings and Benton. After arriving at Sinsinawa Mound, presentations will be given about Father Mazzuchelli and the Sinsinawa Dominicans, whose congregation he founded. This is a great way to learn more about not only this famous priest pioneer but also the history of the Catholic Church in Southwest Wisconsin. The bus will return to Madison by 5 p.m. at the latest. Lunch is included. Transportation is provided via a coach bus with bathroom on board. The cost of the day, including lunch, is $25. Seating is limited so sign up as soon as possible. Checks can be made out to Blessed Sacrament Rosary Altar Society or one can pay in cash. For more information or to register, call the parish office at 608-238-3471 or stop by the parish office (2116 Hollister Ave.) during the week. Parish Leadership Conference planned MADISON -- Parish staff and leaders are asked to mark their calendars for a diocesan-wide Parish Leadership Conference to be held Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 23 and 24, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center. The conference will feature plenary sessions, track sessions, and workshops on topics ranging from administration to worship. The conference is especially geared to help parishes deal with implementation of the Guided by the Spirit parish planning process. Watch the Catholic Herald for more details in the coming weeks. Nominees sought for volunteer awards MONROE -- Monroe Clinic announces an improved program for the Green County Quality of Life Awards. The adult and youth awards have been combined, providing the opportunity to celebrate volunteerism all in one night. Individuals may nominate any person (or organization) who lives or works in Green County. The nominees will be asked to fill out their own questionnaire. Nomination forms are available on the clinic's Web site, www.monroeclinic.org; at the hospital and clinic lobbies (branches included); or by calling 608-324-1482. Nominations due Friday, Aug. 17, may be sent to Sue Heinzelman via e-mail at sue.heinzelman@monroeclinic.org, by fax at 608-324-1447, or by mail to 515 22nd Ave., Monroe, WI 53566. 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.

Seminarian Gathering: Delivers a week of fellowship

By Ben Emmel
CATHOLIC HERALD INTERN

(See also front-page photo.)

MADISON -- Forgiveness, faith, and fraternity. These three ideas were the focus of the annual Diocese of Madison Summer Seminarian Gathering.

Forgiveness: Answer to peace in the heart By Ben Emmel CATHOLIC HERALD INTERN MADISON -- While at the Summer Seminarian Gathering, men studying for the priesthood in the Diocese of Madison attended a three-part presentation on "The Gift of Forgiveness." Dr. Bob Enright, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented the program, which focused on the definition of forgiveness, and its role within Christianity and the Catholic Church. "Forgiveness is an answer to peace in the human heart," he said, introducing the subject of the presentation. "Without forgiveness, I fear for communities." To Catholics, the topic of forgiveness is an important one because Christ put a special emphasis on the topic, Enright noted. This emphasis is most apparent in the Lord's Prayer, but it is also found in an "exclusive commentary" on the prayer that deals solely with the relationship of forgiveness between man and God. Enright found that, in his 22 years of studies, forgiveness appears in almost every culture and religion. The Christian perspective, however, offers the most comprehensive view, of which the Lord's Prayer commentary is only a part. Despite the prevalence of forgiveness in world cultures, the subject has become discredited in the modern age. "It is the modern mind that has placed heavy criticism (on forgiveness), and that criticism is thundering," Enright remarked. However, there is significant data that shows that use of forgiveness brings a higher quality of life. Enright recently returned from Belfast, Ireland, where he implemented a forgiveness curriculum in Protestant and Catholic elementary schools. His studies have found that after the students are given lessons and stories about forgiveness, levels of stress and depression fall. Forgiveness, Enright noted, is a very personal process, and can be painful at times. "Forgiveness is a form of suffering," he said, a suffering that should be done in the imitation of Christ. In forgiveness, "God asks us first to imitate, but ultimately to unite to Christ." This uniting forgiveness is done as one "takes up his cross," Enright said. "He is asking you, in forgiving, to be crucified with Christ." Scott Jablonski, a seminarian for the Diocese of Madison, found the presentation on forgiveness crucial for the modern age. "Living in a world that longs for reconciliation and longs for forgiveness, I think this is a topic that all future priests, and all people should hear." David Johannes, a Diocese of Madison seminarian studying at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Colo. agreed that it was an important topic, and noted that the presentation helped him personally in hearing the message of forgiveness. "It showed how the root of forgiveness is in Christian love," he said. "It brought out the focus of personal relationships for me, which is so important in our day and age."

Held at the Bishop O'Connor Center, the week-long gathering provided an opportunity for the 29 men studying for the priesthood to come together as a community, and take a needed break from school and parish assignments.

Building fraternity

Msgr. Jim Bartylla, director of vocations for the diocese, explained that the summer gathering is an integral component of the seminarians' studies and formation. "It's very important to bring them back, so they can have a fraternity and bond with each other."

Because the diocese does not have its own seminary, men studying to become priests are sent to several different schools throughout the United States and Europe. As a result, the seminarians are away from each other during the school year, Monsignor Bartylla noted.

But calling them back in July allows them to build fraternity. "Everyone gets to know each other both socially, fraternally, [and] as brother seminarians. They leave with a great connection to the diocese," said Monsignor Bartylla.

The week provided time for prayer in the morning, with the seminarians attending Mass each day, and also praying at the daily Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations in the Bishop O'Donnell Memorial Chapel, sponsored by the Serra Club of Madison. Afternoons brought a formation conference for the seminarians.

This year, Dr. Bob Enright, a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and founder of the International Forgiveness Institute, presented a three-part talk on "The Gift of Forgiveness." (See related story at right).

Priest Fellowship Day

A highlight of the week's events was the Priest Fellowship Day. The seminarians attended part of the day's presentations and were introduced to the gathered priests, who greeted them with applause.

The seminarians then served the priests dinner, giving them a chance to build relationships within the presbyterate.

David Carrano, a seminarian studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy, was grateful and excited for the opportunity to build relationships with the priests and seminarians.

"One of the difficulties of Rome is not being able to have much contact with people here," he said. Normally, students in Rome stay in Europe and do pastoral work for the summer, "so I was really excited and happy when the bishop gave us the opportunity to come home for this gathering," Carrano remarked, adding that without the summer gathering, he wouldn't have been able to meet any of the new seminarians.

One of these new seminarians, Mario Antonetti, found that learning from the older men was both informative and enjoyable. His highlight of the week was "just being able to hang out with the seminarians" and learning the ins and outs of seminary life. "I learn more every time I am around them," he said.

At the end of the week, Bishop Robert Morlino presided over Mass and the Rite of Candidacy for Tim Renz and Jorge Miramontes. The Rite is a declaration of intent of the seminarians to study diligently for the priesthood. The church then officially accepts them as candidates for ordination. Renz and Miramontes study at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, Mich.

In his homily during the Mass, Bishop Morlino encouraged the seminarians to "dive into" their studies and formation. "Hit the ground running, stay close to Christ, and he will lead you to happiness," he said.

Carrano said that the greatest thing that he took out of the weekend was that joy. "I see that in a lot of our seminarians, and it's very contagious," he said. "It brings joy to my heart that all these men are here for the Diocese of Madison."

Three in one: All Saints dedicates new church

By Kat Wagner
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

BERLIN -- The tower, with its three bells, one each from the former churches, stands tall over the countryside, marking the place the youngest parish in the diocese now calls its home.

Timeline • July 1, 2001: All Saints Parish was formed from the parishes of St. Joseph, St. Stanislaus, and St. Michael (linked in 1998) • January-February 2002: After a feasibility study was conducted, and 69 percent of respondents supported a new church, a Core Building Committee was formed • October 20, 2002: St. Joseph Church is closed due to a cracked boiler • June 6, 2004: A parish prayer service was held at the new building site, set on land purchased from parishioners Larry and Karen Hargrave • A kick-off dinner for the Capital Campaign to raise the projected $5.4 million for Phase I is held, and an anonymous donor, later revealed to be Badger Mining Corporation, Inc., pledges to match $1 for every $3, up to $1 million, to help raise costs • St. Stanislaus Church is closed to control costs • April 2006: Groundbreaking and construction begins on the new church • June 4, 2006: A parish site dedication ceremony and celebration is held • July 22, 2007: The first Mass is held in the new All Saints Church, Berlin

All Saints Parish in Berlin, a small city in the northeasternmost part of the Diocese of Madison, recently dedicated their new church, which looks over the city of Berlin from one of the highest point in Green Lake County. The church is the most solid reminder yet of the merger of the three Berlin parishes of St. Joseph, St. Michael, and St. Stanislaus into one, united parish.

It was only fitting that Bishop William H. Bullock, bishop emeritus of the diocese, should have been present to dedicate the new church July 22. All Saints Parish had come into being under his tenure as bishop, and it was he who celebrated the votive Mass on July 8, 2001, to mark the beginning of the new parish.

"All Saints is not just a place where parishioners gather," Bishop Bullock said in his homily at the dedication of the new church. "It is a dwelling place of God that makes visible the (Catholic) Church living in this place.

"For the generations who will come after you - may they long remember your vision and the sacrifices you made for this church," he said. "May their deep appreciation of your sacrifices encourage them to be faithful members of All Saints."

Making sacrifices

The parishioners of All Saints had made sacrifices. They are the blending of three separate communities, each with many years of history.

"During these past four and a half years we truly have reached out and worked together," said Fr. Jerome J. Maksvytis, pastor of the Berlin parishes from linking to merging to the present, in a letter to the parish on the occasion of the dedication. "We have shared and sacrificed together in order that our goal and longtime dream might be fulfilled.

"Through it all, we have indeed come to understand that our parish is more than a building made of wood and stone," he said. "It is a family made up of loving, warm, and generous human beings. All of whom make up the Body of Christ."

"We were being very sensitive to everyone's traditions when we went along," Tom Malchetske, All Saints Parish Council president, said of the merger. With three parishes with three different cultural backgrounds (Irish, German, and Polish), there were differences from the style of procession to the feast days celebrated. These had to be taken into account during the transition.

The building of a new church helped with the unification process. It meant "total sacrifice," Malchetske said, "for everyone to sacrifice their buildings and move on to a new parish with new buildings and a new name.

"It was a lot of sacrifice, a lot of prayer," he said.

Uniting old and new

But the new church reflects the new parish's unity and its sacrifices in its use of both old and new, elements of the three old parishes (such as the bells, the cornerstones, the tabernacle, stained glass windows, and the Stations of the Cross), standing side-by-side with new pieces, such as the ambo, the altar, and the baptismal font.

And the church is only the beginning of a projected three-phase process, with a social hall, a new school with library, computer lab, music room, and gym, and athletic fields in the future.

The church has gotten a lot of positive comments, said Bob Schmitz, the chairman of the Building Committee at All Saints Parish. "It's like a revolving door when the building's open," he said.

It has also been very inspiring, he said, to see the dedication to the process from the parishioners. There were subcommittees with nearly a hundred people all addressing different areas of the project and, with the fundraising efforts, talking to people and addressing concerns.

The whole process helped to unify the parish.

"It gave a sense of purpose once we merged from three parishes into one parish," he said. "And it sort of brought out that unifying effect of that effort."

Both Malchetske and Schmitz mentioned that prayer was a huge part of the process, starting off meetings and praying together at Mass.

"I think that's the key to everything here: to look to the Holy Spirit to guide us through the decisions," Malchetske said.

Especially as a parish leader, it is always important to listen to the parishioners and make the right decisions for the parish, he said. "I don't think we could do that without the Holy Spirit."

After the flood: Comes the grace

By Kat Wagner
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

BAGLEY -- Beatrice Boyer, 85, has lived for about 12 years in a three-story house in Bagley, a small village on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi river.

But in the course of a night, she lost everything when her house was flooded after about seven inches of rain and plugged drainage ditches caused a flash flood in the village.

"I don't know what'll happen yet," she said.

But Boyer and the other village residents have not been left to fend for themselves after the flood in the early morning hours on July 18. Over the following days and week, hundreds of individual volunteers and organizations arrived to help clean and provide needed assistance.

"Pretty much, in a small area, we count on each other," said Lynn Morris during a short break from helping to hand out food and supplies at an emergency food pantry July 26.

The food pantry was sponsored by Catholic Charities in Madison and Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, and staffed by volunteers from the monthly food pantry at St. John Parish, Patch Grove. It provided basic foods, essentials such as plastic plates, and detergent for cleaning.

Morris said she had come partly in her guise as district supervisor for the Grant County Board, where Bagley is located, but also, like the others, because she simply wanted to help her neighbors.

The weekend had seen hundreds of volunteers like her come to help people clean out basements flooded with mud and sewage water, Morris said. "Everybody's pulling together."

Grant County is the 12th poorest out of the 72 counties in the state. The food pantry at St. John Parish, which has operated for nearly a year now, sees on average about 65 families each month, said Cindy Busch, the volunteer coordinator at the pantry.

The need for more support becomes important when disaster falls on a town, especially as, in the case of Bagley, its economy is supported by the summer vacation season. Many people lost their homes, some of them seasonal homes, but for some their only home. Reports estimate the damage at over $1 million.

"The only way I can look at it is, it was meant for the best - the Lord knows what he's doing," Boyer said of the flood. She is now staying in a small apartment, and said her sons would be coming to help soon.

"We're very thankful for our lives and our health, and what we have. Material things are not important," she said, thanking God no one was hurt. "Everybody has been so good, and everybody has been working together."

"Everyone is willing to help," said Busch, who was one of the driving forces behind the emergency food pantry at Bagley.

Catholic Charities donated enough food for about 100 people, and more than two dozen volunteers were there to distribute it, including some from St. Mary Parish, Bloomington, which is linked with St. John Parish. Even Fr. Bart Timmerman, pastor at the Patch Grove and Bloomington parishes and a common sight carrying bags of groceries at the monthly food pantry, was able to stop and help in the morning. He had been a "huge supporter" of the effort, Busch said.

The pantry helped 53 families that morning, but the effort will continue in the next week as the remaining food is used by the local United Methodist church to make meals for residents.

With so many people helped, Busch said, "we felt it was a big success."