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	News Briefs: Ghana farmers: Fair trade chocolate growers visit Madison MADISON -- The Diocese of Madison's Office of Justice and Pastoral Outreach, along with four other sponsors, welcomes a visit by cocoa farmers Cecilia Donkor and Cecilia Appianim from the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana - growers and owners of fair trade Divine Chocolate, the first chocolate company in the world that is partly owned by cocoa growers. Individuals are invited to meet the farmers from Kuapa Kokoo at the following events to have questions answered, sample Divine Chocolate, and learn about fair trade and this unique cooperative. • Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 7 to 8 p.m. - Presentation and question and answer session in the social hall at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 602 Everglade Dr., just off Old Sauk Rd. Public welcome, parking available. • Thursday, Oct. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. - Presentation and question and answer session at Edgewood College Auditorium, 1000 Edgewood College Dr. Public welcome. • Thursday, Oct. 11, from 5 to 6 p.m. - Gathering at A Greater Gift store, 2701 Monroe St. (Knickerbocker Place, next to Bluephies). Public welcome, parking. For more information, contact Serena Sato or Sara Swartzendruber at A Greater Gift, 608-251-3766 or marketing@agreatergift.org Rosary March MADISON -- The 62nd semi-annual International Rosary March will be held Sunday, Oct. 7, from 2 to 3 p.m. at Holy Redeemer Parish, 120 W. Johnson St. A 15-decade Rosary will be prayed in a walking procession, outside and inside the church. This will be followed be a presentation of flowers to Mary; a homily by Fr. Eric Sternberg, parochial vicar at St. John the Baptist Parish, Waunakee; and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Children and adults who wish to participate in the flower presentation should bring their own flowers. Marquette/Green Lake Deanery meeting PRINCETON -- "Through the Scriptural Rosary We are One" is the theme for the Marquette/Green Lake Deanery meeting to be held here Wednesday, Oct. 17. St. John the Baptist Parish will host the event. Registration is at 3:30 p.m. followed by the business meeting at 4. A concelebrated Mass will be offered at 5 with Fr. Loren Bowens, Lime Ridge, diocesan moderator, as homilist. Dinner will be served at 6 followed by the program at 7. Eunice and Kenneth Soda, Princeton, will share stories about their Madonna collection. Affiliate parishes are asked to bring a $15 raffle gift. There will be a collection for Wisconsin's southern counties' flood victims. Reservations are due October 8 to Darlene Krentz, W4357 Cty. Rd. P, Princeton, WI 54968. The cost is $9. St. Joseph Parish, Madison, hosts mission MADISON -- St. Joseph Parish, 1905 W. Beltline Hwy., Madison, will host "Celebrating God's Gifts," a parish mission, to be held Sunday, Oct. 14, through Wednesday, Oct. 17. Fr. Jim Friedel, an Augustinian priest, will be the spiritual leader. "Celebrating God's Gifts" invites parishioners to reflect on how they might all experience God's many gifts to them and use them to build up their families, parish, community, and world. All are invited to join the parish for a time of renewal, a time of reflection, and a time to tell stories: • Sunday, Oct. 14, 4 to 5:30 p.m. - "God's Gift of Love for Us" • Monday, Oct. 15, 7 to 8:30 p.m. - "The Gift of God's Forgiveness" • Tuesday, Oct. 16, 7 to 8:30 p.m. - "The Gift of Our Parish" • Wednesday, Oct. 17, 7 to 8:30 p.m. - "The Gift of the Eucharist" Each session concludes with a time for socializing. Pizza will be served after the session on Sunday. For more information, call the parish office at 608-271-5771. Knights of Columbus plan 125th anniversary FITCHBURG -- Knights of Columbus Our Lady of the Lakes Council 4527 and Fourth Degree Assembly 1200 are hosting a 125th anniversary and Columbus Day celebration at the 4527 Clubhouse, 5256 Verona Rd. (enter off of Anton Dr.), Saturday, Oct. 20. A social hour will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Dinner will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Entertainment will follow until 8 p.m. Reservations of $15 per person are due by October 13. Make checks payable to: Knights of Columbus Assembly 1200 and send to: Faithful Comptroller, Attn: Larry Kleinheinz, 30 Whitcomb Circle, Madison, WI 53711. Gentlemen are to wear tuxedos or suits. Ladies are to wear appropriate evening dress. For more information, contact Dan Binsack at 608-833-6982. LAMP annual meeting VERONA -- The annual meeting for the Latin American Mission Program (LAMP) will be held Sunday, Oct. 7, at the St. Andrew Parish Center, 101 Harriet St., Verona. The meeting will start 3 p.m. with a potluck following. The meeting will include the election of new board members and summaries of the summer program. Attendees should bring a dish to pass. All LAMP officers, board members, chairpersons, and 2007 summer volunteers and other former volunteers are invited to this meeting. Visitors from Mexico, including Fr. Carmelo Fonseca, may be attending the meeting. For more information, call 608-845-7028. 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.

Praying for life:
At Planned Parenthood clinics' doorsteps

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

(See also front-page photo and sidebar: Forty Days for Life.)

MADISON -- Thousands of people are praying for life on the doorsteps of Planned Parenthood facilities at 89 different locations in 33 states around the United States, including Madison.

Related items this week: • Forty Days for Life (sidebar) • Bishop's column -- October: Month of Rosary and respect for all life   (en Español) • Bishop Morlino --     Respect Life Month: The spirit of power, love • Pro-life events • Making Sense Out of Bioethics --     Embryo's fate: Stakes are high in debates • Editorial -- Mother's womb: Help make it safe for all babies • Letter -- Support bill to protect women from coerced abortions

They are joining in 40 Days for Life from September 26 to November 4. "This is the largest and longest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in American history," said David Bereit, national director of the campaign.

In an interview on his visit to the Madison vigil on September 27 and 28, Bereit explained how this campaign got started. Planned Parenthood built a clinic in College Station, Texas, where Bereit lived. A friend of his called and told him that 10 babies had been terminated at the clinic. "It hit me that I had to do something. The light went on."

He talked with his wife, Margaret, and two weeks later quit his job in the pharmaceutical industry. "God made it clear that I didn't have a choice in the matter. It's been a journey in faith but we wouldn't change a thing," he said.

Bereit became director of the Coaliton for Life in College Station, where he worked for four years. He encouraged people from 60 churches to stand and pray outside the local abortion clinic.

In the fall of 2004, he planned the first 40 Days for Life in College Station. It included prayer, fasting, and community outreach with volunteers visiting 25,000 households with pro-life literature.

"We saw a continual drop in abortions," he said, up to 28 percent the year of the 40-day vigil. "Planned Parenthood labeled us the most anti-choice place in America."

The 40 Days for Life spread to Dallas, then Green Bay, Wis., Houston, and other cities. "It is astounding how God has worked," said Bereit.

He encourages people to participate in the vigil. "Ultimately it falls on each of us. Our example speaks louder than words."

Diocesan-Parish Leadership Days:
Do I really have to go?

By Grant Emmel
VICE-CHANCELLOR,
DIOCESE OF MADISON

As part of the Guided by the Spirit planning process, Bishop Robert C. Morlino recently traveled to and from Rome, where he met with members of the Vatican curia to ensure that he had followed all applicable canon law and given due concern to everyone involved. Accompanying him with his Tentative Final Directives (which were virtually unchanged from the Final Recommendations presented to him by the Planning Commission in June) was Fr. Jay Poster, chairman of the Planning Commission.

The bishop found that the process was fair and just, and the various congregation members gave him considerations to help in implementation. The Bishop has a final meeting with the Diocesan Pastoral Council on October 6, 2007, after which he will make known his Directives and set the course for the reorganization of parishes in the Diocese of Madison for the next several years.

Just another event?

To start off this time of change and renewal in the diocese, we are having the Diocesan-Parish Leadership Conference on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 24. Theme of the conference is "Trusting in the Spirit: Our Comforter, Our Counselor, Our Advocate."

With all that is going on in the diocese right now, such as the Feasibility Study for the Capital Campaign, the Offertory Program, Regional Cemetery meetings, Eucharistic Minister Workshops, as well as all of the other "normal" programs that occur regularly in the diocese, it seems that this is just one more "event" to try and squeeze in for the ever-frazzled parish priests, staff, and volunteers.

Well, maybe if this really was just another event in the course of diocesan life, one could be convinced that attendance wasn't really necessary, that there was something else going on that was more important, whether planned or not, than heading down to "the hill" in Madison. Thing is, it's not.

Concept of belonging

An issue often communicated was not only how the reorganization will affect the parochial communities, and without a doubt they will be affected, but why they need to be affected. The reasons for this reorganization, while centered on helping our priests be available to the greatest number of people, have a common theme - the strengthening of our Diocesan Church, and ultimately, the Universal Church.

This concept of belonging, to not just our local parish as the faithful surrounding our pastor but also belonging to the Diocesan Church as faithful surrounding the bishop and through our Bishop being tied to the Pope and the Church of Rome, is an uniquely Catholic experience and one that sets us off from all other denominations of Christianity.

It is this sense of belonging to the Diocesan Church that we are celebrating in the Diocesan-Parish Leadership Conference. This is a unique time, like no other in our diocese's history, 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 and to help develop a sense of community with all other members of the Diocesan Church.

Opportunities to learn and share

With over 50 different talks, presentations, and panels, the opportunities to learn and share with others in similar situations gives plenty of reason to attend if only based upon the wide variety of topics, related to parish management and change as part of Guided by the Spirit, which will be presented.

Think of a river that is a mile wide but a foot deep and you have an idea of how the sessions have been scheduled.

The cost for attending is being covered by the diocese to ensure that cost is not an issue for anyone. There will be Masses, Adoration, and Evening Prayer to highlight the Bishop's request for us to continue to pray for the diocese. There is a social time, dinner, and even some mild entertainment for those who are staying late or overnight.

Don't miss it!

This is an event that won't be repeated quite like this ever again, as this time in our Diocesan history won't come again. Can you miss it? Sure, if you need to. Do you want to miss it? I don't think so, not if you really are trying to help our Diocese grow stronger and are Trusting in the Spirit.

To register online, go to www.madisondiocese.org and click on the Trusting in the Spirit link in the lower left corner of the Web page. Otherwise you can call Jill Driscoll at 608-821-3039 and she can help you register. We hope to see you there.

Direct other questions to guidedbythespirit@straphael.org or Guided by the Spirit, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719.

CONNECTIONS: Ready to launch

MADISON -- The Diocese of Madison's small group initiative, "CONNECTIONS," is officially ready for take-off.

At the recent "pre-launch" training day, Catholic leaders from around the diocese gathered at the Bishop O'Connor Center in Madison to fix their eyes on Jesus Christ and learn how they can effectively welcome others into a relationship with Him through authentic small Christian communities.

Parishes offering CONNECTIONS Parishes in the Diocese of Madison offering CONNECTIONS include: St. John the Baptist, Princeton Good Shepherd, Westfield St. John the Baptist, Montello St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Portage Our Lady of the Lake, Green Lake St. Cecilia, Wisconsin Dells St. Ann, Stoughton St. Mary Magdalene, Johnson Creek St. Jude, Beloit St. Maria Goretti, Madison St. Aloysius, Sauk City Sacred Heart, Reedsburg St. Andrew, Verona Christ the King, McFarland Blessed Sacrament, Madison St. Patrick, Lodi St. John the Baptist, Jefferson St. John Vianney, Janesville St. Paul University Catholic Center, Madison St. Bernard, Watertown St. Luke, Plain St. John the Evangelist, Spring Green St. Bernard, Middleton St. Thomas the Apostle, Beloit St. Joseph, Fort Atkinson St. Rose of Lima, Brodhead

More than 80 CONNECTIONS small groups are prepared to launch in over 25 parishes throughout the diocese starting the week of October 15.

Lovingly invite

Participants learned that their role as a facilitator is not necessarily to teach but to gently and lovingly invite others to meet the risen Christ in their midst.

By reflecting on Scripture and the enduring Tradition of the Church, through personal and communal prayer, and by exploring together how the faith intersects with their lives, CONNECTIONS small group facilitators were equipped to carry on the central mission of the Church - to proclaim Jesus Christ and encourage people to walk in His footsteps.

Training for leaders

Leading a small group? Isn't that hard to do? "Not so," said CONNECTIONS trainees.

The Evangelical Catholic, the organization leading the effort in partnership with the Diocese of Madison, offered personal, practical insight that made leading a small group both accessible and fulfilling.

One participant commented, "I learned what small groups are supposed to be and how to make that happen!"

Another soon-to-be-facilitator said the training was "exceptionally thorough! I learned how to lead a small group - how to start it, prepare for it, invite people to come, and lead discussion. I've learned I can do this and I feel called to do it."

Parishes offering small groups

Ongoing leadership development is an important aspect of the CONNECTIONS initiative. "Good materials are only part of the equation," says Michael Havercamp, diocesan coordinator for CONNECTIONS. "The success of small groups hinges largely upon the facilitator - not to merely convey theological truths but to embody the message of holiness, to draw people gently into the mystery of God, and to follow the dictates of the Holy Spirit while facilitating small group discussions."

All CONNECTIONS small group facilitators and their spouses are invited to a reception at the Bishop O'Connor Center Friday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. Bishop Robert C. Morlino will be present to address leaders and celebrate the success of CONNECTIONS small groups in deepening the faith of local Catholics in Jesus Christ and strengthening their commitment to the Church.

CONNECTIONS small groups will run in six-week sessions two times per year, once in the fall and another during Lent. The first session of CONNECTIONS will run from the week of October 15 through November 18.

Many parishes around the diocese will be advertising CONNECTIONS small groups in the coming weeks (see list of parishes offering CONNECTIONS on this page).

Parishioners are encouraged to take the opportunity to visit information booths after Mass or view CONNECTIONS posters to find out who to contact at your parish. Parishes interested in starting CONNECTIONS small groups during Lent should stay tuned to specific facilitator training dates in January.

If your parish is not offering CONNECTIONS but you're interested in joining a small group, contact the CONNECTIONS diocesan coordinator, Michael Havercamp, at 608-821-3166 or mhavercamp@evangelicalcatholic.org