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	News Briefs: St. Ann Parish plans 5K Run/Walk STOUGHTON -- As part of its fall festival, St. Ann Parish in Stoughton will hold a 5K Run/Walk (3.1 miles) on Saturday, Sept. 20. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with an 8:30 a.m. start time in the church parking lot, 323 N. Van Buren St. Entry fee is $12 before 12 noon September 5, or $15 after that, and includes a race T-shirt, post-race refreshments, ribbons for all youth participants, and medals to the top youth and adult participants. Families can sign up for $30 and receive two T-shirts ($12 for each additional shirt). For information, contact Joanne DelPizzo at jdelpizz@starkhomes.com or 608-873-9931. St. Ann's Family Festival on September 19 to 21 will also feature a Friday evening beer tent, Saturday afternoon youth events, Sunday buffet-style grilled pork dinner, games, country store, auctions, and a grand-prize raffle. Diocesan Family Picnic, sports raffle MADISON -- All families of the Diocese of Madison are invited to attend the Diocesan Family Picnic to be held at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison on Sunday, Aug. 17, from 2 to 6 p.m. The event will feature food and games, live music, and an address by Bishop Robert C. Morlino. To register, go to www.madisoncatholic.org/ OEC/picnic/ or call Marie Lins at 608-821-3160. The Knights of Divine Mercy are raffling off tickets to sporting events to raise money for the picnic and other projects. Price of each ticket is $25 or five for $100. Winner of the first prize gets six luxury box seats on the 40-yard line for the August 28th Packers game. Second prize is two tickets to a 2008 Badger football game and third prize is two tickets to a 2008/09 Badger basketball game. Only 1,000 raffle tickets are being sold. Winner will be drawn at the Diocesan Family Picnic. To purchase raffle tickets, contact Jack Dillon at 608-846-9390 or 608-334-0657. New Flood Assistance Center for Rock County JANESVILLE -- The Diocese of Madison, through Madison Catholic Charities, will open a Flood Assistance Resource Center for Rock County residents impacted by the summer flooding at St. Patrick Parish School, 305 Lincoln St., Janesville. Hours are: Aug. 13 and 14, 4-6 p.m.; Aug. 16, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (including mobile food pantry in parking lot); Aug. 20, 21, and 22, 4-6 p.m.; Aug. 23, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Call 608-821-3093 or 608-821-3100 for more information. Nominate someone for a profile Do you know a person to nominate for a profile? This could be someone in a paid or volunteer position in the Catholic Church. It could be someone working outside the Church who lives his or her faith in ordinary or extraordinary ways in daily life. Send nominations with information about the nominee to: Catholic Herald, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719, or e-mail info@madisoncatholicherald.org

Faith abounds in Sydney

SYDNEY, Australia -- Defining World Youth Day (WYD) can be a difficult task. It is at the same time a cultural experience in a foreign country, a pilgrimage with hundreds of thousands of young people, and a sight-seeing event with one man - the pope - at its core.

But a few words can be best applied to this global celebration of Catholicism: a new opportunity, a chance to enrich one's Catholic beliefs. Just ask the 75 young people who traveled from the heart of Wisconsin to the Australian shores on the Diocese of Madison pilgrimage to WYD.

"It means a lot to me," said Theresa Ptak, a pilgrim from St. Mary Parish, Pine Bluff. "There I can experience my faith in a whole new way."

Traveling to Sydney

This statement was repeated time after time as the Madison youth encountered many new experiences throughout their 10 days in Sydney, Australia. After first spending time in the city of Melbourne (see related article, Page 4B -- print edition only), the pilgrims from Wisconsin joined 20,000 other young people in a caravan north to Sydney in a 10-hour bus ride on Monday, July 14, to begin the events of World Youth Day.

Their destination, the host parish of Sacred Heart in the harbor suburb of Mosman, provided the first taste of a traditional pilgrimage, as the trip was not without difficulties. Over 250 pilgrims from around the world slept in the parish school's classrooms, including youth from the islands of Fiji; Manchester, England; and Cheyenne, Mont. A wooden box, constructed temporarily on the basketball court, housed the three shared showerheads for the pilgrims.

Even more, the luggage of the Madison youth was lost in transit from Melbourne, leaving them without clothes or sleeping bags for the first night in Sydney. However, some of the pilgrims remarked that the setbacks were minor in comparison to the chance to participate in an event like WYD.

"In many ways it was not an easy trip, but yet even the hardships seemed to bring us closer together," said Lauren Zelinksi, pilgrim from St. Henry Parish, Watertown.

Love of Christ

Tafadszwa Kushamba, a seminarian for the Diocese of Madison from Zimbabwe, also mentioned that it was inspiring to see so many young people together in one place. "No one knows where they all came from and how they got here, but the love of Christ brings them together," he said. This feeling of global solidarity continued at the major events during WYD.

More than 150,000 pilgrims gathered at the special Barangaroo venue on the harbor for the opening Mass, celebrated by Cardinal George Pell, the archbishop of Sydney. He encouraged the youth to follow the Holy Spirit, asking them to listen closely to God's call.

"Our task is to be open to the power of the Spirit, to allow the God of surprises to act through us," Pell remarked. This is often difficult, but "happiness comes from meeting our obligations, doing our duty, especially in small matters and regularly, so we can rise to meet the harder challenges."

In the following days, the young people flocked to churches throughout the metropolitan area to find that power of the Holy Spirit through catechesis sessions given by bishops traveling with their diocesan pilgrims. Each spoke on an aspect of the Holy Spirit, following the theme of WYD "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses."

The largest crowds, however, were reserved for the Holy Father himself. Pope Benedict XVI made his first appearance at WYD on Thursday, arriving on a papal flotilla watched by 500,000 people on the streets of Sydney. He then gave a short address to the assembled youth, and drove throughout the city in his "popemobile," giving the pilgrims a short, yet inspiring, glimpse at their father in Christ.

'Pretty amazing'

Monica Kmak, from St. Joseph Parish in Dodgeville, called seeing Pope Benedict for the first time "pretty amazing."

"He went by pretty fast (in the car); the atmosphere was incredible," she said afterwards. Other pilgrims had the opportunity to get a closer look at the Pope, including the diocesan seminarians, who woke up in the early hours of the morning to travel to St. Mary's Cathedral.

After standing in line for several hours, the seminarians were allowed to line the central aisle, and greet Pope Benedict as he entered to say Mass. Justin Hall, seminarian studying at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, said he was moved as the Pope passed him a few feet away.

"The holiness from Pope Benedict XVI is clear enough but I also expect being in the presence of the successor of St. Peter carries a grace," he said. "Surely it was worth getting up at 4 in the morning for."

Other pilgrims were moved by the spiritual events, including a reenactment of the Stations of the Cross. "The Stations put me in the shoes of the onlookers during Jesus' last days on earth," noted Beth Bauer, chaperone for the trip. "This was an incredible feeling."

Pilgrims' walk

The highlight of the time in Sydney was the weekend events at the Southern Cross Precinct, a park and racecourse that had been set aside for the pilgrims' youth. Hundreds of thousands of young people awoke early Saturday to walk 5.5 miles through the city on a pilgrim's walk, finally ending at Randwick Racecourse at the Precinct.

That evening, the Holy Father joined the pilgrims in a vigil, where he exposed the Eucharist and prayed with the youth in the darkness, lit only by candles. After the departure of Pope Benedict, some young people continued the prayer throughout the night, spending the time in adoration and the sacrament of Reconciliation, while others slept on the racecourse ground.

"The scene was incredible," Hall said. "Silence filled the racetrack, and the contemplative spirit of the moment was amazing."

Spiritual moments

It was moments like these that allowed the pilgrims to become more aware of their role as Catholics. Quiet time spent in prayer, meeting Catholics from far-flung countries, seeing the hospitality of the people of Sydney - all of these brought the youth to a greater realization of their faith. Pope Benedict often mentioned this theme, the witness of young people, in his addresses during the week.

In one of the most moving speeches of the week, the Holy Father asked the 400,000 young pilgrims gathered for the final Mass of WYD a question. "What will you leave to the next generation?" he said. "How are you using the gifts you have been given, the 'power' which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make?"

The pilgrims took this message and opportunity, and returned home with a greater drive to become closer to Christ, and bring the faith to others. Carey Bowden, pilgrim from St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison, echoed the sentiments of the Madison youth when she said that WYD taught her the "youth and vitality of the Church."

"I know that we are the greatest ambassadors of faith to our peers," she said.

The next WYD will take place in 2011 in Madrid, Spain.

Connections: Equipping laity
to welcome and evangelize

	Initial Training Workshops: all from 6 to 8:30 p.m. St. John the Baptist in Montello on August 21 St. Maria Goretti in Madison on August 27 St. John the Baptist in Jefferson on September 2 * the Blessed Sacrament training has been combined with St. Maria Goretti's training Pre-Launch Training Workshop: 9 a.m. 12 noon Bishop O'Connor Center in Madison on September 6

Bishop Sam Jacobs once commented about the U.S. Catholic Bishops, saying, "We bishops talk about evangelization but in fact do very little to empower people in the exercise of this ministry."

As a member of the U.S. Bishops Committee on Evangelization, he saw few tangible initiatives that trained lay people to invite others to faith and discipleship in Jesus and the Catholic Church. However, one of the ways the Diocese of Madison does, in fact, empower people to evangelize is through a program called Connections.

How can we invite our co-workers to check out the Catholic faith that has given our lives so much fulfillment? Where do we bring people to meet members of our parish and develop meaningful relationships?

Entryways into the Catholic faith

Oftentimes the Sunday Mass is not the best place for this. The Church teaches that we need ministries that bring people to the light of faith in preparation for their attendance at Sunday liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium).

We need entryways into the Catholic faith that invite people into the love of Jesus and the power of Catholic community.

Connections is a program that trains lay people to facilitate small groups to act as these entryways. They learn how to fruitfully invite people to participate and then how to lead discussions that will awaken people to the Catholic faith and Christ's call to each of us.

Training lay people in parishes

When parishes have Connections groups, they have lay people in their parish who are trained to connect with new people after Mass and invite them to their home to meet others from the parish to grow in their faith.

They have groups of parishioners who pray for each other and meet weekly to help each other's faith grow in intentional ways. In short, they have a network of trained, motivated laity to join the pastoral staff in the parish's work of evangelization.

Creating networks of evangelization

The Diocese of Madison sponsors Connections to help parishes create these networks of evangelization. Through a local non-profit ministry called the Evangelical Catholic, Connections provides training, coordination, and materials for their parishioners.

The Evangelical Catholic staff brings expertise to the training that is a result of having trained parishioners and staff from over 150 college campuses and parish ministries. The training is engaging and practical. The only thing for local parishioners or parish staff members to do is to register for the training sessions.

Connections works

Deb Del Ciello, director of evangelization and catechesis at St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison, had this to say about Connections; "The Connections Program made it easy for me to recruit and train new small-group leaders. The materials are easy to use and very comprehensive. The six-week format is perfect for most parishioners' schedules.

"As a result, we were able to increase the number of small Christian communities here at the parish and involve many more people in spiritual growth. The facilitators appreciated the materials and quickly became adept at leading a small group. The staff at the Evangelical Catholic has been a wonderful partner with me in growing this ministry in our parish."

Deb launched several Connections groups in her parish last year. She plans to add groups this year and will also co-present one of the training sessions for new facilitators.

Facilitators' faith grows

Connections facilitators will be rewarded by new growth in their faith and new friendships.

Tim Warren, a Connections facilitator last year at St. Andrew Parish in Verona, said, "Connections allowed me to grow by exploring my own faith, reading and preparing Scripture, and learning from others in the group. It has been great since I have never had this sense of community outside of Mass. . . . It was very rewarding connecting to others at a deeper level."

Training workshops

Invite potential leaders to attend one of the Connections Initial Training Workshops. These are especially for all first-time facilitators, but will be great refreshers for returning facilitators (new material from last year). Register online by going to www.EvangelicalCatholic.org and clicking the CONNECTIONS link in the upper-right corner. Then you'll see a register link under "Facilitator Training."

ALL facilitators will attend the Pre-Launch Training Workshop at the Bishop O'Connor Center on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. There facilitators will pick up materials and effective tools for invitation, in addition to hearing about the successful advertising experiences of other groups.

Now is the season for inviting parishioners to be Connections facilitators. Parish staff, the diocese will do the work for you - just invite parishioners to help you reach out to the parish and the community. The Catholic Church needs its laity to be empowered in the mission given to the Church by Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). Tangible initiatives that form and train them for this work will bring renewal, resulting in vocations and compelling service to the world. Connections has the potential to be such an initiative, with the continued collaboration of local parishes.

Jason J. Simon is co-executive director of the Evangelical Catholic, Madison.

Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Archbishop dedicates La Crosse shrine

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Archbishop Raymond L. Burke led the recent dedication of the church at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, a pilgrimage site that is the fruition of "a deep conviction" he said he had as a priest and later as La Crosse's bishop.

In all, 26 bishops, including Cardinals Francis E. George of Chicago and Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, gathered with a crowd of nearly 1,000 priests, consecrated religious, and lay faithful at the church.

Nestled in the scenic bluffs just south of La Crosse, the shrine complex - including a pilgrim center, a votive candle chapel, and several devotional areas - has been under construction since 2001. An additional catechetical center and convent for contemplative nuns are planned.

Assisting Archbishop Burke in consecrating the altar and the walls of the church with sacred chrism were La Crosse Bishop Jerome E. Listecki, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of Milwaukee, and Bishop Allen H. Vigneron of Oakland, Calif., a former member of the shrine's board of directors.

Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City was unable to attend, but he sent statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego for the church. He also sent a rock from Tepeyac Hill, where Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego.

Place of pilgrimage

In an interview with The Catholic Times, the La Crosse diocesan newspaper, Archbishop Burke said that as a young priest and bishop he became convinced that a place of pilgrimage was necessary to combat the "lack of a sense of sin" he encountered in his ministry, as well as the "lack of belief in the teaching authority of the Church and in sacramental life in general."

Without these elements, devotion fades and people stop believing, said the archbishop, the newly named prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature at the Vatican.

Ground was broken in May 2004 for the large Romanesque church at the heart of the shrine in a ceremony led by Archbishop Burke, then head of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. He was bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse from 1995 to 2003.

Archbishop Burke, who grew up in the La Crosse Diocese in the small towns of Richland Center and Stratford, returned to his native diocese for a week of events at the shrine that culminated in the July 31 dedication Mass.

The shrine complex, valued at more than $25 million, saw 50,000 visitors last year. Benefactors and pilgrims are from throughout the United States.

Shrine for all Catholics

Archbishop Burke is convinced Our Lady of Guadalupe should be central to the spiritual life of all Catholics, not just Latin American Catholics, who have a deep devotion to her.

"She made it very clear when she appeared to St. Juan Diego that she was coming for all the children of America," he said. "I'm deeply convinced that she will draw all of America together in one unity."

During his homily at the dedication Mass, which he delivered in both English and Spanish, the archbishop said Mary creates this unity by drawing everyone closer to her son.

"She teaches pilgrims the truth that in Jesus Christ alone we find our salvation, the truth that Jesus Christ, by his continued presence in the Church, gives to St. Peter and to his successors the keys of the kingdom of heaven for the sake of the salvation of all mankind," he said.

Archbishop Burke alluded to the statues and paintings that adorn the church's side altars -the work of Philadelphia artist Anthony Visco - and the gilded dome and the marble columns that support the 27-foot baldacchino above the high altar -the work of Duncan Stroik, one of the project's lead architects, of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.