At 7:30 a.m. on September 25, the Carillon bells rang at Durward’s Glen Retreat Center in the Baraboo River Valley, greeting pilgrims as they arrived to attend this year’s annual Fall Faith and Family Marian Conference, “Do Whatever He Tells You.”
Day: October 7, 2010
Monona parish celebrates 60 years
MONONA — Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Parish in Monona is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
Urbanites and rural dwellers alike are invited to Rural Life Day in Loreto
LORETO — People from throughout the Diocese of Madison — those who live in rural and urban areas — are invited to attend a Rural Life Day to be held on Thursday, Oct. 28, at St. Patrick Church in Loreto.
October is a time of prayer
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| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear Friends,
As we begin the month of October, we recall first of all that this is Our Lady’s month — specifically the month of the Most Holy Rosary. Both Pope John Paul the Great and Pope Benedict have indicated many, many times, that the Rosary prayed well is a most efficacious prayer and a wonderful way to promote the relationship of daughter or son to our Blessed Mother.
And, indeed, whenever we look to Mary, she directs us to her Son. Since her maternal cooperation, her freewill assent to the Incarnation of Our Lord, was necessary for God’s saving plan to be carried out in history, we all need her precious intercession, that we ourselves might have evermore the grace that she did when she said her, “yes,” to the Lord. The daily Rosary is surely in order, ideally in a family setting, during the month of October and, indeed, all year round.
What level of government is best? Principle of subsidiarity can help
We often debate the issue of how much government should do, but that rarely ends the argument. For even when we can agree that government has a role in addressing an issue, we often debate which level of government is best suited to do so.
Our Catholic social teaching can help us consider that question. The tool it offers is the principle of subsidiarity.
United States forced to use atomic bombs in war
To the editor:
Kudos to Don Skarda for his letter of September 16 referring to Tony Magliano’s article in the August 19 Catholic Herald regarding the United States’ use of the atomic bombs.
Finally someone has stood up to Mr. Magliano’s comments about the guilt he tried to place on the U.S.A. for using the bombs on Japan during World War II.
Appreciated article on importance of farm safety
To the editor:
Jim Massey’s article entitled “Take Extra Safety Precautions During Harvest” (Catholic Herald, September 23, 2010) was timely. I have never lived on a farm, and I don’t claim to be a farmer. However, the article touched me because I grew up in a rural area.
Farm children and adults were my friends, classmates, and neighbors. I vividly recall persons whom our family knew who were in farm accidents. My grandpa had missing fingers from a farm accident. My mother often described the pain he suffered during damp weather.
Deal with immigrants by enforcing labor laws
To the editor:
Tony Magliano’s column, “Immigration reform needed” (Catholic Herald, September 16, 2010), is correct on many points, but falls short on one of them. In his article he repeats the worn-out phrase that immigrants perform the work that Americans won’t. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There are thousands of jobs that are being performed by Americans on a daily basis that are not only undesirable but downright dangerous. Jobs, such as foundry work, powerhouses, shipyards, oil fields, etc. — most of which are covered by union contracts and state and federal health and safety regulations that make them attractive to an adventurous few.
Let’s form our own ‘humane society’ to protect babies
When we think of respecting all human life, we usually start with pre-born life in the womb. Naturally that should be the beginning of our focus, since that’s where all human beings begin their existence.
Just ask expectant parents these days. They often talk about their unborn baby by name (for example, our son and his wife have chosen a name for their second daughter, who is due in December). Parents also see ultrasounds of their children in the womb and it’s obvious to them — as it should be to everybody — that this is a baby. Birth is just one stage in the development of that new little person.
The last train to Dachau
Recently, the national head of a pro-life group spoke at a rally. He told of a woman sharing with him the story of the last train-load of prisoners arriving in Dachau after World War II had ended. The Jewish and other prisoners on this last train (and all who were in the neighborhood of the tracks of the concentrations camp) were filled with fear.
The soldiers were gone. The local police had run away. And the villagers, still affected by the horrors of recent years, were immobilized by fear.