Year: 2011

On
Mary C. Uhler

Falling through the cracks: More people need help paying for prescription drugs

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

Those of us who take drugs by prescription realize we depend on those drugs to lower our cholesterol, keep our blood pressure under control, and do many other things to keep us healthy or prevent more serious health problems.

Some studies have shown that almost half of Americans take at least one prescription drug. And half of our senior citizens take three or more prescription medications.

We all know that the cost of drugs continues to rise. Plus the number of people who are uninsured or underinsured also keeps going up.

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On
Barbara Sella

Contraception mandate: engangers religious liberty, women’s health

Eye on the Capitol by Barbara Sella

In implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) now requires almost all private health plans to cover contraception and sterilization as “preventive services” for women.

It is deeply disturbing that at the very time when scientists and contraception advocates are beginning to acknowledge some of the dangers of artificial contraception, our government has chosen to make contraception coverage mandatory.

Hormonal contraception and STIs

This past July, a new study reported on at the International AIDS Society in Rome found that women in Africa who were taking hormonal contraception (i.e., oral contraception like the Pill and injectables like Depo-Provera) were not only twice as likely to contract the AIDS virus, but were also twice as likely to transmit HIV to their uninfected partners.

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On
Mary C. Uhler

The importance of family meals: Eating together can do much to enhance family life

“Family Day — A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children” will be held on Monday, Sept. 26.

When I was growing up, our family ate all of our meals together at home. This included breakfast, lunch, and supper. We sat around our kitchen table, often lingering to talk after the food was gone.

Mealtime became an opportunity to share our plans for the day, to find out what we thought about the day’s news, and even to debate various issues. My parents always encouraged open discussion, even on such topics as politics and religion.

With our own children, my husband and I also encouraged shared meal times. We almost always ate dinner together, even delaying the meal for sports and after-school activities so that we could sit down and share a meal.

I think our children — now grown with children of their own — enjoyed those times to eat and talk with each other. Now we like getting together with our extended families for meals. Even the grandchildren from babies and up are brought to the table when possible to join with the family for hors d’oeuvres and the meal.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald staff

Mark Miller looks forward to ordination as deacon

Mark MillerMADISON — Mark Miller is looking forward to being ordained to the transitional diaconate on October 6 in Rome. God willing, both he and Deacon David Johannes will be ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 2012, in Madison.

Miller’s path to ordination has been different than most Catholic seminarians. He was raised as a Lutheran, the son of Deborah and Rev. Jeffrey Miller (his father is a Lutheran pastor). He grew up in Blanchardville; when he was 16, his family moved to Sparta.

Led to Catholic faith

While he was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he began his own personal study of the Scriptures and theology. That study led him away from his Protestant roots.

He explained, “With Scripture, I found that the impression it left on me seemed closer to a Catholic reading or interpretation. As I learned more and more, many aspects of the Catholic Church seemed to make more sense as organic development of the faith.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Overcoming evil with the power of mercy

Under the Gospel Book by Bishop Robert C. Morlino
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:

On Sunday, so many of us were united in prayer for the victims and the survivors, and for the families of 9/11, in a special way. The men and women who were affected by this event have all been invited to participate in the suffering of Jesus, which guarantees the Resurrection. But it is an invitation to suffering and, in that sense, it was a somber day of remembrance and we cannot cover it over or white-wash it, because, simply, it was a day that changed the way we live, day-in and day-out, forever.

Of course we were bombarded with information and reflection on 9/11 on the television and internet. There was no escaping it unless you simply avoided most of the major channels all day. The media talked a lot about attitudes of revenge. Asking, was our retaliation sufficient? Will our retaliation ever be complete?

But, beyond praying for the victims, survivors, and their families, the real focus of 9/11 should be two-fold for all of us. Our first focus should be the opening phrase of last Sunday’s First Reading, “Anger and wrath are terrible things” (Sir 27:30). And our second focus should be how such terrible things might be overcome.

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