MADISON — Msgr. James Gunn, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Waunakee, has been named Vicar for Priests of the Diocese of Madison by Bishop Robert C. Morlino.
Year: 2011
St. Aloysius Parish focuses on life during Lent
St. Aloysius Parish in Sauk City is joining efforts in Madison and around the world by involving students and parishioners in various pro-life opportunities during the Lenten season which begins on Wednesday, March 9.
Obedience is a wonderful recipe for a holy Lent
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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,
This week we begin Lent and the readings of this past Sunday lead us perfectly to Ash Wednesday.
The First Reading (Deut 11:18, 26-28, 32) said clearly that we are to obey God’s statutes and commandments and decrees. We’re to be an obedient people — a hard word for our culture. Authority is always under fire, whether it’s civil authority in the government or whether it’s the Sacred authority of the Apostles. Even in the Church, authority is always under fire. And so it is that bishops are used to dodging the various arrows that are slung our way — and it is all in a day’s work.
But, authority is simply given out of love by God Our Father, so as to lead His people to their salvation. That’s all it is — it’s a service, and it’s a humble service. Sometimes when people in the Church have to exercise that authority they do it humbly, but then afterward they really get humbled. But, that’s okay, because authority and humility should be tied together.
Explaining in a factual way why abortion is wrong
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Perhaps one of the most hotly contested issues of the Church, the topic of abortion, often arises when somebody finds out we don’t condone it.
The Church has taught from early times that life is to be protected in all forms and time periods. We’re often asked: Why is it wrong? How can you discriminate against mothers?
Here are a few ways to explain the moral evil of abortion in a completely secular way, that will make sense to any reasonable citizen.
Appointments (March 10, 2011 issue)
Rev. Msgr. James Bartylla, Vicar General, announces the following appointments made by Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison:
Rev. Msgr. James Gunn …
Working through a hard death
Caregivers and health care professionals can and often do greatly assist those who are suffering and dying. Even with careful pain management and comfort measures, however, the dying process can still be agonizing and difficult.
Each death has a unique and particular trajectory, but even the most difficult and unpleasant deaths often have powerful graces and remarkable opportunities for growth mysteriously interwoven into them.
The paradox of democracy
To the editor:
On the topic of democracy, 50 years ago the Rev. John Courtney Murray, in his book We Hold These Truths, described majoritarianism as a kind of democratic tool shed in which the weapons of tyranny may be forged. We see this in the American political system, where you get both war and abortion, or usury and the normalization of sodomy no matter who you vote for.
Disappointed that author undermined sanctity of labor
To the editor:
I read the guest article in the Catholic Herald regarding the current labor situation in Wisconsin with deep disappointment.
The author clearly sought to undermine the Catholic moral principle of regard for the sanctity of labor and the right to form unions by selective use of quotations. The author suggests that Church doctrine does not encompass unions representing public workers, or unions that are politically active. This is simply not true.
Guest column offered fair and balanced contribution
To the editor:
I would like to congratulate Dr. Constance Nielsen on her fair and balanced contribution to the guest column that was published in the Catholic Herald on March 3.
A couple of weeks ago, referring to Pope John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens 20, Archbishop Listecki partially and one-sidedly commented on the rights and value of unions. Nielsen dared to go beyond the archbishop’s blind spot by quoting the precarious aspect that John Paul II emphasized in LE 20.
La obediencia es una maravillosa receta para la Santa Cuaresma
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| Esta columna está dirigida a los fieles de la Diócesis de Madison. Cualquier circulación más amplia transgrede la intención del Obispo. |
Queridos amigos:
Esta semana comenzamos la Cuaresma y las lecturas del domingo pasado nos dirigen perfectamente al Miércoles de Ceniza.
La primera lectura (Dt 11:18, 26-28, 32) decía claramente que estamos para obedecer las reglas de Dios, sus mandamientos y decretos. Nos toca ser gente obediente: un duro trabajo para nuestra cultura. La autoridad siempre está bajo fuego, ya sea la autoridad civil en el gobierno o aquella sagrada de los Apóstoles. Incluso en la Iglesia, la autoridad siempre está bajo fuego. Y así es que los obispos estamos acostumbrados a esquivar las flechas disparadas hacia nosotros: y todo eso en el trabajo del día a día.
Pero la autoridad está simplemente dada por el amor de Dios Nuestro Padre para guiar a su pueblo a la salvación. Eso es lo que es: un servicio y es un servicio humilde. Algunas veces cuando la gente en la Iglesia tiene que ejercer esa autoridad lo hace humildemente, y así en realidad se hacen humildes. Pero eso está bien, porque la autoridad y la humildad deben ir de la mano.