MADISON — Fr. James R. Lins, 75, died Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, at St. Mary Care Center in Madison.
Year: 2013
Encountering Christ through life changes
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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,
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing!
(IS 9:1-2)
The Lord our God has truly brought us abundant joy and great rejoicing in the person of Jesus Christ. It is a joy and a light which dispels all darkness, and it is a joy and a light which must be shared. It is the joy and light which is our Gospel!
Most of you have surely heard of the apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis, released at the end of our Year of Faith, which was just about month ago.
The Exhortation is titled Evangelii Gaudium — the Joy of the Gospel, and it begins like this, “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew (EG, 1).”
Dickeyville parish celebrates church’s centennial
On Sunday, Dec. 8, the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the current building of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Dickeyville was celebrated with a 3 p.m. Mass with Fr. Bernard Rott, pastor, presiding, along with previous pastors Fr. David Flanagan and Msgr. James Gunn and son of the parish Fr. Randy Timmerman concelebrating. Deacon Larry Tranel also assisted at the Mass.
Encourage Democratic Party to end support of abortion
To the editor:
In our country, we have over a million babies a year who lose their lives to abortion — that is over 3,000 babies a day.
We believe that abortion in our country, which is the legal killing of unborn babies, would come to an end if this thing happened:
We are becoming ‘slaves’ of ‘Big Government’
To the editor:
Do you think our forefathers, who so carefully crafted our Constitution and Bill of Rights to protect our God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are happy or horrified at the turn their beloved nation has taken in these past 50 years? Their 13 colonies became One Nation under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Three branches of government were created: Legislative [elected] by citizens to past just laws, Judicial [appointed] to interpret laws, and Administrative [also elected] to enforce the laws.
Peace on earth: It’s possible if we see each other as brothers and sisters
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Although we all seem to long for peace on earth and in our own lives, peace seems to be an elusive commodity. Is peace on earth really possible?
Some would say we may have to wait until our earthly life is over to experience real peace. However, Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” He has sent his apostles and all of his disciples — including us — to establish peace on earth.
Treating each other as sisters and brothers
But how do we achieve that peace? In his message for the World Day of Peace, observed on January 1, Pope Francis says that peace will happen if we treat each other as sisters and brothers, remembering that God is the father of all.
Students shine in Christmas program
ASHTON — Students from St. Peter School in Ashton, along with Music Instructor LoriAnn Meinholz, thanked their audience for coming to their annual Christmas program on Monday, Dec. 16. This year’s performance was titled The Tiniest Christmas Star.
It was the story told of a “tiny” star who was given the big and important job of shining bright in the sky to proclaim the birth of Jesus on Christmas.
Care of pregnant women in Catholic hospitals
At the beginning of December, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a sweeping federal lawsuit against the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops over its Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic hospitals, alleging that the directives, with their prohibition against direct abortion, resulted in negligent care of a pregnant woman named Tamesha Means.
Ms. Means’ water broke at 18 weeks, leading to infection of the amniotic membranes, followed by spontaneous labor and delivery of her child. The child lived only a few hours.
God’s Mother inspires us to work for peace
We Catholics begin the New Year by celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.
On New Year’s we also celebrate the World Day of Peace. This is a feast established by Pope Paul VI and supported by other modern popes.
In many ways these two feasts complement each other, because peace begins in the family. Responsible parents teach us to be persons of peace. Mary is Queen of Peace and the mother of the Prince of Peace.
Epiphany prayer service at Sinsinawa
SINSINAWA — As […]