Day: April 25, 2013

On
Dick Jones, for the Catholic Herald

Former members of Diocesan Choir will return for special performance on May 3

The current Madison Diocesan Choir under the direction of Dr. Patrick Gorman. (Contributed photo)

MADISON — In celebrating 40 years of music ministry, the Madison Diocesan Choir will present a free spring concert like no other at the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center on Friday, May 3.

The evening concert will include former members in performing favorite, heartfelt hymns of the past, as well as relatively new songs of praise.

Choir will swell to over 100 voices

The choir has more than 70 active members representing parishes throughout the diocese. On this festive occasion, however, its numbers will swell to more than 100 as the former members, some of them founding members, join in singing sacred music, including signature pieces the choir has sung from its beginning.

For Dr. Patrick Gorman, now in his 21st year as director, the biggest challenge may be finding space for them all in the O’Connor Center chapel. Assistant Director Glenn Schuster will accompany the anniversary choir in the concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel of the center, located at 702 S. High Point Rd.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Pregnancy Helpline Sharing Center relocates to CMC, schedules open house

MADISON — The Pregnancy Helpline (PH) Sharing Center has relocated to the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC), 1862 Beld St., in the lower level.

To celebrate its new location, PH will be holding an open house on Saturday, May 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

“We are so pleased to be in this beautiful location, partnering with an organization that has a similar mission to ours — to serve all people in a holistic and caring way,” said PH Executive Director Alissa Hirscher.

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On
George Weigel

Celebrating moral courage: ‘42’ and us

The Catholic Difference column by George Weigel

Baseball and movies don’t often play well together. William Bendix as a Marine who dies happy in Guadalcanal Diary because he’s just heard that the Dodgers have won is an icon of 1940s Americana; the same William Bendix as the Bambino in The Babe Ruth Story is a sad business, to be consigned to the (bad) memory bank.

The Natural and Bull Durham have their moments, but when push comes to shove, they’re both, finally, about something other than baseball.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

The saints come marching in!

CROSS PLAINS — On Friday, April 12, St. Francis Xavier School, Cross Plains, became a “little Heaven” when the saints “came marching in.”

The fifth graders, under the guidance of their teacher, Jennifer Esser, did research on their patron saints or those they were interested in.

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On
Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

St. Ambrose student takes third place in state geography bee

Justin Hineline, an eighth-grader from St. Ambrose Academy, took third place in the National Geographic state bee. (Contributed photo/Angela Hineline)

MADISON — Eighth-grader Justin Hineline, who attends St. Ambrose Academy in Madison, recently took third place in the state level of the

National Geographic Bee. It was his second consecutive trip to the competition.

Hineline made it through the preliminary rounds with a perfect score before advancing to the finals.

There, he made it through 14 rounds of play, competing neck-and-neck with the eventual first place winner, Asha Jain, a seventh-grader from Minocqua.

Learning about the world

Justin’s journey began two years ago when he took second place in the school level of the bee as a sixth-grader. His mother, Angela, said Justin “enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to study for the school bee his seventh grade year.”

After months of intense study, including state capitols and major landforms in the United States, Justin won the school geography bee as a seventh-grader. Shortly after that, he tested in the top 100 students to qualify for the state-level bee.

 

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On
Abbot Marcel Rooney

The Holy Eucharist: Theology and Spirituality, part one

By Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB

year of faith column logo

This is the first in a series of articles examining the theology and spirituality of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

As we begin this reflection on the theology and spirituality in the Holy Eucharist, it would be well to think first about the meaning of the word “Eucharist” itself. It comes from the Greek, and has two main parts: “Eu” and “charis.”

Meaning of the word

“Eu” means “good.” The basic meaning of “charis” is “gift.” Putting them together, we have “a good gift.” The “good gift” referred to is what God has done for His chosen and beloved People. He has, first of all, created us and given us life.

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On
Frank Zawlocki

A stewardship story

He looked very young. I guess he had to be about nine years old. But, to look at him you’d say he was more like six or seven.

He stood in the sacristy dressed in his white cassock, looking more like he was waiting to be led to the gallows rather then serve at Mass.

Guest Column

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On
Christopher Stefanick

Red shoes, black shoes

Real Life Cathoic by Christopher Stefanick

Pope Francis’ choice of shoes is not just about his preference of accessories. It’s a statement about the direction he’ll be taking his papacy. There’s a powerful witness in that direction.

That said, lest we get the wrong message (and I think many are), this new direction should not be perceived as a condemnation of his predecessors, nor of the rich symbolism that has always surrounded the papacy.

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On
Mary C. Uhler

School choice voucher program should be expanded in Wisconsin

My husband and I chose to send our children to Catholic schools. We were able to afford the tuition to make that choice, while at the same time paying taxes to support public school education.

We were fortunate to be able to choose the schools we wanted for our children, but not everyone has the financial resources to make that choice. Although Catholic schools provide much financial aid, there are still families that can’t afford to send their children to a Catholic school.

Milwaukee Parental Choice Program

Twenty-three years ago, Wisconsin did something about that problem by starting the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. This program provides state-paid tuition vouchers to enable low-income students to enroll in private schools in the City of Milwaukee. The pro­gram, which has survived legal challenges in the Wisconsin and U.S. Supreme Courts, began operation in 1990 with about 340 students.

At first the Milwaukee program only provided vouchers for students attending private nonsectarian schools. However, in 1995 it was expanded to allow vouchers for children attending religious schools. It was stipulated that a school must excuse a student from participation in any religious instruction or activity at the request of the child’s parent or guardian (very few people have taken this option).

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