MADISON — The […]
Year: 2013
Chrism Mass unites bishop, priests, people
The sounds of trumpets, timpani, and harp and the smell of incense enhanced the prayers of the faithful of the Diocese of Madison as they united with their bishop and priests at the Chrism Mass celebrated on Tuesday of Holy Week, March 26, at St. Maria Goretti Church.
Spring Wine Fest Hosted by St. Paul University Catholic Center
MADISON — You are invited to join fellow Catholics at the Spring Wine Fest on Friday, May 3, hosted by St. Paul University Catholic Center at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
The mission of St. Paul’s has grown extensively in the last decade and each year; sacraments, highly impactful programming, and outreach are offered to the approximately 10,000 baptized Catholics who call Madison home during their undergraduate or graduate studies.
Let the splendor of holiness shine out
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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,
I have in my hands a vocation pamphlet from 1965, and on the cover we have Bishop O’Connor ordaining a priest, and the overall title of the pamphlet is, “The Hands of Christ.” The truth on the cover of the pamphlet is stated simply this way: “Christ works today through His bishops, whose hands are those of the priests’.”
Thank you so much, dear brother priests, for coming out in such good numbers, so that we can celebrate and manifest the bond of the priesthood. God knows we don’t all have to be alike, but we all have to be bonded together by the mystery of the Holy Spirit’s seal on our soul, forging us together in an alliance that — as long as we’re open to grace — no human reality can obstruct.
Alliance between bishop and priests
So, the alliance of the priest with his bishop is like the alliance of the bishop with his own hands, as that pamphlet from 1965 says it so well, and it hasn’t changed. That’s the way it was, that’s the way it is, that’s the way it’s been since the time of Jesus. So, dear priests, thank you so very much for doing your best to be the hands of the bishop. Thank you so very much for doing your very best to allow the Holy Spirit to forge among all of us that unbreakable alliance which has as its root none other than that priestly seal of the Holy Spirit upon our souls. So, I’d invite all of us to offer our expression of gratitude to our priests.
Let your voice be heard: Contact your elected officials on important issues
Being an active citizen doesn’t end with voting. If we are truly concerned about the direction our country is taking at the state and federal levels, we should keep in touch with our elected officials between elections.
John Huebscher of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference wrote a recent “Eye on the Capitol” column encouraging state citizens to give attend and/or give testimony at budget hearings held at our state Capitol.
On the national level, there are important issues being addressed, too. Sometimes it may seem that the opinion of one person doesn’t matter. However, I think it is important to make sure our elected officials know where we stand. Perhaps one person can make a difference. Or one person combined with many others with the same opinion can change a senator’s or congressional representative’s mind.
Semana Santa y protección del auténtico matrimonio
Queridos amigos:
Mientras pasamos de Semana Santa a la Pascua, una de las cosas más saltantes que encontramos es un alarmante oximorón, una contradicción aparente, en términos de la muerte de Jesús en la Cruz tan desagradable como tortuosa, y sin embargo hermosa.
Es uno de los misterios más tremendos de nuestra fe: la terrible fealdad y la tortuosidad, detrás de las cuales está escondida la más hermosa Verdad en toda la historia humana.
La Semana Santa mantiene la yuxtaposición de estas dos realidades. Nuestras liturgias de Semana Santa se inician con la belleza del Domingo de Ramos, con la procesión de Jesús en Jerusalén.
Semana Santa y protección del auténtico matrimonio
Queridos amigos:
Mientras pasamos de Semana Santa a la Pascua, una de las cosas más saltantes que encontramos es un alarmante oximorón, una contradicción aparente, en términos de la muerte de Jesús en la Cruz tan desagradable como tortuosa, y sin embargo hermosa.
Es uno de los misterios más tremendos de nuestra fe: la terrible fealdad y la tortuosidad, detrás de las cuales está escondida la más hermosa Verdad en toda la historia humana.
La Semana Santa mantiene la yuxtaposición de estas dos realidades. Nuestras liturgias de Semana Santa se inician con la belleza del Domingo de Ramos, con la procesión de Jesús en Jerusalén.
Easter Blessings
The Resurrection of […]
Holy Week and protecting true marriage
Dear friends,
As we make our way through Holy Week to Easter, one of the most remarkable things we encounter is a startling oxymoron, a seeming contradiction, in terms of Jesus’ death on the Cross as ugly and tortuous, and yet beautiful.
It’s one of the most tremendous mysteries of our faith — horrible ugliness and tortuousness, behind which is concealed the most beautiful Truth in all of human history.
Holy Week itself maintains the juxtaposition of these two realities. Our liturgies for Holy Week open with beauty on Palm Sunday, with the procession of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Divine Mercy Sunday to be celebrated in Sauk City
Divine Mercy Sunday will be celebrated on April 7 at Divine Mercy Parish at St. Aloysius Church, 115 Madison St. in Sauk City. The festivities will begin at 2 p.m.