The issue of abortion has been in the news this year, as some states are attempting to expand abortion rights and other states are attempting to restrict them.
Wisconsin citizens might wonder where our state stands on the issue of abortion.
Year: 2019
St. Padre Pio: Fascinating and frightening
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| Fr. Steve Grunow |
There is a text that has become standard for the study of religious experience and phenomena by Rudolph Otto entitled, The Idea of the Holy.
In this book, Otto uses the phrase tremendum et fascinans (roughly translated as “fear and fascination”) to indicate what it means to encounter sacred realities.
The sacred, be it a place, person, or thing, can evoke the frightening, but still remain attractive, compelling. The holy is terrifying, yet at the same time, irresistible. I have always found Padre Pio as a kind of embodiment of Otto’s principle.
St. Ambrose presents Wizard of Oz
St. Ambrose Academy (SSA), Madison, presents The Wizard of Oz on March 29-31, at the Verona High School Performing Arts Center, 300 Richards St., Verona.
Vigil for Life expands hours during Lent in Madison
MADISON — Vigil […]
Diocesan Choir to perform with Ripon College singers
MADISON — The Madison Diocesan Choir will join the Ripon College Chamber Singers on Tuesday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m., in the Bishop O’Donnell Holy Name Memorial Chapel at Holy Name Heights, 702 S. High Point Rd.
The choir, directed by John C. Hughes, will conclude its annual tour and be joined by the Diocesan Choir for the first selection on the program.
The Chamber Singers will then perform a variety of unaccompanied choral works.Bishops’ positions on public policy issues must be thoughtful and informed
To the editor:
Let the following be understood as a plea rather than a criticism. It is necessary and proper that our Catholic bishops address affairs of state or, if one likes, public policy issues.
Pride meets humility in the quiet of the desert
On the First Sunday of Lent, in all three liturgical years of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we’re confronted with the account of Our Lord’s temptation in the desert by the devil.
This is a beautiful text, because in a way the history of the world was played out in a quiet desert, away from the busy cities, between God-made-man and the fallen angel.
Vatican International Exhibition coming to Janesville
St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Janesville will be hosting the Vatican’s International Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World on Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17.
Let us choose a fruitful Lenten penance
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Years ago a priest walked through a dark alley in a dangerous part of town. Suddenly a robber emerged from the darkness and pointed a gun at his back.
“Your money or your life,” the robber ordered. The priest turned to give the robber his money.
The robber recognized that he was a priest by his Roman collar and exclaimed, “Oh Father, I didn’t know it was you! I would never rob a priest!”
‘Exceptions’ and undermining moral law
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Whenever we make small exceptions to universal moral rules, we shouldn’t be surprised that the rules themselves can be quickly undermined.
Establishing an “exception” in one case makes people think they’re due an exemption for their case as well. Certain norms of moral behavior, however, do not admit of any exceptions, and we risk undermining morality altogether if we don’t recognize them. Moral norms governing the protection of human life are one such example.