April 23, 2020 – Madison Catholic Herald

MADISON — Ordinations, whether to the priesthood or the diaconate, are usually very busy events filled with making sure everyone is in their right seats; lining up the men to be ordained, priests, and others in the processional before the Mass; and dozens of people doing their parts during the Mass to make sure the sacred rites are done correctly and reverently.

However, on April 15, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, as Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison said during his homily, “It’s not the ordination that any of us would have anticipated.”

He added, “By being winnowed down to its essence, we see with greater clarity the beauty of what is about to happen.

On April 23, 2020

Kevin Wondrash

Harnessing the sun at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison

MADISON — St. Thomas Aquinas Parish on Madison’s westside has recently installed a 72-panel solar array on its roof.

The 335-watt panels were installed in February and became fully operational on March 4 after being commissioned by Madison Gas and Electric.

The installation launched Phase 1 of the parish’s Make Disciples Capital Campaign. The new installation is expected to lower the parish’s carbon footprint by six percent and provide 10 percent of the electricity needed to power the church.

On April 23, 2020February 17, 2022

Joan Carey, Executive Director, St. Ambrose Academy

Distance learning at St. Ambrose Academy

With school taking place in the home rather than in a classroom, St. Ambrose Academy (SAA), like schools everywhere, is having to adapt.

On April 23, 2020

Angela Curio

Parishes offer livestream Masses, other services

Following is information on some of the livestreaming Masses and Rosaries offered by parishes in the Diocese of Madison.

Cathedral Parish, Madison: The Cathedral Parish invites people to join them in prayer online. Each weekday, Monday through Friday, Msgr. Kevin Holmes, rector, leads the Rosary in a livestream from the rectory at 12:15 p.m. Sunday Mass at 11 a.m. is also livestreamed from the Cathedral Parish at St. Raphael Church. Visit the cathedral Facebook page to join in these moments of prayer (@CathedralParishMadison). Note people can view the public posts on the page even if they don’t have a Facebook account.

On April 23, 2020February 15, 2022

Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Mark 50th anniversary of Earth Day

This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day founded by Wisconsin’s own Senator Gaylord Nelson.

Earth Day is on April 22, but I think we can observe it throughout the month of April or all year for that matter. In this year of the coronavirus pandemic, group activities may not be appropriate now. But there are plenty of ways to mark the anniversary, especially for children and parents-turned-at-home-educators.

Earth Day and Laudato Si’

A parishioner asked his pastor, “Father, it seems that every time I read a Catholic newspaper, I read about taking care of the environment. Shouldn’t we Catholics be more concerned about taking care of the world’s bigger problems such as war, hunger, and sickness?”

The priest responded, “Haven’t you heard about Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology? It is the first encyclical in Catholic Church history to focus on ecology and care for creation. In this encyclical, Pope Francis makes a connection between care for the environment and war, hunger, and sickness.”

On April 23, 2020May 8, 2021

Bishop Donald J. Hying

The resurrection invites us to leave sin and death behind

We may be tempted to think that once Jesus had risen from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit upon the early Church, the lives of the Apostles were easy; after all, they were filled with the light and joy of knowing that the Lord had conquered sin and death; they knew that He was with them in the power of the Holy Spirit and the sacraments of the Church.

Yet, a simple reading of the Acts of the Apostles reveals that they met with immediate and violent opposition when they began to proclaim the Resurrection of Christ. Those who had conspired to kill Jesus certainly did not want Him coming back from the dead. How much easier for them if He had remained cold and lifeless in the tomb.

Proclamation of resurrection seen as subversive threat

The rising of Jesus on Easter Sunday is a clear and compelling confirmation of the truth of His identity as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. If Christ were inexplicably alive again, in a new and glorious fashion, such an astonishing fact demanded faith in Him and a devout adherence to His teachings and the truths of the holy Gospel. The proclamation of the resurrection is a subversive threat which must be silenced, in the minds of those who violently opposed the teachings of the Master during his earthly life.