Q: I have been helping an older neighbor who is 79, for the past year. I started helping casually with things like bringing up the mail during snowstorms or helping him shovel. It was never consistent or “expected’ until now. He does not have any family and is alone and I want to be neighborly, but now he is asking if I can help with everything from cleaning to meals to transportation. I think he has enough money to be able to pay for such services, but I don’t think he wants to. How do I back out without making him feel bad? (Monroe).
Author: Chris Lee
Dar gracias a Dios todos los días
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| Esta columna es la comunicación del Obispo con los fieles de la Diócesis de Madison. Cualquier circulación más amplia va más allá de la intención del Obispo. |
Queridos amigos:
Mi abuela con frecuencia me decía. “Bobby, envejecer no es para cobardones”. La abuela vivió hasta los 96 y recién tengo 65, sin embargo puedo confirmar que en esto (como en casi todo), ella sabía de que estaba hablando.
La semana pasada fui a Baltimore para la asamblea anual de los Obispos de los Estados Unidos. Recién estábamos comenzando con nuestras reuniones cuando sentí un mareo y caí (con todo mi peso) de cara contra el pavimento. En la caída sufrí varios cortes, me rompí la nariz y mi rodilla quedó muy golpeada. ¡Gracias a Dios no fue peor!
Afortunadamente había otro Obispo y dos sacerdotes a mi lado y me llevaron al Mercy Hospital, donde los doctores decidieron trasladarme al University of Maryland Medical Center. Si pudiésemos escoger el momento de nuestros accidentes, habría preferido, por supuesto, estar con mi excelente doctor en St. Mary’s, pero como sucedió, la atención que recibí fue realmente de primera y sigo agradecido a todos esos excelentes hombres y mujeres, a todos y cada uno de ellos.
Las heridas fueron lo que fueron, pero se hicieron más serias debido a los anticoagulantes que he tomado desde mi cirugía al corazón. Nuevamente, “¡envejecer no es para cobardones!” Estoy muy bien y muy agradecido a Dios por eso. Perdí algunas reuniones y estaré más cerca a casa para Acción de Gracias, pero todo está bien. Gracias a todos por sus oraciones, buenos deseos, llamadas y notas.
Sister Janice Costello, OP, dies
SINSINAWA — Sister […]
We’ve got to work at learning to be grateful
There are special times during the year when most of us at least make an extra effort to express our gratitude and appreciation for the people in our lives and the gifts we have been given — Mother’s and Father’s Day, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Now there are even designated days to celebrate grandparents, bosses, secretaries, and so on. For the most part these days are marketing tools to get us to spend our money. On the other hand, they do serve as reminders to us of how important it is to thank others and show our appreciation for them.
Appointment (Nov. 17, 2012)
Msgr. James Bartylla, […]
The crisis of a second Obama administration
President Obama’s re-election and the prospect of a second Obama administration, freed from the constraints imposed by the necessity of running for re-election, have created a crisis for the Catholic Church in the United States.
In the thought-world and vocabulary of the Bible, “crisis” has two meanings: the conventional sense (a grave threat) and a deeper sense (a great moment of opportunity). Both are applicable to the Church in America these next four years.
Offering of the Angels exhibit in Madison
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| This painting by 16th-century artist Allessandro Allori, titled The Grieving Madonna with the Symbols of Christ’s Passion, is one of the pieces of art currently on exhibition at the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, on loan from the Uffizi Gallery in Italy. (Uffizi Gallery/Courtesy Chazen Museum of Art) |
MADISON — In his speech delivered at the closing of the Second Vatican Council on December 8, 1965, Pope Paul VI said, “It is beauty, like truth, which brings joy to the heart of man and is that precious fruit which resists the wear and tear of time, which unites generations and makes them share things in admiration.”
Here in Madison, an exhibit of 45 rarely seen religious paintings and tapestries at the Chazen Museum of Art has offered us an opportunity to experience truth and beauty. This exhibit is especially timely as we are beginning the Year of Faith in the Catholic Church.
The “Offering of the Angels” exhibit features works from the renowned Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. The exhibit remains at the Chazen until Sunday, Nov. 25. The gallery will be open the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 23, offering people a chance to view the original works of art by such masters as Sandro Botticelli,Lorenzo Monaco, Jacopo Tintoretto, and Titian.
About the exhibition
The exhibition highlights the theme of the Eucharist in art from the Creation of Adam and Eve to the Resurrection.
Clarification
Clarification to “Hospice Care Deals with Mind, Body, and Spirit” article in the Madison Catholic Herald, November 1, 2012, “Grief & Loss” section
I wish to clarify an important matter in the article titled “Hospice Care Deals with Mind, Body, and Spirit” in the November 1, 2012 issue of the Diocese of Madison Catholic Herald.
The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, 5th Edition (ERDs) are primarily concerned with the moral principles and ecclesial mission of health care ministry within institutionally-based Catholic health care services.
St. Mary School in Bloomington enjoys exchange program with school in China
BLOOMINGTON — Kind, warm-hearted people, beautiful scenery, and a school like a family full of love — these were some of the lasting memories of six Chinese visitors who spent two weeks with families and myself at St. Mary School in Bloomington.
Last spring I visited China and set up an exchange program with Shijiazhuang Middle School Number 40 and Principal Yunhong Li.
After the elections, the hard work begins
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Struggling to figure out which candidates would do the most good and the least harm — especially to the poor and vulnerable — and then showing up to vote, was the easy part.
Now the hard work begins!