Author: Kevin Wondrash

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Kevin Wondrash

Saying ‘yes’ to sex as path of love

One of the commonest complaints against Catholicism is that it is the religion of “no,” especially in regard to the sexual dimension of life.

As the rest of the culture is moving in a progressively more permissive direction, the Church seems to represent a crabbed, puritanical negativity toward sexuality.

Different kinds of ‘no’

I think it is important, first, to make a distinction between two modalities of “no.” On the one hand, there is “no” pure and simple — a denial, a negation of something good.

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Kevin Wondrash

White Mass set for February 3

MADISON — Bishop Robert C. Morlino will celebrate the annual White Mass for healthcare workers at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3 — the feast of St. Blaise — at Holy Redeemer Church in Madison.

Members of the Madison Guild of the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) will be attending the Mass with the bishop, asking God’s blessing upon doctors, nurses, caregivers, and patients under the patronage of St. Luke.

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Kevin Wondrash

Illuminating the Word: St. John’s Bible pilgrimage

MADISON — Original art pieces from the St. John’s Illuminated Bible are now on exhibit at the Chazen Art Museum on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

Commissioned by St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., the St. John’s Bible is the first handwritten and illustrated Bible to be commissioned in over 500 years. It is a beautiful work of art featuring 160 artworks or “illuminations.” Those who have already visited the exhibit recommend it very highly.

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Kevin Wondrash

Bishop Morlino celebrates Candlemas liturgy

MADISON — On Monday, Feb. 2, Bishop Robert C. Morlino will celebrate Candlemas, in the traditional Roman liturgical calendar the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with a Pontifical Mass at the Throne in the chapel of the Bishop O’Connor Center at 7 p.m.

Bishop Morlino will bless candles brought by parishes and people before Mass. All are invited.

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Kevin Wondrash

Winter market and brunch

MADISON — Connect with local farmers and stock up your winter pantry at the Winter Market & Meals for Hope on Sunday, Feb. 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 2121 Rowley Ave. in Madison.

This family-friendly market showcases the growing number of area farmers championing sustainable and organic agriculture and connecting the community with locally grown food.

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Kevin Wondrash

Nonsense on 60 Minutes

60 Minutes, the CBS News “magazine” that helped redefine television journalism, prides itself on challenging conventional wisdom, discomfiting the comfortable, kicking shibboleths in the shins, and opening new arguments.

No such challenge, alas, was evident in the program’s recent segment on Pope Francis.

The ‘Francis effect’

One of the principal interviewees in that piece was Robert Mickens, formerly of the London-based Tablet and currently of the National Catholic Reporter. Here’s a part of what Mickens had to say about the “Francis effect”:

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Kevin Wondrash

Protecting unborn in a ‘throw-away culture’

What a sight! Over 25 times from the top of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., I have seen a sea of people marching to proclaim the dignity of unborn human life and how death-dealing abortion sends the unholy message that some human beings are disposable.

As I write, I plan to march with and view that sea of people once again during the 42nd annual March for Life on January 22. It’s always a moral and spiritual shot-in-the-arm for me.

We have to do more

But good as they are, the Washington March for Life and the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco, as well as dozens of similar events at state capitols throughout the U.S., are simply not enough.

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Kevin Wondrash

Adaptation and renewal of Religious Life

Reflections on Religious Life column by Abbot Marcel Rooney

Editor’s note: During this Year of Consecrated Life, this is the first in a series based on the Second Vatican Council’s document, Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life) written by Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB, former abbot primate of the Benedictine order who now resides in Madison.

Pope Francis has declared this year as one to be dedicated to the Life of Religious Consecration.

This is not a one-sided emphasis, since this is also the year of the Synod of Bishops which will be dedicated to the discussion of married life. It is important to see both ways of life as at the heart of the whole Church’s life and calling to witness Jesus.

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Kevin Wondrash

Society of St. Vincent de Paul urges ‘Recycle the Warmth’ for people in need

MADISON — On a cold night, not much beats a warm blanket.

Each year, thousands of generous donors search their linen closets, wallets, and hearts to supply the Society of St. Vincent de Paul with new and gently used blankets for Dane County people facing hard times.

The society’s “Recycle the Warmth” Blanket Drive, held on the last full weekend in January, will offer the community its 23rd annual opportunity to offer such comfort for local households in need.

The society’s blanket drive annually collects donations of several thousand new and gently used blankets, as well as other bedding, that St. Vincent de Paul then gives away all year long to low-income households lacking these items.

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