DARLINGTON — A […]
Author: Kevin Wondrash
Retreats help heal pain of abortion
Jessica* was a sophomore in college. Naïve about sex, she thought she was in love.
But when Jessica became pregnant, her boyfriend coerced her into having an abortion. Jessica went along with a “choice” that seemed largely out of her control.
Shelly’s* pregnancy was unplanned and unwelcome. After her abortion, her immediate reaction was relief — she just wanted to move on.
Ridley Scott’s film misses the point
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Ridley Scott’s new film Exodus: Gods and Kings features Moses, the Pharaoh, hundreds of thousands of slaves making their way across the floor of the Red Sea, all 10 plagues, the burning bush, and even the angel of Yahweh in the form of a petulant 11-year-old boy with a British accent.
And yet, the movie is spiritually flat, as though its makers had read the biblical story but understood precious little of its theological poetry.
How to cope with the seasonal blues
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QUESTION: While everyone else seems joyful, I often feel depressed around the holidays. Could you suggest some ways to cope with the holiday blues?
RESPONSE: By William McKenna, M.S., clinical extern at the IPS Center for Psychological Services
We so often hear Christmas songs with lines such as, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” and “Christmas time is here. Happiness and cheer!”
Brunch features author, speaker Kelly Wahlquist
MT. HOREB — A brunch for women sponsored by the St. Michael Council of Catholic Women to be held on Saturday, Jan. 17, at St. Ignatius Church Hall, 109 S. 6th St., will feature Kelly Wahlquist, a Catholic author and speaker.
Wahlquist will speak on “The Supreme Role of Women in the New Evangelization: Living ‘The Joy of the Gospel.'”
Men’s retreat at St. Joseph Parish, Baraboo
BARABOO — On Saturday, Jan. 24, St. Joseph Parish will host a one-day men’s retreat titled, “Living Supernaturally.”
Featured speakers include Fr. Rick Heilman and Scott Hackl. Father Heilman is the founder of the Catholic men’s apostolate Knights of Divine Mercy, founder of the Holy League, and regular on Relevant Radio.
Hackl is the father of six and advancement director working on a $24 million campaign to rebuild St. Paul’s University Catholic Center in Madison.
“Grand Mom” writes her last column
A few weeks ago I learned that my lung cancer had crept into my bones and is likely to take my life within six months. That’s the bad news.
Core of the Christmas and Easter Mysteries
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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,
Please let me first wish you every blessing of Christmas, and abundant blessings for the year to come — blessings of joy, health, and above all, always deeper faith.
Live in the glow of Christmas
I hope that you are continuing to live in the glow of the Christmas season, for we should remember that Christmas is not something that begins at Thanksgiving (or even as soon as Halloween has ended) and ends when presents are returned on December 26.
Our commemoration of Christmas should start on Christmas Eve and carry forward through the Epiphany and beyond. For indeed, Christmas should serve as an annual reminder of the tremendous gift and mystery of the Incarnation.
Christmas is a mystery
Christmas is a mystery, and there is a danger, between the commercialism and the outwardness of Christmas (all of the arguments about if and where you can put a Nativity Scene, and how you greet people), that the fact that Christmas is a mystery gets lost.
Christmas is a time when budgets get challenged, when people get defensive about their beliefs or lack of beliefs, and now where people have all kinds of parties as an excuse to eat and drink too much! (Not that I am immune from the fault of eating too much!) But Christmas is so much more!
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration begins January 1 in Sauk City
SAUK CITY — “Spending time before the Blessed Sacrament is the gift we can give to God this Christmas,” according to Fr. John Blewett, pastor of Divine Mercy Parish in Sauk City.
The parish has been working since May to expand its current, two-day a week Eucharistic Adoration Program held at St. Aloysius Church to a Perpetual Adoration program slated to begin January 1.
Bishop Robert C. Morlino is scheduled to dedicate the new chapel, called the “Mary, Mother of God Chapel,” fittingly on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, January 1.
Events at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish
MADISON — St. Thomas Aquinas parish has two upcoming events open to all interested persons.
• Saturday, Jan. 10: “Six Dates for Catholic Couples” — Consider making a New Year’s resolution to spend more quality time with your spouse. All married couples are invited to participate in “Six Dates for Catholic Couples,” an opportunity to invest in your loving, happy marriage.
These once-a-month evenings begin with an opportunity to attend 4:30 p.m. Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas (602 Everglade Dr., Madison). Immediately after Mass, come to the social hall for a brief social and presentation. By 6:15, couples leave for a date night with a marriage-enriching topic for conversation. This is the first of the “Six Dates.”