SUN PRAIRIE — Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish will host a Christmas Concert on Friday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at the church, 221 Columbus St. The concert will feature the Adult Choir, Folk Choir, and Grace Notes (young people’s choir).
Author: Kevin Wondrash
St. Peter Catholic School plans Christmas program
MIDDLETON — St. Peter Catholic School’s Christmas Program will take place on Monday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 pm.
This year’s program will feature the musical Miracle at Midnight performed by pre-K to fifth grade students. The moving story includes Bethlehem’s mayor preparing for a decree by Caesar Augustus, angels in heaven anticipating an important announcement, and a young couple from Nazareth getting ready for the birth of their first child.
Service of Remembrance in Evansville
EVANSVILLE — All are invited to attend a Service of Remembrance for people of all faiths to remember, honor, and celebrate their loved ones who have passed away and to find comfort for their grief during this Christmas season.
The service will be held on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church, 39 Garfield Ave., Evansville.
Reclaim the gift of Fear of the Lord
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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,
Last week I joined with a group of faithful men for their monthly time of prayer and spiritual reflection. With them I focused upon the seventh gift of the Holy Spirit, and I’d like to do the same with you here.
Hopefully you recall the gifts of the Holy Spirit. So many of us older folks have them memorized while unfortunately, some of the middle-aged and younger don’t even know that they have access to such gifts.
The gifts are: wisdom, understanding, council, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and Fear of the Lord. All of these gifts belong to the Christian first by way of their Baptism, and especially by the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation.
If we use them and count upon them, these gifts help to perfect virtues in us and aid us in living the moral life and in obeying divine inspiration in our life.
Fear of the Lord
While it’s likely that all of us could use a refresher on every one of these tremendous gifts, I want to focus on that seventh gift at the moment: Fear of the Lord. Perhaps the timing will seem odd, because we’re getting ready to commemorate the coming of God into the world as a tiny baby, but Fear of the Lord properly understood, dovetails perfectly with God’s plan for our salvation, and I hope to help you understand why.
All Saints Parish, Berlin, Christmas musical
BERLIN — For the second year in a row, everyone is welcome to attend the All Saints Parish, Berlin, Christmas musical called Twas the Night Before.
It takes place on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 3 p.m. at the Berlin High School Auditorium. All seats are reserved and tickets are $3.50.
All proceeds from the musical will be donated to the Berlin Food Pantry.
A Christmas gift for suffering South Sudan
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The world’s newest nation is in big trouble. After more than 20 years of civil war between the southern and northern areas of Sudan, the southern part of that country on July 9, 2011, became the independent nation of the Republic of South Sudan.
But the situation on the ground soon looked like South Sudan had not been born, but instead was still suffering intense labor pains.
The many years of war brought not only much death but also drained South Sudan of valuable resources, leaving it an extremely poor nation.
Reflection on physician-assisted suicide
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The prospect of a very attractive, recently-married young woman with a terminal illness facing excruciating pain and suffering as she dies is enough to move anyone.
Hildebrand and our relativistic age
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Postmodern relativism and deconstruction have produced, at the popular level a culture dominated by the “whatever” attitude, a bland, detached indifferentism to the good and the true.
How often have you heard someone say, “that’s perhaps true for you but not for me” or “who are you to be imposing your values on me?” or in the words of the Dude in The Big Lebowski, “well, that’s just like your opinion, man.”
Subjectivism in society
Is it not a commonplace today that the only moral absolute that remains is the obligation to tolerate all points of view? What this subjectivism has conduced toward is a society lacking in energy and focus, one that cannot rouse itself to corporate action on behalf of some universal good.
Bishop Morlino to celebrate Pontifical Mass at the Throne
MADISON — On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Monday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., Bishop Robert C. Morlino will celebrate a Pontifical Mass at the Throne at the Bishop O’Connor Pastoral Center, 702 S. High Point Rd., in Madison.
The Feast, or Solemnity, of the Immaculate Conception, which this year falls on a Monday, is a holy day of obligation in the United States because Mary, under the title of Immaculate Conception, is patroness of the nation.
Lessons and Carols in Baraboo
BARABOO — An Advent Festival of Seven Lessons and Carols will be held on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph Church 304 East St., Baraboo
The Advent Festival is an ecumenical celebration of the season of Advent. It is an opportunity to help prepare for the coming of our Lord and Savior on Christmas.