Kevin Wondrash

January 20, 2021

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

On this inauguration day, we offer prayer for our new president, Joseph Biden and his incoming administration. I pray that the Lord give him wisdom, courage, and grace to lead our country, help heal our wounds, and to work for the common good. As our rich history shows, Catholics stand ready to work with our brothers and sisters to build a civilization of life and love, and to seek the transformation of society and culture so that every human person may realize their immeasurable human dignity, given to us by God.

Together, Americans need to continue to seek solutions to the pandemic, poverty, unemployment, and the immigration question. The Catholic Church will seek to work with the new administration on issues where we find convergence. Regarding the difficult issues of divergence, such as abortion, contraception, religious freedom, and gender, the Church will challenge our leaders to embrace the full vision of the human person, as revealed by God and inscribed in the human heart through the natural law.

On January 19, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Bishops address COVID vaccine concerns

MADISON — Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops have issued a statement that addresses moral considerations regarding newly-developed COVID-19 vaccines.

In their letter, the bishops acknowledged the devastating impact of coronavirus infections worldwide but also lauded the efforts of nations and organizations to develop safe vaccines that will effectively diminish the impact of the virus.

Moral questions

While the promise of inoculation provides hope for the end of the current pandemic, the bishops indicated that many Catholics have raised moral questions about receiving vaccinations, especially the use of vaccines that utilize cell lines from aborted children in development and production.

There are also questions surrounding the right of conscience and the duty of all Catholics to advance the common good.

On January 19, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Former Planned Parenthood manager to kick-off Madison 40 Days for Life campaign

MADISON — Abortion facilities are dark, desolate places. Former Planned Parenthood Manager Sue Thayer knows this personally from her 17 years on the job at the Storm Lake, Iowa, Planned Parenthood.

Something happens, though, when peaceful volunteers show up to pray on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. “With just one person out there, you bring the light of Christ,” said Thayer.

But, “chaos reigns inside,” she added.

According to Thayer, staff are already stressed out to meet the quotas that Planned Parenthood sets for each service, including abortion.

On January 19, 2021May 8, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Education was a priority for Bishop O’Connor in new Diocese of Madison

Second in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison

It was not surprising that as a former seminary professor of philosophy, Bishop William P. O’Connor made education a priority in the newly established Diocese of Madison.

Established CCD in every parish

He established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) in every parish as a goal of great importance in the new diocese. CCD initially provided religious instruction for those Catholic children not enrolled in Catholic schools.

A diocesan-wide CCD Congress was held September 17-18, 1949. Those attending included lay people, Sisters, and priests.

Under the direction of the CCD, a Diocesan Information Center for Catholics and non-Catholics was established in a storefront on State St. in Madison between the Capitol Square and the University of Wisconsin campus. It attracted close to 30,000 visitors in its years of operation from 1954 to 1963.

On January 19, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

New book highlights local pro-life victories, area family’s journey

MADISON — “When abortion ends and it’s in the history books, those history books are going to look back on Madison, Wis., as a turning point.”

Those words are one reason why Steve Karlen chose to share his story and experiences in the new book This is When We Begin to Fight.

The book, written by the Madison resident, tells the story of the fight to stop a late-term abortion center from opening on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus as well as other challenges his young family faced in life and in love.

The preceding quote was spoken to Karlen during a national pro-life leaders meeting a few years after the Madison Surgery Center dropped its plans to offer late-term abortions more than a decade ago.

On January 19, 2021May 8, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Making St. Paul’s conversion our journey

A remarkable film I would highly recommend is Paul, Apostle of Christ, which depicts the last months of St. Paul’s life.

Imprisoned and facing death in Rome, Paul dictates the extraordinary events of his life, conversion to Christ, and mission to St. Luke, who writes the Acts of the Apostles as the fruit of their conversations.

Simultaneously, the whole Christian community in Rome endures Nero’s bloody and violent persecution, as they seek Paul’s inspiration and direction.

On January 19, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Let’s be ‘converts’ to our own faith

Several years ago (I’ve been here that long?), I wrote a feature story on a young woman who was in her parish’s RCIA program and was on the path to being a full member of the Catholic Church come Easter Vigil.

During my interview with her, she remarked, with a huge smile of anticipation, that she couldn’t wait to receive the Eucharist for the first time.

It made me pause and wonder if I ever felt that excited about Holy Communion.

I don’t think I felt that way at age eight when I received for the first time, and any sort of pumped up and glowy feeling probably lessened after that.

On January 13, 2021May 8, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Growth of Catholic population led to new Diocese of Madison in 1946

First in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison

MADISON — In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Catholic population had been expanding in the southwestern region of Wisconsin, leading to the formation of the Diocese of Madison in 1946.

Work of missionary priests

The faith had grown thanks to the work of missionary priests, including Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, who built 25 churches and established nine schools in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois in the 1800s.

He also founded the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Sinsinawa. Their work has kept his legacy alive to this day.

On January 13, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Blessed Sacrament hosting diaper drive

MADISON — The annual Blessed Sacrament Diaper Drive is scheduled for this month, and it could be the most successful drive yet.

The diaper drive has been an important part of my life for the past three years.

Each year, my mother and I co-coordinate the month-long drive in mid-January benefiting Pregnancy Helpline, which is a non-profit organization that serves Madison-area families requiring assistance with pregnancy or infant related needs.

On January 13, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

SSM Health administers COVID vaccines

MADISON — Things have moved fast since SSM Health received its first shipment of the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines in December, but that does not mean people should become lax in the protective measures to guard against the spread of the coronavirus, stressed Mo Kharbat, SSM Health Wisconsin’s regional VP of pharmacy.

“Wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding gatherings, etc. — will need to continue well into 2021 and until a large majority of our population has been vaccinated with both doses of the vaccine they receive,” he said. “We ask that people be patient.”