Sometimes I ask […]
Author: Kevin Wondrash
Msgr. Thomas F. Campion dies
MONROE — Msgr. Thomas F. Campion, 79, director of the Madison Diocese Apostolate to the Handicapped, died Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, at his home.
Getting ready for Advent … of 2011
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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,
We are approaching, hard as it is to believe, the First Sunday of Advent 2010. On the First Sunday of Advent 2011 we shall begin to use the new translations of our liturgical prayers at all of our Masses throughout the diocese and throughout our country. The new translations are in fact translations into English, though they sound differently than the translations to which we have become accustomed since the Second Vatican Council. In the translations presently at use, certain Latin words are left untranslated, and certain sentences or parts of sentences are more a “paraphrase” than a formal translation.
The new translation is a formal translation from the Latin to the English. No Latin words are omitted in the translation and the rich biblical allusions in the original Latin are all restored. For example, when the priest elevates the host just before Communion the congregation will say, “Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.” In this we are reminded of and echo the part of the Centurion in the familiar Gospel passage (Mt 8:8), a reminder which is lost when we simply say, “Lord I am not worthy to receive you.”
What to do with the rings?
Since my husband passed away last spring, I have often looked at my wedding rings wondering: should I be taking them off now? Or should I wear them on another finger? They still represent the love of my life, and I won’t pass them on to my oldest daughter until I die.
I began noticing the many widowed friends around me. Some wore nothing like wedding rings, and some wore them on other fingers. We all remember the dramatic story of Jackie Kennedy removing her wedding ring as the wounded Jack lay dying and placing it into his hand. That’s not for me. Still, I wanted to know what was right for me. I was hoping to get an answer from Bob.
Spinning stem cell fairy tales
Discussions about the morality of stem cell research often focus on the differences between adult stem cells and stem cells derived from embryos.
The adult variety, such as those derived from bone marrow or umbilical cords, are already providing an impressive array of treatments and cures for sick people, while the embryonic kind are not.
Adult stem cells can be obtained without crossing any moral boundaries, whereas embryonic stem cells cannot, because they are obtained by destroying young human beings still in embryonic stages of growth.
October is a time of prayer
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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,
As we begin the month of October, we recall first of all that this is Our Lady’s month — specifically the month of the Most Holy Rosary. Both Pope John Paul the Great and Pope Benedict have indicated many, many times, that the Rosary prayed well is a most efficacious prayer and a wonderful way to promote the relationship of daughter or son to our Blessed Mother.
And, indeed, whenever we look to Mary, she directs us to her Son. Since her maternal cooperation, her freewill assent to the Incarnation of Our Lord, was necessary for God’s saving plan to be carried out in history, we all need her precious intercession, that we ourselves might have evermore the grace that she did when she said her, “yes,” to the Lord. The daily Rosary is surely in order, ideally in a family setting, during the month of October and, indeed, all year round.
Survival: a victory truly worth celebrating
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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 Friday evening I was privileged to celebrate the Eucharist for the International Retrouvaille gathering here in Madison. It is always an honor to welcome others to our diocese, particularly when the community gathered has an international flavor.
Many of you know that Retrouvaille is an excellent movement in the Catholic Church which calls for husbands and wives whose marriage is, to some degree, in trouble, to the kind of conversion-of-heart that enables them to rediscover the sacramental grace that they receive for the first time on their wedding day and that they are called to renew in the Lord every blessed day. The members of Retrouvaille are very seasoned people as husbands and wives, though not necessarily seasoned in the sense of “older,” and they are very strong in their faith. It is always an energizing experience to be among them.
Survival: a victory truly worth celebrating
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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 Friday evening I was privileged to celebrate the Eucharist for the International Retrouvaille gathering here in Madison. It is always an honor to welcome others to our diocese, particularly when the community gathered has an international flavor.
Many of you know that Retrouvaille is an excellent movement in the Catholic Church which calls for husbands and wives whose marriage is, to some degree, in trouble, to the kind of conversion-of-heart that enables them to rediscover the sacramental grace that they receive for the first time on their wedding day and that they are called to renew in the Lord every blessed day. The members of Retrouvaille are very seasoned people as husbands and wives, though not necessarily seasoned in the sense of “older,” and they are very strong in their faith. It is always an energizing experience to be among them.
Gifts of the summer of priestly renewal
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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,
“Back-to-school” and “Labor Day” mean for me, among other things, back to my column with as much regularity as I can muster for any given week. Thanks be to God, the summer was, for me, a serene time of priestly renewal. Of course, there are always problems in a diocese or in a parish that require attention from the bishop, and that attention is always ready to be given, but the grace of the Office of Bishop sustained me beautifully through a summer of serious priestly renewal, and I would like to trace the path of that renewal for you briefly in this first column after Labor Day.
Adapting to widowhood
I went on a guilt trip the other day. The store was only 20 miles away, and my partner in crime was a daughter-in-law with a flair for decorating.
I had been grumbling about my lower back pain whenever I sat for awhile in Bob’s chair or Bob’s sofa in my living room. (And these days sitting is my favorite activity.) Even though Bob had never lived in our condo, the furniture had been selected with his weekend visits in mind.
It’s been more than a year since he was in our house and six months since he moved into his heavenly splendor. I thought it was time to take care of my back.