Kevin Wondrash

When Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States in April of 2008, I had the chance to attend the opening ceremony at the White House South Lawn.

As I listened to President Bush’s welcoming remarks to the pope, I was caught off guard by one line in particular, a powerful statement that seemed almost too philosophical to be spoken by a United States president: “In a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism and embrace a culture of justice and truth.”

On July 30, 2009May 10, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Remember human dignity in health care reform

Dear Friends,

Thank God and thank you, my brother priests, deacons, our Sisters, and our whole diocesan family, for your prayerful support during these days. My period of rest and recovery from heart arrhythmia is almost complete.

I do expect to ordain our three new priests, from the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, for our diocese this coming Friday. As with all ordinations, that day will be a great joy for me and, please God, it will do my heart good. But I must say, I am especially happy to be back in this occasional form of communication, my column.

On July 16, 2009May 19, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Summer time can offer us extra time to pray

Summer time in Wisconsin is beautiful. Extra time, hopefully, to relax, renew, and recreate in body, mind, and spirit. Possibly, it allows for a little extra prayer time.

Our understanding of prayer is meant to evolve as we grow in our relationship with God over the years. As children we might find ourselves asking God for very specific things: a new toy, a special prize, not to be punished for doing something wrong, and so forth.

On July 16, 2009May 20, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Saints alive! And those not so

I was never a Michael Jackson fan. I think my generation caught glimpses of him here and there when our kids watched him on TV. After we marveled at the Jackson Five with this adorable little boy with the big voice, we gradually lost interest in his “Modern Pop” music.

Then his constantly evolving face and color left us shaking our heads. When he built his Neverland, it made us wonder if he was trying to find the childhood he had been deprived of in this fantasy setting.

On June 25, 2009May 20, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

What should we do with frozen embryos?

When I give talks on stem cell research or in vitro fertilization, people invariably ask, “What should be done with all the frozen embryos?”

It is usually asked with a sense of urgency, even desperation, as they reflect on the fate of the hundreds of thousands of human embryos cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen at fertility clinics.

On June 25, 2009May 20, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

On ‘losing’ my spouse

I am losing my husband of 62 years. But I think that I am one of the lucky ones. Little by little he is slipping away into a dark place in his mind to what I hope will be a place of peace and light. I feel blessed to have that “Long Goodbye” that the Alzheimer studies talk about and the opportunity to learn to live alone.

There is so much irony in all of this. The man who made his living as a speaker and teacher, a national consultant to a textbook publisher, can now barely finish a sentence.

And I, who griped all those years that with 10 kids at home I could barely finish a thought, now have hours on end of time to think . . . and remember wistfully those glorious days of noise and confusion.

On June 11, 2009May 19, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Year for Priests begins on June 19

St. John Mary Vianney once said, “All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, because they are the works of men, but the Mass is the work of God. Even martyrdom is nothing in comparison, for it is but the sacrifice of man to God, but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man.”

Marking the 150th anniversary of St. John Vianney’s death, Pope Benedict XVI has announced a “Year for Priests” beginning this June 19th. It is meant to be, on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

On May 28, 2009May 19, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Calling on God’s power in the Holy Spirit

Pentecost. “Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Those familiar words from the Mass accompany the action called the epiclesis, Greek for “to call forth.” The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says more about the understanding of these words, which, by the way, are spoken as the priest extends his hands over the bread and wine being offered.

On May 21, 2009May 20, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Travel the Holy Land free and easy

Haven’t you always wanted to visit the Holy Land? To see for yourself where Jesus was born and died? And Cana where he turned water into wine? And the upper room where the apostles received the Holy Spirit in fiery tongues? And the Jordan where Jesus was baptized? And all of those places from Scripture?

Well, yes, you say, BUT: I am not wealthy enough to afford a trip like that, and, besides, I am too old and crippled up now to do all that walking.

Well, guess what! I am doing it now . . . every day!

On May 14, 2009May 19, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

Learning from parables about money

Money, money, money — it’s a rich man’s world. After the past year, let’s think again. Even the rich have been swept up in the chaos of the worldwide economic downturn.

Read all about it wherever you look. Read all about it in Sacred Scripture. Parables are a good source. Jesus uses them to instruct us. They are meant to turn us upside down, make us think in a new way; make us ask, what is Jesus talking about? Guess what?