Kevin Wondrash


	More than 3,000 people are expected to take part in the second Unite Wisconsin Rosary Rally on Sunday, Oct. 11, in Madison. Pictured above are clergy and parishioner participants on State St. in Madison during the initial rally on August 15. (Catholic Herald photo/Joe Ptak).

MADISON — On Sunday, Oct. 11, many will again come out to pray in downtown Madison.

Hoping to repeat the numerical and spiritual success of the previous rally, the second Unite Wisconsin Rosary Rally will be held to honor Jesus and his Blessed Mother.

The first rally took place on August 15 and brought more than 3,000 people out.

Materials for the October event said, “We are all living in perilous times facing EPIDEMICS and THREATS TO OUR FREEDOMS. Our cities are disintegrating into anarchy with RIOTS damaging the property and taking the lives of innocent people. More than ever, we are being called to pray together — to UNITE Wisconsin against all evil.”

The event is being planned in conjunction with similar rallies going on in many other parts of the United States on the same day and will be the conclusion of a 54-day Rosary Novena that started the same day as the previous rally.

On September 30, 2020

Kevin Wondrash

Using God’s gifts for good

I used to joke that if Bishop Robert Barron can often reference Bob Dylan in his written columns, then I’m going to write about Jimi Hendrix someday.

Welp, here goes.

We’re in the time of the year when rock radio stations and music magazines remember the “West Coast Seattle Boy” during the anniversary of this death — this year being 50 years on September 18.

Those same media entities will remember his contemporary, the singer Janis Joplin, on the anniversary of her death, also 50 years ago this year on October 4.

On September 30, 2020

Kevin Wondrash

Evangelizing through Works of Mercy

BELOIT — At a time when many activities and efforts have slowed to a crawl, fervent hands and minds are still at work on the stateline in Rock County.

Five area Catholic parishes – Our Lady of the Assumption, St. Thomas, and St. Jude in Beloit; St. Stephen in Clinton; and St. Peter in South Beloit, Ill. – have formed a dedicated planning committee to establish the Stateline Mission Outreach.

The service will provide a day center where those suffering from homelessness can do laundry, take a shower, and share a simple meal together with the volunteers.

On September 30, 2020

Kevin Wondrash

‘All lives matter’

In the upcoming November 3 election there is only one thing that really matters and that is the “Right to Life” of all people.

Sure, I agree that “black lives matter,” but “all lives matter”.

If I may quote Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, “however, the right to life position is, in one sense, not about an ‘issue’ at all. Nor are those who hold it ‘single issue voters.'”

On September 30, 2020

Kevin Wondrash

Madison Men of Christ Conference in Wisconsin Dells

WISCONSIN DELLS — The first Men of Christ Conference-Diocese of Madison will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24, at St. Cecilia Church in Wisconsin Dells, 603 Oak St.

Its theme is “Live Truth, Defend Truth.”

The vision of the Men of Christ conferences is to create an environment that will evangelize, catechize, and unify Catholic men.

The mission is to honor our Lord Jesus Christ by bringing Catholic men together, thereby forming a brotherhood that will empower each man to boldly live his Catholic faith.

On September 30, 2020May 8, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is October 4, remains one of Catholicism’s most popular saints.

Statues and pictures of him abound, especially in gardens and fields, and young people often choose him as their Confirmation saint.

He captures the imagination of artists, writers, poets, intellectuals, and common folk alike.

It is easy to romanticize his story, but like all saints, Francis shows us what happens when an individual gives everything to Christ.

On September 30, 2020May 8, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is October 4, remains one of Catholicism’s most popular saints.

Statues and pictures of him abound, especially in gardens and fields, and young people often choose him as their Confirmation saint.

He captures the imagination of artists, writers, poets, intellectuals, and common folk alike.

It is easy to romanticize his story, but like all saints, Francis shows us what happens when an individual gives everything to Christ.

On September 23, 2020May 8, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

How to vote according to our Catholic faith

Many faithful Catholics have asked me to offer some direction regarding conscience formation and the moral aspect of the many issues facing us as a nation, as we approach this year’s presidential election.

We would all agree that this election has a contentious and angry divisiveness that we have not seen in our lifetimes.

This is due, in part, to the personalities, policies, and factions in play, and it certainly has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic and social unrest (I believe that there are other, more significant and fundamental reasons for the growing tension in our society, but that’s a topic for another time).

On September 23, 2020

Kevin Wondrash

Jackson Fonder leaves behind legacy

MADISON — A familiar figure in the important work of helping others in the Diocese of Madison is moving on to the next part of his life journey.

“I think it goes by fast because you’re not really tracking it, you’re having the time of your life, you feel like you’re making a difference, and you’re working around really smart people,” said Jackson Fonder, whose time as president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Madison is coming to an end on October 1.

On September 23, 2020

Kevin Wondrash

Msgr. Michael Burke dies

The Reverend Monsignor Michael Laurence Burke entered eternal life on September 19, 2020 at the age of 72, at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison. He was born on March 11, 1948 in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, the oldest of eight siblings, and is predeceased by his parents, Laurence and Claribel (Gough) Burke, and by his sister, Maggie.