Author: Kevin Wondrash

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Kevin Wondrash

The Crown and the ‘primacy of grace’

Like, I daresay, most of the English-speaking world, these past couple of years I’ve been watching episodes of The Crown, the beautifully filmed, marvelously written program on the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II.

The series deals with the psychological dynamics within the royal family as well as with the cultural changes and political challenges that the Queen has faced in the course of her long reign. But what has been, at least to me, most surprising has been the insightful and sympathetic way in which it has addressed issues of faith.

Especially in the first season, we saw the fairly frequent conflicts between Elizabeth’s devotion to her family and her role as head of the Church of England.

In season two, there was a deeply affecting episode on the visit of Billy Graham to the UK in the mid-50s. We saw that, despite reticence regarding the American evangelist on the part of some in the British establishment, the Queen found his preaching illuminating and uplifting.

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Kevin Wondrash

May Holy Family bless, strengthen, and heal us

This Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, honoring the beautiful truth that God entered into the world through a family, an extraordinary one at that, but a human family.

Pondering this remarkable truth for 2000 years, the Catholic Church has a highly developed theology of marriage and family, seeing each Christian home as a domestic church, a sacred place where children are conceived, born, nurtured, and raised to know, love, and serve God.

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Kevin Wondrash

Speaker to share conversion from Islam to Catholicism

MADISON — Fariba Roughead, a convert from Islam to Catholicism, will share her personal testimony to facilitate interfaith dialog.

She will speak on Monday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. at Holy Name Heights, 702 S. High Point Rd.

Following the model of New Evangelization, as encouraged by the Magisterium and modeled by Saint John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis, Fariba’s intention is to deepen mutual understanding and respect, the first essential step to evangelization.

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Kevin Wondrash

A Christmas crib brought peace to a prison

The original Christmas crib was built at Bethlehem.

Centuries later, St. Francis of Assisi built another Christmas crib and made it popular.

According to The Life of St. Francis of Assisi by St. Bonaventure, in 1223, St. Francis received permission from Pope Honorius III to set up a manger with hay and two live animals — an ox and a donkey — in a cave in the Italian village of Grecio.

He then invited the villagers to visit the scene while he preached about “the babe of Bethlehem.” (Francis was supposedly so overcome by emotion that he couldn’t say “Jesus.”)

A gift of peace

The Christmas crib inspired a group of German POWs in Algona, Iowa, to build a Christmas crib.

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Kevin Wondrash

Going forth as missionary disciples

Bishop Donald J. Hying's column

The fourth part of the Kerygma is giving witness to the saving love of the Lord to others, to go forth as missionary disciples.

Too often as Catholics, we have quietly and individually lived out our faith, but seldom have we equipped believers to share that faith with those around them.

Missionary discipleship

Believers focus on their relationship with God; missionary disciples help others grow their own spirituality. Believers embrace a deep prayer life which is seldom shared with other people; missionary disciples boldly and joyously pray with others out loud and speak of their love for Christ.

Any pastoral renewal seeks to help our leaders and people grow in their understanding and practice of missionary discipleship. We can look at missionary discipleship through the lens of Jesus’ two commands, “Follow me” and “Go forth.”

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Kevin Wondrash

Christmas and the gift of encounter

Journey with Faith
Deacon Lawrence Oparaji

One fateful Christmas season some years ago, something very significant happened in a family.

A mother came back from Christmas shopping and was welcomed by her eight-year-old son Daniel and her much younger daughter Jane. The children were so excited and eager to see what their mum bought. She, however, asked them to allow her to freshen up and rest a little before unveiling the Christmas goodies.

The unveiling eventually came, and the children were handy and active. There were gifts for their daddy, for their mummy, for their aunties and uncles, for their grandpas and grandmas, for their family friends and for their cat and dog.

Eventually the shopping bag was empty! Looking at the empty shopping bag, Daniel became sad and moody. Discovering Daniel’s sudden mood change, his mother became worried, and asked him what was wrong with him.

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Kevin Wondrash

Bishop Hying visits Hazel Green school

HAZEL GREEN — After a snowy drive to the southwest corner of the state, Bishop Donald Hying traveled to St. Joseph School, Hazel Green, to celebrate Mass and visit with the students and staff.

Bishop Hying, Fr. Ken Frisch, and Deacon Larry Tranel celebrated 8:15 a.m. Mass with the students as well as a full church of family members, parishioners, and friends.

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Kevin Wondrash

Let us sing as we prepare for Jesus’ birth

Years ago, Sister Victricia chose seventh and eighth graders for the Kieler Immaculate Conception grade school choir. Miraculously, I was chosen. At rehearsals, however, whenever I sang, Sister stopped playing the piano and stared at me. My voice was changing. To survive her stares, I began to lip-sync long before I ever heard of it.

A positive thinking friend told me, “Maybe Sister was admiring your singing.” If so, why did she quit staring after I stopped singing? Dad often said that the Louisburg Langes can’t sing. Fr. Ron Lange, my missionary first cousin, agrees.

Perhaps this is a senile illusion, but now I think I can sing a little better at Mass. Because of old age, however, when celebrating Mass I often refrain from singing hymns that I don’t know to conserve my limited energy for parts that I proclaim and for the Gospel reading and homily.

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Kevin Wondrash

A talk on the Hill: A calling for justice

This is the second article in a two-part series about Bishop Robert Barron address to an audience of senators, representatives, and Capitol’s Hill staffers at the Library of Congress.

Next, I referenced the strange and illuminating account in the sixth chapter of Isaiah regarding the call of the prophet. Isaiah says that he saw the Lord in the temple surrounded by angels crying “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

The Hebrew term here is kadosh, which carries the sense of “other.”

God is source of existence

God is not one being among many, not one true thing among true things; rather, he is the source of existence itself, the unconditioned ground of all that is — and this entails that he is greater than all of the particular projects and desires that customarily preoccupy us.

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