Earth Day has come and gone. Perhaps it was not emphasized as much by Catholics this year since it fell on Good Friday.
However, concern for creation should be something we remember all year long. As we observe the awakening of nature in springtime and the beginning of our planting season, it is an especially appropriate time to think about the earth and our environment.
After attending the Beatification of Blessed John Paul II in Rome where he is doing graduate studies, Fr. Greg Ihm (ordained a priest for the Diocese of Madison last year) e-mailed Bishop Robert C. Morlino.
Wisconsin glaciers formed the 35-acre valley in which Durward’s Glen is located in the beautiful Baraboo Bluffs near Devil’s Lake State Park. The valley has a natural spring creek and miniature canyon.
The area used to be owned by the Durward family, who came there in 1862. They have been described as a spiritual family of poets, priests, artists, builders, and writers.
The family erected a statue of Mary, called “Guardian of the Glen,” as well as the Hermitage and Glen Studio. Their historic home was accidentally burned to the ground in 1951.
It seems that Mary has continued to guard Durward’s Glen throughout the years. Mary Techla Durward, youngest living member of the Durward family at the time, gave the Glen to the Order of St. Camillus in September of 1932. She stipulated that it remain a Catholic institution.
Mothers observe their children from an early age. They watch how they grow and develop, seeing what gifts and talents each child possesses.
The first time I saw Pope John Paul II in person was at Living History Farms near Des Moines, Iowa, in 1979. The Holy Father celebrated Mass and preached on a hillside altar.
In his homily, Pope John Paul II reminded us that the land is God’s gift entrusted to his people “as a means of sustaining the life he created.” He called on farmers to be generous with food to help feed the millions who are hungry.
Many people in the United States are facing challenges because of unemployment and economic difficulties. Budgets are tight.
However, the worldwide downturn in the economy is also affecting the people living in the land where Jesus lived and walked, where he suffered, died, and rose from the dead.
As we observe Holy Week and Easter, we especially hear about places such as the Sea of Galilee, Bethelehem, Nazareth, and Jerusalem. In all those places today, Christians are struggling to keep their faith alive and to live in dignity.
As the bells toll outside my office at the Bishop O’Connor Pastoral Center in Madison, I am reminded of the death of Bishop William H. Bullock, our respected and beloved bishop emeritus.
Recently I traveled by air outside of Madison. I experienced more thorough airport screening than I had previously, reminding me that our world is a dangerous place.
Violence can be found in almost every corner of the globe. We know there are legitimate reasons for people to fight against tyranny and oppression or to defend themselves against aggression.
However, it seems that people and nations often resort to violence as the first rather than the last resort. The “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality seems to be prevailing throughout the world.
We have been hearing so much about the fiscal challenges facing our state and national governments. Sometimes we may feel so frustrated that we don’t do anything.
But now is not the time to stand back. It is time to make your voice heard with your elected representatives at the state and federal levels. In this week’s Catholic Herald, we have published some suggestions on how to contact your legislators effectively. Many of these suggestions come from the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC), the public policy arm of our state’s Catholic bishops.
As a graduate student in the 1970s, I attended Mass and was involved in activities at St. Paul University Catholic Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
For many Catholic students like me, St. Paul’s was a “home away from home” in the spiritual sense. It kept students tethered to their faith amid the challenges of life on campus.
St. Paul’s is the oldest Newman Center established on a secular university in the United States. The first chapel was completed in 1909 on State St. in the heart of the UW campus. Over the years, St. Paul’s has continued to provide Catholic students — who number over 25 percent of the student body by some estimates — with the opportunity for growth in their faith in an increasingly secular culture.
