In this season before Christmas, we should be thinking about the Holy Family as we put up our holiday creches alongside our other decorations.
Author: Mary C. Uhler
Bishop Wirz said the ‘romance of the priesthood’ never left him
Bishop George O. Wirz was in love — with the priesthood. When he celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest in 1977, he told his parishioners at St. Bernard Parish in Madison, where he was the pastor, “The romance of the priesthood has never left me. I’m still in love.”
If I had asked him that question before he died, I’m sure he would have said the same thing. In fact, I did talk with him the week before he died. Since 2010 marked his 50th anniversary of being named a Monsignor and the 45th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, we discussed setting up an interview to talk about those occasions.
In his usual humble way, Bishop Wirz said we should wait until after the holidays, when things slowed down. Although we weren’t able to meet for that interview, I know from previous conversations what he might have said.
Thank God for life: Pope calls upon all Catholics to pray for all human life
Thanksgiving is a time when we give thanks for all the blessings we have received. First among those blessings is the gift of life. Without life, we could not enjoy everything else God has given us.
Thanksgiving also comes just before the beginning of the Church season of Advent, a time when we prepare spiritually for the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas. Christ, the son of God, took on the challenges of life — and eventually death on a cross — to bring us all the possibility of salvation.
Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke’s friends are not surprised by elevation
His friends in the Diocese of Madison were not surprised to hear that Pope Benedict XVI is elevating Archbishop Raymond L. Burke to the status of cardinal on November 20.
Remembering Monsignor Campion: His ‘parishioners’ will carry on his legacy
It brought tears to my eyes the first time I saw it. And I probably had to rub my eyes on subsequent times. It always amazed me.
What I’m talking about is the Offertory procession at the Christmas and Easter Masses for the handicapped held for many years at Monroe High School. What happens is about two dozen young men — many of them large football and basketball players — each come up paired with a disabled or elderly person.
Campaign spending: Imagine what else we could do with $4 billion
The 2010 elections are over and most of us are breathing a sigh of relief. Even if we didn’t like the outcome of some races, we are probably happy to see the end of bitter campaigning, annoying phone calls, and repetitive radio and television ads.
What really upset me were reports on campaign spending in the 2010 elections. The Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) reported that more than $4 billion, or the annual GDP of Mongolia, was spent on this election.
Rescue of miners in Chile: Did God and his mother have a hand in it?
A woman I know in the Diocese of Madison e-mailed me a message after the rescue of the miners in Chile. She felt there were many religious aspects to this situation that couldn’t be ignored.
She pointed out these facts:
• Accident occurred: August 5 (feast of Our Lady of the Snows)
• Found they were alive: August 22 (feast of Queenship of Mary)
• Last miner rescued: October 13 (feast of Our Lady of Fatima)
Now and at the hour of our death
Our Catholic faith teaches us to respect all human life, from womb to the tomb. In our society today, it seems as if we focus more on the beginning of life than on the end of it.
Many people do not like to talk about death, but it is something we all will face. Some of us will face it sooner than others, but it is inevitable.
Concern about increasingly violent society
As we continue our reflections during Respect Life Month, my thoughts this week turn to the increasing incidents of violence in our world.
It seems as if violence is so prevalent today, from abortion to domestic violence, from gang violence to human trafficking, from war to the death penalty, from destroying human embryos for research to physician-assisted suicide.
Poverty is a moral crisis threatening our country
October as Respect Life Month prompts us to think about all aspects of human life. Our Catholic faith emphasizes the dignity of human life from the womb to the tomb.
Between the womb and tomb, we require the basics of food, clothing, and shelter to survive. Hopefully most of you reading this have far beyond the minimum daily requirements of all of those essentials.