Columns – Page 132 – Madison Catholic Herald

On June 26, the solemn feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the parishioners of St. Mary, St. John Nepomuc, and St. Lawrence O’Toole Parishes participated in the first-ever Eucharistic procession in Fennimore.

Over 165 people participated and some came from as far away as Dodgeville and Prairie du Chien.

At 1 p.m. Fr. John Sasse emerged from the parish hall carrying the monstrance with the precious body and blood of Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. Once he was situated under the canopy, the procession began northward down Jefferson St.

On June 23, 2011May 20, 2021

Audrey Mettel Fixmer

Happily fulfilled in old age

I was fascinated by an article I read this morning over my coffee and cereal.

It was in the July issue of Ladies Home Journal, and written by Michael J. Berland, president of a polling and research firm, who states, “Sure, her family makes her happy, but despite what society expects, a woman’s sense of fulfillment comes from being independent and having a sense of control over her own life.” He calls this the silver lining on that recession cloud because it has driven so many women to become actively involved in their family finances.

On June 23, 2011May 20, 2021

Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Does Church have doubts about brain death?

The Catholic Church has long acknowledged the role of the medical professional in declaring death. It is the proper competency of medicine, not theology, to identify reliable signs that death has occurred.

The hardening of the body known as rigor mortis, for example, is a reliable medical indicator that death has occurred. When the heart permanently stops beating and the lungs permanently stop functioning (cessation of cardio-pulmonary function), medical professionals recognize these signs as another reliable way to assess that death has occurred.

On June 23, 2011March 2, 2023

John Huebscher

Recall-loaded summer unlike any other

The summer of the odd-numbered year is usually quiet on the political scene. By early July the Legislature has completed its work on the state budget and goes home until autumn. Other than an occasional special election, the campaign season is more than a year away.

On June 9, 2011

Fr. Donald Lange

Good fathers leave eternal marks of love

One summer evening dad and I sat on our front lawn and gazed at the field across the road.

Like a huge orange-red host, the sun sank slowly into the chalice of the earth. Its beauty inspired us.

Thoughtfully, dad said, “You know, we really don’t own anything.”

I quickly remembered the list of names on the deed to our land. Owner after owner paraded across the field of my memory. Then I realized that we were just stewards of the land. The real owner was God

This made an ordinary evening special. I felt close to dad.

On June 2, 2011

John Huebscher

Is conceal carry proposal necessary?

The right to bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and by the Wisconsin Constitution.

But that right, like many others, is not absolute and may be regulated to a certain extent. One such regulation is our state’s current ban on carrying concealed weapons.

Proposal up for consideration

Wisconsin is nearly alone in that regard. For some time this fact has fueled a desire to join other states in permitting citizens to carry a concealed weapon (CCW). Such legislation has passed twice in recent years only to be vetoed by Governor Doyle.

On May 26, 2011May 20, 2021

Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Natural Family Planning and the telos of sex

Married Catholics today often struggle to understand the moral difference between using contraceptives to avoid a pregnancy and using Natural Family Planning (NFP).

NFP relies on sexual abstinence during fertile periods in a woman’s cycle, as assessed by various indicators like cervical mucus or changes in body temperature.

NFP and the Catholic Church

To many, the Church’s prohibition of contraception seems to be at odds with its acceptance of NFP because in both cases, the couple’s intention is to avoid children. That intention, however, is not the problem, as long as there are, in the words of Pope Paul VI, “serious motives to space out births.”

On May 19, 2011October 23, 2024

Peggy Hamill

A numbing reality check: rising tide of chemical abortion

As we strive to advance The Gospel of Life, we must pause to take a numbing reality check. Since abortion was legalized in this country, more than 53 million preborn children have been slaughtered through induced abortion.

On May 19, 2011

John Huebscher

Catholic conferences bring Church’s message

The springtime of the year is a season for debates over state budgets. Here, as in other places, state Catholic Conferences are part of the conversation.

And here, as in other states, the issues of concern to state Catholic Conferences don’t fit neatly into the conventional liberal-conservative categories.

WCC and the budget proposal

In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) backs the governor’s recommendations regarding the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and his proposal to remove the mandate that health insurance policies include contraceptive services coverage, even when religious organizations do not want to purchase such coverage.

The WCC also supports budget provisions that limit or end funding for family planning programs, but also urges that those funds be redirected to programs that help pregnant women and their children.

On May 5, 2011

Fr. Donald Lange

A special day honoring mothers

Mother’s Day offers us opportunities to show that we are as proud of our mother as she is of us.

Mother’s Day history

Anna Jarvis, (1864-1948) was so proud of her mother that she worked to establish a day on which she and others could honor their mother and all mothers. She is known as the mother of Mother’s Day.