Columns – Page 139 – Madison Catholic Herald

I went on a guilt trip the other day. The store was only 20 miles away, and my partner in crime was a daughter-in-law with a flair for decorating.

I had been grumbling about my lower back pain whenever I sat for awhile in Bob’s chair or Bob’s sofa in my living room. (And these days sitting is my favorite activity.) Even though Bob had never lived in our condo, the furniture had been selected with his weekend visits in mind.

It’s been more than a year since he was in our house and six months since he moved into his heavenly splendor. I thought it was time to take care of my back.

On September 16, 2010May 20, 2021

Audrey Mettel Fixmer

Adapting to widowhood

I went on a guilt trip the other day. The store was only 20 miles away, and my partner in crime was a daughter-in-law with a flair for decorating.

I had been grumbling about my lower back pain whenever I sat for awhile in Bob’s chair or Bob’s sofa in my living room. (And these days sitting is my favorite activity.) Even though Bob had never lived in our condo, the furniture had been selected with his weekend visits in mind.

It’s been more than a year since he was in our house and six months since he moved into his heavenly splendor. I thought it was time to take care of my back.

On September 16, 2010

Olivia Knier

Holy purity: Know more than a list of no’s

In their budding youth and possibly without their full knowledge, teens are forming their personalities, habits, ideals, and the very essence of who they are right now.

Thus, it is essential for them to form positive, pure habits now. Would their future husband or wife be able to meet their current date and look them in the eye? It’s a pertinent question to ask.

On September 16, 2010

Olivia Knier

Holy purity: Know more than a list of no’s

In their budding youth and possibly without their full knowledge, teens are forming their personalities, habits, ideals, and the very essence of who they are right now.

Thus, it is essential for them to form positive, pure habits now. Would their future husband or wife be able to meet their current date and look them in the eye? It’s a pertinent question to ask.

On September 2, 2010

John Huebscher

Legislative control might go beyond two years

The party that wins the most seats in a November election gets to control the state Senate and the state Assembly for the following two years. But when the election occurs in the same year as the census, the stakes are even higher.

Whoever controls the legislature in 2011 will have to reapportion the state’s 99 Assembly districts, 33 Senate districts, and eight congressional districts to reflect the population shifts recorded in the 2010 census. The district boundaries drawn by this reapportionment process will govern legislative elections until 2022.

On September 2, 2010

Fr. Donald Lange

Grandparents Day connects generations with bonds of love

In 1978 President Jimmy Carter proclaimed that National Grandparents Day would be observed on the first Sunday after Labor Day. This year we observe Grandparents Day on September 12. We remember and thank those who helped to make this special day possible.

We thankfully remember Hermine Beckett Hanna, for her contributions to Grandparents Day. On February 21, 1990, New York Congressman James T. Walsh officially recognized her efforts on behalf of grandparents

On September 2, 2010May 19, 2021

Jon Leonetti

Holiness: most important form of evangelization

“Holiness, whether ascribed to popes well-known to history or to humble lay and religious figures, from one continent to another of the globe, has emerged more clearly as the dimension which expresses best the mystery of the Church. Holiness, a message that convinces without the need for words, is the living reflection of the face of Christ.” (Pope John Paul II)

The quote speaks for itself, eh? Holiness, as John Paul II reflected, is the way in which we bring the living Christ to the world.

On August 26, 2010

Michael Lancaster

Change is in the air as school begins

It’s late August. The days are growing shorter, the nights are growing cooler, and children are preparing to go back to school.

One can’t help but notice that change is definitely in the air. Yes, change. It’s one of the great things about being a Catholic school teacher or principal (and there are many!).

On August 26, 2010May 20, 2021

Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

When kids grow up and find out about the test tubes

When I do presentations on in vitro fertilization, audience members sometimes ask whether test tube babies experience psychological problems as they grow up.

Although they clearly face elevated health risks for a number of diseases and physical disorders, the psychological effects on these children have not been thoroughly studied.

On August 26, 2010

Sr. Margie Lavonis

Hello college, goodbye Church? We hope not!

For some students, going away to college is often viewed as a chance to be liberated from their parents and the restrictions of family life.

One such parental rule that is exercised in many Catholic homes is the one about Mass attendance. I can still hear my own father and mother saying to us when we would rather stay in bed on a Sunday morning, “As long as you live in this house you will go to Mass.” Does this sound familiar?