Recently, the national head of a pro-life group spoke at a rally. He told of a woman sharing with him the story of the last train-load of prisoners arriving in Dachau after World War II had ended. The Jewish and other prisoners on this last train (and all who were in the neighborhood of the tracks of the concentrations camp) were filled with fear.
The soldiers were gone. The local police had run away. And the villagers, still affected by the horrors of recent years, were immobilized by fear.
In the last few years we have heard about clusters, merging, linkages, and partnerships. I’m confused — what do all these terms mean?
We all understand the serious reality of the priest shortage and how it affects parishes. The Diocese of Madison has taken measures to keep all parishes open for worship and in doing so new terms are being used. Basically, all these words describe different levels of unity and sharing between parishes and are wonderful examples of Catholics working together to solve very difficult problems.
Cluster: multiple parishes in a geographical location. All parishes of the diocese have been formed into clusters.
We celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4. This is appropriate because Francis loved God’s creation.
During autumn, God creatively works through nature to convert fall’s leaves to a beautiful scarlet and gold. This change reminds us that God changed Francis from a carefree green youth into a committed Christ-like saint. His conversion invites us to ask God to also change us.
Through the ages, Catholics, non-Catholics, and non-Christians have loved Francis. He has influenced millions by his pure Christ-like goodness, love of creation, and joy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
“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.
