Columns – Page 150 – Madison Catholic Herald

“It is in the local churches that the specific features of a detailed pastoral plan can be identified — goals and methods, formation and enrichment of the people involved, the search for the necessary resources — which will enable the proclamation of Christ to reach people, mold communities, and have a deep and incisive influence in bringing Gospel values to bear in society and culture.” — Novo Millennio Ineunte, 29, Apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II (January 2001)

The Diocese of Madison is continuing on with the Trusting in the Spirit planning and implementation process, now in its second year, with 16 of the 40 clusters having turned in their plans for the upcoming year.

On September 10, 2009

John Huebscher

Rulings on religion have changed much over time

Supreme court opinions at the state or federal level offer insights into how society changes its mind on key questions. Over the past 40-plus years, the rulings of the Wisconsin Supreme Court on matters related to religion show such a change — a change more favorable in its treatment of religion.

Article 1, Section 18, of the Wisconsin Constitution says the following: “The right of every person to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed; nor shall any person be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry, without consent; nor shall any control of, or interference with, the rights of conscience be permitted, or any preference be given by law to any religious establishments or modes of worship; nor shall any money be drawn from the treasury for the benefit of religious societies, or religious or theological seminaries.”

On September 10, 2009May 19, 2021

Jon Leonetti

Who are you? What is your purpose?

Editor’s note: This is the first in a new periodic column in the Catholic Herald for young adults.

Hello to all! My name is Jon Leonetti. For this first column I have decided to give you a short biography of who I am, allowing readers to know a little bit more about me.

So here it goes . . .

The United States spans some 3,500 miles from coast to coast, and by August 2009, I will have walked it.

On September 3, 2009

Fr. Donald Lange

We can love, serve God through work

Doing God’s work includes serving as a Communion minister, usher, lector, serving on parish council, or other Church related activities. But our work can also be holy.

At the end of Mass, we are commissioned to “go in peace to love and to serve the Lord.” One way that we can love and serve God is through our work.

Authentic transformation of ‘useless’ suffering

Human beings naturally recoil at the prospect of pain and suffering. When a sharp object pokes us, we instinctively pull away. When the unpleasant neighbor comes up on caller ID, we recoil from answering the phone. Our initial response is to avoid noxious stimuli and pain, similar to most animals.

Yet when dealing with painful or unpleasant situations, we can also respond deliberately and in ways that radically differentiate us from the rest of the animal kingdom.

On August 27, 2009

Andy Galvin

Take a retreat to plan for marriage

I remember when my wife and I became engaged what great fun it was to go to the department stores and put together our gift registry. In fact, the greatest gifts I received (I mean, we!) were three different grills! I ended up returning them all and getting the daddy of all grills – what a gift!

Now that we just passed our 16th wedding anniversary, and the gas grill rusts on the back porch, I realize that there were other gifts far more important than the grills. In fact, perhaps the most meaningful gift was attending a weekend retreat for engaged couples before our wedding.

My wife and I had talked about many, many things during our dating relationship — I didn’t think there could be much more to discuss. But the opportunity to focus only on us — for a full weekend led by married couples sharing their own experiences and the wisdom of the Church — would have a far greater impact on our marriage than I realized at the time. In fact, I credit that experience for the ongoing success of our marriage.

On August 20, 2009May 20, 2021

Audrey Mettel Fixmer

Defining a happy death

In my 81 years as a Catholic, I have been warned to “Pray for a Happy Death.” Suddenly I seem to be in charge of one and I don’t even know what it means. What is a “Happy Death”?

It is said that St. Joseph had one because he died in the arms of Jesus and Mary. I think that would be a hard one to pull off for the head of our family. We’d need a lot of space for me with our 10 kids: Rob, Tom, Tim, Elizabeth, Kathi, Kris, Gretchen, Patty, John, Mark, and their spouses. And the 18 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. That’s a lot of arms!

On August 13, 2009

Michael Lancaster

Catholic schools planning: the next steps

Over the last several weeks, the Office of Catholic Schools has been busy moving forward with Catholic Schools Planning.

Between May and July, over 300 people attended one of 12 task force meetings conducted at locations throughout the diocese. Each meeting began with prayer, a brief history of the process, and an explanation of our goal: to find ways to strengthen our Catholic schools throughout the diocese and ensure that they are “available, affordable, accessible,” and that they offer both an unparalleled faith formation and academic education to all students now and for generations to come.

Once the planning process was underway, participants considered the various challenges currently facing Catholic schools, shared opinions and experiences, brainstormed ideas, and discussed possible courses of action as we look for ways to strengthen our schools.

On August 13, 2009

John Huebscher

Economy drives demand for health care reform

In 1919, the U.S. bishops endorsed the idea that all Americans should have access to affordable health care. Ninety years later we are still waiting for that idea to be realized and our nation is engaged in a serious debate as to whether the vision of 1919 will finally come to pass.

In the short term, the outcome of the debate is in doubt. Thoughtful people have raised legitimate concerns about the cost of the program and the proper balance between the public and private sectors. And no plan can include abortion in any package of mandated benefits and issues.

But in the long term, the realities of the economic upheaval currently underway will make reform inevitable. For the trends in our society that make universal access to health care attractive are not going away.

On August 13, 2009

Fr. Donald Lange

Assumption inspires us to follow Mary’s example

A priest asked a class of second graders, “How many of you want to go to Heaven?” Every little hand went up.

The priest responded, “How many of you want to be a saint?”

The children glanced at each other with puzzled looks. Most of them put their hands down.

“Well, boys and girls,” the priest said, “Since no one wants to be a saint, we have a problem. To get to Heaven, you must be saintly or Christ-like. So let me ask again, ‘How many of you want to be a saint?'”

Every hand quickly went up! The priest’s hand joined their hands.