Category: Columns

On
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

The importance of moral absolutes

Making Sense out of Bioethics column by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

When Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States in April of 2008, I had the chance to attend the opening ceremony at the White House South Lawn.

As I listened to President Bush’s welcoming remarks to the pope, I was caught off guard by one line in particular, a powerful statement that seemed almost too philosophical to be spoken by a United States president: “In a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism and embrace a culture of justice and truth.”

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Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

Heart-hitting service

Propagation of Faith by Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

Inspiring letters from mission seminaries tell of the growing number of young men in Asia and Africa responding to our Lord’s call to the priesthood.

One recent letter, from a seminary in Nigeria, included such facts and figures — and then one line that spoke to the heart.

Seminarians serve in Nigeria

St. Augustine’s Seminary in Jos, Nigeria, is filled to capacity, with some 300 students. The rector, Fr. Sylvester Dagin, offers particulars about their formation and of their work on the seminary’s small farm, growing potatoes and vegetables.

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Msgr. Daniel Ganshert

Summer time can offer us extra time to pray

Living and Learning column by Msgr. Daniel T. Ganshert

Summer time in Wisconsin is beautiful. Extra time, hopefully, to relax, renew, and recreate in body, mind, and spirit. Possibly, it allows for a little extra prayer time.

Our understanding of prayer is meant to evolve as we grow in our relationship with God over the years. As children we might find ourselves asking God for very specific things: a new toy, a special prize, not to be punished for doing something wrong, and so forth.

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On
Deacon Greg Gehred, M.D.

Believe it all

“Believe it all.” That was the “very best” preaching advice from our Dominican priest speaker at a clergy day on homiletics back in 2004.

Guest Column

This followed shortly my ordination to the permanent diaconate. “Do not pick and choose” from the Church’s teachings, Father said.

Don’t question it, he said, for to do so is to enter treacherous waters, that spiritual trap which whispers to us that our own personal wisdom is superior to the Church of Christ and its guarantee of doctrinal purity with guidance of the Holy Spirit.

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On
John Huebscher

State budget 2009 — History in the making

Eye on the Capitol by John Huebscher

The state budget is a fixture of every legislative session. It holds “center stage” for the first several months of every odd-numbered year before it becomes law. Once it is adopted, the legislature turns its attention to other matters.

Every budget reflects the fiscal and political reality in which it is debated and enacted. The 2009 budget was shaped first and foremost by Wisconsin’s dire fiscal situation and the obligation of the governor and legislature to deal with a more than six billion-dollar gap between spending commitments and available revenues.

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On
Audrey Mettel Fixmer

Saints alive! And those not so

Grand Mom by Audrey Mettel Fixmer

I was never a Michael Jackson fan. I think my generation caught glimpses of him here and there when our kids watched him on TV. After we marveled at the Jackson Five with this adorable little boy with the big voice, we gradually lost interest in his “Modern Pop” music.

Then his constantly evolving face and color left us shaking our heads. When he built his Neverland, it made us wonder if he was trying to find the childhood he had been deprived of in this fantasy setting.

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On
Vicky Skilondz

Converting diocesan parishes to QuickBooks

Last in a two-part series

Part one of this article described the parish software conversion to ParishSOFT and related activity in the Office of Planning. This week finishes the series as I discuss our process of converting a parish to QuickBooks and some other activities involving that program.

QuickBooks

Just like with census data, parish financial data also needs to be cleaned so that it, too, is consistent and predictable; that is, each parish posts to the same accounts in the same circumstances. For this reason it’s important for all parishes to use our diocesan Chart of Accounts and to follow a common set of financial procedures.

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Fr. Donald Lange

Independence Day helps us to appreciate our blessings

Seeing with Jesus' Eyes column logo

Independence Day offers us an opportunity to thank God for our country’s blessings. Some visitors from poorer countries express amazement at the cornucopia of blessings that we Americans enjoy and sometimes take for granted.

We celebrate some of our blessings when we sing “America the Beautiful.” The words “God, mend thine every flaw” from this song can also invite us as responsible Catholics and citizens to try to help make America even more beautiful.

Independence Day is a federal holiday when we celebrate the anniversary of the day that the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. On this day we can also thank God for the brave men who risked their lives and fortunes to eventually sign this great document.

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On
Vicky Skilondz

A different type of Catholic conversion

Part one of a two-part series.

You often see articles from Grant Emmel describing the Trusting in the Spirit process but this is the first time I’ve been asked to write a column for the Herald.

My function at the diocese is to fulfill Bishop Morlino’s directive of all parishes converting to and using ParishSOFT and QuickBooks software. As a reminder, ParishSOFT is the program used for parish census data and offertory postings and QuickBooks is the complete financial software for all postings, tax reporting, payroll, and parish monetary activity.

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