News from around the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison.
BELOIT — Intending to bring Christmas cheer and delight to children at their sister parish, a talented group of Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) parishioners sewed 187 flannel pillowcases to be used as gifts.
The array of colorful pillowcases was displayed on pews in the OLA Blessed Sacrament Chapel before being sent to the sister parish, St. Joan of Arc in Plymouth, N.C.
MT. HOREB — A brunch for women sponsored by the St. Michael Council of Catholic Women to be held on Saturday, Jan. 17, at St. Ignatius Church Hall, 109 S. 6th St., will feature Kelly Wahlquist, a Catholic author and speaker.
Wahlquist will speak on “The Supreme Role of Women in the New Evangelization: Living ‘The Joy of the Gospel.'”
BARABOO — On Saturday, Jan. 24, St. Joseph Parish will host a one-day men’s retreat titled, “Living Supernaturally.”
Featured speakers include Fr. Rick Heilman and Scott Hackl. Father Heilman is the founder of the Catholic men’s apostolate Knights of Divine Mercy, founder of the Holy League, and regular on Relevant Radio.
Hackl is the father of six and advancement director working on a $24 million campaign to rebuild St. Paul’s University Catholic Center in Madison.
SAUK CITY — “Spending time before the Blessed Sacrament is the gift we can give to God this Christmas,” according to Fr. John Blewett, pastor of Divine Mercy Parish in Sauk City.
The parish has been working since May to expand its current, two-day a week Eucharistic Adoration Program held at St. Aloysius Church to a Perpetual Adoration program slated to begin January 1.
Bishop Robert C. Morlino is scheduled to dedicate the new chapel, called the “Mary, Mother of God Chapel,” fittingly on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, January 1.
MADISON — St. Thomas Aquinas parish has two upcoming events open to all interested persons.
• Saturday, Jan. 10: “Six Dates for Catholic Couples” — Consider making a New Year’s resolution to spend more quality time with your spouse. All married couples are invited to participate in “Six Dates for Catholic Couples,” an opportunity to invest in your loving, happy marriage.
These once-a-month evenings begin with an opportunity to attend 4:30 p.m. Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas (602 Everglade Dr., Madison). Immediately after Mass, come to the social hall for a brief social and presentation. By 6:15, couples leave for a date night with a marriage-enriching topic for conversation. This is the first of the “Six Dates.”
PINE BLUFF — “I should get up when and drive where for what? For Mass?!? But it’s a Saturday!”
There is a centuries long tradition during Advent called the “Rorate Mass.” These Masses are generally offered during Advent on Saturdays, the customary day to honor the Blessed Virgin.
Mass begins in the darkness before dawn. Remember, Advent is a penitential season after all.
BELOIT — Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) Parish will celebrate Lessons and Carols on Saturday, Jan. 3, beginning at 7 p.m. in the church, 2222 Shopiere Rd.
The 30-voice OLA Parish Choir, under the direction of Randy Gracyalny, will be joined by instrumentalists from the parish and area to provide an uplifting prayer and musical experience.
One of the most commonly-used words during the Advent season, as everyone looks ahead to Christmas, is “tradition.”
MADISON — Preserving a long-standing tradition recently in doubt, the Madison Diocesan Choir returns to the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center Sunday, Dec. 21, for a Festival of Lessons and Carols, a joyful celebration featuring wind instruments and reaffirming the choir’s music ministry in service to the diocese.
Months ago, the choir and its director, Dr. Patrick Gorman, were in search of a new home, a daunting challenge. With plans to convert the former seminary into a housing development, the choir required not only a place to store its music, but one large enough for weekly rehearsals. The choir has more than 70 active members from parishes throughout the diocese.
JEFFERSON — For the average UW-Madison student in his or her 20s, a bike ride from College Library to his or her apartment just off University Ave. is a little more than one mile. Getting from that Point A to Point B can seem like a long ride.
Multiply that ride by about 200. That’s what one man, along with friends and family, did this past summer as a way to get closer to the Blessed Mother.
Chris Pundzak is a 27-year-old volunteer at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse. For the second year in a row, he biked from The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians at Holy Hill in Hubertus, near Milwaukee, to the shrine in La Crosse.
