News from around the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison.
MADISON — “It was a defining moment of my life. God was leading me to care of the dying,” said Tom Moreland, founder and CEO of Saint Jude Hospice, in a recent interview.
Moreland was talking about his work with the Missionaries of Charity at an AIDS Hospice in San Francisco, Calif. He served there for two summers while he was an undergraduate student at the University of Kansas.
MADISON — The Catholic apostolate, Pro Labore Dei (for the Labor of God), has been feeding the homeless in downtown Madison since September of 2003.
 |
|
A vicar forane, sometimes called a dean, is a priest appointed by the bishop in order to promote a common pastoral activity in a region of the diocese and to provide spiritual and pastoral counsel to the other priests in that region.
The term “vicar forane” comes from Latin, meaning a representative (vicarius) who is outside (foras), because these priests were considered representatives of the bishop outside of the cathedral city. The office of vicar forane probably dates back to the fourth century when Christianity began to spread beyond the major cities to rural areas. Seeing the need to send representatives to these communities which had embraced the faith, bishops would send an “archpriest” with special delegation and responsibilities to act as a kind of overseer in the region who also was in charge of communication between the bishop and the local priests.
The 1917 Code of Canon Law mandated the establishment of vicars forane in every diocese. However, the understanding of this office experienced a pastoral renewal in the period following the Second Vatican Council. The fathers of the Second Vatican Council saw the vicar forane as a preeminently pastoral office, as a way to bring presbyters together in order to promote and direct a common pastoral activity in their territory. The 1973 directory for bishops likewise affirms the pastoral nature of the office and speaks of the vicar forane as one who animates and enlivens the local presbytery in pastoral action.
MADISON — Despite his fatigue from the exhausting journey (his flights from Rome lasted over 17 hours and covered approximately 5,000 miles), Fr. John Putzer smiled broadly as he exited the terminal at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison on Thursday, Sept. 20. Descending the staircase with a noticeable spring in his step, he took in his surroundings and exclaimed, “It’s good to be back!”
COLUMBUS — Elizabeth A. Larson, MD, is a Catholic physician who will bring her beliefs into her work in Columbus. Dr. Larson will be opening her own independent practice in family medicine with a focus in obstetrics in Columbus starting on October 15.
 |
|
| Coordinators discuss the “rules of the road” for the Madison 40 Days for Life vigil at the kick-off celebration in Pine Bluff on September 26. (Catholic Herald photo/Kat Wagner) |
PINE BLUFF — On September 26 in cities across the globe, people began to pray earnestly for an end to abortion. This prayer, along with fasting and community outreach, will be constant for the next 40 days.
At 316 locations in 49 states and the District of Columbia, in seven Canadian provinces, and in four countries including Uganda, people will hold vigil for the 40 Days for Life through November 4. Forty-six of these campaigns are being held for the first time.
Here in the Diocese of Madison, a kickoff celebration was held at St. Mary Church in Pine Bluff, nine hours after the campaign officially began at the Planned Parenthood location on Madison’s east side.
The local campaign, organized by Madison Vigil for Life, has been ongoing since 2005. This year is the first in the leadership role for volunteer president Bette Weisshaar, but she said that though there have been worries and concerns, volunteers are coming forward, more parishes are getting involved, and hours are getting filled, even if they are filled sometimes last-minute.
MADISON — This coming weekend, dioceses all over the country will be celebrating Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 7, where as Catholics we join together to acknowledge and profess the inestimable value of each and every human being from the moment of conception to natural death.
Life expectancy has risen dramatically in the last two centuries. Trends now show that people are living longer and healthier lives. “People who turn 65 today have a lot of years ahead of them,” Dr. Dorothy Farrar Edwards told those attending the recent Catholic Charities Aging Conference held at the Bishop O’Connor Center.
This year’s Rural Life Day on September 18 was, unlike much of the harvest season that has preceded it, a day of perfect weather: pleasant temperatures, just a touch of rain that passed over the area, and otherwise blue skies.
A reverent silence is difficult for anyone to achieve, but with more than 3,000 students from middle school and high school filling the seats and stands in the vast Alliant Energy Center’s Exhibition Hall in Madison, it was something extraordinary.
