MADISON — Ann Walsh was selected as the Irish Person of the Year by the Dane County Shamrock Club. She will be honored at the club’s Irish flag ceremony in the Capitol rotunda, 2 E. Main St., at 12 noon on Sunday, March 15; at the St. Patrick’s Day parade following the flag ceremony; and again at the club’s St. Patrick’s Day dinner on March 22. These events are open to the public.
Category: News
Food Fair and Farmers’ Market
REEDSBURG — To support local growers and educate the public about sustainably-grown and locally produced foods, the Justice and Peace Commission of diocesan cluster 350 is holding its fifth annual Food Fair and Farmers’ Market on Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sacred Heart School gym, 624 N. Willow St. in Reedsburg.
There will be vendors with everything from beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and fish to vegetables, mushrooms, seeds, preserves, cheese, bakery goods, maple syrup, honey, chocolates, and much more.
Pregnancy Helpline fundraiser
MADISON — Pregnancy […]
Students fill St. Paul’s on Ash Wednesday
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| Frs. Eric Nielsen and Mark Miller distribute ashes at St. Paul University Catholic Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Ash Wednesday is the busiest day of the year at St. Paul’s with over 1,900 students attending Mass. (Contributed photo) |
MADISON — The marquee on Library Mall read, “Get your ash to Mass.” And get to Mass they did.
When Ash Wednesday comes around at St. Paul University Catholic Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, it’s all hands on deck.
Our liturgical rotation on Ash Wednesday included three priests, five sacristans, eight altar servers, 10 lectors, dozens of choir members, and 17 ashes-distributors for our five Masses.
Busiest day of year
We needed all the hands we could get. With students typically going back home for Christmas and Easter, Ash Wednesday is by far the busiest day of the year in the St. Paul’s chapel.
This year, over 1,900 students came through our doors to be told that they are dust and to dust they shall return. That number is about double the attendance of a typical Sunday.
Why so popular?
We’re still not sure what makes this day more popular than any Sunday or holy days of obligation.
Apparently, being repeatedly asked the question, “Excuse me, did you know you have dirt on your face?” at every class throughout the day is no deterrent to these students.
More likely, it’s an incentive. The fact that so many hundreds of students on campus would sooner claim Catholicism as an identity than to practice it by, for example, fulfilling the Sunday obligation is an indication that the Catholic brand is alive and well here.
This has major implications for the New Evangelization. It means that more people of the Millennial generation than we might think are willing to give the Catholic faith a chance, but have never discovered a reason to become fully alive in that faith and to actively seek a nearer approach to God.
Love each other, don’t fight advice from couple married 76 years
MIDDLETON — On February 11, 1939, the start of World War II was more than six months away, the movie Stagecoach — John Wayne’s breakthrough role — was days away from premiering in New York and Los Angeles, and the Catholic Church mourned the death of Pope Pius XI, who died the day before.
The world, in many ways, has changed since then. One thing that has stayed in the same in the past 76 years is the love between Veronica and Donald Harrop.
Natural Family Planning classes offered in diocese
MADISON — The Couple to Couple League (CCL) will offer classes on the sympto-thermal method of Natural Family Planning (NFP) at several locations this winter and spring.
Each course is taught by a married couple who are certified NFP instructors. The main NFP course is offered in a three-part series.
Mobile fertility tracking
CCL now offers on-the-go mobile fertility tracking, CycleProGo, which allows couples to chart electronically, record fertility symptoms, and determine the fertile and infertile times of the cycle.
All those who register for a CCL course will receive a free 90-day trial of fertility tracking with CycleProGo.
Postpartum classes
Postpartum classes are scheduled and offered by appointment throughout the year. A postpartum class is designed to provide specific information on how to interpret fertility signs during the transitional stage between childbirth and the return of normal fertility cycles.
Couples interested in taking a postpartum class need to complete a CCL main NFP course or be concurrently enrolled in a main course or a CCL home study or virtual online course.Bishop Morlino approves proceeding with Bishop O’Connor Center redevelopment project
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| The Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison, formerly Holy Name Seminary, will be transformed into a multi-family housing community. (Catholic Herald file photo) |
MADISON — After consulting with diocesan boards, Bishop Robert C. Morlino has approved going forward with the proposed redevelopment project for the Bishop O’Connor Center (BOC).
Bishop Morlino met with the Diocesan Finance Council and College of Consultors (priests charged with advising the bishop) on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20 and 21, respectively. The attendees of each body unanimously consented under canon law to authorize Bishop Morlino to make a decision on whether to proceed with the redevelopment project as proposed by Gorman & Company.
After these meetings concluded, Bishop Morlino approved proceeding with the project for the Bishop O’Connor Center as a mixed-use project, including 53 market-rate residential apartments and commercial space that includes religious use by the Diocese of Madison, Catholic Charities, Catholic Herald, Relevant Radio, and Catholic Mutual.
Msgr. James Bartylla, vicar general of the diocese, commented, “The redevelopment project for the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center allows the Diocese of Madison to reduce its occupancy costs as it remains at an historical site that maintains the legacy of Holy Name Seminary and preserves the Catholic identity of a beautiful campus on the west side of Madison that appeals to the community and the neighborhood.
“The project will offer its apartment residents a unique living environment in a historical building renewed with modern improvements and conveniences amidst a stunning park-like landscape with convenient access to the shops and amenities of the west side of Madison.”
‘Principal for the Day’
On Friday, Feb. 6, Max Jonas walked the halls of St. Joseph School in Fort Atkinson, gussied up in a dress shirt, tie, and sport coat, like any school principal would — checking in on all the classrooms, greeting students and staff, and also helping out in gym class.
Rite of Election, Call to Continuing Conversion
WAUNAKEE — The Rite of Election of Catechumens and Call to Continuing Conversion for Candidates for Full Communion in the Catholic Church will be celebrated by the parishes of the Diocese of Madison on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church in Waunakee.
‘Battle Ready Rally’ to be held in three locations in diocese
MADISON — The Wisconsin State Council of the Knights of Columbus is sponsoring the “Battle Ready Rally” in Wisconsin featuring Doug Barry, founder of RADIX and co-host of EWTN’s Life on the Rock.
The rallies — for men, women, and children ages seven and older — are described as helping people to become “aware of, prepare for, and engage in the spiritual fight.”