Twelfth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
Fr. Jim McEnery was ordained to the priesthood on May 14, 1953, along with classmates August Buenzli and Tom Massion, by Bishop William P. O’Connor.
Category: News
Catholics at the Capitol 2021 goes virtual
MADISON — Due to the current pandemic and numerous factors affecting individuals’ ability to travel and gather, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) is announcing the cancellation of the Catholics at the Capitol in-person event scheduled for Wednesday, April 21, 2021. However, in lieu of the in-person event, the WCC is sponsoring a free virtual advocacy day on April 21 and has just opened the online registration: www.wisconsincatholic.org/catholics-at-the-capitol
“Catholics at the Capitol is something that we and our Catholic partners have regularly hosted for 20 years,” said WCC Executive Director Kim Vercauteren. “We’re going to miss having Catholics come together from all over Wisconsin for this day of prayer, fellowship, and advocacy. However, it remains vitally important that policymakers hear from the faithful during these challenging times. We wanted to make certain that the collective Catholic voice was still present and heard at the State Capitol.”
State bishops warn of harm to First Amendment freedoms under Equality Act
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MADISON — Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops have issued a letter urging the faithful to actively oppose H.R. 5, a federal bill that if signed into law would dramatically limit First Amendment freedoms, especially the free exercise of religion. Known as the Equality Act, H.R. 5 would alter provisions of the federal Civil Rights Act, adding “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as categories of people protected from discrimination.
The Catholic bishops of Wisconsin affirmed that “every person is made in the image of God and must be treated with respect and compassion. Individuals have a right to live free of discrimination or harassment.”
Nevertheless, the bishops explain that the Equality Act actually fosters inequity and intolerance. “As Catholics, we are called to shield individuals from discrimination, accompany the vulnerable, and be a voice for the voiceless. However, the Equality Act would require religious entities to abandon the very principles of faith that undergird their ministry and service. Under the Equality Act, ministries would not be able to acknowledge the biological reality of male and female.”Edgewood teacher aids in developing app to assess school readiness and dyslexia risk
MADISON — “If there ever was a year to say no, this was the year,” said Kim VanBrocklin, a kindergarten teacher at Edgewood Campus School in Madison who spent part of the fall semester of 2020 piloting the new APPRISE app with her students.
But neither VanBrocklin nor Principal Anne Palzkill let the pandemic get in the way of the way of helping researchers to develop a new tool to identify children at risk for developing dyslexia and other reading disabilities before they start struggling in school.
St. Ambrose Academy presents Singin’ in the Rain
MADISON — Sold out. Filled to capacity. Past St. Ambrose Academy (SAA) musical productions like Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, and The Sound of Music have drawn full-house crowds.
SAA student actors have built a reputation for excellent, entertaining musicals that frequently earn Jerry nominations and awards for their on-stage and behind-the-scenes talent.
Latest show
But, what about the latest SAA show, Singin’ in the Rain?Leadership change at SSM Health of Wisconsin
MADISON — After seven years leading SSM Health’s operations in Wisconsin, Damond Boatwright will be leaving the organization to become CEO of Illinois-based Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS).
Boatwright will lead the system’s nearly 2,300 physician partners and more than 13,000 associate staff in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Boatwright joined SSM Health in 2014 as the Wisconsin Regional President of Hospital Operations.New Holy Name Seminary completed by 1965
Eleventh in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
Holy Name Seminary in Madison was completed by 1965. The $4 million structure was dedicated on June 10, 1965.
In its second full year in Madison, the student body included four years of high school and two years of college. The seminarians found a modern building with a special concept in learning.
Unit system
The building was planned on a unit system, a concept whereby the student body is broken up into small groups, each under the direct supervision of a priest or unit moderator who lives at the end of his unit’s corridor.
Make Sundays special/Haz del Domingo un día especial
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| St. Thomas Aquinas parishioner Carol making a delivery of the home altar kit./Miembro parroquial de Santo Tomás de Aquino entregando el paquete del altar de la casa. (Photo by St. Thomas Aquinas Parish/Fotos por el Parroquia de Santo Tomás de Aquino) |
MADISON — “If you want to drain Christianity of its power, drain Sunday of its meaning and practice.”
Recently Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison has urged us to reclaim Sundays as a day for us to spend time nurturing our relationships with God, family, and friends.
As the bishop says, they are meant to be “days free of servile work, dedicated to worship, prayer, time spent with family and friends, rest, study and works of charity.” (Go Make Disciples newsletter, September 2020)
Sunday is a gift to us from God. And in the midst of the many stressors and challenges of the last year, it is clear that we need that gift more than ever.
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison has focused its evangelization efforts using the tagline of “Love God. Love Others. Make Disciples.”
Since launching the Make Sundays Special initiative at Advent, that tagline has been a useful way of introducing ways for households of all types to make Sundays special.
Here are some examples, included in a bilingual booklet that was mailed to all parish households.
Make Sundays special by loving God
Going to Mass is key to loving God and letting God love us.
The high point of our week as Catholics is the celebration of the Sunday Mass.How will Holy Week be different this year?
The holiest week of the year — the days from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday — are quickly approaching.
Last year our churches were closed. These liturgies were celebrated with a priest and a handful of ministers.
This year congregations will be present, but certain parts of the Holy Week liturgies may look differently because of the pandemic.Walking with moms in need
MADISON — Along with so many other problems increased by the COVID-19 pandemic, many services for women seeking help with their pregnancies have been stretched very thin.
An inspiring new effort is taking place across the United States, to discover, share, and create new resources to help women and their families when they are in need during a difficult or unexpected pregnancy.
The U.S. bishops started a unifying and heart-warming task in 2019. It is called “Walking with Moms in Need.”