Category: News

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The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

National Vocation Awareness Week, November 1-7

Vocations Week
Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison speaks to diocesan seminarians during this year’s Seminarian Gathering held at Camp Gray in Reedsburg. (Contributed photo)

WASHINGTON — The Catholic Church in the United States will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week on November 1-7.

This annual weeklong celebration is an opportunity for dioceses and parishes in the United States to uphold and promote vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and Consecrated Life and encourage the faithful to renew their prayerful support for those currently discerning one of these calls.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unforeseen challenges in the lives of many throughout the country.

Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, offered that these current challenges provide an opportunity for genuine discernment fully rooted and dependent upon Christ.

“These unusual and difficult times have brought much uncertainty and fear into our lives, but we know in faith that Christ’s powerful hand extends over all of us in mercy. I invite those discerning a vocation to use this time to prayerfully renew your love for Christ and recognize your complete dependence upon Him who loves and calls you uniquely,” he said.

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Carolyn Averill, For the Catholic Herald

St. Ambrose Academy to host extraordinary virtual benefit dinner

MADISON — On Saturday, Dec. 12, St. Ambrose Academy (SAA) is bringing the party to you.

We’re taking our annual gala virtual with the See the Joy Benefit Dinner @ Home Edition. And we invite you to host a watch party and join the fun!

Not just a Zoom conference

This is not just some Zoom conference though.

Instead of coming to a downtown Madison venue, you and your guests will gather at your home (or someone else’s!) to enjoy an interactive experience that will bring in a taste of the joyful, social atmosphere that is a hallmark of each SAA Benefit Dinner, which annually welcomes 600 or more friends and supporters.

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Catholic Herald Staff

40 Days for Life closing prayer vigil on November 1

MADISON — “As 40 peaceful days of prayer, fasting, vigil, and outreach draw to a conclusion, we will meet at Planned Parenthood, 3706 Orin Rd., Madison, on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. to rejoice in the victories that God has accomplished,” said Gwen Finnegan, who is coordinating the 40 Days for Life campaign in Madison.

Some of the highlights of the current campaign include:

• More than 40 churches working together

• 500-plus volunteers contributing 1,920 hours of service to the community

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Catholic Herald Staff

Rural Life Listening Sessions to be held

NOTE: The first Rural Life Listening Session scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, in Highland has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No decisions have been made yet on other scheduled sessions in November. A session in Iowa County will be rescheduled sometime after January 1.

The Diocese of Madison Rural Life Ministry is coordinating listening sessions in all 11 counties, so that Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison and diocesan leaders can better understand the blessings and challenges of our rural communities.

We watch with great concern the crises our farmers face, especially the loss of family farms, financial failure, plunging dairy and meat prices, and increasing costs of production, all the while being more productive than ever-before.

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Jane Lepeska Grinde, Catholic Herald Correspondent

Cookie making adapts to current situation

Cookie Making
Good Shepherd parishioners J.P. Fedele and Eileen Alt, above, work the new machine that is being used this year for producing pfeffernuesse cookies.
(Photo by Jane Lepeska Grinde)

MADISON — Rather than a St. James Church basement full of “holy rollers” this fall, only six people are working each of the three weekly shifts to produce the traditional pfeffernuesse cookies sold at the annual fall festival.

For the first time in the 44 years of producing pfeffernuesse, the cookies are being “spit” out of a machine onto the large cookie sheets.

No hand rolling this year

“No hand rolling this year,” said the bulletin announcement to the disappointment of many of the regulars who enjoyed the time for socializing.

The machine, ordered online and previously used by a bakery, took some getting used to, said Paul Scott who oversees the cooking operation.

The machine temporarily replaces one that is a specially rigged sausage maker that produces ropes of dough that are then pushed through a special wire grating for rolling into nicely shaped balls.

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Ron Faust, For the Catholic Herald

State Knights congratulate grant recipients

MADISON — The Wisconsin Knights of Columbus thanks all the Madison area recipients of the grants, distributed on October 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, for applying for the 2020 State Culture of Life Grant Fund.

The Knights consider it an honor to participate in this way in the life-affirming work of the worthy recipients.

Working together, the Wisconsin Knights of Columbus raised more than $105,000 to provide grants to numerous pro-life agencies throughout the state to help fulfill our shared mission — cultivating a culture of life.

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Rosary Rally in downtown Madison

Madison Rosary Rally
Fr. Grant Thies, parochial administrator of St. Peter Parish in Madison, leads the Benediction during the second “Unite” Rosary Rally in Madison on October 11. Nearly 1,000 people came out for the peaceful afternoon of prayer. (Catholic Herald photo/Joe Ptak)

MADISON — In the midst of protests, conflicts over the upcoming election, and a range of varying reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was time for some peace and prayer.

Nearly 1,000 people came out to downtown Madison for those moments of peace and prayer during the second “Unite” Rosary Rally on October 11.

The first rally was on August 15 and brought out more than 3,000 people.

The day also marked the conclusion of a 54-day Rosary Novena that started the same day as the previous rally.

There was an emphasis that the event was not a political event, but a prayer event, despite the closeness to the election and the State Capitol.

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Jill McNally, For the Catholic Herald

Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe

The countries in Central and Eastern Europe have faced a century of hardship. They have been oppressed by radical communism, horrendous crimes against humanity, and revolutionary, civil, and world wars.

Under communism, religion and religious practices were openly persecuted, and atheism was actively propagated and enforced.

Control of every aspect of life was taken over by totalitarian governments and the communist party, and civil society and the economy were deconstructed.

Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991, Central and Eastern European countries have been working to rebuild their political structures, social welfare, economies, and their religious life.

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