Category: Editorial

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Protect pain-capable unborn children

Our society today seems to be obsessed with controlling pain. Most people experiencing pain of any kind run for the nearest bottle of pain-relieving pills to stop their discomfort.

There are also people who protest the supposed pain felt by animals in scientific research (there is disagreement over how much pain animals actually feel during experiments). And there are those who don’t like farm animals to be raised in environments which cause them pain and distress.

Unborn babies’ pain

But where is the outcry about the pain experienced by unborn babies during an abortion procedure? We don’t hear much about their pain.

Yet, there is growing medical evidence that unborn children do feel pain at 20 weeks or more of gestation. It’s not surprising that a child dismembered in the womb would feel pain.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Show respect and care for our seniors

May is a busy month filled with many special occasions and observances, from Mother’s Day to Memorial Day — and many graduations inbetween.

Since the 13th century, the Catholic Church has dedicated the month of May to Mary, our Blessed Mother. In May of 2002, St. John Paul II said, “In accord with a long-standing tradition of devotion, parishes and families continue to make the month of May a ‘Marian’ month, celebrating it with many devout liturgical, catechetical, and pastoral initiatives.”

Since Mary is the mother to all of us, I’m sure she would encourage us to cherish all members of our families, especially those in their later years of life.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Remember our deceased veterans

Several years ago, I made my first visit to Arlington National Cemetery. I had a specific destination: to visit the grave of one of our deceased neighbors.

She had served as a nurse during World War II and met her husband during the war. They decided to be buried at Arlington.

However, when she died, her husband was not able to attend the burial ceremony there because of his age and health. I happened to be traveling to Washington, D.C., for a meeting, so I told him I would visit her grave and take pictures.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Keep Serra statue in U.S. Capitol

Just when Pope Francis plans to canonize Blessed Junipero Serra on September 23 during his visit to the United States this year, the California Senate voted April 12 to replace Serra’s statue in the U.S. Capitol with a statue of the astronaut Sally Ride.

The vote must still be approved by the California Assembly and by Governor Jerry Brown.

Statue in Capitol since 1934

Each state can place two statues of its important citizens in the U.S. Capitol. The statue of Serra has been in the Capitol since 1934. The other California statue is of former President Ronald Reagan.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Let’s do more to encourage motherhood

As we look forward to celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10, it is an opportunity to reflect on motherhood.

Motherhood is something we take for granted. After all, we wouldn’t be here if our mothers didn’t give us life. Yet, motherhood is not a given in society today, especially in our country.

In 2012, I wrote in my “Editor’s View” column that the number of births in the United States had been dropping. Is that trend continuing?

Yes, it is! In checking on statistics for births, I found that our country continues to experience a decline in births. The last statistics I found cover the number of births for the 12-month period ending in June of 2013. That number was 3,932,181, down from the count of 3,952,841 in 2012. This continues the decline in the number of births from the all-time high of 4,316,233 in 2007.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Pray for wisdom for the Supreme Court

On April 28, the Supreme Court of the United States began taking up the issue of same-sex marriage.

We’ve been hearing plenty of comments from people on this issue, from those who support the marriage of one man and one woman and states’ rights to define marriage to those who want same-sex marriage approved across the country.

People often react emotionally when talking about marriage, but I think we need to take time to study the issues before the Supreme Court and what they mean.

We also should consider what the Catholic Church teaches and be able to talk about our beliefs calmly in conversations about marriage.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Cardinal leaves legacy of faith, courage, wisdom

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

Cardinal Francis George’s episcopal motto was: Christo gloria in ecclesia (To Christ Be Glory in the Church).

Cardinal George dedicated his life to Christ and His Church. However, it wasn’t an easy life, which is probably why Cardinal George felt such compassion for other people.

At age 13, Cardinal George suffered from polio. He said the disease left him “a captive in my own body.”

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Some shocking news — and what to do about it

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

Wisconsin has long held a reputation as a great place to live and work. We are known for providing an excellent education for people at all levels, along with good jobs and a safe place to live.

Our state prizes the values of opportunity, responsibility, family, and community, pointed out a speaker at a break-out session at the Catholics at the Capitol legislative conference held on April 8 in Madison.

Ken Taylor, executive director of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, said there are many good things happening in our state.

Shocking news

He also shared some shocking news.

Data published in April of this year reveals that Wisconsin has the highest unemployment rate for black people in our country at 19.9 percent. By contrast, less than five percent of white people are unemployed in Wisconsin.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Make ’em believe!

The theme for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team has been “Make ’em believe.”

When they lost to Kentucky in the Final Four last year, most of the team (minus Ben Brust who graduated) came back to try to achieve their dream of becoming national champions.

They wanted people to believe that they could win that title, along with other goals of being conference champions in the regular season and post-season tournament.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Help support places where Jesus walked

As we prepare to begin Holy Week, our thoughts and prayers turn to what happened in Jerusalem during Our Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection.

We will be reliving the events of that week during the liturgies of Holy Week in our churches. It is a special time for us as Christians, and hopefully we will attend as many services as we can.

Reliving Holy Week

During Holy Week, we may envision what happened in Jerusalem: Jesus’ triumphal arrival with palms waving, his last supper with his apostles, his suffering and death on a cross. We may see these events as part of history, viewing them almost with a sense of nostalgia.

However, our faith makes us realize that these events are not only in the past. We reenact them every year — and every day of our lives — as we journey with Jesus in the triumphs, crosses, deaths, and resurrections we face.

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