Editorial – Page 47 – Madison Catholic Herald

Our three new priests in the Diocese of Madison seem to be following trends, according to a survey of priests being ordained in the United States this year.

Fr. Vincent Brewer, one of our newly ordained priests, has a degree in technical communication management and worked in the telecommunications industry before he entered the seminary. He attended Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass., which prepares candidates for the priesthood between the ages of 30 and 60.

Another of our new priests, Fr. Stephen Petrica, was ordained an Anglican priest and decided to enter the Catholic Church. He then sought to become a Catholic priest and was accepted by the Diocese of Madison. He studied at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.

Our third newest priest, Fr. Garrett Kau, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He did not follow the later vocation path, since he became involved at St. Paul’s University Catholic Center at the university. He attended a men’s retreat featuring a panel of priests speaking about their vocations. After that, he looked into Church vocations and “decided to take the plunge” and apply for seminary studies.

Called at later ages

By and large, the age of men feeling the call to the priesthood is gradually increasing, as reported in a new study released by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and reported in an article by Catholic News Service.

The Eucharist — Believe it: We truly encounter Jesus’ presence

During this Year of Faith, the Catholic Church is asking all of us to reflect on various aspects of our faith and its meaning in our daily lives.

When Pope Benedict XVI talked about the reasons for calling for a Year of Faith, he said that one of his considerations was that it would provide an opportunity “to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, which is the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed and also the source from which all its power flows” (Porta Fidei).

Pope Benedict’s words are actually taken from a document of the Second Vatican Council called Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, which calls the Eucharist “the source and summit of Christian life.”

Christ is really present in the Eucharist

Our Catholic faith teaches us that Jesus Christ is really present in the Eucharist. At the Last Supper Jesus changed bread and wine into his body and blood. This is a key doctrine of our faith.

What is sad is that surveys have shown that many Catholics do not believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Some only believe that the bread and wine are symbols, not the real body and blood of Christ.

Spreading joy: Pope Francis leads the way in showing us how to do it

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

It’s his smile. That’s what we have noticed especially about our new Holy Father, Pope Francis. His smile literally lights up St. Peter’s Square — and that’s a big place!

It’s not that our previous popes haven’t exuded happiness. They did show us joy, too. But Pope Francis has been unusually open in approaching people, walking right up to them in the crowds, touching people and picking up children (I’m sure his security staff is pretty nervous at times).

I think his joy his contagious. People have been responding to him in person and have been enjoying watching videos. Catholic News Service has posted some wonderful videos of Pope Francis interacting with people of all ages. Some of these videos can be found on the Catholic Herald website (www.madisoncatholicherald.org) on the home page. If you haven’t watched these videos, I encourage you to take a look. You will come away smiling.

Pray for an end to abortion

After hearing Fr. […]

On May 9, 2013February 15, 2022

Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Praying for peace: Imploring Our Blessed Mother’s intercession

Our country and our world continue to experience violence, war, and unrest every day. This past month we’ve witnessed acts of terrorism in the United States and abroad, along with murders, kidnapping, and bombings in many parts of the globe.

May is the month traditionally dedicated to Mary, Our Blessed Mother. She has been called the “Queen of Peace,” so it might behoove us to implore her intercession for peace in our world.

Encyclical issued in 1965

On April 29, 1965, Pope Paul VI issued an encyclical called Mense Maio, “The Month of May,” which was dedicated to the “preservation of peace.” The document was published five months after the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council’s Apostolic Constitution, Lumen Gentium. It has been said that the political struggle with communism was the underlying cause for Pope Paul VI writing this encyclical, which still resonates with us today.

In this encyclical, the Holy Father said, “Our heart rejoices at the thought of the moving tribute of faith and love which will soon be paid to the Queen of Heaven in every corner of the earth. For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”

Conscience rights: Urge Congress to protect religious liberty in health care

Over 56,000 people joined me in contacting their members of Congress about the importance of protecting conscience rights in health care. We were responding to an appeal from the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment (NCHLA).

The NCHLA is urging us to continue to fight for conscience protection under the Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012.

Challenging provisions of Affordable Care Act

Catholic dioceses, as well as Catholic and other religious nonprofit organizations and businesses, have filed lawsuits challenging the mandate that is part of the Affordable Care Act.

Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, said in a statement reported by Catholic News Service (CNS) that the goal of these litigants is “nothing less than securing the freedom of the Church to continue to obey the Lord’s command — and, in turn, to serve the common good — by providing charitable ministries in health care, education, and service to the poor, all without compromising Catholic beliefs.”

School choice voucher program should be expanded in Wisconsin

My husband and I chose to send our children to Catholic schools. We were able to afford the tuition to make that choice, while at the same time paying taxes to support public school education.

We were fortunate to be able to choose the schools we wanted for our children, but not everyone has the financial resources to make that choice. Although Catholic schools provide much financial aid, there are still families that can’t afford to send their children to a Catholic school.

Milwaukee Parental Choice Program

Twenty-three years ago, Wisconsin did something about that problem by starting the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. This program provides state-paid tuition vouchers to enable low-income students to enroll in private schools in the City of Milwaukee. The program, which has survived legal challenges in the Wisconsin and U.S. Supreme Courts, began operation in 1990 with about 340 students.

At first the Milwaukee program only provided vouchers for students attending private nonsectarian schools. However, in 1995 it was expanded to allow vouchers for children attending religious schools. It was stipulated that a school must excuse a student from participation in any religious instruction or activity at the request of the child’s parent or guardian (very few people have taken this option).

Curbing gun violence: Treat ownership of guns more like ownership of cars

Parents of children killed in the December 14, 2012, Newtown, Conn., massacre have been giving powerful testimony to legislators on proposed tougher gun laws at public hearings in their own state and elsewhere.

At a hearing in Connecticut, Veronique Pozner said of her son, “Noah was our six-year-old force of nature.” Noah was one of 20 first-graders killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

“He lies forever motionless in the earth. He will never get to attend middle school or high school, kiss a girl, attend college, pick a career path, fall in love, marry, have children, or travel the world,” his mother said.

It is indeed sad that these children were killed by a man who obtained a gun from his own home. The lives of these 20 children and so many other people in our country have been snuffed out by people wielding guns.

How can we deal with this situation? There are many issues involved, including our Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. In my mind, this refers more to the military defense of our country, but, of course, it can also apply to self-defense. However, I don’t believe that ordinary citizens need assault weapons to protect themselves.

On April 11, 2013February 15, 2022

Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Story of last man guillotined: Inspires us to work for an end to the death penalty

Diocese of Madison seminarian Tyler Dickinson has the lead role in a play called Saved by the Guillotine, which tells the story of Jacques Fesch, the last man sentenced to the guillotine in France. He was beheaded on October 1, 1957.

When I heard the year was 1957, I thought I misunderstood! Was this the right century? After all, the French Revolution happened from 1789 to 1799. We remember hearing about people yelling “off with their heads” during this time in history. Apparently it continued much longer.

The story of Jacques Fesch reminds us of why we should oppose the death penalty. Fesch did commit a murder, although it was not premeditated. His lawyer argued in court that no crime merits another crime.

On April 4, 2013February 15, 2022

Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Let your voice be heard: Contact your elected officials on important issues

Being an active citizen doesn’t end with voting. If we are truly concerned about the direction our country is taking at the state and federal levels, we should keep in touch with our elected officials between elections.

John Huebscher of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference wrote a recent “Eye on the Capitol” column encouraging state citizens to give attend and/or give testimony at budget hearings held at our state Capitol.

On the national level, there are important issues being addressed, too. Sometimes it may seem that the opinion of one person doesn’t matter. However, I think it is important to make sure our elected officials know where we stand. Perhaps one person can make a difference. Or one person combined with many others with the same opinion can change a senator’s or congressional representative’s mind.