A new federal mandate on health care coverage is posing a threat to the religious freedom of Church-affiliated employers, including Catholic hospitals, universities, and charitable institutions.
Health insurance plans are being required to provide reproductive services for women including contraceptives and sterilization procedures, as well as for drugs that may cause an abortion both before and after implantation.
Soon millions of students from pre-school through college will be heading back to school. Many of them will be walking, riding their bikes, or taking the bus to and from school.
I can still remember walking about eight blocks to Blessed Sacrament School in La Crosse (we did get car rides in bad weather) when I was in grade school. When I was older, I was able to ride my bicycle.
Recently I had the privilege of attending the 150th anniversary Mass at Holy Redeemer Parish in Perry.
This is a small country parish located about 28 miles from my home in Madison. I especially enjoyed driving through the beautiful countryside to get to Holy Redeemer Church, which is located up a hill in the middle of a farming area. There is no town around this church, just fields of corn and other crops, mixed in with some cows and sheep.
Nearly 80 young people from the Diocese of Madison are traveling this month to Spain for World Youth Day (WYD) 2011.
Pope John Paul II started World Youth Day in 1985 as a gathering of youth and young adults for prayer, worship, and celebration of the Catholic faith. The event is observed every three years at an international level.
For those who can’t attend WYD in person, there are other ways to participate and stay in touch with our pilgrims. One way is to join the Virtual Pilgrimage on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VirtualWorldYouthDay
Several things have been bothering me since I heard about the recommendation that the government require coverage of contraceptives in all health plans in our country.
On July 19, the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Preventive Services for Women made public a list of recommendations to the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This department has the responsibility to decide which health services will be mandated under the new national health reform law.
The 16-member panel said that all women of reproductive age should have access to “the full range of Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling.” If approved by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, these practices would be mandated for all insurance plans — both public and private — without any co-pays.
In other words, birth control will be provided free of charge. This recommendation is ill-conceived (no pun intended) on so many fronts. It boggles the mind!
Cell phones are really beginning to annoy me. They ring loudly at the most inappropriate times (during Mass is the worst), they interrupt conversations, and they keep people from face-to-face communication.
I have to admit it’s not the cell phones’ fault — it’s their users who are the problem. Some people seem to be addicted to their cell phones. They can’t put them down, even while they’re driving a car or pushing a cart in the supermarket.
Yes, cell phones are a handy means of communication. I initially got mine primarily to use in emergencies. I do use it more often now, especially since I can access my e-mail from my iPhone. However, my cell phone is not tethered to my ear. It’s not a life-support system. I turn it off when I’m in church and at most meetings. I don’t use it during get-togethers with family and friends.
It was so refreshing to see Rory McIlroy win this year’s U.S. Open golf tournament in Bethesda, Md.
Of course, we would always like to have an American win this coveted trophy. But being of Irish descent myself, I was pleased to see McIlroy triumph.
In his first win in a major golf tournament, he broke 12 records. He is the youngest player to win the Open since Bobby Jones in 1923.
In June of 1986, Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell announced that Msgr. Andrew R. Breines was retiring as editor of the Catholic Herald and he named me as the new editor. I am only the second editor in the 63-year history of the Diocese of Madison’s official newspaper, since Monsignor Breines served in that capacity for 38 years. I might not match his longevity!
My first editorial thanked my predecessor for his many years of faithful service. I said Monsignor Breines “was always cautious to avoid the easy labels of ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ often used in the secular media. His writing illuminated without polarizing and attempted to show various sides of complex issues while remaining true to those Church teachings which are clear and unambiguous.”
I pledged that our paper would continue “to enlighten and educate as it has done under his leadership.” Hopefully I have done that over the past 25 years in a time of continuing change in the Church, world, and publishing business.
All of us have special memories of our fathers (at least I hope so). I especially treasure the memories of my own father, who died when I was just 16 years old.
Even though he had a busy job as a teacher, my dad always spent time with me and my sister. I can remember when he got down on the floor and played jacks with us. That was at a time when not many fathers played with their children!
This is the time of year when new priests and deacons are normally ordained. It naturally follows that many priests and deacons also celebrate their anniversaries of ordination.
We know many married couples, too, who are observing wedding anniversaries. Isn’t it wonderful to see couples married 25, 40, 50, and even 60 years or more who are still happy and in love with each other?
It’s just as nice to see priests and deacons who continue to be happy in their service to the Church. We are so fortunate to have these happy, holy men willing to give their lives to follow Christ and serve His people.
