Category: Opinion

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Keep the dream alive at Camp Gray

It all started with a parish priest’s simple dream in 1953, recounts the history of Camp Gray.

Msgr. Francis Gray was pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Baraboo. He dreamed of a place “where youths would be free and away from the temptations of the streets; where they could enjoy nature and become acquainted with it firsthand . . . a place where they could commune, under supervision, with their Creator and away from paths so frequently leading to delinquency.”

Dream becomes reality

So, Monsignor Gray scouted out potential sites but became enamored of an unoccupied, uncultivated 100-acre wooded site about eight miles northwest of Baraboo.

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Bill Dagnon

Health care bill was developed behind closed doors

To the editor:

Most people know a family member, friend, or neighbor who has had a traumatic health problem. In our family, it was when our two-year-old son ran into the highway as a car came over the hill. Comprehensive health insurance freed us from worrying about costs and let us concentrate on our son’s needs.

Anyone who experiences a similar disaster can imagine what other people go through in such a crisis. Empathizing with fellow Americans is natural in a country founded on the belief that we are all created equal. Equality in feeling suffering leads to equality in relieving and preventing suffering.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Health bill must be amended to protect poor

Here we go again. The U.S. Senate may be voting on another health care bill this week designed to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.

The Senate hasn’t given much opportunity for the public to weigh in on the Graham-Cassidy proposal. There was only one public hearing scheduled on the measure, to my knowledge.

The U.S. Catholic bishops have apparently studied the proposed legislation, co-sponsored by Republican Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Why the Church loves immigrants

Some people seem to feel the Catholic Church’s love of immigrants comes from a selfish point of view.

This opinion came to light in an interview airing on September 10 on the CBS-TV program 60 Minutes. Steve Bannon, former White  House chief strategist for President Donald Trump and now executive chairman of Breitbart News, said on the program that the Catholic bishops of the United States have “an economic interest in illegal immigration” as “they need illegal aliens to fill the pews.”

I beg to disagree. The Catholic Church’s love of immigrants is certainly not based on an economic interest. It is true that many immigrants do contribute of their time, talent, and treasure to Catholic parishes. But many of them start out living in poverty, and it may take years for them to be able to give anything back to the Church as they get settled in their communities here.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Importance of prayer in times of trouble

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

We have certainly been overwhelmed by all the disasters happening these days, from hurricanes to earthquakes to violence and discord in the world.

We may be tempted to throw in the towel, so to speak. We wonder if there is anything we can do in the face of all the turmoil.

Of course, we should respond with any kind of assistance possible. We can donate money to Catholic Charities USA and other outreach efforts. But is there anything else that we can do?

The power of prayer

I found an interesting commentary by the late Norman Vincent Peale, a minister in the Reformed Church in America, who was well known for espousing the power of positive thinking. The headline for his commentary is: “How to Pray in Times of Trouble: You can pray your way through any difficulty.”

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Support hurricane relief

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I am letting this picture inspire us to pray and support relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

In the Diocese of Madison, Bishop Robert C. Morlino has asked parishes to take up a now mandatory collection. Proceeds will be sent via the diocese to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has announced an emergency collection to assist victims of Hurricane Harvey.

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Tom Roberts

Thoughts on Mass before and after Vatican II

To the editor:

While not yet Catholic, I attended many Latin Masses before Vatican II. The formal beauty and solemnity of the processions, the cross, the priest’s vestments — all inspired reverence.

I followed the spoken Latin, although not all of it was audible. Many parishioners not understanding Latin prayed the Rosary, following which they received Communion on the tongue, kneeling at a rail.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Continuing St. Mother Teresa’s work

It doesn’t seem possible that it has been 20 years since the death of St. Mother Teresa.

She died on September 5, 1997.  I remember that year well, because Princess Diana died on August 31, just a few days before Mother Teresa.

Connection with Princess Diana

The two were connected by more than the proximity of their deaths. They had met and Princess Diana had said that Mother Teresa inspired her to help the poor.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

We must counter hate with love

Perhaps one of the hardest things Jesus told us as his followers was to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).

It’s pretty tough to tolerate people we don’t like, let alone love them. But that’s what Jesus told us to do, and he certainly practiced what he preached. He even forgave those who crucified him!

Our country — and indeed our whole world — seems to be filled with racism, hatred, and violence. We all wonder how we should respond.

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