WISCONSIN DELLS — Priests of the Diocese of Madison will be gathering for their annual Presbyteral Assembly from Sunday evening, Sept. 17, to Wednesday, Sept. 20, at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
The assembly is an opportunity for prayer and fellowship among the priests of the diocese, as well as education and reflection.
The theme for the assembly is “As for Me and My Household, We will Serve the Lord.”
On Sunday evening, registration begins at 3 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., there will be an optional sunset cruise.
On Monday at 8 a.m., there will be a concelebrated Mass with Msgr. O. Charles Schluter presiding. Monsignor Schluter has been director of the diocesan Office of Continuing Education of Priests for many years and is pastor of St. Peter Parish in Madison.
Fr. Gerald Murray will give two presentations on Monday. Father Murray was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in May 1959, and grew up in New Rochelle. He attended Regis High School and Dartmouth College. He entered St. Joseph Seminary, Dunwoodie in 1980 and was ordained a priest in 1984.
He was assigned to various parishes in the Bronx and Manhattan before being sent to the Gregorian University in Rome in 1993 to study canon law. He was awarded a Doctorate in Canon Law in 1998, and then served briefly as a judge on the Metropolitan Tribunal before being named pastor of St. Vincent De Paul Parish in New York. In 2012, he was named pastor of Holy Family Parish in New York.
Father Murray has appeared as a commentator on religious topics on various television and radio outlets, including EWTN, EWTN Spanish, Fox News, Fox Business News, MSNBC, NY1, Radio Maria, Relevant Radio, Fox News Radio, and the Voice of America.
He served in U.S. Naval Reserve Chaplain Corps from 1994 to 2005.
On Tuesday, Msgr. James Gunn, vicar for priests, will give a presentation on “Retirement, Health, and End-of-Life Issues for Priests.”
On Wednesday, Bishop Robert C. Morlino will speak to the priests.
The assembly will also include two other concelebrated Masses, a Memorial Service for deceased priests, Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration, Benediction, and opportunity for Confession. Priests celebrating their jubilees will be honored.
There will also be dinner with diocesan staff and presentations by the diocesan Office of Stewardship and Development and the Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities.