Tag: faith

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Kevin Wondrash

Parish offers creation care class

MADISON — Blessed Sacrament Parish will host the Just Faith Ministries’ module, “God’s Creation Cries for Justice,” which probes a faithful response to climate change.

In this eight-week class, participants will examine climate change through the lens of Catholic social teaching — reflecting on their place in and responsibility for God’s creation. With a particular focus on the impact of climate change on the poor and vulnerable, the group will explore what action steps they can take to insure a sustainable future for all.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Don’t miss this movie! Actor and producer put good values into When the Game Stands Tall

At this year’s annual Catholic Media Conference held in Charlotte, N.C., those of us attending were given the opportunity to watch a new movie called When the Game Stands Tall. After viewing the movie, we also had the privilege of talking with the film’s star, Jim Caviezel, and producer, David Zelon.

The program at our conference told us a little bit about the movie. The reason it was shown at a Catholic Media Conference — besides being a great film — is that the movie tells the remarkable real-life journey of a football coach at a Catholic high school in California.

Coach Bob Ladouceur (played by Caviezel) took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any sport. Ladouceur retired in January of 2013 after winning his last state championship in December of 2012.

The movie is based on a book of the same name by Neil Hayes, a former  Chicago Sun-Times and Contra Costa Times sportswriter. The movie is scheduled to be released in theaters on August 22. I encourage everyone to see this movie.

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Fr. Robert Barron

Bill Maher doesn’t understand faith

I don’t know what possesses me to watch Real Time With Bill Maher, for Maher is, without a doubt, the most annoying anti-religionist on the scene today.

Though his show is purportedly about politics, it almost invariably includes some attack on religion, especially Christianity. Even during a recent interview with former President Jimmy Carter, whom Maher very much admires, the host managed to get in a sharp attack on Carter’s faith.

Recently, his program included a brief conversation with Ralph Reed, the articulate gentleman who used to run the Christian Coalition and who is now a lobbyist and activist on behalf of faith-related causes.

For the first three or four minutes, Reed and Maher discussed the social science concerning children raised in stable versus unstable families. Reed was scoring points in favor of the traditional understanding of marriage.

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Witness of Faith: Bonnie Miller

COLUMBUS — “I’m kind of like a go-to person for the liturgy. I’m not listed on the bulletin or anything, but if Father’s got any questions it’s, ‘talk to Bonnie, call Bonnie.'”

If you’ve attended a Mass at St. Jerome Parish in Columbus any time in the past 30 years, you’ve seen the results of Bonnie Miller’s work.

In addition to her day job in which she puts in 30 hours a week, Miller serves as the parish’s unofficial “liturgist.”

Parish duties

If you ask her what that all entails, she’ll say, with humility, preparing a liturgical outline for the cantor, lector, organist, and celebrating priest for each Sunday’s Mass; selecting the music; preparing the church for Holy Week and other liturgical seasons; training new cantors and lectors — and that’s just a small summary. She also participates as a lector and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion herself.

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Jacqueline von Zwehl

The best time to discuss faith in new relationships

Gifts for Your Soul column by Jacqueline von ZwehlIt was a typical Saturday morning when I heard the phone ringing. Upon picking up, one of my closest friends began squealing, “It was the perfect first date!” I then spent the next hour listening to every magical detail of my friend’s date the previous night.

She met this lovely gentleman at a charity gala and they enjoyed each other’s company. He asked her out to dinner and apparently the night was a huge success. They both laughed at the same jokes, loved the same movies, and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.

As I was listening to this very excited description — with the underlying hope that a new relationship was blossoming — only one thought came to mind. Finally I asked, “What about faith? Is he also Catholic? Did you ask?” My dear friend’s response left me a little sad, “No I didn’t ask. I just felt it was too soon.”

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Kevin Wondrash

Fr. Marquette Living Faith Series

MONTELLO — The next Fr. Marquette Living Faith Series will be held on Wednesday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Parish in Montello.

Speakers will be John and Sarah Ramthun, founders of the non profit organization 6:8 from Sauk Prairie. 6:8 is local non– profit organization that strives to transform communities by making service personal through intentional community. 6:8 is supported by the four pillars of: Experience (Micah 6:8), Education (Mark 6:8), Exhortation (Isaiah 6:8), and Embodiment (1 Timothy 6:8)

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Fr. Robert Barron

Cosmos and the tired myth

Seth MacFarlane, well known atheist and cartoonist, is the executive producer of the remake of Cosmos, a television series which recently made its national debut.

The first episode featured, along with the science, an animated feature about the 16th century Dominican friar Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake by Church officials. A statue of Bruno stands today in the Campo de’ Fiori in Rome on the spot where he was put to death.

In MacFarlane’s cartoon, Bruno is portrayed as a hero of modern science, and Church officials are, without exception, depicted as wild-eyed fanatics and unthinking dogmatists.

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