When Bishop Hying first called parishes in the diocese to embark on the Go Make Disciples initiative, we knew that we had a great opportunity in front of us at St. Mary Parish in Pine Bluff.
Tag: Fr. Rick Heilman
Wisconsin is becoming battle ready!
If you’re looking to go deeper and grow stronger in your faith, to know more about your purpose and call to action as a Christian, or if you’re struggling to connect with your spouse, friend, or loved one about the faith, then you need to experience the BATTLE READY Rally!
A BATTLE READY Rally is a 90-minute talk on what spiritual battle actually looks like, how to identify it and prepare for it, and how to engage in it. These three components are key for those of us who are here on earth as the Church Militant.
The Rosary, a ‘sword’ for spiritual battle
There’s no greater gift to give to a mother than to listen to her and to do as we are told — such as praying the Rosary.
Ladies of Divine Mercy hold inaugural event
It was the inaugural event for the Ladies of Divine Mercy on January 9 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Pine Bluff.
Men train to become ‘medics of mercy’
For the first time ever, all of the major Wisconsin apostolates for men’s faith formation are uniting to be trained and to lead the entire state to the burning love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the fire of love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
This includes the Wisconsin Council of the Knights of Columbus, Relevant Radio, and men’s apostolates from all five dioceses: Men of Christ, Knights of Divine Mercy, Esto Vir, and the King’s Men.
Men unite as ‘medics for Christ’ statewide
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| Fr. Michael Gaitley |
MADISON — Men’s apostolates from across the state have joined together to consecrate themselves to Jesus through Mary. It is also their way of becoming “medics” for the Church after a recent interview with Pope Francis where he called the Church a “field hospital after battle.”
Groups such as the Knights of Divine Mercy in the Madison area, Esto Vir in Green Bay, Men of Christ in Milwaukee, and others are joining together and going through a “revision” of St. Louis de Montfort’s Preparation for Total Consecration.
The work the men are using is Fr. Michael Gaitley’s 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration. The 2011 book revises and simplifies St. Louis de Montfort’s consecration, which is ideal for “busy people,” according to Fr. Rick Heilman, founder of the Knights of Divine Mercy and pastor of St. Mary Parish in Pine Bluff and St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Mt. Horeb and Perry.
They are using a parish program, based on the book, in the form of a six-week retreat.
Father Gaitley’s book uses the writings of St. Louis de Montfort, as well as St. Maximilian Kolbe, Blessed Mother Teresa, and Blessed Pope John Paul II.
All of them “had a great love for the Blessed Mother,” said Tim Virnig, national director of the Knights of Divine Mercy, who is participating in the retreat.
24-hour confessional, app attracts penitents, worldwide attention
PINE BLUFF — On Sunday, Aug. 4, Catholics around the world celebrated the feast day of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests and tireless confessor. In Pine Bluff, just west of Madison, the day took on some extra meaning.
Fr. Rick Heilman, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Pine Bluff, dedicated a 24-hour confessional and related smartphone app, asking for intercessory prayers from the saint.
Church Militant Boot Camp
What are your plans for Lent this year? Here we are in the Year of Faith, a year that Pope Benedict XVI hopes will awaken humanity at a critical moment.
“In vast areas of the earth the faith risks being extinguished, like a flame without fuel,” the pope warned. “We are facing a profound crisis of faith, a loss of a religious sense which represents one of the greatest challenges for the Church today . . . The renewal of faith must, then, be a priority for the entire Church in our time.”
New book offers a way all can be ‘God strong’
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PINE BLUFF — “As Christians we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us,” Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Ill., boldly stated, “but as Christians we must also stand up for what we believe and always be ready to fight for the Faith. The days in which we live now require heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism. We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead be Catholics by conviction.”
The Church Militant Field Manual was written to help all of us in the trenches of the Church Militant to understand, train for, and respond to this call for heroic faith in these critical times. Pope Benedict XVI stated that, “Members of the Church on earth are aptly described as ‘Ecclesia Militans’, the Church Militant, since it is necessary to enter into battle with evil.”
Receiving power from the holy Spirit
As Jesus ascended to his Father in heaven, he assured his disciples, “You will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). God wants us — the Ecclesia Militans — engaged in this mission, but He wants us strong in His supernatural power.
What is this power? That is precisely what we explore in the Church Militant Field Manual. St. Paul wrote: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:10-12).
Balloon Rosary travels from Madison to Michigan
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| Sheri Miglio and her son Will find the balloon Rosary which traveled 354 miles from the Rosary Rally held at the state Capitol in Madison to their farm in North Branch, Mich. (Contributed photo) |
MADISON — On Thursday, June 21, the first weekly Rosary Rally was held at the state Capitol in Madison. At that rally, a large helium balloon Rosary was released.
The 40-foot Rosary made up of a cluster of yellow balloons had been assembled by youth at St. Mary Parish in Pine Bluff under the direction of Beth Ptak, coordinator of religious education.
The next day, Sheri Miglio in North Branch, Mich., looked out in her backyard and saw a huge cluster of yellow balloons snagged on a tree just inside their property line. She and her family live on a 10-acre farm.
It was the fifth birthday of Miglio’s son, Will. She said jokingly, “Will, someone sent you a bunch of balloons for your birthday.”
Finding the Rosary
They walked over to the balloons and cut the string holding them to the tree. With the balloons they noticed a cardboard crucifix and found out that the cluster of balloons was a Rosary. On the crucifix they found a message from Fr. Rick Heilman, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Pine Bluff and one of the leaders of the Rosary Rally at the Capitol.