Tag: Madison

On
Mary C. Uhler, For the Catholic Herald

Communication initiatives in new diocese

Third in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison

The Milwaukee Catholic Herald Citizen had been published for many years and often included news from southwestern Wisconsin and the Madison area.

However, Bishop William P. O’Connor wanted a diocesan newspaper for the new Diocese of Madison. In the fall of 1947, the Madison edition of the Catholic Herald Citizen made its debut.

Priest named editor

Bishop O’Connor asked Fr. Andrew R. Breines (later Msgr.), a diocesan priest, to take journalism courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then became editor of the Madison paper in 1948. The paper’s name was changed to the Catholic Herald in 1982.

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Laura Karlen, For the Catholic Herald

Former Planned Parenthood manager to kick-off Madison 40 Days for Life campaign

MADISON — Abortion facilities are dark, desolate places. Former Planned Parenthood Manager Sue Thayer knows this personally from her 17 years on the job at the Storm Lake, Iowa, Planned Parenthood.

Something happens, though, when peaceful volunteers show up to pray on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. “With just one person out there, you bring the light of Christ,” said Thayer.

But, “chaos reigns inside,” she added.

According to Thayer, staff are already stressed out to meet the quotas that Planned Parenthood sets for each service, including abortion.

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Mary C. Uhler, For the Catholic Herald

Education was a priority for Bishop O’Connor in new Diocese of Madison

Second in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison

It was not surprising that as a former seminary professor of philosophy, Bishop William P. O’Connor made education a priority in the newly established Diocese of Madison.

Established CCD in every parish

He established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) in every parish as a goal of great importance in the new diocese. CCD initially provided religious instruction for those Catholic children not enrolled in Catholic schools.

A diocesan-wide CCD Congress was held September 17-18, 1949. Those attending included lay people, Sisters, and priests.

Under the direction of the CCD, a Diocesan Information Center for Catholics and non-Catholics was established in a storefront on State St. in Madison between the Capitol Square and the University of Wisconsin campus. It attracted close to 30,000 visitors in its years of operation from 1954 to 1963.

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Mary C. Uhler, For the Catholic Herald

Growth of Catholic population led to new Diocese of Madison in 1946

First in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison

MADISON — In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Catholic population had been expanding in the southwestern region of Wisconsin, leading to the formation of the Diocese of Madison in 1946.

Work of missionary priests

The faith had grown thanks to the work of missionary priests, including Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, who built 25 churches and established nine schools in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois in the 1800s.

He also founded the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Sinsinawa. Their work has kept his legacy alive to this day.

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Erek Gilbertson, For the Catholic Herald

Blessed Sacrament hosting diaper drive

MADISON — The annual Blessed Sacrament Diaper Drive is scheduled for this month, and it could be the most successful drive yet.

The diaper drive has been an important part of my life for the past three years.

Each year, my mother and I co-coordinate the month-long drive in mid-January benefiting Pregnancy Helpline, which is a non-profit organization that serves Madison-area families requiring assistance with pregnancy or infant related needs.

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On
Bishop Donald J. Hying

Celebrating 75 years of the Diocese of Madison

On January 9, 1946, Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Madison, taking territory from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Diocese of La Crosse.

Created right at the end of World War II, our diocese was poised to grow dramatically in the ensuing decades of population boom and economic ascendancy.

Bishop William P. O’Connor, a priest from Milwaukee, became Madison’s first bishop and was immediately faced with the many challenges of shaping a brand new diocese.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

Christmas message from Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison

This painful year of 2020 has dramatically revealed our vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and mortality. It has also shown the resilience and generosity of the human spirit. So many things that may have seemed so important a year ago matter very little now. Other realities, like faith, prayer, family and friends, health, and ultimately God stand in sharper focus as the bedrock of our existence. This year will be a different sort of Christmas, as we pray for those who died this year, those who are ill and those who heroically serve them.

We will forego many of our Christmas traditions this year, but the central truth remains.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, entered into our broken and sinful world as a vulnerable baby to rescue us from sin and death. In our poverty and frailty, we can most profoundly relate to the Christ Child, who is born among animals and adored by shepherds. How easy it is to romanticize Christmas; the reality was far different. The advent of God is marked by poverty, obscurity, and danger. God quietly slips in through the back door, unbidden and unnoticed, but here with us. This overwhelming divine love is the cause, meaning and destiny of our human existence.

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the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Madison

Families in need find Christmas cheer at St. Vincent de Paul ‘Little Drummer’ drive-thru

MADISON — Sometimes, drive-thru service can be a little impersonal, even cheerless.

This year, Madison-area St. Vincent de Paul Society members took a festive annual event curbside to help make Christmas brighter for hundreds of children from local households in need.

Yearly event

Each December, St. Vincent de Paul Society member groups, known as “conferences,” from Dane County parishes work together as the Society’s District Council of Madison to provide gifts for the children of families the conferences served during the year through a “Little Drummer” event.

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the Catholic Multicultural Center, Madison

Catholic Multicultural Center thanks supporters

MADISON — The Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) offers its deepest thanks to the community for offering financial support during the recent Radiothon fundraiser and community celebration with La Movida Radio.

The CMC aimed to raise $18,000 to fund its pandemic services such as food pantry delivery, daily free meal, and low cost immigration legal services.

Thanks to many generous donors, business sponsors, and one big matching donation, the CMC surpassed its goal, raising a grand total of $22,424.

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