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Each February, the Church celebrates two events of special significance to Little Sisters of the Poor.
On February 5, the Church celebrates the World Day of Consecrated Life, a day important to all men and women religious. On February 11, the World Day of the Sick is observed.
Each of these special days offers an opportunity for us to affirm our vocation as consecrated women devoted to the Church’s mission of compassion through the ministry of healthcare.
SINSINAWA — Sister Antoinette “Toni” Callahan, OP (Vincent Mary), died Jan. 17, 2012, at Swedish Medical Center, Denver, Colo. The funeral Mass was held in Queen of the Rosary Chapel at Sinsinawa Jan. 28, 2012, followed by burial of the cremains in the Motherhouse Cemetery.
Comfortable chairs, bins of children’s books, and beautiful pictures of women and children — these are some of the things that greet visitors at the new Women’s Care Center-Madison (WCCM) located at 3711 Orin Rd. on Madison’s east side.
Losing a beloved spouse to death is one of the most painful human experiences. I saw this pain in my mother, two sisters, and other married women when their spouses died. I have also listened to men, whose wives died, pour out their grief.
The word “widow” comes from a Sanskrit word meaning empty. When a woman loses the husband whom she loves, she often experiences pain, emptiness, and even temporary anger. So does a widower. A good marriage joins the couple as two in one flesh, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. To marry is to open oneself to love and joy, but also to pain.
On October 6, Mark Miller of the Diocese of Madison was one of 35 seminarians of the Pontifical North American College (PNAC) ordained to the transitional diaconate during a Mass at the Altar of the Chair in the Papal Basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican.
As I drove through the rolling hills, passing by neat fields of corn waving gently in the breeze and cows resting in the fields, I could envision the early settlers of the Perry area as they arrived in the 1800s.
On November 1, 1950, more than 500,000 joyful people packed St. Peter’s Square to hear Pope Pius XII proclaim the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.
In Munificentissimus Deus, Pope Pius XII proclaimed that “the “Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into Heavenly glory.”
In no. 59 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council affirmed this dogma of the Church.
Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption to counter the loss of reverence and respect for the God-given identity of every human being.
Some of my fondest memories of my childhood in the ‘30s were the Sunday afternoon visits to our country cousins.
We’d all pile into Daddy’s new model Chevy, (he sold them, so we always had a new one), drive the 20 miles or more to run in the fields, jump in the hay mow, and watch the animals warily, keeping a safe distance.
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| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Editor’s note: The following is a transcription of Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s homily for Priestly Ordinations on Friday, May 6, at St. Maria Goretti Church in Madison.
Tim, Jorge — “my sons,” I get to call you tonight. At the moment I call you my sons, I want to thank both of your dear parents, your grandparents, and your family for showing you what it means to be a good father — long before I came on the scene. And I want to thank them for showing you what it is to be a faithful son.
All of that will come into play in the days, the months, and the years ahead. I’m almost as proud of you tonight as your dear parents are — not quite as proud (I don’t think I could manage that) but I know how proud they are and I, certainly, am proud. I’m so grateful to your dear parents and your family, for their generosity in giving the Church such a wonderful, unselfish gift.
Our Lady is for us the ultimate example of somebody adhering herself fully to God’s will. She was surely scared and unsure of what might come next, but unknowingly said yes to God’s will, that she would bear His son.
We can use this as a model for our relationship with God, and invoke Mary’s kind whispers in Jesus’ ear to help us through a hard time and grow closer to Jesus.
Obviously, a powerful devotion to Our Lady, the Rosary is a great way to strengthen your relationship with God’s mother. While many people my own age think of the Rosary as a chore to pray with family or a boring task, sometimes its true potential is never quite realized.
