The readings for the May 15 Mass at St. Lawrence Church honoring rural life — from Genesis, Psalm 23, and Mark — “speak to the beauty of the earth and creativity and fertility of God,” said Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison who celebrated the Mass.
Tag: rural
Looking ahead to the Rural Life Mass and Blessing May 15
On the feast day of SS. Isidore and Maria, Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison will honor farmers and food producers as he celebrates Mass on Saturday, May 15, at 11 a.m. at St. Lawrence O’Toole Church in rural Jefferson.
Rural Life Mass and blessing scheduled for May 15
On Saturday, May 15, join Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison for a Mass and blessing for rural life and the upcoming planting season throughout the Diocese of Madison.
Rural Life Mass and blessing scheduled for May 15
JEFFERSON — Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 15, and join Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison for a Mass and blessing for rural life and the upcoming planting season throughout the Diocese of Madison.
We’ll gather to celebrate the feast day of Ss. Isidore and Maria, the patron saints of farmers and producers of food, fuel, and fiber at St. Lawrence Church, W4926, Hwy. 18, Jefferson.
Mass will begin at 11 a.m. and will be followed by a blessing of farm implements and the soils of our gardens and fields throughout the Diocese of Madison.
Webinar series for rural mental wellbeing
Deacon Larry Tranel from the Diocese of Madison will be the featured speaker for a four-week webinar series called “Rural Resiliency: Caring for You and Yours”.
Deacon Tranel a pastoral psychologist and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dairy specialist.Farmers invited to Rural Life Listening Sessions
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| Tom Nelson, far right, member of St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Monroe, works in the St. Thomas Aquinas outreach garden in Madison. With him, from left, are St. Thomas Aquinas parishioners Neil Vassau, Paul Scheffelman, and Tom Hartberg. (Photo by Jane Lepeska Grinde) |
NOTE: The first Rural Life Listening Session scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, in Highland has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No decisions have been made yet on other scheduled sessions in November. A session in Iowa County will be rescheduled sometime after January 1.
MADISON — “Our bishop has planted the seeds, and now we must cultivate and tend the row so the harvest may be fruitful and sustaining across the heartland of our rural diocesan home,” said Tom Nelson, diocesan rural life coordinator in announcing three Rural Life Listening Sessions to be held this month.
The first session will be on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Ss. Anthony and Philip Church, 726 Main St. in Highland.
The next session will be on Monday, Nov. 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Clare of Assisi Parish, St. Victor Church, 1760 14th St. in Monroe.
Rural Life Listening Sessions to be held
NOTE: The first Rural Life Listening Session scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, in Highland has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No decisions have been made yet on other scheduled sessions in November. A session in Iowa County will be rescheduled sometime after January 1.
The Diocese of Madison Rural Life Ministry is coordinating listening sessions in all 11 counties, so that Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison and diocesan leaders can better understand the blessings and challenges of our rural communities.
We watch with great concern the crises our farmers face, especially the loss of family farms, financial failure, plunging dairy and meat prices, and increasing costs of production, all the while being more productive than ever-before.
Care and support for rural life
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Last week, I met with Tom Nelson and a dedicated group of priests, social workers, and farmers who care deeply about the troubling crises facing our rural communities.
I listened as they spoke movingly about the fact that, in the last 10 years, 50 percent of family farms in Wisconsin have disappeared, milk prices are untenable, and no economic future exists for young people who would like to remain in farming.
COVID and its impact on the economy and the food supply chain has only exacerbated these challenges. Depression and suicide are on the rise in troubling numbers.Could return to past model help small Catholic schools remain vital today?
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At this time each year, the Office of Catholic Schools collects data detailing the state of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Madison.
When looking at data from the past few years, we have seen some exciting trends, such as the addition of grades six to eight at three different schools, the addition of three-year-old pre-school programs at several schools, and marked enrollment increases at several Catholic schools in Dane County.
These positive signs indicate growing enrollment and a focus on continuous improvement and development. While growth comes with certain challenges, it is a reason for great hope for the future of Catholic schools.
While this growth is exciting and encouraging, many Catholic schools, especially those in rural communities, are facing a different set of challenges: how to remain vital and vibrant in communities where the general population is shrinking, leaving an ever smaller pool of students from which to draw.
Protecting our daily bread
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Every person who has enough nutritious food to eat and cares about the one billion people who do not, should be paying attention to the 2012 Farm Bill.
At stake are deep, heartless congressional monetary cuts to national and international food assistance programs, environmentally protective farm and ranch conservation projects, and safety net programs designed to help struggling small and mid-sized family farmers and rural communities.
Proposed cuts to Farm Bill
Bob Gronski, policy coordinator, for the National Catholic Rural Life Conference (www.ncrlc.com) explained to me that Congress is poised to cut between $23 billion and $34 billion from current funding levels of the Farm Bill.