small – Madison Catholic Herald

MADISON — The Oremus: A Guide to Catholic Prayer small group study will take place at Cathedral Parish, Madison, in the St. Patrick Church Hall, 404 E. Main St., on Wednesdays, Feb. 8 to April 5, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The Oremus study program teaches the essentials of an effective and fruitful prayer life. Over the course of eight weeks, participants will discover how God speaks to them, even in the smallest encounters.

Following the tradition of the Catholic Church and the wisdom of the saints, they will learn how to express themselves to God in prayer, and how to hear his voice.

Could return to past model help small Catholic schools remain vital today?

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.

A short life bookended by tragedy

The youth choir Christina Green belonged to performs just once a month, on the second Sunday at the 9 a.m. Mass. And sure enough, the day after the nine-year-old was killed in Tucson, Ariz., the youngest victim of the shooting targeting Representative Gabrielle Giffords, St. Odilia’s youth choir sang.

It was January 9, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and there was just one Baptism at that Mass, a nine-year-old girl.

That wasn’t lost on Fr. Richard Troutman, pastor of St. Odilia Parish in Tuscon, Ariz.