The Badger Catholic

Evangelization

2011-11-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin Personhood Amendment: Front page news, along with Ryan Braun

2011-11-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

Need I say more about the watershed moments of both Braun's achievement and the introduction of personhood legislation...

Today's Wisconsin State Journal:

Many Wisconsin abortion foes are cheering the introduction of legislation that would amend the state constitution to extend personhood to the moment an egg is fertilized, although the state's two largest anti-abortion groups are at odds over the approach.

The legislation is patterned after a similar measure that Mississippi voters rejected earlier this month.

Critics say such measures would outlaw all abortions, including in cases of rape and incest, and ban all forms of hormonal contraception, including birth control pills and intrauterine devices (IUDs).

Wisconsin's "personhood" amendment, introduced last week by Rep. Andre Jacque, R-Bellevue, would define the terms "people" and "person" in the constitution to include "every human being at any stage of development."

Matt Sande, lobbyist for Pro-Life Wisconsin, which backs the legislation and is working closely with Jacque, said the amendment "undoubtedly" would outlaw all forms of surgical and chemical abortion. On other issues, "we don't know exactly what it would mean, but our intent is to protect the preborn child at any stage of development from any violent attack, whether chemical, surgical or experimental," he said.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has concluded the proposed language would ban hormonal contraception, said Nicole Safar, public policy director. "This is way out of touch with Wisconsin values," she said.

In a twist, Wisconsin Right to Life, the largest anti-abortion group in the state, has come out forcefully against the personhood amendment strategy, calling it "just plain wrong for Wisconsin."

Read the rest here.

Telling how PPWI acknowledges the abortion-causing effect of hormonal contraceptives, no? And yet certain pro-lifers refuse to address the issue. Cardinal Burke has something to say about that.

Geron bails on embryonic stem cell research

2011-11-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

Reposting this from Jill Stanek's blog because of the implications and ties to UW-Madison, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, etc.

Out of nowhere Geron Corporation announced last week it was not only halting the first clinical trial of embryonic stem cell treatment on humans but getting out of the embryonic stem cell business altogether.

To understand how big a blow to the embryonic stem cell industry this was, you first must know it was Geron that funded the University of Wisconsin Madison’s original research back in 1995, which resulted in the first cultures of embryonic stem cells. It was Geron that started this whole mess.

Geron went on to comprise one-third of the triune that controlled which company or university got access to embryonic stem cell lines, along with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Read the rest here.

STL Catholic: This Year, Why Not Celebrate Tradsgiving?

2011-11-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, as we approach that unique mix of secular and religious occasions that are amorphously called the Holiday Season. First we have Thanksgiving, the closest that a secular holiday gets to decent religion. We are informed that this holiday was first celebrated by the pilgrims (though the Spanish claim it was celebrated earlier in St. Augustine, FL; trot out this little gem at Thanksgiving and you will deservedly be ridiculed for the Cliff Clavin that you are), but it was officially installed as a national holiday on a set date by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, who saw fit to mandate thankfulness for the Northern victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. FDR, another wallflower reluctant to impose national solutions, later changed the date to the fourth Thursday in November.

Next, we have the annual mass-worship of the god Retail, known by its remarkably descriptive name of Black Friday. The portents of this holy day are scanned, analyzed and reverently feared, as the blessings or curses of Retail are made known. It is a most amusing mix of Baal worship, Aztec heart surgery, and Groundhog Day-- only six more shopping weeks until ~~Christmas~~ Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or some other nondescript Winter celebratory event!

continue at Saint Louis Catholic

A must read.

Photo: Canterbury Tales

PLW: School children surprise Bp. Hying with collection for pregnancy centers

2011-11-23T08:07:00.000-08:00

About two months ago, we received a phone call from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Hales Corners. Bishop Hying was going to be saying Mass for the school at the parish, and the school children wanted to surprise Bishop Hying with a gift to thank him.

Bishop Hying’s pro-life convictions are well-known in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. When he was still rector of the St. Francis de Sales Seminary, Bishop Hying and several seminarians could often be found praying at Affiliated Medical Services on Saturdays. One Saturday at AMS inspired Bishop Hying to write this.

continue at Pro-Life Wisconsin

Arch. Milwaukee to begin $300k victim therapy fund if judge approves

2011-11-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

As part of the Plan of Reorganization, we will ask the bankruptcy judge to allow us to establish a fund dedicated to providing therapy and counseling to abuse victims of diocesan clergy. Currently, the archdiocese spends approximately $70,000 each year for therapy and counseling for abuse survivors who come forward for this assistance. This fund will be launched with an initial contribution of $300,000. The therapy fund will be “evergreen,” meaning that it will be established in a way that allows it to be replenished, so that payments for therapy will continue for as long as abuse victims come forward for such assistance. We are establishing it, not because we are required to, but because our commitment in faith calls us to do so. Let me explain.

As you know, the bankruptcy process is a financial proceeding designed to compensate those making claims. I have stated previously, and want to emphasize again, that beyond financial settlements, outreach and assistance to abuse survivors is an ongoing and permanent ministry of the Church. The most important thing we as a Church can and must do, is to continue to provide therapy assistance to those who have been harmed, even if their claims are not recognized under civil law, which may be the case for certain of the claims filed against the archdiocese in the Chapter 11 proceeding.

In order to prepare the Plan of Reorganization, it is important to know how many claims will qualify for compensation and which claims cannot be honored. Soon, attorneys for the archdiocese will be filing motions to ask the judge to decide which claims against the archdiocese will be allowed under bankruptcy law. If the court is not going to allow a particular type of claim (for example, a claim that is past the statute of limitations; a claim brought by an individual who previously reached a legal settlement with the archdiocese; or a claim against a person who was never an employee of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee), then people need to know this so they have a realistic expectation as they proceed with the claims

-Abp. Listecki

Sorry, couldn't find the online version of the newsletter online.

St. Peter's Church, Ashton, WI - celebrates 150th anniversary

2011-11-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

St. Peter Parish is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year and held a Mass and dinner November 5 to mark the occasion.

Bishop Robert C. Morlino came to the parish, located in rural Dane County about 10 miles outside Madison, to celebrate Mass. Concelebrants included Fr. Brian Dulli, pastor of the parish, Fr. Laverne Meier, Fr. John Meinholz, and Fr. Henry Kalscheuer.

The parish has grown considerably since it was founded by 20 families as a mission church of Cross Plains and Martinsville. It currently has over 300 registered families.

“Many other people have been positively impacted by the Holy Spirit’s generous outpouring in Ashton,” said Father Dulli in his homily during the Saturday evening Mass which packed the church’s pews.

continue at MadCatHerald

more photos at madisoncatholicherald.smugmug.com

Won't you be my neighbor?

2011-11-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin Historical Society

St. Cecilia, ora pro nobis!

2011-11-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

Stefano Moderno, "Saint Cecilia," 1599, church of St. Cecilia, Trastevere, Rome

Cecilia, in the meantime, continued to make many conversions, and prepared to have her home preserved as a church at her death.

Finally, she too was arrested and brought before the prefect. He ruled that she should die by suffocation in the baths. Saint Cecilia was locked into the bathhouse and the fires vigorously stoked. She remained there for a day and a night but was still alive when the soldiers opened the doors. She was then ordered beheaded, but the executioner, after striking three times without severing St Cecilia's head, ran away, leaving her badly wounded.

St. Cecilia hung onto life for three days after the mortal blows, preaching all the while. She made many more conversions and people came to soak up her flowing blood with sponges and cloths. There exists in Rome a church in St. Cecilia's honor that dates from about the fifth century. Her relics were believed to have been found by Pope Paschal I in 821 A.D., in the cemetery of St. Celestas. These remains were exhumed in 1599, when Cardinal Paul Emilius Sfondrati rebuilt the church of St. Cecilia, and said to be incorrupt.

more at saintcecilia.us

I believe she was the first recorded case of the phenomenon of incorruptibility. The above statue is said to be what she looked like when the grave was exhumed some 1,200 years after her death. I couldn't find the quote, but I read somewhere those exhuming the body said she looked alive like a young girl sleeping.

Avett Brothers: Where did all the hairy men go

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

This past Friday, I went to my very first-ever Avett Brothers concert, at the Pabst Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee. The Riverside is an amazing place for a concert; it is definitely not a generic sports auditorium, and the atmosphere really adds to the experience.

The Avett Brothers played a show on Friday night and Saturday night; both shows sold out. The Avett Brothers describe themselves as a "folk rock band." I heard the Avett Brothers were one of the best live bands around, and I wasn't disappointed! I highly recommend seeing them live if you have the opportunity.

But I have to say... what is it with hairy men at indie concerts like this? It was like every single guy took "No Shave November" to an extreme.

Considering Matt's post last week on charismatics and how our sins affect more than just our relationship with God, I found this reflection from the Avett Brothers to be particularly insightful, as we are all searching for purpose:

The Avett brothers' grandfather, Clegg Avett (1917–1976), was a Methodist minister. After reading his grandfather's sermons, Scott Avett says that he began to think seriously about matters of faith and spirituality. “Our hands and minds, legs and mouths, eyes and ears, arms and feet were all made with purpose, and though you may never find that exact purpose, it is your obligation to yourself and God to search for it ...”

Upcoming events at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

2011-11-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

First I'd like to mention the first event which does not even require you to leave your home. You may know the United States primary patron(ess) is the Immaculate Conception(hence the whole Holy Day of Obligation thing). Fr. John Hardon highly recommended making the novena and now you can do it with reflections from one of today's best Mariologists. I will be posting 'em on this blog starting next Tuesday as well.

Please join Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner of the Franciscans of the Immaculate and Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in a virtual Novena in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary at www.airmaria.com . Each day, from the 29th of November up to the 7th of December, Fr. Peter gives a short meditation on the Immaculate Conception followed by a prayer. Perhaps you can suggest some intentions (for family, for loved ones, for end to abortion, contraception, etc.).

The Cardinal will be comin' town. .... great now I have Christmas carols stuck in my head. No! Waaaait for it....

December 3 - Saint Nicholas of Myra: A Celebration for Children – starting at 1:30 p.m.

Meet and take pictures with St. Nicholas and hear the story of Christmas and the life of this beloved saint and wonderworker. Afterwards enjoy hot cocoa and cookies, coloring and a movie about his life. Children of all ages are welcome.

December 9 - Feast of St. Juan Diego – Celebrate with His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

The Feast of Saint Juan Diego begins will Holy Mass at 12:15 p.m. celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke. After Mass there will be an induction ceremony for the Saint Juan Diego Guild for Children followed by a reception with refreshments and dessert in the crypt.

December 12 – Patronal Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – Celebrate with the Founder of the Shrine, His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

Celebrate the patronal feast of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe with His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke. The Shrine opens at 8:00 a.m. Mañanitas, or traditional Mexican songs sung in the morning on special days, begin at 8:45 a.m. Sweet breads and refreshments will follow in the crypt. Cardinal Burke will be the main celebrant at Holy Mass at 11:00 a.m.

December 8 – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – feast day gourmet dinner at the Culina Mariana!

Please join Shrine’s own Executive Chef Douglas and his staff for the first feast day celebration at the Culina Mariana! A three-course gourmet dinner is served on December 8th from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. in honor or Our Lady’s feast. Reservations Only. Call 788-8400 to make your reservations now. $35 for dinner + $12 for wine flight. This is a feast you will not want to miss.

FSSP Superior General to offer Mass at St. Augustine Church in St. Paul

2011-11-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

Father John Echert, Pastor of Holy Trinity and St. Augustine churches in So. St. Paul, has invited The Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), the Very Rev. John Berg to offer the 11:30 Traditional Latin Mass at the Church of St. Augustine (408 3rd St. N. in So. St. Paul) on the 27th of November. The Fraternity of St. Peter is an international priestly fraternity established by Pope John Paul II to provide the traditional Mass and Sacraments to Catholics around the world under the provisions established by the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei.

There will be a reception for Father Berg in the church hall immediately after Mass, at which time he will also offer a brief presentation on the general mission of the Fraternity of St. Peter. So please--tell your friends and family members, forward this email to your Catholic contacts, pray for the success of this event, and mark your calendars for the 27th of November.

St Augustine also is the place where that potential Eucharistic miracle occurred a while back.

HT Verso

Wisconsin Personhood Amendment introduced

2011-11-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

Legislation that would amend the Wisconsin Constitution to apply personhood rights to preborn children at all stages of development was introduced on Thursday. Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 77, authored by Representative Andre Jacque (R-Green Bay), extends the inalienable right to life found in the Wisconsin Constitution to all preborn children from the beginning of their lives. Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) is the lead author in the State Senate. An amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution requires passage in two successive legislatures followed by a simple majority vote of the people. Click here to read the amendment language, and click here to view PLW's legislative memo. Click here for a national story on the opposition’s reaction.

From a pro-life perspective, the Wisconsin Constitution contains a glaring error at its outset. In specifying the beneficiaries of its human rights, our state constitution leaves out the preborn. It applies rights to only those people who are "born." Representative Jacque is proposing a minimal but absolutely essential correction, a personhood amendment, to make the Wisconsin Constitution cover all people, every person, at any stage of development.

Assembly Joint Resolution 77 tracks the original constitutional language as closely as grammatically possible, only substituting the inclusive personhood definition for the word "born." That definition is as follows: As applied to the right to life, the terms "people" and "person” shall apply to every human being at any stage of development. Such a definition is indispensable to spreading the protective cover of Wisconsin’s constitution over all its citizens.

The amendment language reads as follows:

Article 1. Declaration of Rights. Equality; inherent rights. SECTION 1. All people are equally free and independet, and have certain inherent rights; among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; to secure these rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. As applied to the right to life, the terms "people" and "person" shall apply to every human being at any stage of development.

Should Roe v. Wade be overturned someday and the abortion issue remanded to the states, an activist Wisconsin Supreme Court could (and very likely would) use the word “born” in our current state constitution to deny the right to life of the preborn by interpreting an independent right to abortion in that document. In so doing, the court could nullify any present or future pro-life laws in our state. The changing makeup of the Wisconsin Legislature could also jeopardize any pro-life laws in our state. Every two years our state election process determines the majority party in Madison. Legal protection of the preborn should not (and must not) be contingent upon which party controls the state legislature. The right to life should not be subject to the whims of a politicized supreme court or an ever-changing legislature. Only by enshrining the right to life in our state constitution will preborn children be afforded full and lasting legal protection.

The introduction of the Wisconsin Personhood Amendment is a watershed moment in the history of the pro-life movement in our state. It seeks to end abortion in Wisconsin, not to regulate or restrict it. It seeks to end all violence toward preborn children in Wisconsin – surgical, chemical, experimental, etc. – at all stages of development. We have been working toward the introduction of such an amendment for the last five years, and we thank Representative Jacque for demonstrating the courage of his convictions in finally making it a reality.

We also thank the co-sponsors of the bill for their principled stand in supporting the amendment: Senator Grothman and Representatives Dan LeMahieu, Don Pridemore, David Craig, Jeremy Thiesfeldt, Evan Wynn, and Tom Larson.

The Wisconsin Personhood Amendment is not intended, or worded, as a challenge to Roe, or as an attempt to define personhood under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. It seeks only to bring into the Wisconsin Constitution a true definition of human life as endorsed by Wisconsin citizens speaking through the amendment process, thus making the highest law in our state cover all people, every person, at any stage of development. We recognize that its protections cannot be fully effective as long as Roe remains law, but we believe a proper definition of personhood should be in place should Wisconsin be freed from the effects of that noxious decision.

The Wisconsin Personhood Amendment has been endorsed by Wisconsin Family Action, Personhood USA, Pastor Walter Hoye of the Issues4Life Foundation, American Life League, and Charles E. Rice, Professor Emeritus of Law, University of Notre Dame. For more information on the Wisconsin Personhood Amendment, check out www.personhoodwisconsin.com.

Take Action!

Please CALL or EMAIL your state representative and state senator now and urge him or her to support AJR 77, the “Wisconsin Personhood Amendment.”

Tell your legislators to extend the inalienable right to life found in the Wisconsin Constitution to all preborn children at all stages of development.

If your legislator is a co-sponsor of AJR 77, please thank him!

To find out who your state legislators are, click here for PLW's website and scroll over the Legislative Affairs menu item at the top of the page. A drop down menu will appear. Click on the Speak Up icon and then scroll down the page and click on Who Are My Wisconsin Lawmakers? Type in your street address, city and zip code. The names and contact information of your state senator and state representative will appear.

Once you know who your state legislators are, go back to the Speak Up page and use the links listed under Email Your Government Officials to send your email to your state senator and state representative. That way PLW will receive a copy of your email which will enable us to monitor the activity of our grassroots advocacy campaigns.

If you prefer to leave a telephone message with your state legislator, call the toll-free State Legislative Hotline at (800) 362-9472. Or call the legislator’s office directly. Thank you!

Pro-Life Wisconsin

Texting God

2011-11-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

"The only text sent in this class would be to God, alerting him you'll be meeting him soon."

--Br. Stephen at my little Catholic university

The Ironic Catholic

Check out Abbey Roads to see the old fashioned way to text God.

MJS: How are Wisconsin faith communities confronting the issue of pornography?

2011-11-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

I am writing a story on how Wisconsin faith communities are confronting the issue of pornography. If you wish to contribute, please contact me at anjohnson@jrn.com. Please leave a daytime telephone number.

Remember, you can follow the Journal Sentinel's FaithWatch feature at:

www.twitter.com/jsfaithwatch
www.facebook.com/jsfaithwatch

MJS Faith Watch

Great question! I don't know of any effort of Catholics in Wisconsin. Anyone know of one?

You might remember Green Bay Packer defensive end Ryan Pickett supported the cause leading up to last year's Super Bowl victory.

Fanatic Fridays

2011-11-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

I decree that Polka Fridays will hitherto be known as Fanatic Fridays, so let it be written.

I ran out of polka music... Don't fret, I'll still bring you the best that the internet has to offer.

Old School Bucky

2011-11-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Bill Sagal '51 tries on his mascot head with designer Connie Conrad and Homecoming chair Bill Sachse '50. Photo Courtesy UW-Madison Archives

Reminder, it's not too late to sponsor “Mary’s Ultrasound” billboards

2011-11-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Last year’s “Mary’s Ultrasound” billboards were a huge success, in communities across Wisconsin. Viewers in Milwaukee, Green Bay, La Crosse and beyond were touched by a simple image of the preborn Christ Child. The pro-life effort raised the ire of the former president of Catholics for Choice, Frances Kissling, who wrote about the billboards in the Washington Post.

Kissling even referred to Pro-Life Wisconsin as the “grinches that stole Christmas!”

But in order to touch hearts across Wisconsin – and the United States, even! – we need your help.

True to Life funds are dangerously low, and without your help, we won’t be able to undertake the “Mary’s Ultrasound” billboard effort this year.

A $500 donation will pay for a billboard in La Crosse. A $500 donation will pay for a billboard in Milwaukee.

Please help us today! Click here to donate online, or call our office at (262) 796-1111 ext. 10.

Healing of the family tree

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Every family and ancestry – save for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph -- has tendencies that were or are negative and need to be purged. It could be a family inclination to selfishness, division, pride, or argumentation. It could be occultism. It could be a preoccupation with materialism. It could be lying. These characteristics need to be cast out as “spirits” – blotches of darkness -- or they will repeat themselves like a broken record in our lives and then in the lives of those who come after us. “Loving families lay the foundation for our eternal progress,” writes another who had a near-death episode.

“They help us build strengths, identify and overcome weaknesses, and bring challenges of their own for us to overcome. They significantly influence us in our earthly missions and affect how we influence others in their missions. Every family bond – with spouse, children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, uncles, cousins, etcetera – can play a crucial role in teaching us how to love and be loved.”

When the sin is intense, claims Father John Hampsch, who wrote a seminal book called Healing the Family Tree, the effects may go beyond the three or four generations so commonly mentioned. The greater the sin, the more darkness we attract. We also may draw demonic spirits of a higher level. As the Bible tells us, there are powers and principalities. They mimic the hierarchy of angels (seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominions, virtues, powers, principalities, archangels, and angels).

There are also earthbound or departed “familial” spirits – those who have not “gone on.” These are spirits that have attached themselves to a person, family, things, or locations. If someone commits a murder, this is a strong force that attracts the demonic. If there is a spirit that was addicted to sex, drugs, or alcohol, it may seek to draw from or enter a living person who is indulging in excessive alcohol or illicit sex (in order to re-experience it). An involvement in the occult is a transgression known to greatly enhance spiritual infestation.

continue at Spirit Daily

I've read other articles on this topic and have found it to be very insightful. I think it comes from a the charismatic movement, but I know I have a prayer to Divine Mercy for healing of a family tree. I can't find anything on it now, maybe some of you have also prayed this prayer? If so, please share where we can find it. For some time I was very interested in the charismatic movement, as I had never heard a priest talk about evil spirits or any spiritual realities of this world. I do not think it is a fascination; in fact, knowing we can help bring my family to faith is something that continues to motivate me to keep fighting; and particularly that my personal sin affects more than just my relationship with God.

From Orthodoxy - GK Chesterton

Certain new theologians dispute original sin which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved.

Some followers of the Reverend R. J. Campbell, in their almost too fastidious spirituality, admit divine sinlessness, which they cannot see even in their dreams. But they essentially deny human sin, which they can see in the street. The strongest saints and the strongest skeptics alike took positive evil as the starting-point of their argument. If it be true (as it certainly is) that a man can feel exquisite happiness in skinning a cat then the religious philosopher can only draw one of two deductions.

He must either deny the existence of God, as all atheists do; or he must deny the present union between God and man as all Christians do. The new theologians seem to think it a highly rationalistic solution to deny the cat.

Photo

HT JB

A few Cistercian items stay in the state

2011-11-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

I was glad to hear that some private donors stepped forward to purchase some of the Cisterican vestments during the auction and keep them in the area.

Madison Diocese offer Youth 2000 retreat for young Catholics

2011-11-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

The Youth 2000 retreat, held for the third time in the Diocese of Madison, drew a smaller group of youth and young adults than previous years, but the reaction to the weekend of Eucharistic Adoration, Mass, Reconciliation, and talks on the faith remained high.

Previous retreats had brought in several hundred youth, and the numbers this time only hit 75 youth and about 50 adults, but Lindsay Becher, coordinator of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Madison Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, said that it didn’t seem to affect the personal experience of the youth.

“I heard from some of the kids that the smaller numbers made the experience different,” she acknowledged. But overall, she said, the reactions were positive and on Sunday during the closing of the retreat many of the youth stood up to share the fact that they had been to a retreat before and still had a deepening of their faith during this retreat.

continue at MadCatHerald

photos courtesy of Kat Wagner at Smugmug

Infamous John Feeney released from prison

2011-11-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

John Patrick Feeney
A former Roman Catholic priest convicted of four counts of sexually assaulting children has been released from prison after serving fewer than eight years of a 15-year sentence.

John Patrick Feeney's legal issues, however, will continue to surface in Outagamie County court well into 2012.

Feeney, 84, reached his mandatory prison release date on Nov. 1 and is living in an Appleton halfway house, according to the state Department of Corrections. He was sentenced on April 30, 2004.

Peter Isely, Midwest director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Feeney won't be able to again harm children because he's so well-known to the public and will be under Department of Corrections supervision.

Feeney's widely publicized 2004 convictions in Outagamie County stemmed from the assaults of brothers Troy and Todd Merryfield when Feeney was parish priest at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Freedom in 1978.

A civil lawsuit filed in 2008 by the brothers against the Diocese of Green Bay following Feeney's convictions remains unresolved. John Peterson, an attorney for the Merryfields, said the lawsuit has been difficult for the men.

"They think it's necessary and the right thing for them to do, but it is a burden on their recovery from this," he said.

The Merryfields were 12 and 14 at the time of the assaults.

Isely said the Merryfields represent just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the lives damaged by Feeney. The damage extends to many communities and likely to many people who've remained silent about what happened to them.

"That impact is going to last forever," Isely said.

continue at Appleton Post Crescent

Project Rachel praised at USCCB conference

2011-11-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo emphasized Nov. 15 how important the Church’s post-abortion counseling ministry Project Rachel is and said that it must play a role in the New Evangelization.

“Project Rachel Ministry is at the heart of the Church’s mission at this time in her history,” Cardinal DiNardo said at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall general assembly, which is being held in Baltimore Nov. 14-16.

Cardinal DiNardo, who is chairman of the bishops' pro-life committee, told the gathering that he believes Project Rachel must play a central role in the New Evangelization.

He explained that many women who have had abortions despair of ever being forgiven by God, and consider abortion an unforgiveable sin.

The Church must reach out to these discouraged women and encourage them to seek forgiveness, he said.

Vicki Thorn, founder of Project Rachel, said that the report shows the bishops’ commitment to working towards healing for those who are suffering from a past abortion.

She told CNA that the U.S. bishops worked closely with her from the time that she initially began Project Rachel in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 1984.

The involvement of the bishops grew as the ministry rapidly expanded, she said.

Several years ago, Thorn turned over Project Rachel’s service mark—a trademark used for services—to the bishops, who had greater resources to continue its work. The ministry is now available in more than 110 dioceses across the country.

continue at CNA

MJS reporting Laser Monks fold printer supply business, abbey, Terry Nelson quoted

2011-11-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

The abbey, now all but empty, is listed for sale at $2.6 million.

They were dubbed the Millionaire Monks, a small monastic community in rural Wisconsin feted around the world for its wildly successful Internet business selling laser printer inks and toners.

As recently as 2009, the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank was projecting annual sales of $3.5 million for its for-profit business, LaserMonks Inc. And their prior and chief executive officer, Father Bernard McCoy, was talking expansion - of both the company and the abbey. [oops]

Today, the monks' 15,000-square-foot home on 500 acres in Sparta is all but empty. They sold off their belongings - everything from furniture and farm equipment to religious artifacts - at an auction last month. And they have put much of their land and buildings up for sale.

LaserMonks ceased operating in the spring, though the abbey has since sold its name and customer list to a California firm.[check it out; lasermonks.com] And the monks have gone their separate ways. McCoy, who was touted as the LaserMonks' marketing genius, is now in Ireland, overseeing a community of nuns, according to a family member. Both she and the monks' lawyer said they did not know how to reach him. [.... I don't like to be the rumor monger but I understand him to be on a non-voluntary sabbatical at their mother house... I thought that was in Switzerland.]

Attorney Kevin Roop of La Crosse, who represents the abbey, blames increased competition and the downturn in the economy for the liquidation of LaserMonks; and the dissolution of the abbey on the business failure and a dwindling interest in monastic life.

But the monks have a history of failed or attempted business ventures. And now their seemingly sudden change of fortune has raised questions about their business acumen and some say less-than-Spartan lifestyle.

"It's very troubling," said Terry Nelson of Minneapolis, a former Trappist novice who writes about monastic communities on a blog he calls Abbey Roads. "A year ago he (McCoy) was talking about growing vocations, building a new church. . . . And then it's just gone? How can a monastery just disappear?"

The details are not entirely clear, but one significant factor appears to be the abbey's debt. Since 2006, the monks have used their property as collateral to secure $3.1 million in mortgages, including a $1.4 million loan from the Valley of Our Lady Inc., a nearby community of Cistercian nuns, according to records on file with the Monroe County Register of Deeds.

The nuns' superior did not return a telephone call seeking comment. But Bryan Simonson, vice president of Stoddard-based River Bank, which loaned the abbey nearly $1.8 million over that time, said the notes were new loans and refinancings of existing mortgages and lines of credit opened for the monks' business and living expenses over the years, and that a portion of the debt has been paid.

Simonson and Roop declined to say how much the abbey still owes. But the banker said the monks have never defaulted on a loan and that he doesn't expect them to do so now.

"I hold the abbey in the highest regard," Simonson said. "They have a very viable exit strategy, and we do not expect to incur any losses." [... sooooo they did declare bankruptcy though... I assume they are talking about the Cistercian nuns then...]

continue at Milwaukee Journal Sentinal

National papers are now picking up this story. Very well done investigation Annysa! I'll maybe give some more commentary in a few days. Click the labels below if you are interested in the background. I bet you will see the NYTes out there pick it up this weekend.

TPE: A patter of Bourgeois

2011-11-17T05:31:00.000-08:00

Father Roy Bourgeois was in Milwaukee to speak at this year's Call to Action conference, Annysa Johnson reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"This year, he received a second 'canonical warning' from the Maryknolls, saying he would be expelled from the order if he did not publicly recant. The move prompted more than 200 priests, including some in Wisconsin, to sign an open letter supporting Bourgeois' right to speak his conscience.

"Catholic teaching holds that only men are called to the priesthood. Pope John Paul II reinforced that position in a 1994 apostolic letter, saying the church has no authority to ordain women."

Which leaves the potential for parishioners to be asked to donate time and money for programs to spread and reinforce Catholic teaching, while a priest in the same parish says his conscience demands he publicly contradict Catholic teaching. And continue on the payroll.

P.S. Here's the conference schedule.

The Provincial Emails

Photo

UW Badger Catholics to pray rosary outside "Gentleman's" Club in Madison

2011-11-16T13:17:00.000-08:00

From UW Badger Catholic

We are going to Silk Exotic to pray a rosary outside the doors for the intentions of those struggling with sexual immorality so they can find the love they are looking for. We will meet at St. Paul's and drive from there. It's about a 15 minute drive. It would be great to have as many people as possible so we can have the biggest possible impact in the battle against satan. Please RSVP so we can arrange rides. If you want to drive that would also be great.

That's what I'm talkin bout!

HT Maggie

BTW, they are on Facebook. I'm grateful not to be the object of a copyright lawsuit - but honestly, I googled the name and searched and found nothing when I named this blog. I'm thinking I need to get me one of the shirts...

St Gertrude the Great, ora pro nobis!

2011-11-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great

Hail, White Lily, of the ever-peaceful and glorious Trinity!

Hail, Vermilion Rose, the delight of Heaven, of whom the King of Heaven was born and by whose milk He was nourished! Do thou feed our souls with the effusions of thy Divine influences.

PLW: Milwaukee Police Department dispatcher berates pro-lifer for asking for assistance at Affiliated Medical Services

2011-11-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

This evening, Milwaukee radio talk show host Mark Belling discussed the situation of the young girl held at Affiliated Medical Services last week against her will [Part 1 here and Part 2 here].

Belling obtained the audio of the phone call that Dan Miller (head of 40 Days for Life of Milwaukee and a witness) made to the Milwaukee Police Department, asking for police to investigate.

Listen to the audio of the MPD call here. You can hear the dispatcher berating Miller, supporting a mother’s “right” to force her daughter into the abortion facility, and completely ignoring the sexual abuse that occurred, resulting in the alleged pregnancy.

As Belling pointed out on his show, dispatchers are not supposed to judge the right or wrong of a situation; that’s what police officers are for.

Anne Schwartz, public relations manager for the Milwaukee Police Department, told Belling the MPD supported the decision the dispatcher made to ignore the volatile situation and not send out an officer.

Pro-lifers’ relationship with the MPD is somewhat precarious, given the arrest of James Marcou earlier this year and the ongoing federal lawsuit against the MPD

Pro-Life Wisconsin

Bp. Morlino to lead pilgrimage to Rome, Fr. Z may be joining

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

I was alerted about pilgrimage being arranged by Bishop Morlino of Madison.

12-23 February. Ash Wednesday is 22 February, this year. A chance to be in Rome and maybe even catch part of the Holy Father’s walk (or glide?) from Sant’Anselmo to Santa Sabina? 22 February is also the Feast of the Chair of Peter, when the Vatican Basilica is all jazzed up. I don’t know about how that will work with Ash Wednesday. I am digging.

Trips like these are sometimes planned by dioceses to coincide with a bishop’s ad limina visit to Rome. The late scheduling of the spring ad limina visits for US dioceses resulted in a tight turnaround.

I’ve heard that the Diocese of Madison and organizers extended the sign-up period for a few days beyond their original deadline. Essentially, I think they need more people to sign up.

It seems to be a pretty good trip. They did not bite off too much to chew. They also included Orievto, which is always a treat.

You would meet the great Bp. Morlino, about whom I have written many times. Of course it is also a working trip for him, but there will certainly be occasions.

Short notice, but if enough of WDTPRS readers sign-up, I will probably go too.

Call Toll Free: 1-800 515-2632

FatherZ

New Marquette Prez stresses homosexual inclusion

2011-11-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

Marquette President Fr. Scott Pilarz
at former U of Scranton office

Marquette’s decision last year to rescind the position of dean of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences to a lesbian scholar, Jodi O’Brien, also came up for discussion.

The former president of the University of Scranton, a Jesuit University in Pennsylvania, said he was key to the development of the Scranton Inclusion Initiative which responded to the pastoral needs of gay and lesbian students – with opposition from the conservative community.

Fr. Pilarz said he doesn’t know all of the details about what happened at Marquette last year, and wouldn’t second-guess what happened because he wasn’t a part of the process, but he stressed there is no room in the Catechism of the Catholic Church for discrimination or exclusion on the basis of sexual orientation.

“I can assure you, going forward, Marquette will not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation,” he said.

Milwaukee Catholic Herald

Some of this is left ambiguous; "pastoral needs" "discrimination" etc. What does he really mean by these things? I assume it means the world has it right on homosexual acts and that old outdated Church needs to get with the times.

WFA: Time to send a pro-family thank you to Governor Walker

2011-11-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the questionably named "United Wisconsin" filed their recall petition just after midnight today and will begin attempting to collect 540,000 signatures to recall Governor Walker. Newspapers, TV stations and more will be covering this effort, and the liberals will claim that all of Wisconsin is opposed to the Governor.

Wisconsin Family Action thinks It's time to send a THANK YOU to Governor Walker for his pro-family stances:
Thank you for proclaiming February 7th - 14th National Marriage Week!
Thank you for defunding Planned Parenthood!
Thank you for supporting abstinence education!
Thank you for giving families more educational options!
We can let people know that tens of thousands of Wisconsin families want to thank Governor Walker through an inexpensive but effective tool: a GIANT THANK YOU card!

Wisconsin Family Action

Well we didn't "defund" Planned Parenthood but definitely took a step in the right direction.

Photo

Homosexual lobby successfully closes down century old Illinois Catholic Charities

2011-11-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

The purpose of Gay Marriage
Putting an end to legal efforts to keep Catholic Charities in the foster care business, the Roman Catholic dioceses of Joliet, Springfield and Belleville have dropped a lawsuit against the state of Illinois, agreeing to transfer thousands of foster care children and staff to other agencies.

The end of the lawsuit brings to a close nearly a century of foster care services provided by Catholic Charities in Illinois.

Since March, state officials have been investigating whether religious agencies that receive public funds to license foster care parents are breaking anti-discrimination laws if they turn away openly gay parents.

After the civil union bill went into effect in June, Catholic Charities told the state that accommodating prospective foster parents in civil unions would violate Catholic Church teaching that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Catholic Charities said it would instead refer gay couples elsewhere and only license married couples and single parents living alone.

The agency has pointed to a clause in the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act that they believe protects religious institutions that don't recognize civil unions.

But lawyers for the Illinois attorney general said that exemption only shields religious clergy who don't want to officiate at civil unions. The policy of Catholic Charities violates state anti-discrimination laws that demand couples in civil unions be treated the same as married couples, they said.

A transition plan for cases had already begun with a deadline of Nov. 30. But Peter Breen, an attorney for Catholic Charities, said the state had delayed payments for foster care services, which delayed payments to foster care parents working for the social service agency.

“The action of the state forced the end of this case,” Breen said. “Time was our enemy in this unfortunately.”

Chicago Trib

And we are the bigots for proposing marriage amendments. This is precisely why marriage amendments are necessary. A private matter between two people... ha, indeed. Coming to you soon New York.

I think I'm finally recovering from the Brewers playoff loss

2011-11-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

Credit: Rick Wood

More at JSOnline

Marquette admin on Bill Ayers: “I see him as an educational professor dealing with reform.”

2011-11-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

Marquette Warrior has more details on Marquette sponsoring terrorist Bill Ayers.

The real story here is a bit more complicated, but equally appalling.

The Marquette Education College as a whole did not support the event, but rather only the Educational Policy and Leadership program. Education College Dean William Henk disclaimed any knowledge of the sponsorship, but noted that a particular department or program might have sponsored the event.

Ellen Eckman, Chair of Educational Policy and Leadership, confirmed that her department had ponied up the $250 for the sponsorship.

Eckman, asked whether she was put off by the fact that Ayers is an unrepentant former terrorist, replied that “I see him as an educational professor dealing with reform.” She added “We use a tremendous amount of Rethinking Schools materials. . . .”

continue at Marquette Warrior

Ex-monk admits sexual misconduct while under Abp. Hamus at Conception Abbey

2011-11-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

A former Benedictine monk who directed a boys choir at a northwest Missouri abbey in the 1980s admitted on Thursday that he had inappropriate sexual relations with several members of the group.

Bede Parry, who led the Abbey Boy Choir of Conception Abbey from 1982 to 1987, told The Kansas City Star that he had sexual contact with five or six of the choir members as well as a student at a Minnesota university.

One of the former choir members filed a lawsuit on Thursday, contending that Parry molested him in 1987 during a summer camp at the abbey.

The lawsuit, filed against Conception Abbey by a Missouri man under the name John Doe 181, alleges that the abbey knew that Parry had sexually abused other students prior to abusing him but covered it up.

"Frankly, those allegations, most of them are true," Parry said in a phone interview with The Star from Las Vegas. "As far as I’m concerned, great harm was done to those people. To lie and not recognize that would be a gross injustice to those folks.

"The whole thing is terrible. I feel so terrible. I’m just praying for everybody, and I ask for prayers."

Most of the inappropriate sexual contact was with males over 18, Parry said. Two of the encounters, he said, involved males ages 16 to 18. He said he has not had inappropriate sexual relations since the 1987 incident.

Jeff Anderson, a Minnesota lawyer who represents the plaintiff, called the situation "a grave institutional failure."

"Bede Parry wasn’t able to control himself, but it was the (Conception Abbey) abbot and the top officials who knew that and made the choice to protect themselves at the peril of many kids and young adults," he said.

Conception Abbey is a Benedictine monastery with a 30-acre campus. It is home to one of the largest Roman Catholic college seminaries in the nation and the largest priest-training center in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The seminary, which the monks run, draws students from about two dozen dioceses in the United States.

Between 1973 and 1979, the lawsuit says, Parry told the Conception Abbey abbot that he had inappropriate sexual contact with three people at the abbey. And in 1981, the lawsuit says, Parry had sexual contact with a student at St. John’s in Minnesota. Parry admitted that misconduct to several people, including abbots at Conception and St. John’s, according to the lawsuit.

Parry confirmed to The Star his three relationships between 1973 and 1979 at Conception Abbey and one in 1981 in Minnesota. He said he reported those incidents to then-abbot Jerome Hanus at Conception Abbey and to the abbot at St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota.

Hanus is now head of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa. His office did not return phone calls for comment on Thursday.

Parry said he first opened up about his sexual misconduct last fall, when a Seattle area man named Pat Marker showed up at his doorstep. Marker, a sex abuse victim who had attended St. John’s Preparatory School in Minnesota, had learned about Parry while researching other cases from St. John’s.

"I confronted Bede with the allegations ... that took place at St. John’s, and he admitted to the misconduct and expressed remorse but did not disclose any information about the (Conception Abbey) boys choir at that time," Marker said. "After learning he directed the choir, I confronted him again. At first he denied anything but later admitted to misconduct."

NCReg: Cold fusion?? The machine that changes everything

2011-11-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

One day, somebody, somewhere will invent the machine that changes everything.

What if one day, somebody, somewhere was last month, in Italy and the guy is named Rossi?

If you haven’t heard of Andrea Rossi, you will be forgiven. He hasn’t received much press and the press he has received has been largely unflattering. Most scientists think that he is a quack at best, a fraud at worst. But what if, just what if, he is something else entirely? Right.

The story goes back over twenty years ago (longer actually) when two scientists named Fleischmann and Pons wowed the world and the press with their experimental findings of cold fusion. Cold fusion is the holy grail of energy production, a clean, easy, and almost limitless supply of cheap energy. As it turned out, Fleischmann and Pons’ experiment was flawed and could not be re-produced. Their careers and their names were destroyed along with Cold Fusion (or LENR—Low Energy Nuclear Reaction) research. Which was all well and good as most scientists think it is impossible. Of course, in my mind, that is one of the leading arguments in its favor. More on that later.

So for the last 25 years, very few scientists even looked at the possibility of LENR (aka Cold Fusion), but a handful did. And something strange happened. Some of them reported that using nickel and hydrogen at room temperatures, they could produce more energy than they put into the system. Lots more. Too much to be explained by a chemical reaction. But none of them could or can explain why. So many other scientists, being of open mind but closed ears, respond “If you can’t explain it, it isn’t happening.”

WI Assembly Education Committee to hold public hearing on contraception madate of 2009

2011-11-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

The Assembly Committee on Education has scheduled a public hearing for Assembly Bill (AB) 337, the "Strong Communities…Healthy Kids Act," on Wednesday, November 16, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 417 North (GAR Hall) of the State Capitol building in Madison.

Please consider attending the hearing and registering for or testifying in favor of this critically important legislation.

Assembly Bill 337 is legislation authored by State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) that reverses the contraception education/instruction mandate of 2009, giving public school districts the freedom to adopt abstinence-only human growth and development curricula. Chastity/abstinence is the only message that will protect our children's bodies and preserve their innocence, and local school districts should be given this option. The bill also prohibits school-based volunteer health providers from providing instruction in human growth and development. Sexual development is not properly under the purview of a school health room physician or nurse, especially one from Planned Parenthood. The bill prevents Planned Parenthood nurses and physicians from teaching about abortion and contraception in our public schools. The Senate companion bill to AB 337, Senate Bill 237, passed the Senate on November 2.

Thank you for speaking up for our children!

PLW

Two more Conventual Franciscan priest join new Viterbo(La Crosse) chaplain

2011-11-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Fr. Conrad Targonski, OFM,
blessing two of the many animals
present at the pet blessing on
St. Francis Day.

Though retired from the Navy after 22 years as a chaplain, this motorcycle-riding Franciscan friar who had been involved in the Fallujah offensive in Iraq, is far from done serving.

Targonski arrived at Viterbo University in March 2011 to fill the very large void left when Viterbo's previous priest, the Rev. Tom O'Neill, a former Jesuit, died in 2009. He had served at Viterbo since 1994.

Targonski is the first Franciscan friar to serve at Viterbo as its chaplain and has been joined by two other friars who minister to St. Rose Convent and the Mayo Health Center.

"Father Conrad is a real gift to Viterbo and our community," said Rick Artman, university president.

"His life experiences help him relate extremely well with students. He also is very well versed in the scriptures, very knowledgeable about other religions, and he is an excellent homilist. He is a perfect fit for Viterbo."

LaxTrib

The La Crosse diocese has in the past needed to devote at least a couple of priests for the whole campus. I don't know the details but this might free up some for parish duties.

TeDeum: USCCB Fall General Assembly is underway

2011-11-14T08:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a favorite past-time of many Catholic bloggers: The USCCB Fall General Assembly.

The bishops of the US are meeting in Baltimore right now. Many are watching with interest.

I'm stuck on a netbook while my main computer is in for repair and I can't deal with how slow the clicks are taking online. Therefore, while i have a day off, I will not be tweeting and taking notes throughout.

If you are interested, I would encourage you to turn on EWTN right now if you have it. It is also being streamed online, and the USCCB is live-tweeting and on Facebook. Go here to see the many ways you can follow what the bishops are discussing. You can also see what is being voted on and how those turn out.

details at Te Deum laudamus

You might have also heard that the infamous Nat Cat'terd has been campaigning against Abp. Nienstedt appointment to anything at the USCCB. I guess being Pro-liturgy, Pro-life and Pro-marriage makes you an enemy to some members of the Body of Christ. That's like the left arm punching the head, heart, and the .... well, a lower extremity of Christ's Mystical Body.

FatherZ: Pontifical TLM in … Miami? Miami!

2011-11-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

I learn about this here.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami will be celebrate a Pontifical High Mass at Miami’s Church of the Epiphany (7:30pm) on 2 February 2012, Feast of the Presentation.

This will be the first time in over 40 years that a bishop has celebrated a Pontifical High Mass, according to the Missal of 1962, in the State of Florida. The Mass is part of a symposium jointly sponsored by both Nova Southeastern University and Church Music Association of America.

The symposium is titled “Gregorian Chant and Modern Composition for the Catholic Liturgy: Charles Tournemire’s ‘L’Orgue Mystique’ as Guide ” The Mass will feature the French composer and organist’s compositions for the Feast of the Presentation.

For more information about the Symposium, see here.

FatherZ

Of course in this state, Bishop Morlino has celebrated the Traditional Mass.... I'm not sure if he has celebrated a Pontifical Mass though? Perhaps Madison Cathedral folks could fill us in. I know there is at least one bishop in Minnesota celebrating the Traditional Mass but he as of yet has not celebrated a Pontifical Mass. As far as I know, Cardinal Burke has never said the Traditional Mass in the state of Wisconsin(at least publicly)... It seems like that should be a trivia question considering how many other states and countries he has Pontifical-ed in.

Paul Bunyan's Axe

2011-11-12T07:40:00.000-08:00

We got it and we want to keep it.

Extreme Polka Friday!

2011-11-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

+ Nienstedt releases 28-page Pastoral Letter focused on Sacred Liturgy of the Mass

2011-11-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

The Most Reverend Catholic Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, John C. Nienstedt, has written a 28-page Pastoral Letter titled “Do This in Memory of Me”, that focuses on the “Sacred Liturgy” of the Mass, and the Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion. The pastoral letter will be distributed to all clergy and Catholic worshippers in the Archdiocese’s 12 county area.

Archbishop Nienstedt intentionally timed the publication of his initial pastoral letter to precede the implementation of the Vatican’s new form of the Roman Catholic Mass, scheduled to begin on the weekend of November 27, the start of the Advent season.

A pastoral letter, often simply called a pastoral, is a teaching document dealing with key beliefs and practices of the Catholic faith, explaining how these tenets of the faith, based on Christ’s teachings relate to societal problems or fundamental moral issues. The letter is a reflection based upon the bishop’s pastoral, teaching and Christian guidance responsibility.

details at Arch St. Paul & Minn.

Eau Claire Police Chief voices concern over La Crosse Diocese abuse policy

2011-11-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

In light of the sex abuse charges at Penn State, Eau Claire Police Chief Jerry Matisyk says this is a good reminder to both parents and organizations on how to properly report abuse.

The grand jury report which talks about the Penn State sex abuse charges, notes that the scandal was covered up for years. Matisyk says, like in the Catholic Church's case, cover ups like this happen all too often

Over the years Matisyk has vocalized his opposition to the La Crosse Catholic Diocese child sex abuse reporting policy, saying the church should have parishioners report directly to the police, rather than the church first.

Matisyk says unfortunately the church isn't alone in covering up abuses, as the Penn State scandal so clearly proves. [Good point]

“I think the lesson here for all citizens is that child sexual abuse is a crime, a serious crime and it needs to be reported directly to the police, not to the organization where the crime occurred,” he says.

But, James Birnbaum a lawyer for the La Crosse Diocese says its policy is to report sexual abuse to the bishop, as a way of to ensure it gets reported to authorities.

“The reason that we have a policy of reporting to the bishop is the bishop is obligated by law to make the reports and we want to make sure those reports are made. If the bishop fails to make a report as mandatory reporter, he can be sued for that,” Birnbaum explains.

But, Matisyk says human nature all too often turns to protect the organization above the victim.

“The problem is with some organizations, if some people in a higher position find out about this they tend to try to cover up evidence, tend to try and tell people not to cooperate and that's destructive to the truth. Nothing is worth the price of a new victim,” Matisyk tells us.

Even if you only have suspicions, Matisyk says don't be afraid to go to the police.

“If there are people that have either witnessed suspicious activity that seems unusual, doesn’t seem to make sense, we are fine with taking that kind of information and taking a closer look,” he explains.

Chief Matisyk says the cleanest policy an organization can have is to report any criminal behavior to police.

WEAU

It was proved recently in the Diocese of La Crosse that the flip side of the coin is also true; people make false accusations against priests for personal reasons or for profit. We also have groups like SNAP out there who have actively campaigned in Wisconsin to remove the statute of limitation, allowing lawyers to sue dioceses for actions that have taken place since 1848. Look, if I knew of abuse, I would go right to police but the reality is that character defamation is something that is practiced against priests, and SNAP wants every last one of our churches to look like this. Chief Matysik does not address these concerns.

St. Martin of Tours, ora pro nobis!

2011-11-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

Entry of St. Martin into Amiens

As you know, Veterans Day is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. In other countries, the day is celebrated as Armistice Day. It recalls the ending of World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.

However, there is a deeper, Catholic meaning to November 11. This day is the feast of Saint Martin (c. 316 – 397) - that godly hermit and bishop who had once been a soldier. Martin laid down the sword in order to live a life of peace and penance under the gentle yoke of Jesus Christ. St Martin is Europe's chief example of the transition from soldier to saint; from war to peace.

Traditionally, November 11 had previously served as a day of signing peace treaties in honor of Saint Martin. Thus, it was fitting to end Europe's Great War on this same day - the festival of Saint Martin of Tours.

So there's a little Catholic history for you to share at the water-cooler or at your next cocktail party. Saint Martin is the ultimate veteran - a veteran from Christ.

Canterbury Tales

I was wondering how St. Martin and Veterans Day ended up on the same day. That explains it! By the way, Canterbury Tales is a great blog to follow.

My grandpa on my mom's side was Marine and a Korean War vet. Requiescat in pace.

+Listecki to speak at War Memorial Center on Veterans Day

2011-11-11T06:02:00.000-08:00

"Veterans Day, this year on November 11th, falls two months after the 10-year anniversary of 9/11," said Secretary John A. Scocos. "For those who have ever worn the uniform in service to our nation, Veterans Day has significant meaning."

In addition, as part of Veterans Day, in 2007 Wisconsin Act 22, the State of Wisconsin has declared that the seven-day period that ends on November 11 (Nov. 5-11, 2011) is designated as "Veterans Recognition Week" in Wisconsin and the week of November that starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday in which Nov. 11 falls (Nov. 6-12, 2011) is designated as "Hire A Veteran Week" in Wisconsin.

Friday, November 11, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. - 2011 Veterans Day Banquet at the War Memorial Center in Milwaukee. Speakers include U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. John McCoy, Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki, and Wis. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Secretary John A. Scocos.

Isthmus

You might know Abp. Listecki served as an Army Reserve Chaplain in the United States Army Reserves for 20 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.

SmokingGun: Photo of young women from satanism arrest in Milwaukee

2011-11-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

Chandler claimed that her roommate--whom she identified only as “Scarlett”--was “the one who did the majority of the cutting” during the incident. Chandler, police reported, “also made reference to ‘Scarlett’ possibly being involved in satanic or occult activities.”

Chandler was placed in custody at the scene. During a subsequent search of the apartment, investigators seized copies of "The Necromantic Ritual Book” and "The Werewolf’s Guide to Life,” a humor book. The former book promises to enable a reader to “share consiousness with the Angel of Death.” Paperwork seized from the home was described by police as the “7 Pentacles” of planets. Additionally, a black folder was described as an “Intro to Sigilborne Spirtits,” an apparent reference to “The Sigil-Born,” metaphysical entities that are “occultic practitioners” of necromancy, the purported ability to contact the dead.

Cops subsequently identified “Scarlett” as Raven Larrabee, 20. She was arrested and booked yesterday into the Milwaukee County jail, where she is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond. Chandler is also in the county lockup, where her bond was set at $150,000. The women, who have not yet been charged by prosecutors, are being held for suspicion of reckless injury, a felony.

Chandler (left) and Larrabee are pictured in the above mug shots (click to enlarge). Search warrant records do not indicate why the Arizona man traveled to Milwaukee (or what he expected to happen upon arrival). In a post earlier today on his Facebook wall, the man offered a one-word update: “stitches.”

The Smoking Gun

HT Sykes

Gov. Walker says Capitol evergreen is a Christmas, not holiday, tree

2011-11-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

Gov. Walker said Monday that the evergreen decorated with ornaments and adorned with a star in the center of Wisconsin's Capitol Rotunda is a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree as it's been called for the past 25 years.

The roughly 30-foot-tall tree was called a Christmas tree from the first display in 1916 until 1985. That's when politicians bowed to concerns about government endorsing religion and started referring to it as a holiday tree.

The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has opposed the term Christmas tree, saying it offends nonreligious people and amounts to a government endorsement of Christianity.

They are upset because Christians are celebrating a Christian holiday... I don't get upset when they celebrate the Chinese Revolution, Earth Day, Bastille Day, Darwin Day, or of course their biggest holiday on April 1st.

Photo

+Listecki to lead Rome pilgrimage as part of Vatican visit

2011-11-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops, including Milwaukee Archdiocese Jerome Listecki, will head to Rome in February for his quinquennial ad limina trip, in which prelates provide the Vatican a full accounting of their ministries and operations every five years.

As part of that pilgrimage, Listecki will meet with Pope Benedict XVI and individual offices of the Roman Curia, or Vatican administration, and discussions will range from pastoral priorities and initiatives to the bankruptcy, said spokeswoman Julie Wolf. Some of the meetings, including the visit with the Pope, are likely to be group sessions that include other the bishops in the region -- Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.

Listecki will be in Rome from Feb. 10 to 17, and local Catholics are invited to travel with him, according to a post on the archdiocese web site.

MJS FaithWatch

I just have to say that the new Journal Sentinel FaithWatch blog is being done really well! I've been pleasantly surprised. I just wish they had an RSS feed for it so I could put it on the side bar. When I tried it before it was showing all stories, not just FaithWatch. The sports one seems to work fine though. Okay I just tried it again and it looks like it's working. I need to clean up that side bar a bit I think.... Oh but I have found these posts to actually be more interesting to me than the feature articles on religion. They did a big writeup on women's ordination when Call to Action was in town. Those stories tend to be a bit more boring when the editor just has an axe to grind. Rah, rah, rah, Church needs to get a clue.. zzzzzzzzzzzz. If they start their own church, or have an honest debate, that would be interesting but otherwise it's the same old story I've read 100 times.

Photo

La Crosse Sacred Worship director to appear on EWTN Theology Roundtable

2011-11-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

Catch Father Martis and Professor Chris Carstens [Director of Sacred Worship for La Crosse Diocese] on EWTN! Theology Roundtable will air the first of a three part series on implementation of the New Missal, highlighting the Liturgical Institute's Mystical Body, Mystical Voice program.

Sunday 11/13, 10 PM Eastern
Tuesday 11/15, 1 PM ET
Thursday 11/17, 5 AM ET

The Liturgical Institute

This last Tuesday, Chris also presented at Theology on Tap in La Crosse. He really did a fantastic job. We had probably 20-25 people come. As you can imagine, he's giving several talks a week and it really made me appreciate all the work he's been putting in leading up to Advent. ... I also realized that people my age do not think like me... or at least these ones didn't. Someone was actually arguing(and laying it on pretty thick) that pro multis should not be translated "for many" but that translating it that way was Calvinistic. *sigh* Chris was much more patient that I could have been. Without getting into too many details, does this young man really think that the whole Church up until now actually was filled with a bunch of idiots who really couldn't figure out how to liturgically express this mystery? It is so hard for me to communicate with modernists who basically disregard all of Church history in coming to a conclusion. There are several reasons why pro multis is used. Aquinas said in the Summa that "the many" was referring either to the elect among the Gentiles or to those for whom Mass is offered. Yes Jesus died for all, even sinners who reject him, but the Mass isn't just an anti-Calvinism high five. There is depth here that should be explored prior to a wagging of the finger.

"He was offered but once to bear the sins of many. Why does he [St. Paul] say, 'of many,' and not 'of all?' Because not all had faith. Although He died for all, as far as He is concerned, to save all, His death voiding the downfall of mankind, yet He did not take away the sins of all, because they themselves did not want Him to do this." - St. John Chrysostom, exegesis for Hebrews 9:28

Alright I really didn't mean to rant beyond the fact that *gasp* people actually had thought of some of these things prior to the 1970s.

HT SG

Tommy Thompson in Vatican for stem cell conference

2011-11-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

Former Wisconsin Gov. and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson took part in an international conference at the Vatican on Wednesday aimed at building support for adult stem cell research. He urged President Obama to take the lead in promoting adult stem cell research, according to a report by The Hill's Healthwatch blog.

Also, the Washington Post reports that the Vatican has entered into an unusual partnership with a small biotech company in New York to promote the use of adult stem cells for treating disease.

MJS - Annysa

Satanism on Milwaukee's east side

2011-11-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Milwaukee police are investigating a bizarre stabbing incident in which a Milwaukee woman allegedly stabbed an 18-year-old Arizona man more than 300 times when their sexual relations got "out of hand."

According to an affidavit accompanying a search warrant, the man was bleeding from the neck, arms and back when he called police to the intersection of E. Knapp St. and N. Astor St. shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday. The man told police he met the woman online and took a bus from Phoenix to meet her.

"Once he got to the residence, he was bound and stabbed numerous times over a time frame of what he described as two days," the affidavit states.

The man suffered more than 300 puncture wounds to his back, face, arms, legs and neck and was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, according to the document.

Near the intersection of E. Knapp St. and N. Astor St., police found bloody duct tape "fashioned in a manner that appeared to be a restraint, as well as a bloody length of rope," the affidavit says.

Officers followed a blood trail to an apartment in the 900 block of E. Knapp St, where the door to one of the units was open. Inside, there was blood on the floor and on bedding in a bedroom as well as duct tape that appeared to be a restraint, according to the affidavit.

A 22-year-old woman introduced herself to officers, saying, "I think you are here looking for me."

She said she'd been having sexual relations with the man and that the cutting was consensual but quickly got out of hand.

After she was arrested, the woman told police her roommate, who's "possibly involved in satanic or occult activities," had done the majority of the cutting.

When police searched the apartment, they found a book entitled "Werewolf's Guide to Life," a necromantic ritual book; and a black folder called "Intro to Sigilborne Spirits." According to various websites, Sigilborne spirits include female werewolf spirits who engage in sexual acts.

The 22-year-old woman is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.

MJS

Affiliated Medical Services, Milwaukee's number one abortion provider is only a few blocks away....

Consider sponsoring "Mary's Ultrasound" billboard

2011-11-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

If you remember last year, this billboard was seen through different cities in Wisconsin. If you are interested in bringing the billboard to your area, contact Virginia. Pricing is different for each area but if we can get enough people together on this we can bring the message to the whole state!

SNAP quoted in article about Penn State child sex abuse scandal

2011-11-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

Very sad discovery

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has decided to retire at the end of the season, saying Wednesday that the effects of a child sex abuse scandal involving former heir apparent Jerry Sandusky have been overwhelming.

"I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief," Paterno said in a statement released just after initial reports confirming his pending retirement.

"This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more. My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university."

So they had a football camp for middle schoolers where an assistant coach did the molesting. Paterno had heard about it and reported it to the University, who in turn did nothing. A sad tale that we all know should be brought to the police as soon as possible. But now we see ESPN invoke SNAP in their article.

After Paterno reported the incident to Curley, Sandusky was told to stay away from the school, but critics say the coach should have done more -- tried to identify and help the alleged victim, for example, or alerted authorities.

"Here we are again,"[again?] John Salveson, former president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in an interview earlier this week. "When an institution discovers abuse of a kid, their first reaction was to protect the reputation of the institution and the perpetrator."

I'm not disagreeing with what he says here but why is this guy being quoted in this article? The media is still desperately hoping to keep child abuse like this something priests do and that if there are problems with abuse in other institutions, it means they are like the Church. Abuse is something that has happened across any number of institutions. Why is the Church singled out here. Paterno is Catholic I think, BTW.

Taking the lead from ESPN, check out this headlines:

Like Catholic Church, Paterno, Penn State turned blind eye to sexually abused children
Is Penn State the Catholic Church?
Jerry Sandusky Sex Abuse Case Could Rival the Catholic Scandal

Certainly there is valid discussion that could happen in this regard, but the presumption that abuse only has happened in the Church is short sighted and really defeats the effort to root out this abuse from all institutions. Wouldn't it be nice to see the public school system start to make efforts to make sure this stops happening inside their walls as well? I don't see that being discussed anywhere.

GE Moves 115-Year-Old Waukesha headquarters to China

2011-11-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

General Electric Co.'s health-care unit, the world's biggest maker of medical-imaging machines, is moving the headquarters of its 115-year-old X-ray business to Beijing to tap growth in China.

“A handful” of top managers will move to the Chinese capital and there won't be any job cuts, Anne LeGrand, vice president and general manager of X-ray for GE Healthcare, said in an interview. The headquarters will move from Waukesha, Wisconsin, amid a broader parent-company plan to invest about $2 billion across China, including opening six “customer innovation” and development centers.

The move follows the introduction earlier this year of GE Healthcare's “Spring Wind” initiative to develop and distribute medical products and services in China, GE said in a statement today. More than 20 percent of the X-ray unit's new products will be developed in China, LeGrand said.

Business Week

Business is best run with local ownership, and the state should support that effort.

Mississippi fails to pass Personhood amendment

2011-11-09T06:12:00.000-08:00

In a highly anticipated race last night, Mississippi’s Amendment 26 failed to garner sufficient votes to extend the definition of ‘person’ to every human being from the moment of fertilization. Voters rejected the amendment by a margin of 58 to 42 percent.

“Personhood USA understands that changing a culture - and changing a country - will not happen with one election, and so it is not unexpected. We thank the over one quarter of a million Mississippians who voted for Amendment 26,” said Keith Mason, president of Personhood USA, after the vote.

Personhood Mississippi had hoped that their efforts would work to erode the 38 year death grip that Roe v. Wade has held on human life in the womb through legalized abortion.

“Personhood is the key to all human rights,” Mason had said prior to the vote.

To put the amendment on last night’s ballot, Personhood Mississippi was required to collect and certify 89,285 signatures from registered voters. They exceeded that requirement by over 40,000 signatures.

A legal memorandum on the Mississippi Personhood Amendment prepared by Liberty Counsel stated that the term “fertilization” was used in the Amendment instead of the more familiar term “conception” to avoid “confusion and varying interpretations by some in the scientific, medical, and/or bioethics fields.”

The initiative was controversial even among pro-life leaders, some of whom were skeptical that the amendment would do any good for the pro-life cause, saying that it was not the right legislative vehicle to end abortion.

continue at LifeSiteNews

Don't be that disappointed. 42% voted for this thing! I hope you do understand how significant that is. Half the pro-life bureaucracy opposes Personhood and it still despite all their efforts (not to mention the abortion community's push) got 42%. That tells me Personhood really can be passed. It is not just a pipe dream anymore, it is the movement that could define this country for the next 100 years.

Benefit dinner for Madison's St. Ambrose Academy

2011-11-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

MADISON -- St. Ambrose Academy is excited to announce its Fifth Annual Benefit Dinner, which is coordinated this year by St. Ambrose Academy’s new Director of Development, Laura Karlen.

The event will celebrate Catholic education throughout the diocese by inviting Catholic primary schools whose students have gone to St. Ambrose or whose students are on the Academy waiting list to attend the dinner and set up informational tables. Those in attendance will thus have an opportunity to learn more about Catholic education in our area.

Karlen, who also coordinates the 40 Days For Life prayer vigil outside Planned Parenthood, first learned about St. Ambrose Academy through Madison pro-life events at which Ambrose students were unfailingly present.

“Every time my life intersected with Ambrose students, I could sense their closeness to Christ and their joy in their faith. Joy is a rare thing in our culture, and here at St. Ambrose, the students are radiantly on fire for the faith. People want to invest in joy,” said Karlen. “It gives them hope for the future. People recognize the light in the eyes of St. Ambrose students.

“Too often people don’t consider joy in our culture; they only pursue material happiness. Joy is the spiritual, lasting peace of knowing we are in union with God, whereas happiness is the fleeting satisfaction of our desires. Our students will build up the Church by radiating Christ and winning over those around them who find that joy infectious.”

continue at MadCat

Who's Reading in October

2011-11-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

I see Madison is back in the top spot. I like Google Analytics but I wish there was an easier way to share. I mean you can export it to a PDF which is nice, but it would really be cool to have a widget on Blogger that shows this stuff on an interactive map. Yes, I am a nerd so I like numbers and charts and statistics.

Rank	City	Visits
1	Madison	715
2	Milwaukee	623
3	La Crosse	510
4	St Louis, MO	266
5	Chicago, IL	180
6	Winona, MN	151
7	Washington, DC	149
8	Elm Grove	136
9	New York, NY	131
10	St Paul, MN	128
11	Appleton	124
12	Green Bay	101

Since I am in a geeky mood, a story for you. A while back my car broke down in Baraboo after a camping trip with some friends at Devils Lake(involving Latin Masses and drinking beer... at different times). I got a ride back to La Crosse but I left the car and had it towed to get repaired. Later that week after it was repaired I got a ride back to Baraboo and so I looked up on Google Maps where the address to the shop was located. It showed the location downtown Baraboo. We showed up, and no repair shop to be seen. We asked somebody and we were told to head back toward the insterstate. The actual location was something like 5 or 6 miles from Baraboo up the old Hwy 12.

Centroids, gotta love em!

So how did Google Maps get it wrong? Well let me tell you a little something about geo assignment. There are two levels of geo assignment when you give an address, centroid level and address(or rooftop) level. If you do data processing you sometimes don't need and actual address level assignment, just a general idea of the location. A centroid is a geometric shape fit on the map, which could be a square but almost always is some awkward shape. It usually represent part of a zip code(and actually could be assigned with just the 9 digit zip code). When the assignment is made at the centroid level, it will put the pointer on the map to the mathematical middle of that shape. So what Google does is it tries to assign to the address level, if not, hey, it will get you "close" ... by, oh I don't know, 10 miles or so? I would expect it to tell you it can't make the address level assignment but that might not look so good to someone who thinks Google is right about everything. So now next time you are Google mapping something, and later that evening you you find yourself conveniently in the middle of a corn field instead of meeting up with your future traddy spouse at a new Wisconsin brewpub, you know why.

Blessed John Duns Scotus, ora pro nobis!

2011-11-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

The Franciscan Monk Duns Scoto in his Cell

Perhaps the most influential point of Duns Scotus' theology was his defense of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. At the time, there was a great deal of argument about the subject. The general opinion was that it was appropriately deferential to the Mother of God, but it could not be seen how to resolve the problem that only with Christ's death would the stain of original sin be removed. The great philosophers and theologians of the West were divided on the subject (indeed, it appears that even Thomas Aquinas sided with those who denied the doctrine, though some Thomists dispute this). The feast day had existed in the East since the seventh century and had been introduced in several dioceses in the West as well, even though the philosophical basis was lacking. Citing Anselm of Canterbury's principle, "potuit, decuit, ergo fecit" (God could do it, it was appropriate, therefore he did it), Duns Scotus devised the following argument: Mary was in need of redemption like all other human beings, but through the merits of Jesus' crucifixion, given in advance, she was conceived without the stain of original sin. God could have brought it about (1) that she was never in original sin, (2) she was in sin only for an instant, (3) she was in sin for a period of time, being purged at the last instant. Whichever of these options was most excellent should probably be attributed to Mary. This apparently careful statement provoked a storm of opposition at Paris, and suggested the line 'fired France for Mary without spot' in the famous poem "Duns Scotus's Oxford," by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

This argument appears in Pope Pius IX's declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Pope John XXIII recommended the reading of Duns Scotus' theology to modern theology students.

Wiki

... I wonder how many modern theology students have been exposed to Duns Scotus. You may have heard the Friars of the Immaculate have put together a movie on the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus. It is in Italian but Ignatius Press is now selling the DVD with subtitles.

StarTrib Poll: Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment up 48%-43%

2011-11-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

St Paul Capitol and Cathedral
A year before they face the issue on the ballot, 48 percent of Minnesotans favor such an amendment while 43 percent oppose it. That falls within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

The poll of 807 adults statewide, conducted Nov. 2-3, shows that battle lines will be drawn on clear partisan, generational, educational and geographic fractures.

The poll may reflect some shifting opinions among Minnesota voters. In May of this year, just before the constitutional question was approved by the Legislature, 55 percent of respondents in a Minnesota Poll said they opposed the amendment while 39 percent favored a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Amendment supporter Chuck Darrell, communications director for Minnesota for Marriage, said the early signs of support reflected in the recent Minnesota Poll was good news for his side. He said even though the lead in favor of the amendment is slim, it may reflect even more support.

Darrell said in other states, notably California and Maine, early polling showed marriage amendments failing. But when voters are in the secrecy of their voting booths, he said, they supported the amendments.

"People tend to give the politically correctly answer" on marriage amendment polls, he said.

Star Trib

Arizona abortion nun awarded at Milwaukee Call to Action conference

2011-11-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

Okay I'm behind a bit with a funeral in the family last week. A group in love with abortion, Call to Action, has their annual conference in Milwaukee every year. I still have to confirm this, but I believe the infamous Puppet Mass was part of the ... celebration. This year, they invited the nun who approved of a direct abortion for a woman as a cure for hypertension in an Arizona Catholic hospital.

From Creative Minority Report:

Excommunicated Sister of Mercy Margaret McBride received the 2011 Call To Action Leadership Award at their annual conference precisely for her role in a decision at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix to abort an 11 week old unborn baby.

She gives a short speech accepting the award where she talks of mercy and forgiveness and bashes the Church in the same breath. Pretty darn disgusting.

FatherZ has more.

Tomorrow's special election in La Crosse - don't forget to vote

2011-11-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

Pro-life David Drewes
A Wisconsin State Assembly special election will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8, in the 95th Assembly District (AD). The 95th AD comprises the City of La Crosse.

The Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund political action committee (PAC) has proudly endorsed David Drewes (R) in the 95th AD special election.

For those of you who live in the City of La Crosse, tomorrow's special election is too important to miss. Plan to exercise your right to vote tomorrow, November 8, and encourage your family and friends to do the same. Vote for life, and may God bless Wisconsin!

Pro-Life Wisconsin

Milwaukee's St. Josaphat Basilica launches $700k campaign for upcoming projects

2011-11-07T11:02:00.000-08:00

St. Josaphat Milwaukee

The St. Josaphat Basilica Foundation, which has raised $10 million for its renovations over the last 20 years, has embarked on a new, $700,000 campaign to fund a number of upcoming projects and build up its reserves.

The projects include interior and exterior lighting, masonry and stained glass repairs and a new sound system, said foundation Executive Director Susan Rabe.

Built by Polish immigrants between 1896 and 1901, the Basilica -- one of only three in the United States at the time -- is considered a cultural and historic landmark in Milwaukee.

“People come here from around the world,” said the foundation’s executive director Susan Rabe, who took on the post in 2009.

The new campaign has already received a $50,000 gift from the We Energy Foundation.

In addition to covering maintenance and repair costs, the campaign drive is intended to reinvigorate the foundation's annual giving, which has slipped over the past five years from $300,000 to $400,000 annually, to about $125,000, according to Rabe.

MJS - Annysa Johnson

Cardinal Burke in Amsterdam, to visit St. Louis in January

2011-11-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

New Liturgical Movement

Via STL Catholic:

His Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Emeritus of Saint Louis, will visit St. Francis de Sales Oratory this coming January 31st. He will pray the Te Deum and lead Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. Mark your calendars now, and I will update as I have more information.

Catholic bishops in Wisconsin urging not to bring guns into church

2011-11-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

Roman Catholic bishops in Wisconsin are urging their parishioners not to bring weapons to church now that a new law permits state residents to carry concealed firearms.

"Intuitively, we understand that acts of violence, destruction, and murder are antithetical to the message and person of Jesus Christ and have no rightful place in our society, especially sacred places," the bishops said just before the law went into effect on Tuesday.

"We ask that all people seriously consider not carrying weapons into church buildings as a sign of reverence for these sacred spaces," they said.

The statement, issued by Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki and four other bishops, said a decision on whether to ban weapons was up to individual churches.

Residents with a valid permit are allowed to carry concealed handguns, electric weapons such as stun guns or tasers, knives other than switchblades, and billy clubs.

Machine guns, short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns remain prohibited.

An employer may bar an employee from carrying concealed weapons at work, but cannot prohibit an employee from keeping concealed weapons in the employee's vehicle, even if it is parked on employer property.

The law mandates four hours of instructor-led training to carry a concealed weapon, or completion of a hunter safety course through the state.

Reuters

In other words, if you own a gun, you are a psycho murderer.

Maybe I'm weird for not being afraid of guns. I'm more afraid someone would go up to Communion in the state of mortal sin or that the priest is going to bring in the clowns than I am that someone has a gun on them.

I hate to break it to everybody, but a person could bring in a gun prior to any law passed as well. Bad people usually don't care what the law or the bishops say on the matter.

But I'm sure these ladies will happily oblige.

Strongly worded statements

2011-11-07T05:32:00.000-08:00

A friend sent this to me regarding USCCB actions on some issues that have come up lately, which I got a good laugh out of.

Abortion-on-demand: strongly worded statement
Obamacare with taxpayer funded abortion-on-demand: strongly worded statement
Contraception coverage mandate: strongly worded statement
Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: strongly worded statement
Obama speaks at Notre Dame: strongly worded statement
Refusal to defend DOMA: strongly worded statement
Persecution of individuals and businesses that don’t succumb to the homosexual agenda: strongly worded statement
Take away our grant money: LAWSUIT!

On the other hand, what else can they do?

HT SK

The American saints pastime

2011-11-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

To get to know them and to win their trust, Solanus would often organize field trips for his gand of Mass servers. Ice cream sodas always capped the trips, but visits to a church along the way were invariably included to "set a good example." Slender buy wiry, Fr. Solanus also impressed the boys when they played baseball together. Sometimes he would bat fly balls for them or hit them grounders to see if they were any good as shortstops. When he played in a game, he was always the catcher, refusing to wear the catcher's mask, and played in his habit. He played the game with gusto. The boys loved him for his wild courage as well as for his kind of concern for them.

from Solanus Casey: The Story of Father Solanus By Catherine M. Odell

St. Charles Borromeo, ora pro nobis!

2011-11-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

La Crosse seminarian has ties to newly beatified friend of St. John Bosco

2011-11-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

When Blessed Luigi Guanella is added to the calendar of saints on Oct. 23 by Pope Benedict XVI, there will be many from the Diocese of La Crosse with a special connection to the man who founded congregations, served as a model for the priesthood and Christian charity, and at the time of his canonization will be officially be recognized by the Church for enjoying eternal bliss with God in heaven.

Born in 1842 in a small mountain village in northern Italy, Blessed Luigi was ordained a priest and, as a close friend of St. John Bosco (1815-1888), founder of the Salesians, he carried on St. John’s mission of establishing academies and vocational training schools for orphans and troubled youth. Like his friend, he also established two orders in his time, the Servants of Charity for men and the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence for women. Both orders have houses in the United States.

Blessed Luigi died in 1915 and was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1964, and his incorrupt body is on display for veneration at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Como, Italy, where he founded his orders.

Among those who plan to be in St. Peter’s Square for the canonization is a seminarian for the Diocese of La Crosse, Alan Guanella. That he and the Church’s newest saint share the same last name is no coincidence.

A fifth cousin of Blessed Luigi, Guanella has compiled an extensive archive of his relative’s life and works at www.luigiguanella.com.

continue at TheCatTimes

Wauwatosa pro-life conference challenges, encourages post-abortion caregivers

2011-11-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

WAUWATOSA — Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan., challenged and encouraged post-abortion caregivers to see those who seek their help “as the Lord sees them – beyond their weakness – and to call them to wholeness.”

He made his remarks during an Oct. 28 keynote address at the 13th annual Healing Vision Conference, at the Radisson Hotel in Wauwatosa. Organizers characterized the four-day event, Oct. 26-29, as “a think tank conference of academics, medical professionals, mental health experts and caregivers gathered to share resources and research, and (to) network.”

Archbishop Naumann, 62, employed personal stories and biblical passages as he urged his audience to help clients, “pained and in anger” after undergoing or being otherwise involved in abortions, to:
experience God’s mercy and be able to forgive themselves;
“be empowered to forgive others” who might have been instrumental in their abortions;
realize that God is able to turn “terrible tragedy” into “good in their lives – a great grace.”
The archbishop recalled a young couple, parishioners when he was a newly ordained priest in his native St. Louis more than 35 years ago. The couple’s toddler son was killed after darting into the path of a delivery truck and Fr. Naumann witnessed at close hand the parents’ “profound grief.” Sadly, there was also guilt, something women who experience abortions also often feel.

continue at MilCat

Compass: Peshtigo school holds All Saints program

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The face of "choice": Young girl forced into abortion facility in Milwaukee

2011-11-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, we posted a comment on our PLW Facebook page asking for prayers for a young girl dragged into Affiliated Medical Services against her will.

The awesome folks at LifeSiteNews saw the post and wrote an article, below.

Pro-life sidewalk counselors outside a Milwaukee abortion clinic Thursday morning say that a preteen girl asking pro-lifers for help was forced into the clinic by escorts and a guardian, and that police have responded saying that they could do nothing.

Tobey Neuberger, a sidewalk counselor from Cedarburgh, said the incident occurred just before 10 a.m. outside Affiliated Medical Services, where she and two other female pro-life counselors gave a “very young” African-American girl literature as she entered the clinic, and told her that she could get more information at a pro-life center across the street. Witnesses said the girl looked anywhere between 11 and 14 years old.

Neuberger says she and her companions were “just incredulous” as they watched the girl come back out and ask for help from the counselors, only to be physically blocked by the escort staff.

Read the rest here.

Please keep this dear girl, a child herself, in your prayers tonight. +JMJ+

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin rakes in $26 million from taxpayers for birth control

2011-11-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

From Pro-Life Wisconsin:

Recently-obtained figures from the state of Wisconsin show that from 2007-2010, Planned Parenthood received $26 million from taxpayers for providing “family planning” services under the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver Program. Graph, below, breaks it down by county. Planned Parenthood operates 27 facilities across Wisconsin; two of those provide surgical abortions.

As you can see from the final total, $81.5+ million was paid out across the state from 2007-2010 under the Medicaid FPW program.

Read the rest here.

The heirs of Luther

2011-11-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Reformation Day I thought readers might like this photograph of the heirs of Luther:

That would be Lutheran bishop of Stockholm Eva Brunne on the left. Eva is in a ‘registered and blessed’ homosexual partnership. She and her ‘partner’ have a child conceived through artificial insemination.

continue at Fr. Z

Or was that errors of Luther...

In GB, "Catholics prepare for most significant reforms since Vatican II"

2011-11-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

The revisions reflect a new translation for the English-speaking world of the Roman Missal, the official Latin-language set of worship documents. It includes words and instructions for conducting the Mass, the central act of Catholic worship, in which priests bless and distribute bread and wine as essentially the body and blood of Jesus.

Virtually every prayer and proclamation in the Mass is undergoing at least some revision, marking the biggest change in worship for American Catholics since they began having Masses in English rather than Latin after the reformist Second Vatican Council of the 1960s.

Locally, the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay has been planning for the changes for more than a year, according to Sister Ann Rehrauer, director of evangelization, living justice and worship for the Green Bay diocese. In addition to training for priests, the diocese has held informational workshops about the changes and parishes have formed study groups to prepare. Rehrauer also has been writing columns about the Roman Missal for The Compass, the diocesan newspaper.

"This will be quite a change for people," Rehrauer said. "The people in the pews will not notice it as much. There will be some things they will pray differently; some word changes. … But for the priest, every single prayer they pray has been retranslated with a different style of translation."

GB PG

Wis Senate Republicans repair woefully inept sex-ed mandate

2011-11-03T05:41:00.000-07:00

MADISON (WKOW) -- Sex-education in Wisconsin schools is in for big changes after a bill passed Wednesday night in the State Senate.

Senate Bill 237 repeals parts of the Healthy Youth Act put forth by Governor Jim Doyle last year.

It makes teaching about contraception optional in schools, and requires school districts to teach that abstinence is the only effective way to prevent pregnancy and STD's.

The bill passed on party lines Thursday night after about an hour of testimony, mainly from Democrats.

It now moves on to the Assembly, but Thursday is the last floor session scheduled until January. The Assembly may not even have time to consider the bill this year.

WKOW

Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning; he prescribed it as a remedy

2011-11-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Angel of Death - Evelyn de Morgan
From a book on the death of his brother Satyrus, by Saint Ambrose, bishop
(Lib. 2, 40. 41. 46. 47. 132. 133: CSEL 73, 270-274, 323-324)

We see that death is gain, life is loss. Paul says: For me life is Christ, and death a gain. What does “Christ” mean but to die in the body, and receive the breath of life? Let us then die with Christ, to live with Christ. We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death. By this kind of detachment our soul must learn to free itself from the desires of the body. It must soar above earthly lusts to a place where they cannot come near, to hold it fast. It must take on the likeness of death, to avoid the punishment of death. The law of our fallen nature is at war with the law of our reason and subjects the law of reason to the law of error. What is the remedy? Who will set me free from this body of death? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We have a doctor to heal us; let us use the remedy he prescribes. The remedy is the grace of Christ, the dead body our own. Let us then be exiles from our body, so as not to be exiles from Christ. Though we are still in the body, let us not give ourselves to the things of the body. We must not reject the natural rights of the body, but we must desire before all else the gifts of grace.

What more need be said? It was by the death of one man that the world was redeemed. Christ did not need to die if he did not want to, but he did not look on death as something to be despised, something to be avoided, and he could have found no better means to save us than by dying. Thus his death is life for all. We are sealed with the sign of his death; when we pray we preach his death; when we offer sacrifice we proclaim his death. His death is victory; his death is a sacred sign; each year his death is celebrated with solemnity by the whole world.

What more should we say about his death since we use this divine example to prove that it was death alone that won freedom from death, and death itself was its own redeemer? Death is then no cause for mourning, for it is the cause of mankind’s salvation. Death is not something to be avoided, for the Son of God did not think it beneath his dignity, nor did he seek to escape it.

Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning; he prescribed it as a remedy. Human life was condemned because of sin to unremitting labor and unbearable sorrow and so began to experience the burden of wretchedness. There had to be a limit to its evils; death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing.

The soul has to turn away from the aimless paths of this life, from the defilement of an earthly body; it must reach out to those assemblies in heaven (though it is given only to the saints to be admitted to them) to sing the praises of God. We learn from Scripture how God’s praise is sung to the music of the harp: Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not revere and glorify your nature? You alone are holy; all nations will come and worship before you. The soul must also desire to witness your nuptials, Jesus, and to see your bride escorted from earthly to heavenly realities, as all rejoice and sing: All flesh will come before you. No longer will the bride be held in subjection to this passing world but will be made one with the spirit.

Above all else, holy David prayed that he might see and gaze on this: One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I shall pray for: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and to see how gracious is the Lord.

iBreviary

Wow, that's good stuff!

And may perpetual light come to shine upon them

2011-11-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Catholic ghost story

2011-11-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Fr. John Hardon, SJ in his Modern Catholic Dictionary defines "ghost" as:

... a disembodied spirit. Christianity believes that God may, and sometimes does, permit a departed soul to appear in some visible form to people on earth. Allowing for legend and illusion, there is enough authentic evidence, for example in the lives of the saints, to indicate that such apparitions occur. Their purpose may be to teach or warn, or request some favor of the living” (p. 229).

Hmmm, if you are interested read this review of "Holy Ghosts" by Gary Jansen.

WRTL: "do not co-sponsor or support personhood"

2011-11-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

TO: State lawmakers
FROM: Susan Armacost, Legislative Director
RE: Please do not co-sponsor or support personhood bill (LRB 2859/1)

Wisconsin Right to Life has been forthright in our opposition to legislation to declare unborn children persons under the State Constitution. We appreciate the fact the author and the organizations that support his legislation want to protect the lives of unborn children. However, the personhood proposal is not only unnecessary, it would also put efforts to protect Wisconsin unborn children at extreme risk.

In a few weeks, we will be presenting you with an extensive legal white paper pointing out the pitfalls of the personhood legislation. The white paper will be signed by numerous constitutional legal experts on the state and national levels.

In the meantime, we would like to make the following points:

A prominent Wisconsin attorney who works with Wisconsin Right to Life was quoted out of context by supporters of the personhood bill, giving the impression that this attorney does not support Wisconsin Right to Life's position on personhood. This is inaccurate.

The impression was given by supporters of the personhood bill that a different constitutional expert who works with Wisconsin Right to Life has changed his mind on the personhood issue. This is also inaccurate.

Wisconsin Right to Life and its multiple legal advisors disagree with the legal analyses circulated to date by supporters of the personhood bill. The Wisconsin Right to Life legal white paper that will be sent to you will be signed by numerous legal experts and will outline the legal concerns with the personhood legislation.

We continue to ask legislators not to co-sponsor or support this legislation.

Thank you.

It will be interesting to see if WRTL ever brings up the whole might infringe on contraceptive rights argument. The whole hypothetical argument that we end up worse off than we are today that has no legal precedent isn't convincing anybody on either side in this state so far. National Right to Life has a vested interest. If things get "bad" I would expect them to start sending more people in to scare people away from voting for it. This state passed the marriage amendment 60-40... the hardest part of the battle is likely getting it on the ballot with pro-abort Republicans eager to be "sensible."

ICKSP makes first pilgrimage to Good Help Shrine

2011-11-02T05:24:00.000-07:00

As Cardinal Raymond Burke and the Institute in Europe were making their annual pilgrimage of vocations to the Basilica of St. Therese in Lisieux, France, on October 15, the canons and faithful of the Institute in the American Midwest made their first pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Robinsonville, near Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The apparition of Our Lady to Adele Brise on October 9, 1859, is the first Marian apparition in the United States to receive diocesan approval. It followed close upon the dedication of the United States to the Immaculate Conception in 1847, the proclamation of that dogma in 1854, and the Marian apparitions at Lourdes in 1858. The Queen of Heaven asked Sister Adele to pray and offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and to teach the catechism to the children of the region. Our Lady promised her help in this mission. Now more than ever, we should not hesitate to fly to Our Lady of Good Help to beg her assistance in educating the youth and building a true Catholic culture.

ICKSP

No Shave November

2011-11-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

No Shave November

A Wisconsin saint's resting place

2011-11-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

More about Sr. Adele Brise.

Your destiny

2011-11-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Source

DOJ finishes investigation into Onalaska priest 10 months after his death

2011-11-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

The state Department of Justice said today it finished its investigation into a Diocese of La Crosse priest who resigned from his parish after being charged with child pornography.

Great news, especially since the Rev. Patrick Umberger died in December of liver cancer.

The Tribune has been after reports from the DOJ since the onset of the case. Our requests were repeatedly denied because the matter was under investigation.

We continued to check on the request from time to time and always received a polite note from DOJ with the same response. Then today, the DOJ responded with this e-mail:

"Because the Umberger matter was closely tied with some other investigations that remained open up until recently, we were not able to provide those records without potentially jeopardizing the other matters. With the related investigations now closed, we have put your request onto our active response list."

Other investigations? This should be interesting.

The department continued that other requests have priority, but the Umberger records are being reviewed for release and should be available "soon." We'll eagerly await their arrival.

Bp. Morneau to bless new school in Two Rivers near Manitowoc

2011-11-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

Bishop Robert Morneau, who served as associate pastor at Holy Redeemer in Two Rivers in the 1970s, will christen St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic School during a special Mass on Thursday evening. The event will celebrate St. Peter the Fisherman's recent purchase of the former C.C. Case Elementary School as well as the long history of Catholic schools in Two Rivers, Mishicot and Francis Creek. That history goes back to 1867 when the first Catholic school opened in Two Rivers.

The celebration will begin at 6 p.m. with historical displays set up around the school and students and parents available to provide guided tours. The Mass, set to begin at 6:30 p.m., will include a procession of students and alumni representing each of the six original schools making up St. Peter the Fisherman carrying photos of their schools. They also will participate in the readings. The Rev. Tom Reynebeau, pastor at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church, will concelebrate. A reception with refreshments will follow the Mass at 7:15 p.m., and the displays and tours will be available then as well.

htrnews

Yes, that is the actual logo of the school....

Summoning my inner Halloween geek

2011-10-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Hallowe'en!

HT Mark Shea

Happy Reformation Day!

2011-10-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

Sword of Peter

Milwaukee's Fr. Jim Connell accuses Diocese of La Crosse of "putting children at risk" in LAX Trib

2011-10-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

Require the related Essential Norms be audited along with the charter. While the charter is a profound, important and morally binding document, it does not actually stand as church law. The Essential Norms, however, has been approved by the Vatican as church law to assure diocesan compliance with the charter.

This audit issue regarding the Essential Norms is at the core of the concern I raised more than one year ago with the Diocese of La Crosse. According to its diocesan website, the standard of proof that their diocesan review board requires of a person making an allegation of clergy sexual abuse exceeds the standard of proof required by Church law. Because the review board is requiring more of the person making the allegation than is necessary, the possibility exists that the review board will determine that some allegations do not need to be forwarded to the Vatican that really should be sent, allowing priests or deacons who should be removed from ministry to actually continue in ministry. As a result of this incorrect standard of proof, I contend, children and young people in the Diocese of La Crosse could be at risk.

Last year Bishop Callahan stated after the annual third party audit on the diocese that "we have been audited by the Gavin Group, the Diocese of La Crosse received a “clean bill of health.”"

So is Fr.Connell calling Bp. Callahan a liar?

Wisconsin Family Action endorses Wisconsin Personhood

2011-10-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin Family Action (WFA) has endorsed the Wisconsin Personhood Amendment, legislation that would amend the Wisconsin Constitution to apply personhood rights to preborn children at all stages of development. WFA is an associate of Focus on the Family. Click here for the WFA legislative memo urging co-sponsorship of the personhood amendment. Pro-Life Wisconsin agrees with WFA’s legal findings and conclusions.

Ironically, Clarke Forsythe of Americans United for Life - the pro-life attorney Wisconsin Right to Life brought in for their Day at the Capitol in February to oppose a personhood amendment in Wisconsin — seems to be warming up to the idea of personhood! Forsythe recently penned a column in the Washington Times entitled "Saving Personhood" in which he argues that "recognition of the personhood of the unborn child is a movement as old as English common law." According to Forsythe, "[s]tate protection of the unborn child as a person is no longer a novel thing. It grows year by year, state by state, and the public supports it."

For more information on the Wisconsin Personhood Amendment, please go to PersonhoodWisconsin.com.

This a big endorsement for WI Personhood. WFA lead the charge and is basically responsible for passing the Wisconsin Marriage Amendment, not to mention leading the charge to repeal the terrible sex-ed bill passed recently. A great organization with a fantastic track record.

UW Badger Catholic funding approved

2011-10-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

A student government committee approved Badger Catholic's 2012-'13 budget in a meeting Thursday.

The Student Services Finance Committee passed the $160,300 budget after making minor amendments to the group's original proposed budget.

SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart said the committee approved the funding because Badger Catholic had a responsible fiscal budget.

"There were just a couple changes to salaries and advertising that were needed to make the budget as well as it could be," Neibart said.

Daily Cardinal

Badger Catholic Chair Nico Fassino also spoke during Monday’s meeting and asked for an overall decrease in funding.

Fassino also apologized for an unintentional violation incident concerning bookkeeping later deemed to be minor by SSFC.

Badger Herald

10 Best Beer States of 2011

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

7. Wisconsin
Number of breweries: 72
Capita per brewery: 78,986
Production in 2010: 4.8 million barrels
Consumed per capita in 2010: 26.3 gallons

The state roots on a first-place team named the Brewers, was the birthplace of iconic brands such as Pabst and is still home to not only the Miller cooling caves, museum and brewing facility, but MillerCoors' division offices. Combine that with a growing and increasingly vocal craft beer community and you have a state that's been a beer state since before the great-grandparents of University of Wisconsin freshmen were born.

Wisconsin residents drink the fifth-most beer per person in the U.S. and have the ninth-best ratio of residents per brewer in the country. Their commitment to Old World-style brewing is so great that Sprecher Brewing still adheres to the original German formulas, New Glarus brews in a facility that looks like an Alpine lodge nestled in the predominantly Swiss town of the same name and Miller still keeps Leinenkugel's "Leinie Lodge" facility intact after buying the brewer 23 years ago.

Why isn't Wisconsin ranked higher, then? Partly because of production that doesn't even crack the Top 10, but partly because of legislation passed this summer that protects Miller from A-B InBev encroachment that combines the brewer's permit and wholesale and retail licenses given out by municipalities into a single permit under state control and prohibits brewers from buying wholesale distributors. That's great for Miller, but just made life a whole lot more difficult for the more than 70 brewers in the state that aren't Miller who now have a much more difficult path to getting licenses and getting their product on shelves.

Wisconsin's total beer output grew only 0.2% during the past decade. Making life harder for most of your brewers for the sake of one doesn't seem like the best way to create growth.

continue to Main Street to see the whole list

Marian Symposium at Guadalupe Shrine

2011-10-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Apparently I've been slacking. These photos are from the Marian Symposium hosted at the Guadalupe Shrine a few weeks ago. As I said before, this is thee conference to attend at the Shrine. I met Mother Miriam(formerly Rosalind Moss of Catholic Answers), what a fantastic lady. I did not realize she was not able to found her order in the Arch. St. Louis, but Bishop Slattery welcomed her to Tulsa OK recently. Although she still does appear on Catholic Answers Live, I told her I missed her since Relevant Radio will not carry the program. I've thought of getting XM Radio to pick it up on EWTN radio. Okay, what else, oh, I love Bishop Ricken btw. Ah, and Dr. Miravalle is a deacon? I had no idea, he assisted at Mass. He didn't assist last year so this was news to me.

Side note: The Friars are offering a Low Mass for All Saints & All Souls Day next week, both at 5:30 pm.

Fr. Peter Fehlner

Friars of the Immaculate broadcasting on AirMaria.com

Dr. Mark Miravalle

Bp. Ricken taking notes

Rosary before Mass

Fr. Angelo wins the award for greatest beard I've ever seen.

Natural marriage or ...

2011-10-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Sword of Peter

HT CM Report

"We discovered about 30 hymnals containing the Body of Christ" in MN parish

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Having attended Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton these past two weeks, you may have heard Fr. Cole or me address a situation that we have been made aware of over the past several weeks. Heartbroken and with tears in their eyes, we have been approached by parishioners with open hymnals. What has caused the tears has been their discovery of the Body of Christ, partially consumed, stuck between the pages of a hymnal. After another incident this past weekend, I invited our NET Team (National Evangelization Team assigned to SEAS) to open and search all of the hymnals. We discovered about 30 hymnals containing the Body of Christ.

At Mass we receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. Jesus Christ gives His life—not to be placed within a book—but within our soul. In light of this desecration of the Holy Eucharist, our parish has suffered with Christ. Let’s remember Who we are receiving within the Consecrated Host.

I am sharing with you this sad information to remind us that not everyone respects the gift that Jesus Christ and His Church is giving to us. While we may be brought to tears literally— as have parishioners who have brought me these hymnals—please remember that when we miss Mass, we also risk misleading our children. Our absence at Mass may lead our children to think that Jesus is also absent in our worship.

To address this situation going forward, please teach by example. Honor the Holy Will of God and the Divine Gift of the Holy Eucharist and make the commitment now to never be absent from the celebration of Sunday Mass again. Regarding each of our liturgical ministries, special instructions are being given to our Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist, Ushers and Sacristans to address this heart-wrenching concern.

If you have any questions regarding this message, please feel free to speak to Fr. Cole, Megan Pleviak, our new Director of Worship, or myself.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Hastings MN

Photo

Madison Diocese Office of Worship issues correction on Communion

2011-10-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Don’t stop ordering sacramental wine or sell your common chalices! Bishop Morlino has not “outlawed” Communion under both kinds and he has stated that he never will. Currently there is no diocesan plan or timetable regarding the Communion Rite.

The reports from the Phoenix Diocese concerning the expiration of an indult regarding Communion under both kinds seem to have been mistaken. I have contacted the USCCB Secretariat for Divine Worship regarding this. While there was permission granted to the US Bishops for Communion under both kinds on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation (October 13, 1984), there was no time limit noted in the decree on file in the USCCB. My assumption is that this somehow was confused with another indult (regarding the purification of sacred vessels by EMHC) that expired and was not renewed around that same time. Unfortunately the internet has perpetuated this to the point that it is considered to be true, even though there is evidence to the contrary.

The current law (GIRM no. 283) is clear. The pertinent part says:

The Diocesan Bishop may establish norms for Communion under both kinds for his own diocese, which are also to be observed in churches of religious and at celebrations with small groups. The Diocesan Bishop is also given the faculty to permit Communion under both kinds whenever it may seem appropriate to the Priest to whom a community has been entrusted as its own shepherd, provided that the faithful have been well instructed and that there is no danger of profanation of the Sacrament or of the rite’s becoming difficult because of the large number of participants or for some other cause.

We tend to focus on the faculty “to permit whenever appropriate” and pass over “provided that the faithful have been well instructed and that there is no danger of profanation of the Sacrament…” The U. S. Norms (no. 24), which are the particular law for our nation, further state that the excessive use of EMHC, if it obscures the role of priest/deacon as ordinary minister of Holy Communion, may be a reason to limit Communion under both kinds.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal is available online at http://usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/roman-missal/general-instruction-of-the-roman-missal/ . The Norms for the United States are online at http://nccbuscc.org/liturgy/current/norms.shtml . Both also are published in the front matter of the Roman Missal, third edition.

I am hoping to outline some questions for reflection for pastors and liturgical leaders to reflect and evaluate on some of the “conditions” mentioned above (as well as some other items). This won’t be done immediately, but will be a priority. In the meantime, you are free to move on this as you wish. If you are not prepared to give a serious catechesis on this, my suggestion would be to hold off a bit until this first becomes clearer in your mind (through study and prayer). I am certain that the Bishop wishes to move in this direction. I am equally certain that he is desirous that it is done well so that it deepens, rather than harms, the faith of your people and the unity of the Church.

the entire letter at Madison Diocese

more details at Fr. Z's

Brookfield parish's new athletic facility to be dedicated Sunday

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

St. Dominic Catholic Parish, 18255 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield, will celebrate the completion of their Phase One Master Plan for Capital Improvements with a blessing and dedication with Bishop Donald Hying after the 9:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday, October 30, 2011.

St. Dominic will also be having an open house Saturday, October 29 from 5:30-6:30 pm and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to showcase their new facilities. St. Dominic Catholic Parish constructed a new 12,000 square foot athletic facility with 2 side- by-side basketball and volleyball competition courts and 4 basketball practice courts and 3 volleyball practice courts. Also featured in the athletic facility are 4 scoreboards, 2 large storage rooms, a new sound system, new bleacher seating and proudly displayed on the anchored resilient maple floor is the newly designed St. Dominic Knight Logo. The facility is fully air conditioned. Additional facility features are a new event lobby, team rooms, concessions area, offices and restrooms.

continue at BrookfieldNow

So do they have a school too, or is this just a parish center?

He puts forth his arm in strength

2011-10-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Crescat

Cdl. Burke to speak at Sterling Hights, MI Lenten Symposium

2011-10-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

"The Christian Vocation: The Call to Martyrdom"
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Ss. Cyril & Methodius Slovak Catholic Church
41233 Ryan Rd. Sterling Heights MI 48314

Raymond L. Cardinal Burke – Prefect, Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura – Vatican
The Most Reverend Bernard A. Hebda – Bishop of Gaylord, Michigan – Topic: ‘White Martyrdom’
Rev. Msgr. John A. Abruzzese, S.T.D. – Vatican Official General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, Topic: Becoming the Instrument of Your Martyrdom: Reflections on the Life and Spirituality of St. Francis de Sales
Fr. John G. Dumas – St. Isidore’s Catholic Church
Mother Margaret Georgina Patton, O.S.B. – Contemplative Nun – Abbey of Regina Laudis
Mother Olivia-Frances Arnold, O.S.B.- Contemplative Nun – Abbey of Regina Laudis

Details at Holy Trinity Apostolate