News Briefs: World Day for Consecrated Life MADISON -- In a letter to priests of the Diocese of Madison, Bishop William H. Bullock asked pastors to use the World Day for Consecrated Life to educate people about consecrated life. "The World Day for Consecrated Life, held in Rome every Feb. 2 as an effort to enhance awareness of consecrated life in the Church, will be marked in dioceses nationwide the weekend of Feb. 2-3, 2002, with the theme, 'Be Seekers of the Lord' (Zephaniah 2:3)," said Bullock in his letter. "Dioceses and parishes are urged to use this occasion to educate people about the consecrated life and to show forth the many contributions to the Church by women and men religious and members of secular institutes," he said. "Please join in prayer for all those who have answered the invitation to consecrated life. We pray that they continue to be faithful witnesses to the Gospel, that they follow Jesus more closely, and that they grow ever deeper in God's love." Catholics With Disabilities MADISON -- Catholics With Disabilities (CWD) will celebrate its first birthday on Sunday, Feb. 3, in St. Raphael Cathedral undercroft at 3:30 p.m. Ann Smith will speak on Jesus' interactions with persons with disabilities. Refreshments will be served and door prizes awarded. Enter from the parking lot to access the elevator. Those attending are invited to the 5 p.m. Sunday Mass in the cathedral. CWD is member driven and meets monthly to enjoy friendship and to identify, create, and participate in social and religious activities. For a copy of the monthly newsletter, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: 422 Presidential Ln, Madison, Wis. 53711. For more information call Peggy at 608-231-1067. Marriage Encounter anniversary weekend MADISON -- Madison Marriage Encounter (MME) is hosting an anniversary weekend for couples who have previously attended an MME weekend. The anniversary weekend will be held at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center from Friday, Feb. 8, through Sunday, Feb. 10. For more information call Rachel at 608-821-3175 or e-mail rscheer@straphael.org. Parish offers bereavement program MONONA -- Moving through Grief will be offered at Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Church, 5101 Schofield St., Monona. This is a non-denominational Christian program in which participants share caring support, understanding, and reassurance for those grieving the loss of a loved one. It is a four-session series, meeting Saturday mornings (9:30 to 11:30) in the church meeting room. The dates are Feb. 16 and 23 and March 2 and 9. There is no change for attending, but registration is necessary. To register, or for more information, call one of the IHM bereavement team members: Mary at 608-222-3840, Mary Lou at 608-839-5514, or Laurie at 608-222-5686. Day of prayer focuses on justice SINSINAWA -- Sinsinawa Mound invites people to a day of prayer through the program "The Fast God Wants: Justice and Right Relationships." This day of prayer will provide opportunities to reflect on the Gospel demand to act justly and to participate in the transformation of the world. Program leader Sr. Toni Harris, prioress of the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, formerly worked as justice and peace promoter for the congregation. The program is Saturday, Feb. 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. The $45 program fee includes a noon meal. For additional information, call 608-748-4411 or visit www.sinsinawa.org. 'J.C.'s Road Rules' youth rally MADISON -- "J.C's Road Rules," a Middle School Youth Rally, will help students see that on the road to life, we notice the signs God provides when we listen for the voice of God, see the love God provides, and trust that God will help us. The rally, sponsored by the diocesan Office of Religious Education and Camp Gray, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center. The day will feature keynote speaker Kerry O'Connell, associate director in the Youth Ministry Office for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J. The rally will also include activity sessions, liturgy, and a dance. Registration is $15. Registration deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 12. For more information, see the brochure at www.madisonfaithandfamily.org/ calendar.htm or call the Office of Religious Education at 608-821-3160.

'Quality of life vs. sanctity of life':

MADISON -- The question of "quality of life vs. sanctity of life" was the main issue at hand when people came to testify at and witness a public hearing on Assembly Bill (AB) 736, a proposed state Human Embryo Protection Act, and AB 699, a bill proposing a Human Cloning Ban in Wisconsin.

The hearing took place in front of the Assembly Health Committee chaired by Representative Gregg Underheim (R-Oshkosh) Jan. 25 at the State Capitol.

"It's important to protect the sanctity of human life," said Representative Stephen Freese (R-Dodgeville), co-author of AB 736. "We do not oppose stem cell research. We encourage research with adult stem cells and umbilical cord blood. We should not destroy humans for research. Are embryos inherently sacred or lab specimens? Do we take parts of people to benefit other people?"

Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), co-author of AB 736, pointed out that adult stem cells and stem cells from umbilical cords are already being used with success to treat cancers, for example. "Why not pursue what we know works?"

She said that according to a Jan. 23 article by NewScientist.com, a University of Minnesota research scientist isolated a stem cell from bone marrow that could be capable of doing everything embryonic stem cells are doing. She also called attention to the fact that embryonic stem cell research has placed the University of Wisconsin $1.5 million in the red, according to a Jan. 14, 2002 Wall Street Journal article.

Must value all life

Dr. David Prentice, professor of life sciences at Indiana State University, was also a part of the first panel in support of the bills.

"There are no valid grounds to proceed with cloning or embryonic research," he said, pointing out that adult stem cells are already used in clinical treatments of various diseases. "Adult stem cells are already showing what is only promised by embryonic stem cells.

"No human cloning is 'therapeutic,' which is a misnomer because it's not therapeutic to the embryo," he said. "Creating human life solely for benefiting others creates a caste system of humans. We need to value all ranges of human life."

Those who testified faced questions from committee members.

"Does it concern you that Wisconsin could lose its position in research as opposed to keeping these types of decisions in the public sector at UW-Madison?" asked committee member Representative Mark Miller (D-Monona).

"There are things that we shouldn't do for any amount of money," said Representative Steve Kestell (R-Elkhart Lake), author of AB 699.

Fr. Kevin Fitzgerald, associate professor of oncology and Doctor Lauer professor for Catholic health care ethics at Georgetown University, said that when faced with scientific uncertainty such as whether or not embryonic stem cells have an advantage over adult stem cells, we need to ask "Is the scientific good the societal good?"

Quality vs. sanctity

Speaking in favor of the bills, Donielle Brinkman of Phoenix, Ariz., explained how she and her husband Jim became the adoptive parents of a frozen embryo who is now their 18-month-old son, Tanner. Jo Ann Davidson, spokesperson for the Snowflakes Embryonic Adoption Program in Fullerton, Calif., said that Tanner was the agency's eighth "Snowflake."

"I know 11 precious newborns (once frozen embryos) who look just like you and me," said Davidson.

"What if you had another child and discovered he had a disease that can only be cured because of embryonic stem cell research?" asked Miller of Brinkman.

"I can't stand the thought that any embryo would lose its life," said Brinkman, pointing out that when two embryos died during her adoption of Tanner, one during the thaw and one in her womb, she considered them both miscarriages.

"If we adopt these bills, we are denying other parents a possible cure to other diseases," said Miller. "Those are the kinds of considerations we have to make."

"You are talking about the 'quality of life vs. sanctity of life' question," said Davidson. "Would you donate your child to research to benefit others?"

Right to life

John Huebscher, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, also testified in favor of the bills.

"The embryo is an actual individual with a human nature and as such is entitled to respect and a right to life that cannot be intentionally taken," he said. "The idea that laws preventing the destruction of embryos will impede economic development is perhaps the most appalling claim of all. Human life is not a commodity to be sacrificed on the altar of commerce. It is humane, not irresponsible, to prefer research avenues that do not compel the destruction of human life and to discourage those that do.

"This does not mean that those who object to destroying embryos are opposed to curing cancer or Parkinson's disease anymore than those with moral qualms about the Tuskegee experiments opposed cures to venereal disease or those with objections to the death penalty are soft on crime. In each of these cases, the opponents prefer means to the end that do not jeopardize human life," he said.

"Human life is not something we protect out of generosity nor is it something that owes its value to material promise. It is a gift that, when disvalued for some, becomes disvalued for all. Our laws and policies should treat it accordingly."

In opposition

Those testifying against the bills included University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty, including Dr. James Thomson and several people with diseases such as diabetes and Lou Gehrig's disease.

Thomson pointed out that in 1961, every vaccine developed from fetal tissue research. "As you contemplate this, it's good to look at what others have done," he said.

The bills have yet to be voted on by the Assembly Health Committee.

March for Life: A local perspective

This year's pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., for the 29th annual March for Life was filled with many of God's blessings for myself and for the hundreds of thousands of Christ's heralds who gathered from across the country to celebrate life and to remember the unborn.

I had the distinct privilege of representing the Diocese of Madison in a special way by vesting and being a part of the procession at the beginning and end of the Jan. 21 Vigil Mass for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. As we processed throughout the basilica, I couldn't help but smile at all of the young faces that I saw in the assembly, singing at the top of their lungs and filled with joy at the witness that they were giving to their faith as Catholic Christians.

Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was the principal celebrant and homilist. There were eight United States cardinals, 45 bishops, 260 priests, and Bishop Gabriel Montalvo, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, who joined Cardinal Bevilacqua in concelebrating the Mass.

Cardinal Bevilacqua's homily was filled with many hopeful statements for us as Catholic Christians. He presented the assembly with the story of a 28-year-old woman who was murdered in a Queens, New York, neighborhood. There were more than 30 neighbors who witnessed the crime in progress, but not one of them came to the woman's aid. In the struggles against abortion and protecting the life of the unborn, the cardinal reminded us that "when we are not vigilant, and do not act in time of crisis, history repeats itself."

The cardinal also affirmed the identity of what it means to profess ourselves as Christians: "To be Christian means that no disciple of Christ can responsibly take a 'pro-choice' stand when the 'choice' involves the taking of innocent human life. In more direct language, it must be said that no one can consider himself or herself a true Christian who consciously supports abortion or euthanasia."

The Mass concluded with a special guest: a representative from the Office of the President of the United States. President and Mrs. Bush sent their warmest wishes and greetings and supported our efforts in prayer and in the march.

Mass for Life

Before the march took place on Jan. 22, I attended the Mass for Life at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish, Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Catholic dioceses in Illinois. Because Mundelein Seminary is in the Archdiocese of Chicago, seminarians were asked to be present for this special liturgy. Bishop George J. Lucas, bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, Ill., and the Bishop Roger L. Kaffer, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, concelebrated with Cardinal Francis E. George, Archdiocese of Chicago, Ill., principal celebrant and homilist.

Cardinal George said he was very happy to see the large number of youth that were present at the liturgy. He affirmed their important role as future leaders in the church and encouraged them to always remain faithful to their responsibility of upholding the rights of the unborn. He also reminded them of their voice and their influence that they have -- that to be young does not mean being silent.

The march

The march on Jan. 22 commenced shortly after 1:30 p.m., (EST). Hundreds of thousands of people spilled onto Constitution Avenue with signs and banners for the 1.5 mile trek to the Supreme Court building. Along the way, many sang songs dedicated to the Virgin Mary, prayed rosaries, said novenas -- whatever the Spirit moved them to do.

There is a large hill immediately before the turn to the Supreme Court, and as I looked down on the crowd that was making its way up the street, I couldn't help but think about the uniqueness of our church: people of all ages, from all walks of life, coming together for one cause and uniting in faith and in love to make a difference in our world.

Death Notices

Sinsinawa Dominicans

Sisters of the Divine Savior

James "JR" Eastman