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	• Lenten regulations (from 2/3 edition) • 'Living Eucharist': Parish Leadership Day • Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion • Year of Eucharist series • Sinsinawa retreat • Platteville Lenten series • Bishop's Column: In Year of Eucharist: Reflecting on gift of hope at Lent • Faith Alive! • This week's readings • Lenten articles from 2/3 edition News Briefs: 'Living Eucharist': Parish Leadership Day MADISON -- Parish staff members and volunteers are invited to attend the Parish Leadership Day at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center here Thursday, March 3. "Living Eucharist" is the theme of the day. Msgr. Kevin Irwin will delineate "Models of the Eucharist" in a two-part keynote address. Monsignor Irwin, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is on the faculty of the Theology Department of the Catholic University of America. He has served as an advisor to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy. The day begins with 8:30 a.m. registration, followed by a two-part keynote address by Monsignor Irwin. After 11:30 a.m. lunch, workshops follow at 12:45 p.m. and 2 p.m. Bishop Robert C. Morlino will preside at a closing Mass at 3:15 p.m. Parish Leadership Day materials and registration forms were sent to parishes in January. Fee is $25 per person if registration is received by Feb. 21, $30 per person after Feb. 21. Send registration to: Parish Leadership Day, P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744-4983. For more information, contact the Office of Worship, 608-821-3080, or the Office of Pastoral Services, 608-821-3083. Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion SUN PRAIRIE -- The Rite of Election of catechumens and Call to Continuing Conversion for candidates for full communion in the Catholic Church will be celebrated by the parishes of the Diocese of Madison on Sunday, Feb. 13, at 3 p.m. at St. Albert the Great Parish in Sun Prairie. Over 50 parishes from the diocese will send nearly 300 people who will celebrate the sacraments of initiation this Easter, as well as their sponsors, families, and friends. About 1,000 people are expected. Bishop Robert C. Morlino will preside. For more information, visit www.madisondiocese.org/worship or call the Office of Worship at 608-821-3080. Year of Eucharist series MADISON -- Eastside Madison parishes will present their second Lenten series on "The Year of the Eucharist." For four Tuesdays in Lent, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Dennis, St. Peter, and St. Bernard Parishes, will offer an evening of reflection on the Eucharist. The talks will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with the following schedule: • Feb. 15 - Sr. Marcia Vinje, a member of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary and assistant director of the diocesan Office of Pastoral Services, on "Living the Mass in Daily Life" at Immaculate Heart of Mary's Marian Hall, 4913 Schofield St., Monona. • Feb. 22 - Sr. Theresa Byrne, a Dominican with 20 years in adult faith formation ministry, on "Growing Toward an Adult Understand of Eucharist" at St. Dennis Parish Center, 413 Dempsey Rd., Madison. • March 1 - Dean Daniel, director, and Jim Wickham, associate director, both with the Office of Prayer and Worship Music for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, on "Eucharistic Worship Outside of Mass" at St. Peter Parish, 5001 N. Sherman Ave., Madison. • March 8 - Bishop William Bullock, bishop emeritus of Madison, on "Connecting the Dots," the connection between the Word, the Sacrament, and Christ's presence within each of us, at St. Bernard Church Hall, 2450 Atwood Ave., Madison. Sinsinawa retreat SINSINAWA -- A Lent retreat will be held at Sinsinawa Mound Friday, Feb. 25, through Sunday, Feb. 27. Leader Sr. Kathleen Flood will use Henri Nouwen's book Return of the Prodigal Son and Rembrandt's painting of the same name to explore the themes of homecoming, affirmation, and reconciliation. The registration deadline for the Lent retreat is Feb. 11. The retreat runs from 7:30 p.m. Friday through 1 p.m. Sunday. There is a fee. For more information about the retreat contact Janice DeMuth at 608-748-4411, ext. 811. For more information on other activities at the Mound, contact Sheila Heim at 608-748-4411, ext. 869 or visit the Web site at www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter Platteville Lenten series PLATTEVILLE -- St. Mary Parish of Platteville has scheduled a Lenten speaker series designed to enhance Lenten preparation and experience. All are welcome. The series will be held in St. Mary Parish Church Hall with the following schedule: • Sunday, Feb. 13, 3 p.m. - Fr. Eric Nielsen on "How to Make a Good Confession." • Sunday, Feb. 20, 3 p.m. - Dee Bernhardt on "Different Ways to Pray." • Sunday, Feb. 27, 3 p.m. - Fr. Monte Robinson on "The Eucharist." • Sunday, March 6, 3 p.m. - Gil Rynda on "God is Constantly Calling Us to Himself." • Tuesday, March 15, 7 p.m. - Fr. Charles Schluter on "Redemptive Suffering."
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Diocesan Services Appeal: Bishop Morlino encourages support

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

(See also front page pie chart.)

MADISON -- This week, Catholics throughout the Diocese of Madison will be receiving a personal letter from Bishop Robert C. Morlino.

The bishop is communicating directly with over 66,000 households in the diocese about the annual Diocesan Services Appeal (DSA).

The bishop begins the letter with a personal note. "As I reflect upon the events following our last Diocesan Services Appeal, I am extremely grateful for the support and concern extended to me from the people of our Diocese. My recovery from heart surgery was expedited by the tremendous outpouring of prayer and sacrifice from the people of our parishes.

"This action reflects the true commitment of our faithful people to our Diocesan Church and me, as your Bishop. I invite you to again share your gifts, both spiritually and financially, as we extend our support to others in need."

Year of the Eucharist

In his letter, Bishop Morlino also reminds parishioners that this is the Year of the Eucharist. "I encourage you to more fully participate in the celebration of the Mass. The Mass must come into your life just as your life must go into the Mass.

"In this continual celebration, we respond to the Eucharist by uniting as one Church. Unified, Christ asks us to support those who are in need. Through the ministries and services provided by the Diocesan Services Appeal, we reach out to the poor, the suffering and the afflicted. We provide spiritual nourishment to our parishes through enrichment programs and offer what no single parish could," noted the bishop.

Personal testimonies

Accompanying the letter from the bishop is a brochure telling how the DSA money is allocated. This year's brochure includes personal testimonies from people who have used diocesan services.

Daun Maier, associate director of the diocesan Office for Stewardship and Development, explained, "In the brochure, we've chosen to put personal testimonies this year to highlight the ministries supported by the DSA.

"Interviewing these people was great," she said. "Having the opportunity to personally meet those directly related with our ministries allowed me a deeper appreciation of their commitment to the church through stewardship of their time and talent."

She said the diocesan Web site (www.madisondiocese.org) also has more information on the various offices and programs funded by the Diocesan Services Appeal in the areas of parish service, social action, Catholic education and formation, diocesan administration, and the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center.

Kept increases low

Maier said the diocese strived to keep the increases in the Diocesan Services Appeal to a minimum. This year the DSA goal increased by $100,000 or 3.6 percent to offset a significant income loss. The 2005 goal is $2.85 million.

The Office for Stewardship and Development provides parishes with a resource manual and promotion materials to help parishes raise their diocesan contribution.

"Individual parishes will determine the average appeal gift based on the individual parish assessment," said Maier.

Checks for the DSA are made out to the parish. Envelopes may be returned in the Sunday collection basket at one's parish or may be mailed to the parish.

Bishop Morlino urged parishioners, "Please take a moment to read about the Diocesan Services Appeal. Listen to the people who have felt the warmth of your past generosity. I encourage your continued support."

For more information about the Diocesan Services Appeal campaign, contact the Office for Stewardship and Development, P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744, or visit the diocesan Web site at www.madisondiocese.org Daun Maier may be reached by phone at 608-821-3046 or via e-mail at dmaier@straphael.org

Bishop Morlino elected: Chairman of Bioethics Board

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Bishop Robert C. Morlino was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Catholic Bioethics Center during a meeting at its recent workshop for Catholic bishops held in Dallas, Texas.

The National Catholic Bioethics Center has as its mission "to promote and safeguard the dignity of the human person through research, education, consultation, and publishing in the health and life sciences for private individuals, bishops, priests, physicians, nurses, hospital administrators, and those who shape law and public policy."

Bishop Morlino succeeds Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh, Pa., who has been board chairman for the past nine years.

Bishop Allen H. Vigneron of Oakland, Calif., was elected Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. Among the Bishops serving on the board are Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago; Cardinal Justin F. Rigali of Philadelphia, Pa.; Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, Colo.; Bishop Wuerl; and Bishop Jerome E. Listecki, now of La Crosse.

Honor for diocese

"It's a great honor for our diocese and for me to be asked to serve in this capacity," commented Bishop Morlino. "Bishop Wuerl has left the endeavor which is our Center for Bioethics on very solid footing in every area, and with the other members of the board, I am deeply grateful for his countless contributions over the 25 years during which he has served the center. I am most grateful to him for remaining as a board member and as a member of our Executive Committee."

Bishop Morlino said his election as chair of the board of the Bioethics Center "will be of help in many ways as I seek to address church teaching on embryonic stem cell research and to enter into dialogue about this matter here in Madison given the current projects and programs which exist at the University of Wisconsin, and the current legislative environment."

History of center

The Bioethics Center's history dates back to 1972, when the Pope John XXIII Medical-Moral Research and Education Center was chartered in St. Louis, Mo., with the assistance of the Catholic Health Association. In 1976 the center began publishing Ethics & Medics, a monthly commentary on medical-moral issues distributed to over 22,000 people.

In 1985, the center relocated its national office from St. Louis to Boston, Mass. In 1996, Dr. John M. Haas, former professor of moral theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, became the fifth president. The center has just recently moved to Philadelphia into a freestanding facility, which will welcome a variety of programs and approaches not easily possible in the past.

Effective resource

The Bioethics Center strives to be an effective resource and positive force in the church and society for "promoting and safeguarding respect for the dignity of each human being from conception until natural death." The center helps those involved in health care to understand how the moral teachings of the Catholic Church apply to developments in health care and life sciences.

The center carries out its work "for the sake of all people with full openness to the findings of modern science and with complete fidelity to the magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church."

Topics covered at the recent week-long workshop for bishops in Dallas reveal some of the many issues addressed by the center: embryonic stem cell research and cloning, surgical sterilization, emergency contraception, paying for health care for the uninsured and underinsured, infertility treatment, end of life decisions, organ transplantation, and vaccines grown in cell lines derived from tissue of aborted fetuses.

The Bioethics Center holds an annual seminar for persons involved in health care. It also publishes a wide variety of material on current and emerging medical-moral issues and distributes key Vatican documents.

The center's services are available to all interested persons through its membership program. For more information, see the center's Web site at www.ncbcenter.org