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Bishops' Schedules:
Bishop Robert C. Morlino
Thursday, May 5, 2005
6:30 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Madison
Saturday, May 7, 2005
5:15 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Ann Parish, Stoughton
Sunday, May 8, 2005
10:30 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Victor Parish, Monroe
5:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Victor Parish, Monroe
Bishop William H. Bullock
Saturday, May 7, 2005
5:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Olaf Parish, De Forest, with St. Joseph Parish, East Bristol, at St. Olaf Parish, De Forest
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
7:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Mary Parish, Milton
Thursday, May 12, 2005
11:00 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Eucharist, Madison Diocesan Association of National Catholic Society of Foresters, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison
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Month of May: A time to look to Mary, Church as our mother
Dear Friends,
As we approach the end of the school year, we also approach those days when my weekly column takes a pause in its regularity, and thus between now and Labor Day, I will be writing the column occasionally and as needed. The weekly approach will resume after Labor Day.
Many of you have written to me or commented about the usefulness of my column and I am deeply grateful for your encouragement and support. Sometimes my friends at the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times also find it of interest!
"Let us look also to the Church as our mother and let us beg the intercession of Mary that we will grow in our love for the Church, truly as the body of Christ, and that we not yield to the temptation, so common in our culture, to treat the Church as just another social organization or religious group."
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Church teaching
and end of life issues
Secondly, let me offer one further comment which may be useful in terms of the teaching of the Catholic Church with regard to end of life issues. The instruction that I wrote to all of you, if studied carefully and in its integrity, contains what the Catholic Church teaches, not my personal opinion.
I believe that my use of the terminology "mortal sin," a term which certainly appears in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, has proven to be an irritant to some. For one who is terminally ill and close to death, the rules for determining which medical treatment is proportionate and which medical treatment is disproportionately burdensome, are different from the rules for determining medical treatment for one who is very seriously ill or disabled but not terminally ill and not close to death. But the three principles listed in my earlier instruction remain binding. Thus one may never intend directly to cause death by some action or omission. In this context to intend directly to cause death by an action or omission is a mortal sin.
Enough said about that matter. In so far as my column was picked up by the secular media and has stirred discussion, so much the better.
Month of May dedicated to Mary
Lastly and most importantly we are very near the month of May, the month dedicated in a special way to our Blessed Mother. May is a month when we should certainly include the rosary, especially the new Luminous Mysteries, the marvelous gift of John Paul the Great, into our pattern of prayer. It is especially wonderful to make the family rosary at least a weekly occasion in each home during the month of May - and of course the daily family rosary would be all the better.
The month of May is a time for us to hear the words of the dying Jesus spoken to Mary, "there is your son" and to the beloved disciple, "there is your mother."
Mary is in a very special way the mother of priests and indeed the new Eve, the mother of all the living. She is the one who was chosen to give life, according to the flesh, to the Son of God. She is the greatest disciple, the perfect follower of Jesus Christ, the only perfect one.
During the month of May let us look to her every day as our mother in a personal way. Remembering that she is the model of the Church, let us look also to the Church as our mother and let us beg the intercession of Mary that we will grow in our love for the Church, truly as the body of Christ, and that we not yield to the temptation, so common in our culture, to treat the Church as just another social organization or religious group.
The Church is sacrament, mystery, and communion. The Church should never be construed as a worldwide club. We must all remember that we profess in the Creed our faith that what the Church teaches is correct, that is we believe the Church, One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. Let us take the words of the Creed very seriously as we reverence the Church as our mother during this month of May.
Connection between Jesus, Mary
And during this Year of the Eucharist let us not forget that according to the flesh, Jesus took His body and blood from Mary His mother. And so as Pope John Paul the Great often commented, the way to the Eucharist always passes by Mary.
During this month of May when we spend time before the Blessed Sacrament or make our Holy Hour, let us remember the profound connection between the body and blood of Christ present on our altar and the wonderful mother from whom Jesus received that body and blood according to the flesh.
The intercession of Mary our Mother is most powerful, powerful to bring about peace, powerful to bring about a happy and peaceful death as we pray in every single Hail Mary. She is "full of grace" that is the model of freedom in Christ, freedom which is perfectly redeemed, freedom which always lives and acts according to the truth of Christ. Let us ask her intercession that our freedom will find itself on track, that is in accord with moral truth, and let that redeemed freedom propel us more each day on our pilgrim way to God's heavenly kingdom. Mary, Mother of Mercy and Mother of Hope, pray for us.
Thank you for reading this. God bless each one of you. May the days of late spring and summer bring you and your loved ones health, safety, some time for rest and recreation and above all an always deeper faith. Praised be Jesus Christ!
Official Appointments:
Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, wishes to announce the following effective noon, June 15, 2005:
Linkages of parishes:
St. Raphael, St. Patrick, and Holy Redeemer Parishes, Madison, Rev. Msgr. Paul J. Swain, vicar general, Pastor
St. Thomas and St. Jude Parishes, Beloit, Rev. Steven Kortendick, Pastor
St. James and St. Joseph Parish, Madison, Rev. Msgr. Thomas Baxter, Pastor
Retirements:
Rev. Msgr. John H. Hebl, from Pastor, St. Mary Help of Christians Parish, Sullivan, and St. Mary Parish, Palmyra, to Pastor Emeritus
Rev. J. Daryl Furlong, from Pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Janesville, to Pastor Emeritus
Rev. Donald F. Lange, from Pastor, St. Bridget Parish, Ridgeway, and Immaculate Conception Parish, Barneveld, to Pastor Emeritus
Priest Transfers:
Rev. Msgr. Daniel T. Ganshert from Pastor, St. Clement Parish, Lancaster, to Pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Lodi, and St. Michael Parish, Dane
Rev. James G. Kuhn, from Pastor, St. Thomas Parish, Beloit, to Pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Janesville
Rev. Michael E. Moon, from half-time Parochial Vicar, St. Raphael Cathedral Parish and Holy Redeemer Parish, Madison, and half-time, Hispanic Ministry, to full-time Hispanic Ministry with residence at St. Joseph Parish, Madison
Rev. Eric H. Nielsen, from Pastor, St. Mary Parish, Bloomington, and St. John Parish, Patch Grove, to Pastor, St. Mary Help of Christians Parish, Sullivan, and St. Mary Parish, Palmyra
Rev. Tait C. Schroeder, from Parochial Vicar, St. Dennis Parish, Madison, to Pastor, St. Bridget Parish, Ridgeway, and Immaculate Conception Parish, Barneveld
Rev. William J. Seipp, from Pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Madison, to Pastor, St. Clement Parish, Lancaster
Rev. Bart D. Timmerman, from Parochial Vicar, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, Sun
Prairie, to Pastor, St. Mary Parish, Bloomington, and St. John Parish, Patch Grove.
Rev. David A. Wanish, from Administrator to Pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Argyle, St. Michael Parish, Yellowstone, St. Joseph Parish, Gratiot, and St. John Parish, South Wayne.
Rev. Brian J. Wilk, from Parochial Vicar, Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Madison, to Parochial Vicar, St. Dennis Parish, Madison.
Msgr. Paul J. Swain
Vicar General
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