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-- Posted: 10/19/2006, 2:22 a.m. Central Time

Diocese gives facts regarding marriage amendment activities

Stewardship Day:
Nurturing a 'stewardship way of life'

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Bishop Robert F. Morneau urged Catholic parishes to nurture a "stewardship way of life" in his keynote address at the first Diocesan Stewardship Day held on October 11 at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center.

The auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay kept the audience's attention with quotes from Scripture, authors, and poets. He also referred to a pastoral letter on stewardship issued by the U.S. bishops, one which he helped write.

Tending the garden

Bishop Morneau used the image of a garden to describe the many gifts we have received from God. He asked the audience, "What have you done with the garden entrusted to you? The stewardship question is a garden question," he said.   Full story ...

Guided by the Spirit: Criteria used in parish
self-evaluation

By Grant Emmel
VICE CHANCELLOR

MADISON -- It is a well understood fact that to improve a process, procedure, or system it is important to take into account a number of important items. Keeping the goals before you helps keep you focused and remembering the assumptions from which you work keeps you from straying off course.

	Previous articles: October 12, 2006 edition: • Planning: Understanding the 'assumptions and goals' October 5, 2006 edition: • Planning: How did we get to where we are today?

Both the goals and the assumptions of the Guided by the Spirit planning process were discussed in the last article. In this article we want to look at the criteria against which changes will be measured, thus allowing the Parish Core Committees to weigh one change against another. We also will look at the parish self-evaluation that will occur as Parish Core Committees begin to meet after attending their training this past week.

Planning process

With any improvement program, there have to be a set of ideals against which the improvement is measured. In Guided by the Spirit, the Planning Commission put together a set of thematic criteria to give structure and guidance to the parishes as they evaluate each and every ministry in their faith community. They are themes because they are necessarily general in scope so they add to the strategic direction given by the Bishop's goals.   Full story ...

Heritage from the past:
A mission for the future at St. Jerome Parish

By Kathleen Bushman
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

COLUMBUS -- On the very feast of the patron saint of the parish, St. Jerome Parish in Columbus celebrated a Mass marking 150 years of faith.

Bishop Robert C. Morlino was present to celebrate the Mass, concelebrated by Fr. Bruce Hennington, pastor at St. Jerome. Deacon Timothy Byrnes was the deacon of the Mass and the St. Jerome Anniversary Choir provided the music.

After Mass, parishioners gathered to celebrate together with a pig roast.   Full story ...