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The Catholic Herald: Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Madison
NOTE: There will be no Catholic Herald issue published on June 5, 2008. The next issue will be June 12, 2008.

Catholic Herald
summer schedule

May 29, 2008 Edition   •   Volume 138, No. 21   •   Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A.

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The Catholic Herald
Mission Statement:


The Catholic Herald is the official newspaper of the Diocese of Madison. Its purpose is to inform and educate people of the Diocese through communications that proclaim Gospel values, report the news, and comment on issues as they pertain to the mission of the Catholic Church, which is to bring all in Jesus Christ to the Father.
map showing Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin in gold-orange

Awards:

Web edition:
• Catholic Press Association Best Web Site: Third Place, 2005

Award of Distinction, The Communicator Awards 2002 Print Media competition

Print edition: Award winner, Catholic Press Association, 2007 awards competition:

• First place for best single ad (black and white)

• Third place for best single ad (color);

2006 awards competition:

• First place for best editorial on a local issue

• First place for best news writing on a local/regional event

• First place for best general news photo

Breaking News ...

Cathedral steeple comes down

-- Posted 6/9/2008, 4:00 p.m. Central Time

Construction worker removing steeple
Cathedral demolition begins: salvaged items to be used

Above, workers begin the removal of the steeple of St. Raphael Cathedral in downtown Madison on June 9. St. Raphael Cathedral was destroyed by fire in March 2005.

After it is taken down, the steeple will be removed to a secure site for storage until construction of a new cathedral and demolition on the ruined cathedral building will begin.

Many elements of the destroyed cathedral have been removed for reuse. These include the cathedral spire and three bells from the steeple, three mosaics from the sanctuary and marble sanctuary furnishings, at least one large stained glass window that was not damaged by the fire, and three smaller semi-circular windows from above the front doors of the church.

At right, Bishop Robert C. Morlino talks with a reporter outside the cathedral during a brief visit to the site. For more on the cathedral's history and events since the fire, go to the Catholic Herald cathedral page.


Bishop Morlino speaking to press

(Catholic Herald photos by Kat Wagner)

Celebrating the spring of rural life
Diocesan ministry marks beginning of agricultural season




KIELER -- On a sunny morning, the community of Immaculate Conception Parish celebrated the spring season with an outdoor Mass and blessing of the soil.

The event, held in partnership with the Rural Life Ministry of the Diocese of Madison, marked the beginning of the agricultural season by honoring labor and the natural world.

With the coming of summer making itself known in the agreeable weather, Fr. Bernard Rott, pastor of Immaculate Conception and rural life director for the diocese, presided over Mass outdoors for the students of Holy Ghost-Immaculate Conception School. About 25 parishioners also attended, setting up benches and lawn chairs on the church grass for the celebration.

Full story ...


General Directives:
Create an Implementation Team

image of a dove in an oval with text: Trusting in the Spirit: Our Comforter, Our Counselor, Our Advocate

Implementation
Plans due

MADISON -- The Implementation Commission composed of 20 priests and laypersons from around the diocese will meet June 3 and 4 to go over each of the 41 clusters' implementation plans due May 15.

The commission will give feedback to each cluster on their plan, either accepting it as is, asking for minor corrections, or sending it back for rework. Once the plan is accepted, the Commission will forward the plan on to the bishop for his approval.

Facilitators are standing by to assist parishes in meetings, planning, or discussions; contact them, if needed. For more information: trustinginthespirit@straphael.org; Trusting in the Spirit, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719; or 608-821-3010.




Most parishes in the Diocese of Madison have been diligently working on their Trusting in the Spirit Implementation Plans in anticipation of the Implementation Commission meeting the first week of June.

These plans give a concrete methodology for how the parishes within each cluster will work together to achieve the directives that the bishop placed before them last October. These are the relationship "direction" that the bishop sees each cluster moving in, be it a partnership, linkage, or in some cases, merger.

The key point is that each cluster has directives that have been derived from and are relative to their specific cluster, not any other cluster. However, there was a set of directives, the General Directives, that applied to all clusters, thus all parishes, in the diocese (see General Directives), without exception. As there have been a number of questions with regard to these directives, we will try to address them in the next couple of articles.

First general directive

The first General Directive that we'll discuss is:

"Create a Cluster Implementation Team to engage the staffs and pastoral councils in developing an implementation plan and provide regular updates to the parishes and to the diocese."   Full story ...


Only in the print edition ...
News & Features:

Liturgy, language dominate bishops' agenda

Sinsinawa Dominican jubilees

Denver archbishop calls on Catholics for Obama to face senator's views on abortion

Columns:

• Your Family
by Monica and Bill Dodds --
Becoming a Marian family

• Looking Around
by Fr. William J. Byron --
Roadmap for a 'journey of hope'

• Question Corner
by Fr. John Dietzen --
Questions: Reincarnation; banns

• The Pope Speaks
by Pope Benedict XVI --
Christian poetry in hymn format

Subscribe to print edition

Future special sections:

Summer Vacation Guide: June 12, 2008

Healthy Living; Senior Focus: June 26, 2008

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Forty Days for Life gearing up for next vigil




MADISON -- Madison-area Christians will join communities around the country again this fall to partake in a 40-day, around-the-clock prayer vigil outside Planned Parenthood. Madison's 40 Days for Life is seeking volunteers and participants interested in helping bring an end to abortion.

Participants sign up for shifts of one to four hours. They can sign up for a single time or on a weekly basis, fasting and peacefully praying outside Planned Parenthood. The 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week prayer vigil begins September 24 and runs through November 2.

Moving experiences

Last year's 40 Days for Life participants reported many moving experiences.

"I had two young ladies approach and say, 'I want to know where I can obtain an adoption,'" said Don, who partook in last year's vigil. "They change[d] their minds [about getting an abortion] because they had supporters. Someone who [could] help them do what was right."

Kathy, another vigil participant, said 40 Days for Life is an important way to provide a voice for the voiceless.   Full story ...



Catholic Herald summer publication schedule

During the summer months, the Catholic Herald will continue to be published weekly except for four issues. Issues to be skipped include: June 5, June 19, July 10, and August 7. At right are deadlines for the issues prior to the weeks skipped:

Issue Weeks covered Deadline Issue skipped
May 29 First two weeks of June May 21 June 5
June 12 Third & fourth wks June June 4 June 19
July 3 First two weeks of July June 25 July 10
July 31 First two weeks of Aug. July 23 August 7

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Diocese of Madison, The Catholic Herald
Offices and mailing address: Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719
Phone: 608-821-3070     Fax: 608-821-3071     E-Mail: info@madisoncatholicherald.org

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