Last updated: May 8, 2008

• Editor's note   • Words of Wisdom   • Ask a Priest
• Spotlight on Youth   • Good Deeds
• Spring contest winners   • World Youth Day 2008

• Youth Briefs   • Student Honors   • Calendar

"Ask a Priest" Fr. Paul Ugo Arinze Send your questions about the Catholic faith to "Ask a Priest" at info@madisoncatholicherald.org Be sure to include your first name, last initial, and age. The answer to your question will be posted on this Web page. Editor's note: Kat Wagner How do kids your age live out their Catholic faith? Check out this new Catholic Herald Youth Online Web page to find out! This Web page is a place for youth in the Diocese of Madison and beyond to learn about their faith, see how others are living out their faith, and voice their own thoughts on Catholic issues. You, too, can be a part of this Web page. Just submit articles and photos to: Catholic Herald Youth Online, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719. If you send articles or photos via e-mail, put "Online Youth" in the subject line and send it to: info@madisoncatholicherald.org Digital photos must be in TIFF or JPEG format and at least 150 dpi. We look forward to hearing from you! Youth Briefs Catholic Bible Stories Two fun, faithful, and fully Catholic editions of Bible stories have been recently released by Our Sunday Visitor : Catholic Bible Stories for Children, by Ann Ball with Julianne M. Will, ISBN 978159276243-9. Join Martha as she busily prepares for Jesus' visit. Help Alexander the Great rule over his kingdom. Listen as Jesus makes his great promise. Lifelong learning begins with these stories of witness, worship, and tradition told in tales engaging for little tikes and cool school kids alike. Bright illustrations richly reflect the positive message of God's love for us. Catholic Bible Stories for Children, First Communion Edition, by Ann Ball with Julianne M. Will, ISBN 978159276221-7. This First Communion Edition has an introduction by Alfred McBride, a presentation page unique to First Communicants, and its own special cover. Copies can be ordered by calling 800-348-2440 or visiting catalog.osv.com Realfaith TV Finally - a television show that covers Catholic issues teens want to hear about. Realfaith TV aims to reach out to teens looking for answers to the issues they face in today's world and to help them deal with those issues from a Catholic perspective. Though not broadcast in Wisconsin, the shows can be accessed online by visiting www.realfaithtv.com Also on the Web site is a prayer request form and questions from teens to priests and qualified lay ministers about faith, as well as important news and interviews with top Christian bands and people in ministry. Lost in St. Peter's Tomb Riley and his sister Delaney go to Italy to visit their aunt, a nun at a convent near Rome, thinking it will be the most boring summer vacation ever. While there, though, they discover that she is also a secret agent for the pope! In Lost in Peter's Tomb young readers can learn about Italy, Rome, and the Vatican along with Riley and Delaney as they meet the pope, tour the Vatican Gardens, chase the pope's cat, get lost in Peter's tomb, tour St. Peter's Basilica, make friends with Swiss Guards, and try to solve the mystery of the missing relics of St. Peter. Lost in Peter's Tomb, written by Dianne Ahern and illustrated by Katherine Larson for ages seven to 12, is the first in a new series called Adventures with Sister Philomena, Special Agent for the Pope from publisher Aunt Dee's Attic. It can be purchased through Catholic/Christian bookstores, Amazon.com, or at www.auntdeesattic.com

All of us owe our lives to our mothers. For the majority of us, this means the mothers who carried us in their wombs, nurtured us after birth, and raised us into adulthood.

For others, the name "mother" might include a biological mother and an adoptive mother, a stepmother, or even a grandmother who played a role in caring for us.

Changes in society

I think we used to take motherhood for granted. But not any longer. With the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion in 1973, along with many changes in society, we certainly can't rely on pregnant women to carry their babies to term.

It often takes courage for women - both married and unmarried - to become mothers. Our society in more recent years has not valued motherhood as much as it has in the past. While advances in job opportunities for women are good things, some women may feel that being on the "mommy track" will not benefit their career. Some husbands may not want to be tied down with the responsibilities of children. Couples delay pregnancy until it's too late.   Full story ...

MADISON -- Preparations are underway for the Diocese of Madison's pilgrimage group traveling to Sydney, Australia, in July 2008 for the 10th World Youth Day (WYD) celebration.

The focus for next year's international event is centered on "Youth, Witness, and Power" - a reference to "You will received power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). Pope Benedict XVI selected this theme in hopes of inspiring Catholic youth of the world to recommit to their baptismal promises, active participation in the sacraments, and living out their apostolic mission.

The journey to Sydney will officially begin in the Diocese of Madison on Pentecost Sunday, May 27. The launch date for the diocesan pilgrimage is symbolic of the church worldwide as it honors when the Holy Spirit descended upon the world and people from "every nation under heaven" gathered together and could understand one another as each spoke in a different language.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit and joined together with other believers can empower individuals, parishes, and countries to do amazing things. World Youth Day is an incredible testimony to the living body of Christ, the power of the cross, and the beauty which pours forth from giving witness to the Word.

Parishes are encouraged to include the mission of World Youth Day in parish and school prayer intentions and bulletin announcements during the week of Pentecost.

The Diocese of Madison WYD Planning Team has finalized an itinerary for the diocesan pilgrimage. It includes involvement in the Days of Encounter events in the Diocese of Melbourne and an additional closing Mass and dinner with Bishop Robert C. Morlino at St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.

Go online to the Diocesan WYD page for full itinerary details and projected cost of the diocesan pilgrimage.

Seminarian Tim Renz visits with seventh and eighth graders at St. John the Baptist School in Jefferson. (Contributed photo)

The seventh and eighth graders at St. John the Baptist School in Jefferson recognized Vocations Awareness Week in a special way this year by writing to several seminarians from the Madison Diocese.

The students read the articles in the Catholic Herald and then chose one or more seminarians to write to. Their letters were sent to several seminaries throughout the U.S., Europe, and South Africa.

Students were curious as to what life as a seminarian was like and asked questions such as: What is a typical day like? Do you go to classes all day? What courses do you have to take? What do you do for fun? When will you be ordained? When did you hear God calling you to this vocation? What did your friends and family think of your decision to become a priest?

Finally, students offered special prayers for each of the seminarians, asking God to be with them on their journey.

St. John the Baptist's parishioner and seminarian, Timothy Renz, recently spent some time with his seventh and eighth grade pen pals at the school while visiting his parents, John and Jane Renz, and his pastor, Fr. Tom Coyle.

Renz was on a short break from his studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit when he decided to visit his special pen pals and prayer partners at St. John the Baptist School. Tim answered all of their questions in addition to sharing his experience as an organ donor for a fellow seminarian who needed a kidney.

The visit ended with the students forming a circle and joining hands with Tim and one another to offer the "Our Father" for him and all seminarians.

	Welcome, Pope Benedict! (Artwork by Molly C., Kindergarten)

What does Jesus do for you? Does he help you during the toughest times of your life? Do you think of him when you are content with your life or just during the tough times? How does he bring hope to you?

During the tough times of my life I feel he is guiding me in the right direction; other times I do not understand what he is trying to tell me, but half of the time I feel anger. I ask him why he made me miserable at this point of my life. In the end Jesus always shows me the light. He shows me that there are other problems to worry about, but its fine to worry about yourself. After I'm done worrying about myself I think about what I can give God in return for keeping me safe from my fears and keeping me guided on the path to heaven. I give him my prayers to help those in poverty, sickness, and for others to find their way to Christ.

Send your honors information to: info@madisoncatholicherald.org or Catholic Herald Youth Online, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, WI 53719.

	Teens receive the Eucharist from Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles during a late morning liturgy March 1 preceding the Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, Calif. The all-day event, whose theme was "Live Out Love," kicked off the March 2 to 4 congress and drew nearly 15,500 teenagers and young adults from 510 different youth groups. (CNS photo/R.W. Dellinger, the Tidings)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (CNS) -- "Nowhere you've been or anything you've ever done in your life has taken you more than one step away from Christ," speaker Steve Angrisano told a sold-out arena of high school students and their chaperones in Anaheim.

The popular Catholic singer and songwriter was addressing the crowd at a Feb. 28 youth day that was part of the Los Angeles archdiocesan Religious Education Congress.

With the theme "About-Face: Focused on God," the day featured workshops for 15,000 high school students and their chaperones on topics such as chastity; living out the biblical message; apologetics; social justice; celebrating liturgy; exploring a vocational call; being Catholic and having a sense of humor; and even finding the Christian purpose of participating in high school athletics.

The day also included a Mass celebrated in two locations at the Anaheim Convention Center, with Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony presiding in the arena and Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Oscar A. Solis presiding in one of the nearby halls.

Angrisano was one of the keynote performers to open the daylong event, along with Jesse Manibusan, Doug Brummel, and rapper Righteous B, that left students clapping and dancing one minute, and deep in prayer the next.

Moments of conversion

During the homily in the arena, two students told stories of a moment of conversion in their lives.

Cruz Mesa, a high school senior and a member of St. Louise de Marillac Parish in Covina, said he began feeling himself drift from the fervor of faith he felt as a high school freshman and sophomore.

He said that though he has had a desire to join the military since September 11, 2001, he began to wonder if God still "needed" him.

Mesa then got a call that he was accepted by the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., and he also received a call to speak at the congress youth day. He said his good news and receiving the sacrament of reconciliation helped him to see that God didn't forget about him.

"And he has a mission for each and every one of you," Mesa said.

Janeeka Perera, a student at Chaminade High School in West Hills, said she felt a change in her faith when she and her family went to Sri Lanka to help victims of the tsunami that struck December 26, 2004.

There, villagers asked if her family would donate shoes to students who needed them. Perera was able to meet the students and she learned that they would have been barred from school had they not had the shoes. She said that moment made her realize how much she had taken for granted as a teenager.

"The villagers opened my eyes to what made God so difficult for me to find," she said. "An about-face is being able to face God, even if you are not certain where he is, you just have to know, you just have to trust that he is there."

"God's love and mercy are always there for us, always calling us back," Cardinal Mahony said during his homily.

Doing an 'about-face'

According to Mike Norman, coordinator of youth day for the past 12 years, work on the event starts about a year in advance. The Los Angeles archdiocesan Office of Religious Education staff works with a coordinating team made up of high school students and their chaperones.

The theme comes from the liturgical readings that coincide with the date of youth day. This year, it was a reading from the Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 7, Verses 23 to 28, about people turning their backs, not their faces, to God.

"One of the kids said that it was like an 'about-face' in marching band: No matter what you are doing, you can always turn your face back to God," Norman said. "And we just all loved that."

Angrisano, who wrote the theme song for youth day, called "One Step Away," used information from the meeting to write it. This year is only the third youth day to have an official song specifically customized for the day.

For the first time, youth day included a "vocations lunch" during which 30 students had lunch in small groups with five bishops and five priests as well as religious sisters and brothers.

Chris Saenz, a 16-year-old parishioner from St. Louis of France Church in La Puente, said that he wanted to attend the vocation luncheon because he is considering becoming a missionary to South America or Asia. He was seated next to a Maryknoll Sister with whom he had talked about his call at a vocation fair at his parish a few weeks earlier.

"I was fortunate for her to be here," he said. "Hopefully, I can walk out of here today with a lot more information."

Copyright © 2008 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops