Spring 2008 Pastoral Assignments

At the Archdiocese of Milwaukee website,

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, in consultation with the Priest Placement Board of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, has appointed the following priests for ministry in the archdiocese...

The new assocate pastor appointments are presumably the priests our pastor at St. Al's deemed incompatible.

Faith, family ties unite Paul and Elsie Bucher

Karen Mahoney reported, Special to "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald, April 17, 2008, on the reuniting of Paul Bucher and his long-institutionalized aunt Elsie. While caring for his ailing father a few years ago, Mr. Bucher first heard of some family secrets, including Aunt Elsie.

While Elsie had heard of former Waukesha County district attorney Paul Bucher, until an impromptu visit five years ago, she never imagined that he was her nephew and the connection to her heritage.

When the popular attorney arrived at St. Coletta's he was surprised that Elsie knew all about him through watching him on television.

"That just made me question why she was at St. Coletta's," he admitted. "Anyway, she was very happy to see me and meet me, as I was with Elsie."

Beaming, the petite 89-year-old said she had no idea that the man she saw so often on television was related to her.

They've kept in regular contact since.

Worshipper, church clash

Linda Spice reports in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on efforts by Blessed Sacrament Church, some of its neighbors, and a couple of Milwaukee Aldermen, to get a court order that 75 year old Cecelia Kaczmarski stay away.

"Cecelia has been stalking the parish for at least 10 years," he [pastor Father Robert Turner] wrote in the petition. "She parks in front of the rectory where she claims she has visions. She has been ordered to move many times by the police. She always returns. The school children are afraid of her presence. Older parishioners are annoyed by her presence and she appears to be dead in the car. ..."

The court denied an injunction. One issue raised was that people sometimes call the paramedics when they see Ms. Kaczmarski in her car, apparently unresponsive.

One of those calls came from [Alderman Joe] Dudzik himself.

"She said I should stop looking at her because I was the Antichrist. I've been called worse," Dudzik said.

Life imtitates art, if I'm correctly recalling that 'The Antichrist ... or worse' was a phrase used in one article in the Wall Street Journal parody by Doug Kenney in National Lampoon, Volume 1, Issue 2 (May 1970).

Research confirms attraction to traditional Catholicism

Maryangela Layman Roman reported in "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald April 17, 2008 on Colleen Carroll Campbell's presentation at the second in this year's Pallium Lecture series. Ms. Campbell spoke on the results of her research interviews on "a growing trend toward deeper religiosity among young adults. She was the first to formally identify a trend among young Christians who seemed to be returning to traditional aspects of faith." While working for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, she wrote an editorial on World Youth Day 2000.

To Campbell, the attraction young people had to Pope John Paul II "made a lot of sense," she said, "but to my older colleagues, particularly in the newsroom, it was rather odd. I saw it as an extension of the spiritual hunger I had seen at Marquette [University], some of that which I felt myself, and as connected to other trends I saw in Protestant churches. I saw it as something bigger and that got me to researching it more intently."

Going into her research,

"... I thought it might be extremely small, young people who were bucking the trend," she said. "So I was very surprised as I actually got into it that it was more widespread than I thought and it was happening in places where I would least expect to find it."

Campbell identified the young adults as "new faithful" and found them drawn to the traditions and devotions of the church such as the rosary and eucharistic adoration.

She further characterized them as

embrac[ing] biblical morality, exhibited as a yearning for the Golden Rule, the Beatitudes and avoidance of premarital, extramarital and homosexual sex.

Putting this in perspective,

Campbell emphasized in the interview that while numbers of "new faithful" are on the rise, they represent a minority in their generation.

While some older Catholics are encouraged by the rise of the "new faithful", others are not.

...some of it is a sense among some older Catholics that the project of the 1960s is not being carried on by these young adults because they have a different sense of priorities.

"You don't hear them as much proclaiming, for instance, about the ordination of women to the priesthood. Catholics who thought those would be the changes they'd see in the coming years, I think, are disappointed by these young adults," she admitted [sic].

This might illustrate an inherent contradiction in the "project of the 1960s"; its continuation would have required some kind of evangelization, but opposition to evangelization was integral to it.

Stranded in Suburbia

This column by Paul Krugman in yesterday's New York Times appeared in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as Greater Berlin — but Berlin is a city of trains, buses and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars and cars.

And in the face of rising oil prices, which have left many Americans stranded in suburbia — utterly dependent on their cars, yet having a hard time affording gas — it’s starting to look as if Berlin had the better idea.

That drew this comment from Michael Jentsch at Just One Minute.

Funny that Krugman uses Berlin as an example. It is a bit different from other German cities. Just a hint, until 1989 we couldn't really move to the suburbs because there was something in the way.

Racial Disparity on Drug Cases Deserves Attention

So says the May 9, 2008 Eye On The Capitol press release by John Huebscher, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference. He begins by noting that in 1999 the Wisconsin Bishops formed a task force that lead to their September 1, 1999 statement Public Safety, the Common Good, and the Church: A Statement on Crime and Punishment in Wisconsin. Among topics it addressed was racial disparities in conviction rates. Mr. Huebscher tells us that,

Nearly a decade later, that disparity still exists. By some measures, it may be worse.

Mr. Huebscher cited reported studies by the Sentencing Project and Human Rights Watch on sentencing disparities but does go on to say,

Studies are not infallible and they may reflect certain policy preferences.

It's good to see that noted, since some might have that same reaction to a statement by Wisconsin's Catholic Bishops.

Living Our Faith Spring 2008 Newsletter

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee published the Spring 2008 Living Our Faith newsletter, which was distributed to all registered Catholic homes in the archdiocese.

Receiving these mailings always leaves me wondering if it wouldn't be better to make them part of an issue of "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald and send that to everyone. Maybe some more people would subscribe.

The newsletter is part of the Living Our Faith evangelization initiative. This issue's timing and theme is Pentecost, and most of the content seeks to re-inspire by cataloging what good our Archdiocese does. It's like the pages of an annual report before you get to the financials. The equivalent of the financial footnotes is the final sidebar on what's being done about Clergy Sexual Abuse. That might have been better dealt with separately.

Create Own RSS Feed or Email Alert to Monitor Web Site Changes

Bonnie Shucha at WisBlawg with

two tools - PonyFish (RSS) & Watch That Page (email) - which allow to you create your own monitoring service.

OK, So What Are The "Legitimate Claims" Of Hezbollah And Hamas?

Tom Maguire at Just One Minute

...I have a Bold Suggestion - since Obama [Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL)] is backing away from his "I'll meet with any rogue fool without preconditions" pledge anyway, why doesn't he announce one pre-condition - any bad boy dictators or lunatics who want to meet with Obama must load onto YouTube a video of themselves singing a chorus of Kumbaya. That should be reassuring.

And the only reason to have anyone sing it again after the Joan Baez concert at Notre Dame in Paris on Christmas Eve 1980.

Church cash may be missing

Marie Rohde reported in the May 10, 2008 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on possible additional problems for St. John Vianney Church in Brookfield.

cash donated during weekly services over an extended period could be missing, parishioners were told in a letter sent by the parish administrator.

Three parishioners raised concerns after the drug arrest of the then-pastor. The suspicious patterns weren't described. I've read that sometimes when a pastor is suddenly out of the picture, donations appear to suddenly go up.

Transparency and the church

Jim Norton in the April 18, 2008 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

OK, I get it. If I want the Catholic Church in the U.S., Wisconsin and Milwaukee to exist and serve, I will have to pony up more cash. But I have a problem with that. ...

When someone has squandered my money, stock purchases or donations, I have to think long and hard about giving those same institutions more of my cash. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

For example, back in 1997 I received a thank you letter from the Very Rev. John H. Endejan for my contribution to the Cathedral Preservation Foundation.

... Your personal support of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist will certainly help to preserve our common treasure.

... One can only guess how many people have been touched by a visit to our beautiful Cathedral, by attending formal ceremonies or in a time of private prayer.

The restoration and continued preservation of the Cathedral will only be possible through the heartfelt loyalty and profound generosity of valued friends like you. ...

I invite you to visit your beautiful Cathedral whenever you have the opportunity to do so. ...

Richard S. Vosko provides a side-by-side comparison. "My" beautiful Cathedral is on the left. The attempt to fool me twice is on the right.

The Great Uncluttering

Michael Agger at Slate on

The best books, articles, and Web sites for helping you organize your life.

Textbooks find second home in Uganda

Amy Guckeen reported in "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald, March 27, 2008. Anyone who's ever worked a used book sale knows used textbooks can be a problem. Fr. John Mary Ssozi, "a student at UW-Milwaukee and in residence at St. Robert Parish, Shorewood," heard of a need for textbooks for a new university library at Masaka in his native Uganda. So he started collecting them.

Donated textbooks have to be less than 10 years old, and must be college-level in a math and science field, Claire Anderson, pastoral associate at St. Robert said.

Got a box of textbooks? If they've gotten musty or are falling apart, just throw them away yourself. If they're in good shape, check if a used book sale might be interested. Be ready with a description of age and subjects and give them a call.

[I'm experimenting with the new scheduled posting feature in Blogger. Hope this works.]

Common Ground mirrors Catholic social teaching

Brian T. Olszewski reported in "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald, April 17, 2008, on the founding convention of Southeastern Wisconsin Common Ground.

If you go to the Common Ground web site, there are FAQ, including,

What's Common Ground? It's one organization in a national network affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the oldest and largest institution for professional organizing in the United States.

IAF was established in 1940 by Saul Alinsky. He discusses this extensively in his book Reveille for Radicals (1946).

"Our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald apparently decided all this wasn't worth mentioning. It does say,

One of the Catholic organizations to invest in Common Ground is the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Common Ground received local (archdiocesan) grants from CCHD of $5,000 from 2005 through 2007 inclusive. It also received a national CCHD grant of $40,000 in 2007.

It also tells us of a letter from Milwaukee's bishops to Common Ground.

"... The fact that numerous Catholics, 17 parishes, several religious congregations, as well as several Catholic colleges, are members of Common Ground demonstrates the vibrant faith of the Catholic community in southeastern Wisconsin," they wrote.

Deus ex papier-mache

The 2008 West Coast Regional Call To Action Conference Keynote Workshops included Leo Keegan on Vatican II Liturgy.

...Have the liturgical principles of Vatican II revitalized your parish celebration of the Eucharist? What wisdom is yet to be gleaned from the early church and the Sacred Constitution on the Liturgy to transform ministers - lay & clergy, men & women, young & old, toward an empowered, dynamic experience of prayer and celebration? Come take a look at some of the challenges before us as we move toward a renewed liturgy in our parishes. ...

Come take a look at some video CTA posted of the conference's closing liturgy.

[The CTA site may be down due to excessive bandwidth usage; here are selections from the video at YouTube. (via Midwest Conservative Journal)]

Commenter Chris says the CTA site explained "Larger-than-life puppets call us to be larger than life in our work." Can't be far from that to "Who prays with More cowbell prays twice".

(via Amy Welborn and commenter Chris at Charlotte was Both)

Serving All and Sacrificing None

The Wisconsin Bishops on April 29, 2008 released a pastoral letter Serving All and Sacrificing None: Ethical Stem Cell Research.

It is scientists who have demonstrated that the single cell, or zygote that results from fertilization, contains the complete genetic information necessary for the development of a unique human being. It is scientists who have shown us that human development is a continuous, uninterrupted process, from zygote, embryo, fetus, infant, child, to adult.

These prevailing scientific opinions, they go on, are consistent with Church teaching.

We are persons whether our reasoning skills are developing or deteriorating, whether we are in the beginning stages of life or nearing life’s end.

Given that,

We are not seeking to “impose” narrow doctrinal beliefs, but rather to “propose” reasonable standards for the protection of human life and dignity.

The resources linked at the Wisconsin Catholic Conference website include a press release and a 14 minute video. The pastoral letter was covered in the May 1, 2008 Milwaukee Catholic Herald, Bishops' stem cell letter spotlights 'timeless Catholic teaching'. Perhaps it has been or will be discussed in some homilies.


P.S. The bishops tried to bolster their argument with this analogy.

Furthermore, raising moral concerns is essential for genuine scientific progress. Consider the infamous biomedical case of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Even after penicillin was discovered in 1947, medical researchers working for the U.S. Public Health Service in Tuskegee, Alabama, deliberately withheld the drug from infected African-American men—impoverished and mostly illiterate—without their consent, so that they could study the full progression of the disease.

These experiments happened to be the subject of Jonah Goldberg's May 2, 2008 column, Tall Tales About Tuskegee. The Tuskegee study began in 1932. Much later, when penicillin treatment for syphilis was developed, it does not appear to have been clear it would be appropriate for the study participants' advanced cases. The problem with Tuskegee, from today's perspective, was

They were told they were getting “treatments” when they were merely being studied.

That's not particularly pertinent to the issue of embryonic stem cell research.

The First Novena

Rocco Palma did say
Was nine days 'tween Ascension
And Pentecost Day.

And when he says First,
Its the nine days between,
As described in Acts 1,
Verses 12 to 14.


(via Kevin Knight at New Advent)

Blogging DRE uses technology to spread Word

Amy Guckeen reported in "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald, April 3, 2008. Heidi Russell, director of Christian formation at St. Monica, Whitefish Bay, blogs at Theological Reflections, posting about once a week. It fits the common perception of blogs as a means of personal expression; while she's a DRE, she doesn't blog in that capacity.

That is not inherent to the medium; one could have a "blogging DRE" blogging as such for a parish, or see a parish weblog for that matter.

Why don't we see that? From my experience, suggesting that blogging software might be a way to post current information on the parish website would be received about like suggesting a parish launch a space station.

Fond du Lac forms single Catholic education system

Amy Guckeen reported in "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald, March 20, 2008 on the merger of St. Mary's Springs High School with the Fond du Lac Area Catholic Education System [FACES]. The new body will eventually have a single governing board and administrator.

FACES was formed in 1992 when the six parishes of Fond du Lac and North Fond du Lac consolidated to form a single Catholic elementary education system. FACES is a two-campus system, with about 500 children in grades preschool to second grade at one site, and grades three to eight at another. Enrollment at St. Mary's Springs is almost 300.

Ms. Guckeen had reported in the December 6, 2007 issue on the dedication of the new church for Fond du lac's consolidated parishes, Holy Family Church is 'new beginning' in Fond du Lac. There appears to be a trend toward separating schools from parishes even as schools merge and parishes merge.

Toward a Just and Peaceful Solution in Iraq

A Policy Paper on the War and Occupation of Iraq prepared by Pax Christi USA (March 2008) details the cost in American lives and money (p. 1). When it comes to solutions, it assumes a great many things falling into place as hoped. Meanwhile,

the U.S. should provide substantial financial resources and possibly play a limited operational role... (p. 3)

If limiting that role is contingent on "A revitalized Iraqi government working in concert with the United Nations and regional actors, including the Arab League" and "directly engaging the countries bordering Iraq, including Iran and Syria, as well as internal diplomacy and reconciliation to bring all factions within Iraq 'to the table'", it might not be that limited.

(via Catholics for Peace and Justice)

Notes from a Thessalonian pilgrimage

Bishop Richard J. Sklba in the Herald of Hope column in "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald, March 13, 2008, recalls a recent visit to Thessaloniki and to Thesaurus.

Sitting before the great icons of Christ Pantokrator and Mary the God Bearer (Theotokos) as I did each day, I kept thinking that the current throne of the Archbishops of Thessaloniki was in fact the "throne" of Paul himself, for the Apostle had founded the church and presided over its life sometime back in about 49 AD! I wondered about the responsibility of presiding over a truly apostolic church.

The 'wow!' factor

Mary Louise Schumacher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel architecture critic, reported May 1, 2008, on the Design Awards presented yesterday by AIA [American Institute of Architects] Wisconsin.

The first post-Whitney Gould cube-of-the-month is Merit Award winnner Cantilever House (in slideshows), Fox Point, by La Dallman Architects of Milwaukee.

Pilot parishes key to campaign's $16.7 million start

Brian T. Olszewski reported in "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald, March 6, 2008, on the first stage of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's $105 million Faith In Our Future capital campaign.

As of Feb. 25, according to the archdiocesan development office, revenue raised in 12 pilot parishes and through major gifts totaled $16,770,229. Donations have come from 4,937 people. Collectively, the pilots have raised 90 percent of their combined benchmarks.

Results were mixed at the individual parishes examined in more detail.

The Mass Series

This seven part series by Father Tom Margevicius has also been published in "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald.

Part I: What we believe is what we pray and live

Part II: Entrance rites - Getting ready to meet God

Part III: Christ is present in the word proclaimed

Part IV: Presentation of the gifts: Bread, wine and ourselves

Part V: The miracle of the Eucharist: 'My flesh is true food'

Part VI: Communion rite: Joining ourselves to Jesus

Part VII: Closing rites: The ending is just the beginning

The Gift of Scripture

Joseph S. ["Spirit of Vatican II"] O'Leary posts the text of his talk given at Durham University, April 20. 2008 which begins,

In 2005 the Bishops of England and Wales produced a teaching document titled The Gift of Scripture (CTS). If you search for it on the internet you will not find the text but instead you will find it denounced on countless Catholic blogs...

Why don't we find the text online? The blurb for it said

...This document is offered to Catholics, to other Christians, and to all who value the 'gift of Scripture'...

but this appears to have meant offered for £3.95.

2007 a time of change for Milwaukee Archdiocese

Continuing a Spring cleaning of back issues, I came across this year in review in the January 3, 2008 issue of "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald.

Despite fewer donors, CSA tops $7.6 million goal

Quite a few issues of "our" Milwaukee Catholic Herald have piled up on "my" my desk. In the December 6, 2007 issue Brian T. Olszewski reported on the results of last year's Catholic Stewardship Appeal. The Appeal's director, Robert Bohlmann, had announced it had exceeded its $7.6 million goal.

"Despite the fact that we're down 2,600 donors, I'm really inspired by that and encouraged, because I think it is an incredible achievement in light of the fact that we have had fewer people give," he told your Catholic Herald.

A couple of years back when Debra Lethlean was appointed director of development of our Archdiocese, she then attributed the decline in donors to the pedophilia crisis and the retirement of Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland (see this earlier post). A decline now might still indicate these two issues have not been addressed to people's satisfaction. On the other hand, if the number of donors declines to one, yet that gives a greater total, perhaps this will still be said to inspire and encourage.

No "Day of Silence" at Marquette University High School on April 25

The April 2008 newsletter of the Milwaukee chapter of Cathlics United for the Faith included this item.

A FALSE report that Marquette University High School is taking part in the national “Day of Silence” (DOS) has appeared on the internet. It is simply not true, nor has MUHS ever taken part in this activity in the past.

Decades ago Marquette students sometimes did affect an aversion which might be termed homofauxbia.

The DOS is sponsored by an activist homosexual group, and claims to show support for homosexual students. Many believe, however, it is a push to promote the homosexual lifestyle in our high schools. (Pius XI High School has supported the DOS in the past, and is reported to support this year’s effort. A phone call to the school was not returned.)

One of the student clubs at Pius is the Gay Straight Alliance. Marquette doesn't have an equivalent club listed, at least not explicitly.

Jarman stunning as Giulietta in Florentine production

Elaine Schmidt in the April 27, 2008 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reviews last night's performance of Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi by the Florentine Opera Company.

Bellini's music, the apex of the bel canto (beautiful song) style of writing, is what gives this abbreviated telling of the story its passion and depth - that, and the fact that we know these characters before the curtain rises.

The part of Romeo was sung by mezzo-soprano Marianna Kulikova. Corliss Phillabaum's Program Notes inform us "The use of female singers for romantic heroes of the early 19th Century by composers such as Bellini and Rossini derived from a combination of traditions that were well-established before 1800." Perhaps drama departments offer courses in distinguishing when cross-dressed casting is traditional or avant-garde.

The production was dedicated to the memory of Dominic Frinzi who had long advocated for a Florentine production of a Bellini opera, but died earlier this year before he could see this one.

Also by Phillabaum, "For the Ear and the Eye: I Capuleti e i Montecchi on CD and DVD.

Bill Moyers plays Whiffleball with the Rev. Wright

Karl at Protein Wisdom on yesterday's Bill Moyer's Journal interview of Rev. Jeremiah Wright

If Moyers had any journalistic integrity he might have gone beyond a bumper-sticker understanding of Black Liberation Theology and asked about the underlying Marxist frame work of liberation theologies in general.

(via Althouse)


Update: Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press reports in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Rev. Wright's appearance at the National Press Club, Wright says criticism is attack on black church.

In a sermon days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Wright said "America's chickens are coming home to roost" after the United States. Asked what he meant by that, Wright challenged the reporter questioning him.

"Have you heard the whole sermon?" he responded. "No. You haven't heard the whole sermon. That nullifies that question."

Update: A vast Wright wing conspiracy? Amy Holmes suspected as much at The Corner, March 18, 2008, Obama's Pastor Plan.


(via KausFiles)

Dolan reportedly up for coveted N.Y. post

Tom Heinen reports in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on renewed speculation on who will succeed Cardinal Edward Egan as Archbishop of New York.

John Allen, a widely respected American author and journalist who covers the Vatican for the National Catholic Reporter, said Thursday in a telephone interview from Rome that "the two names that I hear talked about the most, kind of around the water cooler, would be [Archbishop] Tim Dolan of Milwaukee and (Archbishop) Wilton Gregory of Atlanta." But he also cautioned against putting stock in "the buzz meter," saying predictions of bishops' appointments often are wrong.

...

Others who Allen thinks will be considered include: Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Archbishop John Myers of Newark, N.J.; Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn.; and Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Walsh of New York.

A Populist Shift Confronts the U.S. Catholic Church

by Fernanda Santos in The New York Times, April 20, 2008

As Pope Benedict XVI completes his visit to the United States on Sunday with a Mass at Yankee Stadium, in a borough that has been home to generations of Latinos, he does so facing something of a growing challenge to the church’s immigrant ranks.

For if Latinos are feeding the population of the church, many have also turned to Pentecostalism, a form of evangelical Christianity that stresses a personal, even visceral, connection with God.

The story cites the recent Pew survey as indicating 1.3 million Latinos in the U.S. have left the Catholic Church for Pentecostalism.

"Rembert Weakland - A Journey of Faith to Air"

As punctuated at the Archdiocese of Milwaukee website, a reminder for the March 29, 2002 rebroadcast of Mark Siegrist's public television documentary.

Pope Delivers Yankee Mass

American Voices, at The Onion

Liturgy and Sacred Music

by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, delivered at the Eighth International Church Music Congress in Rome, November 17, 1985, subsequently published in Communio: International Catholic Review (Winter 1986, pp 377-390, translated from Italian by Stephen Wentworth Arndt), Adoremus, April 2008