April 29, 2021
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s a Lenten project, 12 parishioners from St. Therese of Lisieux, Phillips; St. Paul the Apostle, Catawba; and St. John the Baptist, Prentice, decided to consecrate themselves to Jesus through Mary by participat- ing in Fr. Michael Gaitleys 33 Days to Morning Glory retreat, led by Roni Tobias and Annamarie Novak. Starting on Feb. 20, the retreat prepared the group for consecration through short reflections from four saints; St. Louis De Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Teresa of Calcutta and Pope St. John Paul II. The 33-day preparation included reading, reflecting, group discussion and viewing video excerpts from Fr. Mi- chael Gaitley. It is recommended that the day of consecration falls on a Marian feast day. It is also recommended on the conse- cration day that participants go to confession, set time aside for prayer and go to Mass. Fr. Lourdu Raju Madanu Raju celebrated the consecra- tion Mass on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annuncia- tion, at St. Paul the Apostle in Catawba. Jennie Kleinhans, Nancy Kokstis, Marijane Koupy, Katie and Marc Morrone, Marilyn Moquin, Terry Moquin, Lynn Neeck, Annamarie Novak, Roni Tobias, Marilynn Van De Voort and Julie Vuchetich re- cited the consecration to Mary prayer and signed a certificate for their initial consecration, while Janine Smugala, Mar- gie Novak and Mike Novak renewed their consecration to Mary.
ANITA DRAPER
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF ADRAPER@CATHOLICDOS.ORG
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atholics at the Capitol, the biennial event connecting Wisconsin Catholics to their state lawmakers in Madi- son, went virtual this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hosted by the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, the day generally includes a gather- ing in Madison with keynote speakers, breakout sessions on current topics and meetings with legislators. This year, a livestreamed meeting was emceed by Kim Vercauteren, WCC director. Bishop David Ricken, Green Bay, led with a prayer for the general assembly and governor in both English and Spanish. Twenty-four people from dioceses across the state joined the 9 a.m. meeting. Attendees were encouraged to meet virtu- ally with legislators between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. During the training portion of the Zoom meeting, Vercau- teren explained the organi- zations role in advocating on behalf of Wisconsin bishops, who are the governing board members. The WCC represents 1.2 million Catholics, including more than 700 parishes and 275 schools, as well as hospitals, colleges, universities and other related organizations. We have a heavy Catholic presence here in the state, she said. To answer the question of why the church engages in pub- lic policy discussions, she spoke of the sacred duty to ones neighbor as well as the impor- tance of supporting the churchs many service-based organiza- tions that work in educating children, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting the imprisoned, helping the vulnerable and more. The church also has a consistent moral framework - principles that are based on human dignity - that makes it an important voice in policy discussion, she added. Even for those who are not Catholic, the principals are based in natural law and reason, and the teach- ing is applicable. In the church, she said, we walk the walk while we talk the talk. What the WCC doesnt do is engage in political campaigning, electoral politics, financing, etc. Reviewing the structure of the state legislature and the biennial budget-building pro- cess, Vercauteren explained the budget is currently in forma- tion, which is why the WCC holds its advocacy day at this time every two years. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers budget proposal, which called for a 9.8-percent increase in spending, was set aside by the Republican-led legislature, which intends to begin from scratch with a new base budget. WCC has been told by leg- islators that given the dicult year, lawmakers are planning to go back to constituents to find out what they want and need to see in the budget. In-person state budget hear- ings were set for Rhinelander and UW-Stout, Menomonie, the week of April 19; a virtual hear- ing set for April 28 was open to a limited number of pre-regis- tered participants. The issues outlined in WCCs 2021 talking points include support for pregnant women and new moms; a homelessness initiative; Medicaid expansion; funding for mental health care, particularly in rural areas with little access and above-average suicide rates; treatment and diversion programs that help non-violent first-time offenders avoid re-offending; expan- sion of the Earned Income Tax Credit; drivers cards for immigrants; support for special education and school nutrition; and clean water legislation to fund replacement of lead pipes, aging septic systems and con- taminated wells. When approaching lawmak- ers, Vercauteren suggested using WCC materials, available on the website, to prepare. She suggests emphasizing between three and five issues that are a personal priority, versus trying to cover all the issues outlined by the WCC. She also suggested focusing on faith and reason - discuss- ing what is most important per- sonally - as well as discussing the principles that motivate you and explain why a particular course of action is prudent. No experience is necessary, she added. You dont need to be an expert. Legislators are looking for feedback from their constituents. The WCCs suggested items to be removed from the pro- posed budget - which included funds to abortion providers, gender-neutral language, gender-identity employment rules and limits on education- al choice, have already been removed by the joint committee on finance, according to Ver- cauteren. Answering a question of how to respond when an aide or lawmaker said one of the policy issues should not be in the bud- get, Vercauteren explained how some items - such as issuing drivers cards to undocumented people - may not seem to be budgetary issues, but may be community issues, because no one wants unlicensed, unin- sured drivers out on the roads. Another participant asked about the Earned Income Tax Credit - a child-based credit de- signed to help the working poor - which the WCC supports. She responded that research shows the EITC acts as a one-time lump sum payment that helps with non-monthly budgeted costs, such as property taxes, car repairs, healthcare expens- es, etc. She identified the EITC as a means of helping families climb out of poverty. It is debt, frequently, that causes people to stay in pover- ty, she said. Infant mortality rates, anoth- er concern, are especially poor for Black families in Milwaukee, she added. Wisconsins average for all people has climbed to 6.1 deaths per 1,000 babies, now higher than the national aver- age of 5.8 deaths, but the aver- age is 14.28 deaths per 1,000 for non-Hispanic Black women, the highest in the nation. Its not just about health- care, she advised. Stress on
Catholics at the Capitol goes virtual
Lenten consecration to Mary in Phillips cluster
Participating in the 33 Days to Morning Glory" consecration in the Phillips cluster were (back row, left to right) An- namarie Novak, Roni Tobias, Jennie Kleinhans, Lynn Neeck, Fr. Lourdu Raju Madanu, Marilyn Moquin, Terry Moquin, Mike Novak and Marc Morrone; and (front row, left to right) Nancy Kokstis, Marijane Koupy, Janine Smugala, Julie Vuchetich, Marilyn Van De Voort, Margie Novak and Katie Morrone. (Submitted photo)
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