Invoking the protection and intercession of The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist, the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Archbishop Jerome Listecki will convene their much anticipated Synod at the end of this week. The opening Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist on Friday 6 June at 7:00 PM. The remainder of the scheduled events will take place throughout the Pentecost weekend. The Diocese of La Crosse extends its prayers and asks for the invocation of the Holy Spirit upon our friend and former Ordinary, Archbishop Listecki and the priests, deacons, consecrated religious, seminarians and the entire People of God of the Archdiocese as this historic and sacred event opens a new chapter in their history and the history of the Roman Catholic Church in Wisconsin. Praised be Jesus Christ!

A Synod, simply put, is an assembly where the faithful deliberate on the pastoral needs of the diocese. A diocesan synod is called by the bishop, where he gathers together ordained and lay leaders from throughout his diocese.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Synod will bring together people from their entire Catholic community including priests, parish directors, deacons, parish staff members, lay parish leaders, parishioners and representatives of religious communities and lay groups to discuss archdiocesan and parish pastoral priorities for the Church of southeastern Wisconsin.

The Synod and the sessions leading up to it should be a wonderful and exciting spirit-led process that will give the archdiocese a clearer direction of priorities for the next 10 years and beyond.

Here in the Diocese of La Crosse, we are considering several ideas or similar events as we look forward to the 150^th Anniversary of our Diocese in 2018. I am receiving input from various advisors as I’m drafting some thoughts concerning the future direction and my priorities for our Diocese. Ultimately, these thoughts may be expressed to you in a Pastoral Letter.

Of necessity, there is a desire to join with the various consultative groups of priests and laity to provide such a “blue-print” for the Diocese at large. Finally, as documents are created, they will be given over to the People of God for prayer and study in preparation for a diocesan meeting or gathering, should we choose to pursue that idea.

Much work, as you can see, goes into such a meeting. We, therefore, salute our brothers and sisters in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and pray to God for a resurgence of the Holy Spirit throughout the Church!

Send forth Your Spirit, O Lord, that the face of the earth be renewed!

Celebrate the Holy Spirit at Pentecost Sunday Mass!

I have found in my years as a priest that I am rarely alone when I travel. While I certainly experience the nearness of God and the Blessed Mother, here I’m talking about something other than spiritual companionship. There is always someone who greets me with a “Hi, Father!” or, if they are Catholic (and see the chain of my pectoral cross) “Hi, Bishop!” That’s quite comforting for me in these days when it seems that there is much antipathy for the Church and Her ministers.

A short time ago, I was out to dinner with some of the Franciscan seminarians from my Province and their priest Director. A good friend of mine noticed us and sent over a bottle of wine for us to enjoy. Often I encounter people in the Diocese—people whom I have never formally met—just stop by to say: “Hello” or ask for prayers. They tell me a little about their lives and what their prayer intentions might be. Sometimes we stop and pray right then and there.

Recently, on my Confirmation tour, I was having breakfast in a restaurant and a man came up, asked if I was a priest, and asked if I would mind answering some questions. I responded positively and invited him to join me. He proceeded to ask questions of such depth and wisdom that I was analyzing my answers just to make sure I was not getting in “too deep.” We had a good discussion concerning prayer and the formation of a good spiritual life. It was clear that he was well read and was interested in the Catholic point of view even though I don’t believe he was Catholic himself. We talked about saints—some of my favorites, St. Francis, St. Ignatius, St. Teresa of Avila, and several others. He enjoyed a peanut butter and banana sandwich with some granola and I had some French toast strips with bacon. I had to laugh at the ascetical “style” of our breakfasts.

I never know how God is going to manifest Himself in my life on any given day; I guess none of us ever does. People recognize a Roman collar and figure they can talk to a priest about almost anything at any time. It is important for all of us to take each opportunity to speak about our Faith and our own spiritual lives. One never knows when one may be called upon to speak simply and from the heart about our hope in Jesus Christ and our faith in His presence in our lives.

Many times, we are far too cautious about avoiding any discussions about religion or faith; but sometimes the “right situation” just presents itself and the Spirit of God may be calling on us to witness.

I continue to urge you to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Be an informed and educated Catholic. Take time—MAKE time—to pray. Stay in contact with Christ. You don’t have to talk like a scholar or some academic when asked about your faith. You just need to talk like a believer—from your heart. Leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit.

We are still filled with Easter joy and enthusiasm and we are moving closer to the activation of that joy through the Gifts of Pentecost. I like to read the Epistles of Saint Peter. They give the Church so much hope and always remind us of our firm belief in Jesus Christ. Simply consider:

…sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence… (1 Pt. 3:15)

I’ll see you at Sunday Mass.

There are so many different ways that sons and daughters remember their mothers on Mother’s Day. I just read in the Newsletter of my Franciscan Province that some 122.5 million calls are made to Mom on Mother’s Day. Sadly, 11% of kids never call their mothers; and, get this, 3% of the 68% planning to call Mom will call collect! I’m guessing Mom will accept the charges and love you just the same!

Yes, Mom will love us just the same. It is almost impossible to make Mom “not” love us, even though we sometimes don’t always show her that we really care or are really grateful for her presence in our lives.

This year, at the end of May, my Mom will have been dead for 18 years. I miss her—sometimes much more often than others. I miss the way she’d cook spaghetti and meatballs. Her sauce would cook all day and her meatballs were seasoned to perfection. At the end of some days, I wish I could still call her and tell her what is going on—or even better, pay her a visit and have her rub my back! So many different memories.

I was reminded, in a recent commentary of Pope Francis, how surprised I was when my Mom’s “wisdom” really poked a hole in my “book learned” sophistication. I was a newly ordained priest and pretty much thought I had the world on a string. One day, while talking with her—more thinking out loud than anything else—I told her of something that was on my mind and I could not find any resolution for it. She gave me a piece of advice that was so right on target I wondered what spiritual books she had been reading lately. I think, after further reflection, it was simply the gift of spiritual counsel—one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. One might call it “Mother’s Intuition” but I believe that the Spirit guides parents with many spiritual gifts that manifest themselves, as always, in the hearts and lives of those who are open and receptive. Here’s a pertinent excerpt from the Pope’s last audience.

I remember once I was in a confessional in the shrine of Lujan, in front of which there was a long queue. There was also a very young altogether modern fellow with ear-rings, tattoos, all these things … And he came to tell me what was happening to him. It was a big, difficult problem. And he said to me; I have said all this to my mother and my mother said: go to Our Lady and she will tell you what to do. There was a woman who had the gift of counsel. She did not know how to resolve her son’s problem, but she pointed out the right way: go to Our Lady and she will tell you. This is the gift of counsel. That humble, simple woman gave her son the truest counsel. In fact, this boy said to me: I looked at Our Lady and I felt I had to do this, and this and this …. I did not have to speak, his mother and the boy himself had already said everything. This is the gift of counsel. You, mothers, who have this gift, ask it for your children. The gift to counsel children is a gift of God. (7 May 2014)

The Pope’s story rings true on so many levels. This week, we honor our Mothers with one special day given solely to them—for honor and respect. A good thing! Secondly, I would point out that the Gift of Counsel is one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Currently, I am “carpet bombing” the Diocese celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation—the Seven Gifts (Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, and Fear of the Lord) are a major part of what our young people study in preparation for the Sacrament. A good connection might be to read what else the Holy Father has to say about the other six Gifts. (www.vatican.org)

Finally, it’s May, the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary. No matter what you know or don’t know about being a Mother, you know that Mary sure knew exactly what She was doing with Her Son! On the Cross, while He was dying, Our Blessed Lord gave Her to us—“Behold your Mother.” Whatever else you do on Mother’s Day, take some time and pray the Hail, Mary. Salute with love and respect the woman who gave you life here on earth, and the Mother of God who gave you Eternal Life through Her Son.

Go with your mother to Sunday Mass. She’ll be so happy!

I am filled with joy knowing that two Popes, John XXIII and John Paul II, are now included in the Communion of Saints of our Church. We are reminded of their saintly lives and challenged in our own saintly calling, and this has taken the world by storm. As a result, many people are now interested in the “why’s” and “how’s” of Catholic life and the process of becoming a “saint.”

The process, of course, begins with Baptism. Baptism brings us into the Divine Life of Christ—in short, we are born into the “family.” The Divine Life of God’s grace moves into us as we are claimed for Christ and anointed with Him as priest, prophet, and king. The new Christian now shares in the Life of Christ and also shares His mission of the sanctification of the world. By receiving the Baptismal priesthood, all baptized people share in the action of Christ restoring creation to His Father. This, of course, takes place by participating in the sacramental life of the Church, especially the Eucharist, where we are one with Christ in His act of self-giving love and obedience in the Paschal Mystery—His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

In the Sacrament of Confirmation, we are sent with Divine grace to profess the Gospel. This becomes another action of the Baptismal gifts of being priest, prophet, and king. The public profession of our faith, empowered by the strength of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, unites us with the prophets and apostles who lived and died, heroically confessing the wonderful works of God.

When Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, commonly called The Sacraments of Christian Initiation, are allowed to work fully in the lives of those who want to know and love Jesus Christ, there is no telling where Divine grace may lead a person. Saint Paul speaks of all of us as “God’s chosen race, His saints, He loves you.” (Col. 3:12ff)

Being publically “proclaimed” a saint is a major event in the Church and in the world at large—no doubt about it. We should, however, not lose the understanding that being a saint should be considered ordinary behavior for Christians. The expectation for us is that we are all meant for heaven. Perhaps we need to help each other a little bit more to make that happen—starting sooner, than later.

All you saints and sinners, come to Sunday Mass …

Ready or not, here comes Holy Week. For several weeks we have been trying to tell you to prepare yourself, but now it’s “crunch time” and you must find your personal strength and willpower to follow Jesus, up close and personal.

Pope Francis has been preaching for many weeks, both by word and example, about the personal call of following the poor Christ. He encourages us to act like Jesus by trying to meet others in personal and uncluttered expectation. Seeing goodness and promoting holiness and wholeness is the best way to focus on the mission of Christ—and the Church. (This works outside of Holy Week as well.)

Jesus brilliantly taught early on in His ministry: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Mt. 5:3) He spoke with equal luster at the end of His public ministry to a criminal dying on the cross next to Him: “Truly I say to you, this day you will be with Me in paradise.” (Lk. 23:43) The public ministry of Jesus lived between those two utterances shapes the life of the believer. It makes the plaintive prayer of the “good thief” so much more compelling: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” (Lk. 23:42)

Ultimately, there is no poverty that can compare with that of the Man of Sorrows dying on His cross. He is totally dispossessed and totally dependent upon His Father. Christian asceticism and meditation, personal prayer and sacrifice, all part of the season of Lent, are focused with specific intensity on this during Holy Week.

I hope you can take some time to join us in your local church or at the Cathedral for Palm Sunday Mass, the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, or the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. Perhaps you might really want to experience the glorious Liturgy of the Church as She celebrates the Mother of all Vigils—the Easter Vigil—on Holy Saturday night. No matter what—no matter how—please know that you are welcome to celebrate the central mystery of our Faith—the Resurrection of the Lord—on Easter Sunday. We all need to do this because we are all a little like that thief on the cross next to Jesus—we all want Him to remember us. We all want to get to heaven. Jesus has made that possible. Come celebrate Easter joy and be filled with the utter fullness of Christ!

Blessed Easter.

On the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi in 1991, I discovered that my mom was going to be allowed to move into the Helen Kellogg Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Chicago (www.littlesistersofthepoor.org).  The story is quite miraculous and every day that followed thereafter only made me become more and more of a true believer in the amazing generosity and Providence of God.

Last Tuesday night, I had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Holy Mass with the residents and the Little Sisters at the same home in Chicago. There are very few people in the entire world whom I respect more than these hard working, faithful and holy women. After the Mass, I visited with some of the residents including two members of my own Religious Community, Brothers Raphael and Regis, both in their nineties. The evening concluded with a fantastic simple supper of broccoli cheese soup, pizza, and a tasty gelato. It was a tremendous evening of prayer, fun, and sharing.

These days, as many people know, there is a genuine “David and Goliath” story playing out with the Little Sisters and the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act. I spoke about this with the Sisters as we enjoyed our pizza. It is astonishing for so many of us who know the Little Sisters to think about their involvement in this national controversy.

The Little Sisters are being represented in the fray by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, (www.becketfund.org) a public interest law firm, in a pending class-action federal lawsuit that includes almost 500 other Catholic nonprofit organizations that receive health benefits through the Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust and Christian Brothers Services.

On 24 January the Supreme Court granted the Little Sisters and their fellow plaintiffs an injunction, which temporarily shields them from compliance with the contraceptive mandate while they prepare their case before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 authorized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to mandate that employer-provided health-insurance plans cover contraceptives, abortifiacient “morning-after pills” and sterilization, without deductibles or co-pays.

Neither the Sisters nor any other Catholic institution can provide such coverage due to the expressed teachings of the Church regarding contraception. The government has simply told them to sign a waiver that would allow their insurance company to provide coverage. That, of course, is unacceptable as well, since the Sisters’ insurance agent, the Christian Brothers, is another Catholic agency. At issue is the religious liberty of the Sisters provided by the First Amendment of the Constitution. The issue will be resolved most probably by the end of June this year.

This leads to an announcement concerning the third Fortnight for Freedom (www.fortnight4freedom.org) that will engage patriots from across the country to rally once again for the sake of liberty and the basic support of first amendment protections for all Americans. The Fortnight will take place again this year from 21 June to 4 July and will set the Freedom to Serve as the basic theme.

The Diocesan Office for Social Concerns (www.dioceseoflacrosse.com/freedom) will promote the Fortnight with further information and news as we draw closer to the summer. I invite you to continue to stand with me in prayer as we beseech the Lord and His Blessed Mother to assist in this most profound endeavor.

I invite you to add these intentions to your prayers at Sunday Mass. Blessed Lent!

Interestingly enough, the Solemnity of the Annunciation occurs most commonly in the season of Lent. There are rare days in the calendar when Good Friday itself occurs on 25 March. Of course, the Annunciation is then appropriately celebrated after Easter. The point of interest is the fact that we mark the human conception of Jesus, the Son of God, at a human place and in a human way and to a fully human woman—the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

This picture of the Altar at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth is a stunning proclamation of the event. The frontispiece of the altar announces the doctrine of the Church: “Verbum caro factum est.” “The Word was made flesh.”

There is an additional word on the Altar frontispiece that can only be added in this Sanctuary: “hic,” that is, “here.” “The Word was made flesh here.” The Blessed Virgin Mary received the visitation of the Angel Gabriel and the Annunciation of her Divine Maternity was made and accepted—here. In that place and in that instant, Mary became the Mother of God.

Of course, the celebration of the Nativity of the Word made Flesh takes place on 25 December—Christmas Day—nine months after the Annunciation. While there are no ancient calendars that mark these events and track them to these specific dates, the point of their occurrence in human history is verifiable. We know that Jesus existed in time and His life has been chronicled not only in the Sacred Scriptures, but in other secular accountings of the times.

For us, this is an opportunity to ponder the birth of Jesus while we reflect most seriously on the fundamental gift of His life—the Redemption of all humanity and the restoration of Unity with God, Whom He, Jesus, revealed to us as Our Father.

As we celebrate the Annunciation we remind ourselves, most certainly, that Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God…and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” These words from the Nicene Creed that we pray each Sunday at Mass situate the humanity and divinity of Christ in our human history and give purpose to His teachings in our day-to-day living. In Jesus, God has walked among us in our flesh. He has shared our humanity and He has born our transgressions. In Jesus, human flesh is Redeemed and Rises to Glory. The victory over death and the promise of future glory is the promise of heaven. These are the realities that ground our hope and form the proclamation of Good News.

Please celebrate the life of Christ (in you) at Sunday Mass!

I’m proud of the many young people who are actively showing the tremendous effects of the pro-life teaching and pro-life philosophy that is present in the current generation. We have so much to be inspired by in our own Diocese. This year we sent off over 230 young people to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. All across the nation we are beginning to see a greater understanding of the reality that is life in our midst. We are speaking more clearly in more places and with more conviction that life begins at conception. We are more intelligent about the growth of a baby in the womb. We know that within 18 days of conception there is a fetal heartbeat; 42 days, brainwaves are detected; 8 weeks, all body systems are present. In 11 weeks little fingernails are present; 12 weeks vocal chords are developing and the new life can cry; and at 20 weeks the baby can feel pain.

Abortions, sadly, are still performed up to 20 weeks (5 months) after conception. In some cases, legal arguments are being heard and cases being made for late term abortions where a child will be nearly born and then killed before exiting the birth canal. Despite these practices, our understanding is getting better and this generation of young people has so much to do with that progress. Science and technology are finally sounding off about as loudly in many instances as theology and the basic facts of life!

A couple of weeks ago I attended a meeting of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference of Bishops in Milwaukee. Gathered were all five bishops from the state of Wisconsin. We all reported strong attendance and support from many young adults for the Washington March. We also noted that there is support rising from doctors who are taking a stronger pro-life stance throughout Wisconsin. There is, however, still work ahead—much work ahead—even in our own Catholic hospitals. In all situations there seems to be a strong sense of attempting to do the right thing by protecting life at its most vulnerable stages.

So many of us believe that this new generation of young people will be the generation that ends abortion and restores the gifts of children to loving and responsible mothers and fathers.

I urge you to remain faithful and strong in prayer. We believe that with prayer many hearts can be changed and many babies can be saved. I also urge you to support the doctors who uphold the Church’s teaching on this vital matter. Please pray for them as they endure resistance even in the midst of so much clear evidence to support life.

I’ll see you at Sunday Mass!

Nature has a sublime, often stunning, approach to renewing herself. These days of sub-zero temperatures and wind-blown snow, hill and vale covered in a white blanket gently peppered with those indomitably strong evergreen trees. The earth is sleeping, quiet and calm.

We, on the other hand, often find several things swirling around in our brains during these days. Simply put—death and taxes. We no sooner finish cleaning the house of all the residual glitter of Christmas decorations, managing to rearrange the storage area to refit every last one when, behold, it’s tax time and we are genuinely reintroduced to the staggering vision of the material world and its complex demands. Well, yes, we must “render to Caesar,” but, for this writing, I would like to return to the uncontaminated and unrelenting picture of the winter outside and the warm thoughts we may want to conjure up in our hearts through thoughtful, reflective, prayerful ponderings about our life while we sit inside.

Lent won’t begin for another month, so I am not going to focus on prayer, penance, and almsgiving. Later for that. Rather, I’m encouraging you to take time to pause. Appreciate this unique opportunity we have living in our part of the world for powerful introspection that like the seed buried deep within the earth—under mounds of snow—can and will produce abundance in the springtime sun and rain. This is an exceptionally difficult winter for so many of us, with extraordinary cold and more robust than ever winds, snow piled high in mounds many of us have not seen in these parts for years, fuel shortages and costs increases that boggle the mind. Nevertheless, I have heard in almost every part of the nineteen counties of west central Wisconsin, that while it may be brutal, we are “up to it;” hearty enough to endure it and poetic enough to appreciate it.

I’d like to think our winter hibernation could also provide us with an essential time for hunkering down deep into our own minds and hearts. Certainly being confined indoors can lead to “cabin fever,” that’s a fact of life; but, it can also provide opportunities—golden opportunities that may never again present themselves—to pick up a book, write a letter, listen to some favorite music, or simply ponder the status of one’s life beyond the fretful veneer of New Year’s Day. Make this a time to effectively create some genuine resolutions. Take time to daydream, reinvent yourself in silence and prayerful purpose. There is no “reason” to do this (mandatory New Year’s resolution time has come and gone—Lent is still a month away) other than the fact that you can’t, or really don’t want to go outside. Yes, as terrifying as it may seem, you really should spend some time with yourself. Use the blissful stillness of winter to establish some serenity and silence within yourself.

Make time for prayer and allow God to visit with you in that quiet voice He uses when He speaks clearly to a soul prompted to listen. Time spent in such reverie can warm the heart and stir the soul on even the most bone-chilling of winter’s days and provide great fruit for an authentic springtime of life.

See you at Sunday Mass.

Well, I am happy to say that I have come to see the day that I can lay claim to an authentic “superhero.” Pope Francis has made his way to that legendary category today as is seen by this image of him displayed on the busy Borgo Pio just outside the walls of Vatican City.

The Pope is depicted mid flight with his caparone flowing freely, his pectoral cross simulating rosary beads, while clutching his infamous black bag filled with “valores” or virtues. Making its distinct appearance is the scarf of the San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer (Euro football) team—the Pope’s favorite team. (Appropriate enough for Super Bowl weekend in the US.) The folks on the Borgo—a very busy tourist destination in Rome—seem to think that this piece of pop art is a keeper and many have already disputed the Roman authorities who seek to remove it. (Remove graffiti in Rome!?!)

Having one’s hero depicted in this way is not too strange, especially when you see all the pop culture depictions of our Holy Father from Time magazine to the latest (dubious distinction) onRolling Stone magazine. A “superhero” is someone who protects and defends truth and justice and basic human freedom. Armed with the virtues and the values of the Gospel, the Pope takes on the basic and evil elements that imprison and deceive minds and hearts and souls in our daily lives. As the Vicar of Christ on earth, we expect him to fight for truth and achieve Gospel values with the power of Jesus Himself.

I doubt he can fly, but I would not deny that he is a challenge to complacency and certainly a foil to the enemies of the Gospel! Long live the Pope!

Pray with him and for him at Sunday Mass.