IHS and cigarettes?

Patricia Kasten — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:12:22 +0100

This week (Sept. 3, 2010), my Foundations of Faith column in The Compass explores the IHS symbol as it relates to being a monogram for Christ. In doing my research, I found an interesting fact: on each pack of Pall Mall cigarettes can be found the words: In Hoc Signo Vinces. The words appear below the shield that is supported by two lions and topped with a knight’s helmet. I couldRead More...

Faith and football

Jeff Kurowski — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:59:07 +0100

Esto Vir, the Catholic men's group, is hosting Fr. Rick Heilman on Sept. 11 at Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Ashwaubenon. Fr. Heilman is the pastor of St. Ignatius Parish in Mount Horeb, Diocese of Madison, and founder and spiritual director of the Catholic men's apostolate Knights of Divine Mercy. It's fitting that Fr. Heilman will present "The Spirituality of Vince Lombardi" the day before the Packers' season opener. Jim ball will also discuss the 40 Days of Life campaign and otherRead More...

Holes in their socks

Patricia Kasten — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:55:31 +0100

Think about going back to school without new underwear. Imagine changing your shoes in class and revealing the holes in your old socks.

That’s the reality for many local children. Trying to change that reality is the goal of the third annual “A Pair and a Spare” campaign run by the Brown County Homeless and Housing Coalition in Green Bay. From Sept. 7 through Sept. 29, the coRead More...

Update: $20,000 raised

Patricia Kasten — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:28:33 +0100

An update from last week's entry about the old church building of Our Lady of the Snows at Namur.
Bill Chaudoir of Namur Belgian Heritage Foundation, which had hoped to raise $20,000 in pledges by Aug. 17 to make an offer to save the church from demolition, reported on Aug. 18 that the money had indeed been raised. In fact, almost twice that amount had been raised.
While this is still a long way from the ultimate goal of $100,000 needed to repair the 100 year+ building, which iRead More...

Needed: $20,000

Patricia Kasten — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:23:26 +0100

If you travel north along Wisconsin's old Door County Highway 57 (now County DK) heading toward Sturgeon Bay, you will encounter a small, red brick church in Namur, near Brussels. A group of headstones nestle together nearby.

Our Lady of the Snows Church has been around for over 120 years. But it has been closed since 2001 and its days are numbered unless the Namur Belgian Heritage FoundationRead More...

Songs we love to hate?

Patricia Kasten — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:10:26 +0100

I really like visiting other parishes around the diocese, to experience the delightful variety of worship from place to place. This weekend I was at St. Anne in Coleman. Despite a small assembly, the music was especially good, wrapping up with a version of “Alleluia, Raise the Gospel” by Bernadette Farrell and Owen Alstott that just made me want to dance out of the building and on into the rest of my week.

A special Packer fan

Jeff Kurowski — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:45:55 +0100

Sr. Sean Marie Tobin, a Manitowoc Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity, died on June 27 at age 71. In 2008, I had the pleasure to interview Sr. Sean Marie for a Compass story. She won an online essay contest to serve as an honorary captain for the Jan. 12, 2008 playoff game between the Packers and Seattle Seahawks. She joined Brett Favre, Nick Barnett and the other Packer captains for the coin toss. I laughed when Sr. Sean Marie told me that she had a few words for Matt Hasselbeck, whRead More...

"Here on (Deadly sins) Island"

Patricia Kasten — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:32:32 +0100

Move over Dante’s Inferno. Move over Gounod’s Faust.

Turns out that the 20th century had its own popular fictional allegory about the seven deadly sins. You can find it in rertuns of Gilligan’s Island.

That’s right. The goofy comedy serial about seven stranded castaways was meant to protray the seven deadly sins. CrRead More...

Someone's praying for you

Patricia Kasten — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:17:18 +0100

At a ceremony old in the church and new in our diocese, Shirley Farrell was consecrated as “a virgin living in the world” by Bishop David Ricken on June 26.

This ancient rite sets aside a woman as a “bride of Christ” who still lives in the world, just like the rest of us – going to work every day, paying bills, providing for her retirement. The role of consecratedRead More...

To flash or not to flash?

Sam Lucero — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:55:31 +0100

Last Sunday I attended the final Mass celebrated at St. Joseph Church in Norman. Never having been to Norman, located on Highway G about 23 miles southwest of Green Bay, I relied on a GPS navigator to point me in the right direction.

I arrived about an hour early to scout out the church. I also wanted to try something new. Thanks to smartphone technology and social networking, I was able to take photos of the church and immediately post them to our Compass Facebook page. I posted four Read More...

The Liturgy of Heaven

Patricia Kasten — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:52:06 +0100

It was like being at Mass, but also like visiting an entirely different church.

The Byzantine rite's Divine Liturgy (what we in the Latin rite call the Mass) held June 13 at St. Pius X Church in Appleton was a reminder of just how broad what some have called “the tent of the church” is spread.

The 90-minute liturgy was celebrateRead More...

Seniors strike it rich with Wii bowling

Sam Lucero — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:06:52 +0100

Our next issue of The Compass will include a Senior Life section. One of the stories we're featuring is about a Wii bowling league at Felician Village in Manitowoc. Our correspondent Rachel Gretzinger interviewed some of the senior Wii bowlers.

(In case you're not familiar with Wii, it's a game console that is plugged into a television set. Bowlers use a handheld device to replicate the motion of releasing a bowling ball. At the same time they can view their Wii character on the screenRead More...

WIAA golf state tourney update

Jeff Kurowski — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:38:08 +0100

Congratulations to the all the golfers from the diocesan high schools who competed at the WIAA boys' state tourney at University Ridge, June 7-8.

Xavier finished second in Division 2 only two strokes back of Madison Edgewood. Tyler Prickette and John Weyenberg paced the Hawks by finishing in a tie for third among individuals. Both Prickette and Weyenberg shot 74 in round one and 77 in round two.

Notre Dame Academy finished third in Division 2, 13 strokes back oRead More...

Do we need Robin Hood tax?

Patricia Kasten — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:02:34 +0100

With the continuing travails of Wall Street, and their effect on our retirement plans, savings and investment accounts, and the economic venue in general, is it time to rethink our mentality about money and how it's made?

Fr. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, explored that last week in his "Collateral Damage" post on his "Think and Act Anew" blog. Not only did he challenge the "greed is good" slogan that has been present since at least the 1980s, but he wondered Read More...

Calling all ants!

Patricia Kasten — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:27:06 +0100

Right on cue, the warm weather has reached us with highs near 80 predicted for this weekend. Just in time for the start of the parish picnic season. And kicking off the fun is Our Lady of Lourdes in De Pere on May 23. The fun times continue across the diocese, from Holy Cross in Mishcot (June 6) to Holy Family in Marinette (July 11) through St. Mary in Greenville on Sept. 18-19. And then the harvest festivals start! Picnics are major fund raisers for parishes and showcaseRead More...

Tough on moms - and babies

Patricia Kasten — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:36:16 +0100

It's tough to be a mom - especially in the United States.

I was just reading a blog by fellow journalist Hedi Schlaumpf over at NCR. She was reporting on the latest information from "Save the Children" about the best and worst countries in which to be a mother. Sadly, the U.S. isn't tops - in fact, we rank 28th. You can read the report at Save the Children. It seems sad that women and young children don't have the best odds here. In fact, a child in the U.Read More...

Cartoon Alleluias - ra-ra-ru-jah!

Patricia Kasten — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:51:54 +0100

We mustn't forget that we are still in the midst of Easter. We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song. So, just to sing it in a new way, how about joining the Alleluia's of cartoon characters? This YouTube site was on one of the Catholic blogs I visit now and then. Easter blessings!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDG2bceDfLo&feature=player_embedded

Peter - "a wobbly rock"

Patricia Kasten — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:16:07 +0100

If you’re like me, you’ve been getting lots of comments and questions from friends and acquaintances lately. They range from “what is going on in our church?” to “how can you stay in such a church?”

It is indeed a dark time, but the church has faced dark times before. And the light of Christ prevails, even in the darkness.

Green Bay Packers Bishop's Charities Game

Jeff Kurowski — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:22:31 +0100

The Green Bay Packers announced that the annual Bishop's Charities Game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26, at Lambeau Field. The Packers will be taking on the defending AFC champion Indianapolis Colts in a game televised on ESPN. The game will mark the 50th Bishop's Charities game in team history.

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