Across ArchMil - week of November 24th 2014

From the Chancery

Update: Liturgical Calendar Advisory :: Immaculate Conception, December 8, by Scott W. Eakins, Prayer & Worship blog. "... Monday, December 8, 2014, will be a holy day of obligation for the faithful in the United States."

Sowing Seeds, Catholic ID video, YouTube. "Plant your seeds of faith in the strong, fertile soil of Christ, and bear great fruit."

Thanksgiving, by Archbishop Listecki, Our Faith Blog. "I will miss Bishop Hying, who has been a blessing to all of us. But I know that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will always be his home. I give thanks that we were blessed to have him with us for more than three years as our auxiliary bishop."

Archdiocesan Synod Implementation Commission (ASIC) Names Members. "... ASIC is the oversight commission consisting of clergy, religious and lay faithful who will be advising Archbishop Listecki regarding the Synod implementation process."

Contributions of the consecrated a blessing for church, Herald of Hope column by Bishop Donald J. Hying, Milwaukee Catholic Herald. "By living the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the consecrated give radical witness to Jesus Christ who himself was poor, chaste and obedient to the Father."

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Wis.)

Scheduling Order Regarding Approval of Proposed Insurance Settlements, November 24, 2014, Susan V. Kelley, United States Bankruptcy Judge

Next Chapter 11 court date Feb. 10, by Brian T. Olszewski, Milwaukee Catholic Herald. "On Feb. 10, attorneys will meet in Kelley’s court for a hearing on the approval of the archdiocese’s settlement with insurance companies." (Don't forget, the fourth anniversary of the bankruptcy filing is January 4, 2015. The traditional fourth anniversary gift is fruit or flowers, modern is appliances.)

At the Seminaries, Monasteries, Convents

Congratulations, Bishop Donald J. Hying! Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. "Bishop Hying served as dean of formation at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary from 2005 - 2007 and as rector from 2007 until his appointment as auxiliary bishop in 2011. He currently serves as chair of the Seminary's Board of Trustees. The bishop's influence can be seen in the increase in priestly vocations and in the deep spirituality of the young priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee."

Abbey purchases Sheboygan lakefront mansion for hermitage, by Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Christ the King Abbey, a once schismatic Alabama monastery that reconciled with the church in 2011, bought the 7,112-square-foot estate at 2528 N. 3rd St. for $700,000 earlier this month." (The article also describes the Abbey as "Chicago-based".)

In the Milwaukee Catholic Herald

"Home-schoolers react to criticism" (is the headline of the promised collection of letters to the editor in response to Fr. John Yockey's criticism of home schooling ... published only in the print edition.)

Real church is more than a building, In Exile column, by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser. "Thus there are two real churches given us by God; one is outside of us, physical and concrete, the other is inside of us, spiritual and amorphous. Ideally, of course, a healthy sense of church would have us all worshipping deeply at both places, outside in our church buildings and inside in our heart and conscience."

Conversation on racism begins, by Ricardo Torres. "Demographics in southeastern Wisconsin play a part in the overall ignorance about race, he [Fr. Bryan Massingale] said.
"'This flourishes because of the influence of social isolation and social indifference,' Fr. Massingale said. 'We are a diverse community that is isolated from each other - isolation fuels ignorance, indifference and fears.'"
(He's equating correlation and causation. Dane County has very different demographics and worse racial disparities, but I wouldn't necessarily conclude that Progressives cause racism.)

How Catholic schools can survive, thrive, by Maryangela Layman Roman. "In looking at the reasons Catholic schools close, the researchers said the single most important variable is leadership. ... 'If (a priest) is not interested in a Catholic school, don’t send him to a parish with a school,' said Brinig [Margaret F. Brinig, co-author of Lost Classroom, Lost Community: Catholic Schools’ Importance in Urban America]." (Already obvious to everyone but bishops?)

Lay Organizations

Racine Community Christmas Coalition needs help, by Tracy Rusch, Milwaukee Catholic Herald. "They call themselves the Community Christmas Coalition (CCC), and this marks the 10th year the not-for-profit,non-denominational organization has been at the heart of the Nativity scene and two Christmas banners displayed in Monument Square, the historical center of the city, for a month around Christmas."