The Diocese of Madison is offering special events and opportunities for the faithful to spiritually participate in the 2025 Jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope. Please share our Jubilee webpage (madisondiocese.org/jubilee in English, and madisondiocese.org/jubileo in Spanish) in your bulletins and other communications channels, and check the parish resource page regularly for promotion materials related to specific events in the Diocese of Madison.

JUBILEE WEBSITE QR CODES

LOGOS (use these to draw attention to Jubilee-related announcements in your bulletins, Flocknotes, etc.)

SQUARE INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS (best for social media, suitable for Flocknote & bulletins)

BULLETIN GRAPHICS (3.75" x 4.75")

BROCHURES AND PRAYER CARDS (Each pastorate will receive printed brochures and prayer cards, but feel free to print these from your parish office if you need more!)

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Two Size 4 knitting needles 

Baby Soft brand yarn, 4 oz weight. Solid color pairs can be pink, blue, yellow, tan, green, and white. Multi-color pairs are also welcome.

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Measure out a 12-14” long string of yarn.  (Called a tail) Cast on 32 stitches. Begin knitting, and continue until you have 15 rows. On the knit row, cast off 6 stitches, leaving 26 stitches. Finish knitting the row. 

Next is the purl row. Cast off 6, leaving 20 stitches. Continue purling the rest of the row. The next 10 rows you will alternate Knit a row, then Purl a row, beginning with the Knit row. 

The next knit row, knit two together, ending with ten stitches on your needle. Final row, purl two together, and you will end up with 5 stitches on your needle. Cut the yarn,  leaving another 12” -14” tail. 

Using a darning needle, thread the tail of yarn through the eye of the needle. Transfer those 5 stitches from the knitting needle to the darning needle. Pull the 5 stitches tight and put the right sides together. 

Begin stitching bootie, starting at the toe, and working up to the cuff. Weave a little of the extra yarn in between the stitches, and cut off the extra. 

Then take the second tail, and stitch up the heel and along back. When done, turn it inside out again. Turn down the top to make a cuff. 

 3-1/4” is the final length of a bootie, from toe to heel.

Please feel free to put any of the opportunities and resources below into your bulletins or Flocknotes!

Referral Network of Catholic Mental Health Providers

Are you looking for a Catholic therapist? There are practicing Catholics in the Diocese of Madison who are marriage and family therapists, licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, substance abuse counselors, certified life coaches, and mindset coaches. Check out the Apostolate’s referral network to learn more! Visit madisondiocese.org/referralnetwork.

Diocese of Madison Mental Health Website

Are you looking for Catholic mental health resources? The Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities provides mental wellness support. Go to madisondiocese.org/mentalhealth to find resources for yourself or a loved one, a referral network of Catholic mental health providers, and parish mental health ministry support. 

Mental Health Advocates

Do you have a desire to decrease the stigma around mental illness and help foster positive strategies for maintaining mental wellness? The Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities is looking for Mental Health Advocates in all parishes across the diocese. Advocates actively engage in the Apostolate’s mission of working to promote the full inclusion and participation of all individuals, particularly those with mental health challenges, into the life of the church. Contact Laura Sokup, Mental Health Program Coordinator to learn more. Call 608-821-3053 or email [email protected].

Sanctuary Course

How can the Church help those experiencing mental health challenges feel safe and supported? Check out the Sanctuary Course for Catholics to learn more about the integration of faith and mental health. Sanctuary also offers a youth series. Go to sanctuarymentalhealth.org  to learn more!

Catholic Charities Hope-Bot

“Hope” is a FREE chat service providing encouragement and strategies to manage everyday stress and anxiety using chatbot technology. Catholic Charities Diocese of Madison is pleased to offer this chat service to anyone at no cost in partnership with Catholic Charities USA. To get started, text "Hi" to 202-949-7249. When asked for the start code, enter CCMAD. Or visit catholiccharitiesofmadison.org/mental-health/. Hope is built to serve people ages 13 and older. *If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide & Crisis Hotline at 988. For additional Catholic mental health resources, visit madisondiocese.org/mentalhealth 

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The Diocese of Madison is pleased to present "Mazzuchelli: Called for Great and Difficult Work," a new documentary on the life and influence of Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, the pioneer priest who built up the Church in southwest Wisconsin and beyond. Visit madisondiocese.org/mazzuchellimovie to view the film and to learn more about Fr. Mazzuchelli; there you'll find reflection and discussion questions to accompany the movie, locations in and outside of the Diocese of Madison that are associated with him, a list of resources about him and his work, and more!

The Office of Hispanic Ministry has launched the new Diocesan Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Madison. If you want to learn more about the Hispanic Ministry plan, please contact Lorianne Aubut at 608-821-3178 or [email protected]

Click a link below to download a PDF of the plan.

Diocesan Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry 

Plan Pastoral Diocesano para el Ministerio Hispano

The Catholic Bishops of Wisconsin have recently released the fourth edition of Now and at the Hour of our Death, a pastoral letter about end-of-life decisions drawn from Church teaching. It includes guidance for those facing health issues and those who care for them, and it covers issues such as: assisted suicide and euthanasia, ordinary and extraordinary measures of sustaining life, palliative care and hospice, pain management, redemptive suffering, funeral planning, burial and cremation, power of attorney for health care, and more.

Join Bishop Hying for a video series on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. The Church encourages us to reflect on these sometimes difficult truths to help us grow in holiness and make choices in this life that lead to eternity with God. Watch all four videos by scanning the QR code or visiting YouTube.com/DioceseOfMadison

Bulletin Graphic (3.5" x 4.5"; click image to get a downloadable graphic)

• Square graphics for bulletin or social media (click image to open in a new tab and download. Graphics are question-only; share them with the text of their corresponding answer. See below for full Q&A text)

Why do we need a cathedral?

The word “cathedral” comes from the Latin “cathedra,” meaning “chair.” A cathedral is the bishop’s church, housing his episcopal chair as a symbol of his authority, leadership, and service as chief shepherd of the diocese and successor of the Apostles.

Each Catholic diocese has a cathedral which serves as the “mother church” of the diocese. As such, it is a most fitting location for the faithful to come together for diocesan events and celebrations with the bishop, such as ordinations, the Chrism Mass, and the liturgies of the Triduum.

Often built in or near the center of a city, cathedrals stand as a reminder of the primacy of God in our lives, pointing the human heart to the centrality of God amid worldly concerns.

The Diocese of Madison has been without such an important church for almost 20 years after an arson fire destroyed St. Raphael Cathedral in downtown Madison in 2005. While we have made do by using other churches for diocesan events, this was never meant to be a permanent solution. It is time to once again give Catholics in our diocese a place to call home, a central church symbolic of God’s abiding presence in and care for our diocese and of our commitment to making Him the center of our lives.
 

Why aren’t we building a new cathedral?

As the Diocese of Madison seeks to realign its resources and renew its commitment to evangelization through its Into the Deep initiative, we chose to name an existing church as our new cathedral in the interest of good stewardship. Building a new church would cost upwards of $90 million, a difficult expense to justify as we seek to utilize our existing church buildings and our finances more strategically.

The transformation of an existing church into our new cathedral is an apt symbol of the Into the Deep process. We’re taking a gift, a legacy that already exists, and then lovingly transforming it to serve our needs in the current moment and for generations to come.
 

How is this project being funded?

Much of the funding has come from private donors who expressed a strong interest in this project. Although the original goal was that no capital campaign would be necessary, challenges—such as unanticipated structural issues and supply-cost increases—necessitate some broader fundraising efforts. By uniting our gifts, we can come together to finish this long-awaited mother church for all the faithful of the Diocese of Madison.  

Why was St. Bernard selected to be the cathedral?

St. Bernard was selected as our new cathedral for legal, historic, and aesthetic reasons.

From the standpoint of Church law, a cathedral must be located within the boundaries of its diocese’s titular city, and St. Bernard is within the city limits of Madison.

Historically, naming an existing church as our cathedral has precedence in our diocese, as St. Raphael was built in the 1860s and only named a cathedral when the Diocese of Madison was established in 1946. St. Bernard was also considered the “mother church of the east side of Madison” when the diocese was founded due to its rapid growth.

Aesthetically, St. Bernard Church is large enough to be a cathedral, and many of its architectural and design features — its Gothic Revival style and its beautiful stained-glass windows, for example — make it a top choice for our next cathedral.

Renovations are underway to enhance this beauty and to make the church worthy of its new cathedral status.
 

What changes will be made at St. Bernard to make it more cathedral-like?

Several renovations are needed to beautify St. Bernard Church, including but not limited to:

• Replacing the floor
• Replacing the pews
• Installing new pipe organs
• Installing new statues, side altars, furnishings, and fixtures
• Painting the walls and ceiling
• Installing the Bishop’s cathedra
• Installing new bells

When will the new cathedral be finished?

We expect renovations to be complete and the new cathedral to be dedicated in late 2025/early 2026.

(Source: Q&A with the Bishop about the project, from the Catholic Herald)

Feeling stressed? Talk to Hope!

“Hope” is a FREE chat service providing encouragement and strategies to manage everyday stress and anxiety using chatbot technology. Catholic Charities Diocese of Madison is pleased to offer this chat service to anyone at no cost in partnership with Catholic Charities USA.

To get started, text "Hi" to 202-949-7249. When asked for the start code, enter CCMAD. Or visit catholiccharitiesofmadison.org/mental-health/.

Hope is built to serve people ages 13 and older.

*If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide & Crisis Hotline at 988.

¿Se siente estresado? ¡Hable con Hope!

"Hope" es un servicio de chat GRATUITO que brinda ánimo y estrategias para manejar el estrés y la ansiedad del día a día, utilizando la tecnología de chatbot Catholic Charities Diocese of Madison se complace en ofrecer este servicio de chat a cualquier persona de forma gratuita en asociación con @Catholic Charities USA (1).

Para comenzar, envíe "Hola" por mensaje de texto al 202-949-7249. Cuando le soliciten el código de inicio, ingrese CCMAD. O visite nuestro sitio web en catholiccharitiesofmadison.org/mental-health/.

Hope está diseñada para servir a personas mayores de 13 años.

*Si usted está teniendo pensamientos suicidas, llame a la Línea directa de suicidio y crisis al 988.

• PDF flyers in English and Spanish 
• Social media/bulletin graphics (click to open in new tab and download)

• Hope avatar (click to open in new tab and download)

• Document of Questions and Answers 1-12
• Social media graphics (Click to open in a new tab and download. Graphics contain the questions only; pair them with the corresponding text in the above document)

  

Parishes are most welcome to include notes about job openings within the diocese (the diocesan offices, parishes, and schools) in their bulletins and parish emails. See the bulletin graphics and PDF flyers below.

Bulletin graphics (Click to open in a new tab and download. Each design is available in color and in black and white.)

Request a votive candle to be lit for your prayer intention(s) before the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the channel through which Our Lord bestows graces and dispenses blessings! Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Monona is home to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Green Scapular, and they are accepting your prayer requests and can light a candle for your intentions. By lighting a candle, we allow our prayer intentions to unite with the light of Christ. Even though you may not be physically present to pray at the shrine, while the light of the candle burns, your prayers continue to be lifted up to Our Lord through the intercession of Our Lady.

• SOCIAL MEDIA/BULLETIN IMAGE (click in the caption to download the image!)

Click here to download this picture!
 PDF of history of the Shrine

The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity in Manitowoc invite single women ages 20 to 35 to consider a call to their way of life! Please see the attached images and flyers for how to start a conversation with them and arrange a visit, and visit https://fscc-calledtobe.org/ to learn more about the community.

PDF version

PDF version

PDF version

St. Catherine Ministry: We are here to support families through miscarriage 

(Sunday Spanish Masses and communities with Hispanic ministry)

TEXT OPTION 1:
It Starts with a SPARK
We believe God wants to do something NEW in the Church. By the power of Jesus in the Eucharist, we believe we stand on the precipice of revival. But revival is not something that WE do. It is a sovereign act of God in response to the prevailing prayers of his people.
Join us in praying for revival with the Spark Series—nine short daily reflections inviting you to open your heart to the renewal God desires. Sign up at: eucharisticrevival.org/get-involved  

TEXT OPTION 2:
The Eucharistic Revival is in full swing across our country. But, the Revival God longs to ignite in this world isn’t something that happens outside of us…it begins in your own heart! Join thousands of Catholics for nine days of prayer by signing up for the Spark Series today: https://buff.ly/47waga1
These nine days of prayer will ignite your desire for transformation and instill a vision for the healing grace God wants to unleash in our world.

TEXT OPTION 3:
The Revival God longs to ignite in this world isn’t something that happens outside of us…it begins in your own heart! As part of the National Eucharistic Revival, join thousands of Catholics for 9 days of prayer by signing up for the Spark Series today: eucharisticrevival.org/get-involved