“The church is alive!” Remember those bracing words of Pope Benedict XVI as he began his ministry as successor of St. Peter?

Today I want to share with you some great signs of hope and vitality in the archdiocese. But, before that, I need to speak with you about three unfortunate issues.

The first issue concerns Daniel Maguire, a professor at Marquette University. He has dramatically dissented from clear church teaching for decades. After my arrival here four years ago, I sought counsel as to whether or not I should publicly warn the faithful about his erroneous opinions. Voices I considered wise advised me that this was not necessary, since the great majority of our people already recognize his views as clearly inconsistent with legitimate Catholic teaching.

Regrettably, he recently has widely distributed two pamphlets claiming that, as preposterous as I know it sounds, abortion and same-sex marriage are consistent with Catholic teachings. Because of the response generated among shocked and thoughtful people in the archdiocese, I feel obliged to exercise my teaching responsibilities and say such positions are blatantly erroneous and contrary to the clear teaching of the church. To claim the acceptability of such opinions is simply wrong and disingenuous.

The second issue concerns the woman from our archdiocese who regrettably participated in a simulation of the sacrament of holy orders on a barge on a river in Pittsburgh. With the exception of a few inquiries from the media, the event has not generated a great deal of public comment, since most people seem to realize that her claims to ordination are groundless. People are saddened to see the sacraments, intended to be a source of unity, become an occasion for lobbying a personal agenda.

My duty was to notify the Apostolic See (the Vatican) of this episode. When another group staged a similar event about four years ago — an episode now for the most part forgotten — the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared the participants sadly to be separated juridically from the church.

The third issue has to do with the “Call to Action” conference scheduled for Milwaukee this November. As you may recall, this group, based in Chicago, has been meeting in Milwaukee for decades. This group was actually initiated by the bishops 30 years ago, and started off asking some legitimate questions.

But they have gotten way off track. In this case as well, I inquired some years ago what impact this annual meeting has on the archdiocese, and was told, almost none. Our Catholic people, I was advised, recognize that this is a group that has taken stands totally outside the bounds of church teaching.

Unfortunately, as stated in the official program of this year’s conference, the leadership of that group has decided to include in the program an invitation to invalidly ordained “priests and bishops” to “celebrate a liturgy.”

Here again it becomes my teaching responsibility to state clearly that such an action would make any claim of Catholic identity by the group to be misleading. Faithful Catholics attending these sessions would only promote division and disunity rather than genuine renewal in the church.

People ask why I “allow” Call to Action to meet in Milwaukee. This group, of course, hardly asks my permission, and pays little attention to what any bishop, including the Bishop of Rome, has to say.

Enough of this. Why do I write about it anyway? Because, too often, we are tempted to become myopic, with our only focus on juicy issues that disrupt and distract us from the mission of the Gospel. Don’t get me wrong, I am always open to dialog, and, as I have learned especially during these past four years as your archbishop, one’s temperament for patience grows as one’s leadership role expands.

Nonetheless, I think there is a difference between faithful, probing discourse, and divisive dissent. When such disunity presents itself, it is too easy to let it become our total focus. Instead, we must remember that the “Good News” abounds. Let me give you some examples of what I’m talking about:

— In the next few weeks, more than 60,000 students will return to classes at our Catholic schools, colleges and universities, making a conscious decision to seek a Catholic school, with parents and students willing to sacrifice for a faith-based education;

— Another 44,000-plus students will actively participate in parish religious education programs, led by a dedicated group of about 2,600 volunteer catechists who desire to teach our young people to live as Jesus did in faithful and active unity in his church;

— Adult formation programs all over southeastern Wisconsin, especially this summer’s “Theology on Tap” series that included 56 sessions and attracted several thousand of our young adults, are available to those seeking to learn more about their faith;

More than 1,000 adults expected to enroll in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults the next few weeks, to prepare for full entrance into the church at Easter;

— Dozens of parishes and schools embarking on new building projects because the space demands of their growing parishes can no longer be met by current space;

— The Knights of Columbus in our state, ready and enthusiastic to offer educational programs, called Fire Up the Spirit workshops, working on three timely and critical issues in our state — embryonic stem cell research; the death penalty; and defense of marriage — demonstrating the commitment of our lay people to bring the light of the Gospel to the public square;

— The continued work, aid, volunteer hours and support for the rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast as the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is here, with our own archdiocesan program, Rebuilding Lives, Restoring Hope, a shining light;

— Fervent prayers and rallies for peace in the Middle East and, especially these days, for peace in the Holy Land;

— The Catholic Stewardship Appeal, which, thanks to the generosity of the faithful of southeastern Wisconsin, continues to thrive and meet (and exceed) its annual goal, in spite of the difficult financial times facing the archdiocese. The commitment to the mission and ministries of the church is inspiring;

— The generosity of John and JoEllen Stollenwerk, who, upon announcing the sale of their company, Allen Edmonds, announced their desire to “put their money where their mouth is” and commit the vast majority of the proceeds from their years of hard work to benefit the Catholic schools of this archdiocese, making them the “showcase of the nation;”

— The “City of Festivals” whose celebrations such as Irish Fest, African World Festival, Festa Italiana, Mexican Fiesta, Polish Fest, German Fest, all include a Sunday Mass;

— The increasing number of seminarians, as of this fall, 38 will begin or continue preparation for ordination to the priesthood at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, and commence promising collaboration with Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners;

— Catholic leaders in the forefront of advocacy among our immigrants, urging just and compassionate legislation to strengthen our country’s heritage of welcome;

— This archdiocese preparing to celebrate a quarter century of commitment to our sister parish, Sagrada Familia, in the Dominican Republic.

I could go on and on, and I am sure that you will write and remind me of something I have left off the list. But you get my point — paying attention to what a few people say or do can not and should not take our attention away from the bigger picture.

As a church, we continue to obey Jesus and “cast out to the deep,” even when some may suggest our boats are lodged on rocky shores.