The Catholic Herald

Library’s Lenten lecture series returns

Salzmann Selections — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:37:12 +0000

Mark your calendars…events are happening with the library in March!

Last year we ran a two-part “Soup and Substance Lenten Lecture Series,” and we are bringing it back again. These are presentations, with a soup and salad luncheon provided beforehand, given here at the seminary (put on by the library). The presentations feature different topics on back-to-back Thursdays in Lent.

The first presentation is Thursday, March 15th, “Dr. Arthur Falls and the Heresy of the Mythical Body of Christ,” with presenter Lincoln Rice, a Ph.D. candidate in moral theology at Marquette University. He spoke last year at this same series on Dorothy Day, and has agreed to come back and talk about Dr. Arthur Falls, the main topic for his dissertation.

The second presentation, “You Mean We Can Eat Meat on Friday?: The 1966 Change in the Friday Abstinence Discipline,” will be March 22nd, presented by Fr. Steve Avella, history professor at Marquette University and an alumnae of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. Fr. Avella has written several books on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, including “In the Richness of the Earth: a History of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, 1843-1958.”

We would love to see everybody at these events. If you are planning to attend one or both of the presentations, we would ask that you let us know so that we have an accurate count for the food portion of the evening. For more information or to RSVP, please contact us at the library by email, through Facebook or by calling (414) 747-6479.

Now, if your Thursdays are free and you want another thing to do…the Thursday following these presentations, March 29th, there will be the bimonthly book discussion here at Salzmann Library. The book is “Diary of a Country Priest” by George Bernanos.
As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. Anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some basic information about the library:

Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
There is free Wi-Fi available.
"Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
The library catalog is available online.

The books are ready!

Salzmann Selections — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:59:32 +0000

Back in May of 2011, when the weather was much nicer, I applied for the ISSR Library grant for Salzmann Library from the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR). Last month we were extremely excited to be informed that we had received it! It was a grant given to only 150 institutions worldwide.

“The ISSR Library consists of 224 volumes spanning all areas of the interface between science and spirituality.”
We have been waiting to put this in the Herald until the books had all been added to the collection. They will be able to be found on the new bookshelf (near the entrance) for several months, and then will be integrated into our stacks.

However, when using our catalog online at topcat.switchinc.org, one can search for this collection of books anytime by using the keyword “ISSR” or “International Society of Science and Religion.”

Come in and check out these items, or if you have any other faith questions please feel free to visit us at the Salzmann Library where the audiovisual selection is also expanding.

The public is welcome!

Here is some basic information about the library:

Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
There is free Wi-Fi available.
"Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
The library catalog is available online.

Stand up for faith; stand up for freedom

Brian Olszewski — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:18:40 +0000

After Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced Jan. 20 that the mandate for non-profit groups to provide health care that violates its conscience would not be rescinded, Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan said President Obama "has drawn a line in the sand." Here's the archbishop's complete statement http://bcove.me/ob5itz9v

The president considers himself a shrewd politician, but I wouldn't bet against Cardinal-designate Dolan on this one. Notice in his statement that he isn't merely addressing Catholics; his words are designed to appeal to a wider range of Americans concerned about freedom of conscience and religious liberty. The cardinal-designate might be assembling more troops for this battle than the president anticipated.

St. Paul would be proud: Here's a sample from Pittsburgh of how one bishop is reacting to the Obama decision http://diopitt.org/hhs-delays-rule-contraceptive-coverage. Expect that tone to be echoed by other bishops.

The Obama Administration has handed the U.S. bishops an issue on which they could – and should! – get Catholics fired up about their faith; I mean, really fired up – an Easter Vigil fire in their souls. This is an opportunity for the bishops to demonstrate apostolic fervor and to continue rebuilding the credibility that was shattered when the sexual abuse scandal broke in 2002. As they say at the ballpark, it's time to make some noise.

Sports as religion: You can pontificate all you want about Prince Fielder's $214 million, nine-year contract being immoral and sinful, but if you buy tickets to Major League Baseball games -- and I do -- you can't gripe. Once we decide to stop going to the ballpark and watching it on TV, the salaries will decrease. Until then, we'll have to accept the fact that we are paying athletes and their agents what they consider a "living wage."

Historic day: Yes, today is the Feast of SS. Timothy and Titus, but it is also the 50th anniversary of an action that took place in the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y. On this date, Bishop Joseph Burke deemed "The Twist" by Chubby Checker as being "impure" and banned it from all Catholic schools. However, there is no truth to the rumor that, in 1972, a dissident nun broke the ban and was forever known as Twisted Sister. C'mon, you didn't see that one coming?

When the snow falls, Salzmann is here

Salzmann Selections — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:36:05 +0000

Finally, snow (and winter) has come to Wisconsin. We all knew it was coming, so I do not think complaining is in order, rather let us be thankful the snow decided to wait a month before really arriving. What is better to do on a snowy day than curl up with a good book? Salzmann has those good books! Although, the possibility arises to curl up and watch a good movie. We have those too!

We recently added a bunch more movies to the collection…both educational and inspirational. We added a second copy of “Catholicism,” which is amazing. I have only watched several episodes so far, but Fr. Barron’s commentary on Jesus and our faith is incredible, backed up by images and video from people around the world.

“There be Dragons,” the film based on Josemaria Escriva is an intense look at his life. “Soul Surfer” is an true story of the surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack and returned to surf again. “Fireproof” is Kirk Cameron’s (of Growing Pains fame) movie of a man transforming his life to try to save his failing marriage.

We have several new movies about the saints, including short, animated films on saints for the kids. They are by CCC of America, and I enjoyed them on VHS myself as a child. We now have these shows on DVD.

Then we have several new educational movies, including movies on Jesus, several on Mary including “What Every Catholic Needs to Know about Mary,” and confession.

These are all available to be checked out, so come in and grab a book or two, a movie or two, and get ready for the snow days of another Wisconsin winter.

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. These are always appreciated, and anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some of the basic information about the library:

Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
There is free Wi-Fi available.
"Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
The library catalog is available online.

Life after -- and before -- Packer football

Brian Olszewski — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:52:16 +0000

Grief counselors and bartenders must have been doing a great business yesterday and today throughout Wisconsin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNnurmyiv7E

Speaking of football, interesting email from Wisconsin Right to Life last week in which they provided recipients with a website http://www.wrtl.org/mask/index.aspx from which one could download a Tim Tebow mask to show support for the pro-life advocate.

Oh, regarding the QB whose success annoys John Elway, it might have been a foreshadowing that the Broncos wouldn't make it to the Super Bowl when last week I received an email from AthletePromotions, an agency that books athletes and other celebrities for appearances. It read, "Now is the time to book talent and entertainment for Super Bowl XVLI...." Tebow was on the list. As I mentioned in my last entry, he receives $50K-$70K per appearance. No wonder he keeps praising and thanking Jesus.

Red hat: No surprise the morning of Jan. 6 when we learned that Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan is going to be Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan come Feb. 18. And that talk of him being the first American pope? PaddyPower, http://www.paddypower.com/bet/current-affairs/the-next-pope?ev_oc_grp_ids=967, has his odds of becoming the next pope at 80-1. Among cardinals residing in the U.S., Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, has the best odds at 25-1. The other resident American on the list is Cardinal Francis George of Chicago at 125-1. Today is also his 75th birthday.
Two Americans working in the Vatican -- Cardinal Raymond Burke and Cardinal William Levada -- are listed at 20-1 and 25-1 respectively.

Red Milwaukee: Two former Milwaukee archbishops, Samuel Stritch and Albert Meyer, were elevated to the College Cardinals while serving as archbishops of Chicago. The former received the honor in 1946; the latter in 1959 -- the same consistory in which Bishop Aloysius Muench, like Cardinal Meyer, a Milwaukee native and former Saint Francis Seminary rector, was made a cardinal.

Red ink: Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who had already put the archbishop's residence on the market, had the unenviable task of announcing last week that the archdiocese is closing four high schools and 44 elementary schools. In response to those upset by his decision to close "our schools," he wrote, "No family can run on nostalgia and red ink." Every bishop in the U.S. might want to share those words with the people he shepherds.