It's sad that Catholics no longer observe Rogation Days -- the three days prior to Ascension Thursday when Catholics were invited to pray that fields would yield a great harvest.
It just so happens that today would have been the second of the Rogation Days. It is also the Feast of St. Isidore the Farmer. Formal observance or not, pray that the yields of the fields are bountiful.

Something about which to be excited: In more than 35 years of covering diocesan and archdiocesan meetings, rarely have I been as enthused about them as I was the archdiocese's May 5 evangelization summit. The connection to the upcoming Year of Faith is a natural one.

Archbishop Listecki and Bishop Hying explained the why and how of evangelization not in terms of another archdiocesan program -- thank you, God -- but as the baptized carrying out their mission to proclaim the Gospel. Bishop Hying said it best: "We can’t stay in the basement; we have to get up on the roof."

Don't expect the faithful to take the express elevator to the roof. Several parishioners noted that Catholics aren't comfortable talking about their faith, while others said they needed the tools in order to be able to do it. Nonetheless, not only is the intent there, but the training to make it happen is going to be provided. Read more about the summit at http://www.chnonline.org/news/local/11238-out-of-the-basement-up-to-the-roof-catholics-called-to-evangelize.html.

With friends like these... It's one thing -- a terrible thing -- to have the Obama Administration poke Catholics in the eye on the matter of religious freedom, but did Georgetown University have to select Kathleen Sebelius as a speaker during the university's Public Policy Institute's awards ceremony on May 17? As Health and Human Services Secretary, she is the point person on the president's plan to require Catholic health institutions to either violate their consciences or cease to provide services.

What's next at Georgetown -- Vice President Joe Biden being named a guest lecturer in moral theology?

Meanwhile... On the other side of town, The Catholic University of America's commencement speaker May 13 was Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. His address on "The Law of the Gift" included this rimshot moment: " ... But this (commencement) this morning is especially meaningful for me, as I myself am a proud and grateful alumnus of this institution of highest learning, having left here thirty years ago . . . and just finished paying my tuition . . ." http://instantrimshot.com/

Be chipper: Since I began by talking about food, it is my responsibility to inform you that today is National Chocolate Chip Day.

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Today is Pope Benedict's 85th birthday. He's exactly eight years older than Bobby Vinton. This Thursday marks Benedict's seventh anniversary as pope. 

Stewardship 101: Like the shiny objects about which he writes, the title of James A. Roberts' book,  "Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don't Have in Search of Happiness We Can't Buy" lured me to pluck it off the shelf at the public library. I'm glad I did. While never mentioning "stewardship," he does, in fact, write a personal guide to that Christian principle. It should be a "must read" in every Catholic university's undergraduate curriculum.

Numbers: During his Easter Sunday homily at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan noted that 3,000 people were in the cathedral, "while one Timothy Tebow" was preaching to 25,000 people in Houston. The cardinal didn't mention that the latter's speaking fee is somewhere in the $50K to $70K vicinity. Speaking of the cardinal and crowds, if you are planning to attend his 4 p.m. Mass at Holy Hill on Saturday, April 28, visit here http://www.archmil.org/ArchdioceseEvents/Cardinal-Timothy-M.-Dolans-Mas.htm?ReturnURL=/Events.htm?DateRange=day&Classifications=&Keyword=&Date=4/28/2012&Date=04-28-2012 16:30 so you aren't surprised that day.

Let's go for a walk: If you aren't planning on going to Holy Hill April 28, you are invited to join members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, including me, at the Beds4Kids Walk at 9:30 that morning at Mount Mary College. The money we raise will buy beds for children who don't have one. Get the details at (414) 462-7837.

Misguided mission: There is a Planned Parenthood "Clergy for Choice" committee in northern California that is in the midst of "40 Days of Prayer" for abortion. According to a release from the Institute on Religion and Democracy, the group is praying for, among other things, "a cloud of gentleness to surround every abortion facility." One has to wonder who includes that in his/her prayer intentions. By the way, no Catholic clergy are members of this "Clergy for Choice" group.

Break into song: This is National Karaoke Week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGzYWrn-XGM

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Just wondering: How many Catholics attending the Brewers' home opener on Friday will actually observe the Good Friday fast and abstinence? For those who need a refresher, those practices have nothing to do with speed on the base paths and laying off pitches in the dirt, respectively. Archbishop Listecki said it best when he wrote about abstinence from meat for Catholic Brewer fans on Good Friday: "As much as we love the Brewers, unlike Jesus, they didn’t die for your sins."

Benefit of mild winter: Without snow to shovel, Lent was less Lenten.

"And with your spirit": If you really want to be an Easter person, don't glare if people respond, "And also with you" to "The Lord be with you" during Easter Mass. It's possible that they haven't been to Mass since last Easter. If you have to look, which you don't, make it a welcoming look. That might encourage them to return sooner than next Easter.

Catholic quote of the week: Pope Benedict XVI in his Holy Thursday Chrism Mass homily: "Anyone who considers the history of the post-conciliar era can recognize the process of true renewal, which often took unexpected forms in living movements and made almost tangible the inexhaustible vitality of holy church, the presence and effectiveness of the Holy Spirit. And if we look at the people from whom these fresh currents of life burst forth and continue to burst forth, then we see that this new fruitfulness requires being filled with the joy of faith, the radicalism of obedience, the dynamic of hope and the power of love."

Look beyond: May you be enriched by the Triduum and may your Easter -- both the day and the season -- be full of alleluias.

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No matter who wins the $640 million from Mega Millions tonight, come Sunday it is still Holy Week. For those who believe, the "winning" occurred on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. For the record, I would have no objection to being the "who" that wins the $640M.

By the numbers: There is no particular significance to April 2 on the church calendar, but consider that it is the date on which the following were born: the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin; Archbishop Emeritus Rembert Weakland; Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Edward Egan; and Fr. Domenic Roscioli.

Happy the worshiper: According to a Gallup analysis, reported on MSNBC.com, "Americans who attend a church, mosque or synagogue regularly are generally cheerier than those who don't. The effect is particularly sharp on Sundays, when weekly churchgoers receive a mood boost, while less-frequent attendees see a decline in good feelings."

That could be a foundation block for the New Evangelization, a campaign built upon the theme "Feel better. Worship this Sunday" or "Good God. Good worship. Good feelings." Call the jingle writers.

Week for the weak: Holy Week is many things, but maybe it is a week for we who are weak when it comes to defending the faith, weak when we should be a voice of hope for the despairing, weak when evil tempts us. It is, in fact, a week for the weak. May your Holy Week be a blessed one, and one that gives you strength in times of weakness.

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Can New York live with Christian men for all seasons? Mariano Rivera for baseball; Tim Tebow for football; and Jeremy Lin for basketball. Combine them with the New Yorker for all seasons, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, and that's a lot of high-profile Christian personage. Maybe it's part of the new evangelization about which Pope Benedicts XVI speaks.

Speaking of Tebow, even if sports isn't a religion for you, read the following. The writer, Woody Paige, is more Oscar Madison than Blessed John Paul II, but the latter would have probably smiled and nodded as he read it: http://www.denverpost.com/paige/ci_20226828/paige-tim-tebow-run-out-denver-but-broncos

By the way, Cardinal Dolan has undertaken a $175 million, five-year restoration project for St. Patrick's Cathedral -- the first major renovation to be done there since the 1940s, according to Catholic News Service. I have no doubt that he will be able to raise the money, no doubt whatsoever. He already has $45 million.

Hot topic: "The Today Show" recently did a feature in which it asked, "Are baby bumps the new trend for Hollywood celebs?" Trend!?! Trends come and go, quickly. Babies as a trend is a good indication why a pro-abortion mentality is pervasive in the entertainment industry.  If they classify pregnancies as a "trend," and we accept that, then prepare the handbaskets, Otis, because we're all headed to hell.

Holy day: As a former disc jockey at a country music station, I will take time to celebrate this Tuesday, March 27 -- Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day. Here's something to get you into the spirit of the celebration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgkGvgfUIos

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There are 11 "Catholic" schools in the men's NCAA basketball tournament. Eight of the 11 are Jesuit schools. Because of the regions in which they were placed, there is a possibility of an all-Catholic Final Four. Possible, not probable, but we can dream of a St. Louis-Gonzaga championship game, can't we? Oh, how I long for the return of the Loyola Ramblers to the Big Dance.

I've been asked why I get excited about the Catholic schools getting bids. Simple: They need the money.

Catholic quote of the week I: Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, writing in The Catholic Standard & Times, March 2012: “… people are free to join or leave the Catholic community. They’re free to criticize Catholic belief in any way they choose. But they’re not free to force Catholic institutions, organizations and individual employers into violating their religious convictions. They’re not free to mislead the public about a flawed and dangerous HHS mandate. And they’re not free to ignore the concerns of Catholic citizens who are rightly angry about the current administration’s indifference to religious freedom and the rights of conscience.”

The price of nastiness: The Freedom from Religion Foundation paid $52,000 for a full page ad in the March 9 New York Times in which they trashed Catholics. See Bishop Donald J. Hying's response to the ad in the March 15 issue of your Catholic Herald.

Catholic quote of the week II: St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, writing in The Catholic Spirit, March 1, 2012: “Let’s be clear –– there are already precedents for the government to provide reasonable concessions to religious groups relative to the protection of deeply held religious beliefs. The Amish do not carry health insurance, and the government doesn’t force them to do otherwise. Christian Scientists are permitted within the new health care reform bill to heal by prayer alone. Quakers and conscientious objectors are allowed to refrain from military service during wartime. So why can’t the same respect be given to Catholics and other religious groups in this instance [the HHS mandate]?”

Bad timing: It's difficult to celebrate National Frozen Food Month when it's sunny and 71 degrees. I'm guessing we're just getting lulled into thinking there will be no more snow. And then? POW!!!

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... this is National Procrastination Week.

"Giving up"still popular: While we often hear that Lent should be a time for doing something and not necessarily a time for giving something up, as so many of us learned so many years ago, "giving up" is still popular. And penitential.

Among those doing sacrificial giving up for Lent are Bishop Donald J. Hying, Fr. Patrick Heppe and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. The bishop has given up coffee; the vicar for clergy has given up M&Ms and cookies; and the mayor is forgoing french fries.

Add to your prayer list: If you haven't already done so, please keep the victims of the recent tornadoes in your prayers.

Profession of faith: I have no idea what kind of president Rick Santorum would be; I have no idea what kind of president any of those seeking the nomination would be. But I admire the former senator's willingness to talk about good and evil, and to talk openly about his faith in God. If it's true that voters are uncomfortable hearing about those kind of things, then our country is in a bigger mess than we realize.

Catholic quote of the week: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan at a March 3 convocation in Hicksville, N.Y.: "We can be political without being partisan. We ought to bring values and convictions to politics. We will not be misled by people who say we shouldn't be involved."

It all comes out in the wash: The U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has put the Vatican on its list of 68 nations that are "vulnerable to money launderers," according to a Catholic News Service story. No surprise that the U.S. itself is on that list.

Lose time, not faith: Not only do we lose an hour of sleep this Sunday, but by nightfall we'll have to deal with the biggest crisis of faith some people have this time of year: filling out their NCAA tournament brackets. I pull for the Catholic schools because they need the money. I also pull for the schools from which I have T-shirts. Unfortunately, Cal State -- Northridge and Butler probably won't get bids.

Don't forget the holy day: Monday, March 12 is Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki's birthday.

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There may be 21 other cardinals-designate in Rome this week, but it has been Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan's city. Imagine what it would be like if he ever becomes bishop of Rome. As Mr. Sinatra sang, if he can make it in New York, he can make it anywhere. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqlJl1LfDP4

From Rome to home: Being in the Eternal City didn't stop the face and voice of the church in the U.S. from talking about the Department of Health and Human Services contraception and sterilization mandate, and the president's Feb. 10 revisions to that mandate in the health care form law. Cardinal-designate Dolan told Catholic News Service Feb. 13: "What (Obama) offered was next to nothing. There's no change, for instance, in these terribly restrictive mandates and this grossly restrictive definition of what constitutes a religious entity. The principle wasn't touched at all."

Oh, oftentimes we hear, "Our priest never talks about this stuff from the pulpit." The exception can be found here. Fr. Sammie Maletta, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John, Ind., definitely talked about "this stuff" when he preached at Masses last weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltTd81XpDnc&context=C387650aADOEgsToPDskK8lwm5SHyF1VAbF5_-rpxy
 

From Rome to home II: John L. Allen Jr., author of "A People of Hope," the most comprehensive book about Cardinal-designate Dolan, will speak in Milwaukee Feb. 28 at Mount Mary College and Feb. 29 at the Milwaukee Athletic Club. For information on the former, go to www.johnpaul2center.org; for the latter go to www.stritch.edu/faithandwork/.

Daybreak: Saturday, April 28 is going to be quite a day in the Milwaukee area. In the morning, there's the St. Vincent de Paul Society's Beds4Kids Walk at Mount Mary College. In the afternoon, there's Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan celebrating the 4:30 Mass at Holy Hill, and in the evening Barry Manilow performs at the Milwaukee Theater. Put those two in the same venue at the same time and we could bill it as "The Prelate and the Pianist."

Speaking of music, during last Sunday's Grammy Awards, Tony Bennett, who kicked his own cocaine habit 30 years ago, made a pitch for the legalization of all drugs as he reflected on the death of Whitney Houston: "In Amsterdam they legalized drugs and it calmed everybody down. It stopped a lot of gangsters who sneak around and get people to take drugs. Everybody gets wounded that way. By legalizing it, you won't have that problem."
My response is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Yg6sxxtNQ&feature=related

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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?

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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.

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