Fences

February 8, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, In past issues of Bishop’s Writings I have written about how we can close ourselves in with silos when we are called to build bridges. Indeed the Latin for bridge is “pont.” Pontiff, or bridge builder, is another name for the Pope.…

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Understanding, Judging, and Acting

February 1, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, When I was in Haiti, I got to know Ethan Casey who served as a translator for our medical team. When I was a young priest I knew Ethan’s father, Dayle Casey. Dayle is now a retired priest who spent most of…

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Football Players–Today’s Gladiators

January 25, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, I have to confess it. I love football. When a major college or professional football game is on television, I am engaged. With the NFL all the commercials around kickoffs and two minute warnings are tiresome. I dislike the time spent on…

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Sandlot Baseball and Haiti

January 19, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, When I was in my early teens, the boys in our neighborhood delighted in playing sandlot baseball. We cleared an open area of brush. We erected a rough chicken wire backstop. We had irregular bases, and played with a softball because anyone…

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Of Haiti and the United States

January 8, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, This issue of Bishop’s Writings comes to you early because I am leaving today with other diocesan volunteers for Haiti. We will return to the United States on January 17. I am uncertain of the WiFi in Jeanette where our Mission group…

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Peace and Joy for 2016?

Monday, January 4, 2015, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, Back in the 1990’s, Garrison Keillor on his radio show, “A Prairie Home Companion” said that the Civil War made everyone sick of war. As a result the United States engaged in no conflicts for the next 33 years. It was…

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