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(WKOW) — Churches continue bringing their communities together to worship during the pandemic, even on the first Sunday since Governor Evers’ new order restricting indoor gatherings to 25 percent. But churches were exempt from that ruling. Church congregations have had to be creative throughout the pandemic to keep people safe, like hosting church outside as many did during Easter, or even live streaming as many are now still doing.
MILWAUKEE (WKOW) — In the past year, the state of Wisconsin has renewed the call to give non-violent offenders a second chance. Gov. Tony Evers created a pardon advisory board that issued its first pardons in October 2019, the first in Wisconsin in nine years. As of mid-September, the board has pardoned 65 people. Now, one Milwaukee man is finally achieving his dreams and will use his experience to help others on their journey to redemption. For 17 years, Doyle Sprewer has tried to put his past behind him. A 2003 felony marijuana conviction has kept him from getting countless…
MADISON — On a beautiful, if blustery, fall evening, more than 130 volunteers, conference members, and staff of the District Council of Madison, Inc., Society of St. Vincent de Paul gathered September 30 at the Madison Mallards’ Duck Pond to celebrate the work of volunteers who serve neighbors in need in our community. Traditionally, the District Council has held a volunteer appreciation event dinner in November.
The Catholic Diocese of Madison does not plan to reinstate a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass due to increased COVID-19 activity in Wisconsin, as the Diocese of Green Bay did this week. “As of right now, we are not inclined to reinstate a diocesan-wide dispensation, rather we are reminding everyone of the normal conditions under which dispensations are liberally available under canon law,” Diocese of Madison spokesman Brent King said Wednesday in an email. “This includes being dispensed by a local pastor. We trust the discernment and good sense of people to make prudent decisions about attending Mass.”
There’s been no shortage of needs brought to our collective attention as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but blood donations may not be one that immediately springs to mind. However, a few Madison churches not only identified this pressing need but decided to work together to be a part of resolving it within their community. An awareness of the critical shortage in blood donations provided the impetus for what is now an ongoing collaborative effort between Madison Church and Trinity United Methodist Church. Their next combined blood drive will be on Oct. 12.
MIDDLETON — Stained glass windows were shattered, bricks and debris covered the floor and pews of the sanctuary, and an alleged drunken driver was in the hospital after ramming a vehicle into St. Bernard Catholic Church early Monday. Middleton police say the crash at the church, located at the corner of Parmenter Street and University Avenue near the city’s downtown, occurred at about 1 a.m. The driver, whose name has not been released, has been cited for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and for having open intoxicants.
Halfway through a recent outdoor Sunday service, a small Christian congregation on Madison’s East Side welcomed a bright, late summer sun as it peeked through a cluster of gray clouds. “Every Sunday, we’ve had good weather, literally every Sunday,” said Camara Stovall, a longtime member of the S.S. Morris Community African Methodist Episcopal Church. “It will rain from, like, Monday to Saturday, and then it just stops.” Stovall called it a “blessing in disguise” because for months now, this church has had to rely on the weather to cooperate in order to meet safely as a congregation amid the COVID-19…
The rioting, looting, and vandalism following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota carries a hefty price tag. According to Axios, insurance companies will pay anywhere from one to two billion dollars in insurance claims, the most in US history. The protests took place in 140 cities this spring and summer, and although many people were simply there to make their voices heard, others carried our arson, vandalism, and looting that destroyed businesses and even some churches. CBN News heard of a miracle story about a church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that took place in the middle of the destruction…
Msgr. Michael Burke, a beloved figure in the Catholic community in Madison and longtime chaplain for the University of Wisconsin football program, died Saturday night at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. Funeral arrangements are pending for Burke, who was 72. Burke, affectionately known as “Father Mike,” was the Badgers’ team chaplain for over four decades and was a fixture on the sidelines for practices and games.
MADISON, Wis. — “Are you ready to turn riots into revival?” the energetic black worship leader called out across the large crowd gathered outside the boarded-up Wisconsin Capitol Monday night. Shouts and cheers emerged from the assembly, where hundreds of men, women, and children of all ages, races, and backgrounds congregated for an evening of praise. Twenty-somethings stood beside elderly couples, strollers and young families with picnic dinners spattered the capital lawn, fathers propped small children on their shoulders for a coveted view, and several women twirled flags to the rhythm of the music. Some attendees wore masks, but, unsurprisingly,…