What is the significance of the birds on the doors on the west side of St. Hedwig?

The birds are a Polish symbol, and are part of the polish crest. St. Hedwig was originally founded by Polish immigrants, many of whom came from St. Stanlislaus on the south side. They built St. Hedwig because of the growing needs of the Catholic Polish community. Therefore, you will notice many such symbols of Polish heritage in St. Hedwig church.

Question: I was just wondering about the book of Sirach. Does the Catholic Church recognize this as part of Sacred Scripture?

The Book of Sirach is part of the canon of Scripture for Catholics (canon=what we consider sacred scripture and what makes up the Bible).

Many Protestant denominations do not recognize the Book of Sirach as part of the Bible. The book of Sirach, along with Wisdom, Tobit, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Judith, and Baruch, are what are referred to as "deuterocanonical books" (which means "second canon" or, for Protestants, the "apocrypha" (meaning "hidden texts"). For Catholics, these books are part of the Old Testament. They are sacred Scripture.

The very brief and oversimplified version of why these seven books are not part of the canon for Protestants is that they were removed from the canon of Scripture at the time of the Reformation for doctrinal reasons. These seven books were important in the tradition of Jews for many years, and were regarded as part as the Christian canon from the earliest times of the Church. But they were originally written in Greek, not Hebrew like the rest of the Old Testament. Though they were held in high regard by the Jews, when the Hebrew canon was "closed" or set sometime in the early second century (the Christian Bible was also still coming together at this time), these books were not included. One reason is that they were not written in Hebrew. However, members of the Christian Church held these books as inspired, and considered them as part of the "Old Testament" or Hebrew scriptures. Thus, Catholic Bibles have these additional seven books in the Old Testament.

At the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther thought that these seven books should not be part of the Old Testament because the Jewish people had not chosen to include them in their canon. Thus, Protestants do not consider these books to be Sacred Scripture.

You can read more about this at the following sites:
http://www.catholic.com/library/Old_Testament_Canon.asp
http://www.envoymagazine.com/backissues/1.2/marapril_story2.html

Ash Wednesday Questions and Lenten fasting

Is Ash Wednesday a Holy day of obligation? What are the different types of liturgy celebrated on Ash Wednesday? The first answer is no, Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation (surprising, right?!). This does not mean it's not important! Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Holy season of Lent, and is also a day of fasting and abstaining from eating meat.

You can find a variety of Masses to attend on Ash Wednesday, in which we will both celebrate the Eucharist, and receive ashes on our foreheads as a sign of repentance and turning back to the Lord. At Three Holy Women, Masses are held at 9:00 a.m at St. Hedwig, Noon at St. Rita, and 6:00 p.m. at Holy Rosary. Anyone may receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, the ashes used on this day are made from burning the palms from Palm Sunday.

You can also attend a simple prayer and ashes service, often done at hospitals, and places of care for the sick. This not a Mass, but is another way to call to mind the penitential attitude of this day and begin Lent by turning to the Lord.

Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence from meat. The guidelines for fasting and absitnence during Lent are as follows (taken from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee website:

All Catholics, from 14 years of age, abstain from meat on all Fridays and Ash Wednesday.

Those from age 18 up to age 59 (the obligation to fast ends on one’s 59th birthday) fast all day on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, only one full meatless meal is allowed. Two other smaller meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one's needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted on these two days, but liquids, including milk and fruit juices are allowed. When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige.

Catholics should not lightly excuse themselves from these prescribed minimal penitential practices.

Have a blessed Lent!

Your Question: What are the Holy Days of Obligation for Roman Catholics?

In addition to Sundays (or anticipation Masses on Saturday evening), the HolyDays of Obligation for Roman Catholics in the United States are as follows:

January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God;
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension;
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints;
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception;
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated (that means the obligation to attend Mass is lifted)

Also, in the some dioceses and archdioceses, Milwaukee included, the solemnity of the Ascension is tranferred to a Sunday. Thus, the obligation to attend Mass on Thursday is suspended.

Your Question: Can I vist a church on my own time to reflect and pray in quiet? When and where may I do this? Do I have to be a confirmed Catholic?

YES!!! Stopping into a church on your own time is a wonderful way to spend time with the Lord in quiet and in prayer. Often in the midst of a busy day, stopping into the quiet of a church and spending some time in the Lord's presence can replenish us and fill our soul with peace! Anyone can do this--whether you are Catholic or not, all are welcome to spend time with the Lord in our churches.

Some churches cannot remain open all day because of security concerns. Other churches, however, are able to be open almost all day nearly every day. Two in Milwaukee are the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (812 N. Jackson St., Milwaukee) and Gesu parish lower church, accessed by the side doors (1145 W. Wisconsin Ave., on the Marquette University campus). There is also a chapel at St. Mary's hospital on lake drive that is open all day, as well as the Schoenstatt shrine chapel on 55th and Wisconsin Ave. (behind St. Vincent Pallotti East parish). These are just some of the many sanctuaries of prayer in the city.

There are also daily Masses all over the city that you can go to--also an amazing way to connect with the Lord in the midst of our everyday lives. To find a daily Mass near you, you can go to http://www.masstimes.org/ and enter your zip code. At our parish, Three Holy Women, our daily Mass schedule is as follows:
Monday, no Mass
Tuesday, 9 a.m.,Holy Rosary church, 2011 N. Oakland
Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., St. Hedwig church, 1702 N. Humboldt
Thursday, 9 a.m., St. Rita church, 1601 N. Cass St.
Friday, 9:00 a.m., St. Hedwig church, 1702 N. Humboldt

If you are concerned about time and fitting this into your day, daily Masses are generally shorter than Sunday Mass - about 30 minutes on average. A nice break time!

There are a number of daily Masses over the lunch hour in the city as well. A great downtown location for this is Old St. Mary parish, 836 N. Broadway.