Catholic Charities volunteers help raise $1.37 million at 72nd annual CP telethon
GREEN BAY, WI — Volunteers from Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay helped to take pledges for CP’s 72nd annual Learning What’s Possible Telethon on Sunday, March 8, 2026.
The nonprofit, which provides adult day services, therapy services and more, raised $1.37 million at the telethon, CP’s largest fundraiser of the year. Funds directly support the organization’s many programs. The event is also the longest-running local telethon in the country.
“Catholic Charities and our volunteers are proud to support the incredible work CP does to help individuals with disabilities and their families,” said Karmen Lemke, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay. “It’s an honor to stand with our community in supporting programs that celebrate all abilities and provide care, opportunity, and hope!”
Cutline: On the phone lines L-R: Karmen Lemke, Adam Henderson, Amy Kawula, Becky Bond, Fr. Tim Shillcox, Alan Smet, Deacon Roger Vandervest, Ellen Mommaerts
Annual Magdalene Dinner vocations event attracts 50 young women
ALLOUEZ, WI — High school and young adult women from across and outside the Diocese of Green Bay gathered at the campus of the diocesan offices for the annual Magdalene Dinner event, organized by the Office of Vocations at the Diocese of Green Bay, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
The annual event consists of a Mass celebrated by Bishop David Ricken, dinner, a keynote speaker session and opportunities to mingle with religious and consecrated women and pick up discernment materials.
The group of discerners, which included students from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, was from Green Bay, Suamico, Coleman, Hortonville, Greenville, Shiocton, Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Oshkosh, Sherwood, Hilbert, Brookfield and Grafton. Ages ranged from 14 to 31.
During Mass, Bishop Ricken encouraged the women discerning their vocation, each in different stages of life.
“God has something planned for each one of you,” he said. “Great or small or somewhere in between.”
There were at least 80 people at the dinner, including 12 chaperones, two consecrated virgins and 16 religious sisters from five different orders.
Religious orders represented included the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, Manitowoc; the Missionaries of the Word, Baileys Harbor; the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross, Bay Settlement; the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, Waukesha; and the Felician Sisters of North America, Milwaukee.
Following dinner, Sr. Mary Ann Spanjers, OSF, gave the keynote address, a reflection on choices and on responding to God’s gift of love through a vocation.
The Office Vocations at the Diocese of Green Bay would like to thank The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion for donating Marian and Adele Brice prayer cards and the door prize for the evening’s raffle. They would also like to thank the National Shrine of Divine Mercy Association of Marian Helpers for their donation of Marian prayer cards.
Save the date: Next year’s Magdalene Dinner will be March 10, 2027.
For more information, please email the Office of Vocations at [email protected].
Synod releases Final Report of Study Group on women in the Church
VATICAN — The General Secretariat of the Synod has released the third Final Report of the Study Groups established by Pope Francis following the First Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
The report published was that of Study Group No. 5 on women’s participation in the life and leadership of the Church. The Final Report in Italian and English, together with a brief summary in five languages, is available on the website of the General Secretariat of the Synod: www.synod.va
Last week, the Synod Office published the final reports of Study Group No. 3 on “The Mission in the Digital Environment” and Study Group No. 4 on “The Revision of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in a Missionary Synodal Perspective.”
Pope Leo XIV has directed the publication of these Final Reports to share with the entire people of God the fruits of the reflection and discernment undertaken during the Synod, in a spirit of transparency and accountability. The Final Reports are published in English and Italian, with an indication of the original language and the working translation.
Read the full article from Vatican News here: onmiss.io/womeninchurch