All Souls' Day, a day devoted to praying for the souls in Purgatory, is coming up! Consider attending a Mass or service at one of our diocesan cemeteries on November 2 to offer your prayers for the dead. Join Bishop Hying at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison at 5:30 pm for a candlelight Mass, attend 8:15 am Mass at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Beloit (which will be followed by a procession to Mount Thabor Cemetery), or come to Mount Olivet Cemetery in Janesville for 7:00 pm Mass and a procession through the cemetery.

Day 5 of the Respect Life Month novena: Today we pray that all people with disabilities may be treated with respect and that their lives may be protected. View today's reflection and prayers at usccb.org/respect-life-5 You can also sign up to receive the prayers and reflections to your email each day; go to respectlife.org/respect-life… to sign up. We are blessed to have the Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities in the Diocese of Madison! This apostolate promotes the full inclusion and participation of individuals with disabilities and mental health challenges in every aspect of Church life. See the many amazing disability and mental health ministries and programs they provide at madisondiocese.org/apd.

Day 4 of the Respect Life Month novena: Today we pray that pregnant and parenting moms may find life-affirming help for themselves and their children through the Christian community. View today's reflection and prayers at usccb.org/respect-life-4 You can also sign up to receive the prayers and reflections to your email each day; go to respectlife.org/respect-life… to sign up. One practical way that parishes can support pregnant women and new moms is through Walking with Moms in Need! Walking with Moms is part of our local Catholic Charities' Parish Social Ministries and is a parish-based program that walks alongside women during pregnancy and beyond, connecting them with the care, resources, and support that they need. Learn more and get involved at catholiccharitiesofmadison.o….

Day 3 of the Respect Life Month novena: Today we pray that all who suffer after participation in abortion find healing in Christ's unending mercy. View today's reflection and prayers at usccb.org/respect-life-3 You can also sign up to receive the prayers and reflections to your email each day; go to respectlife.org/respect-life… to sign up. Project Rachel and Rachel's Vineyard are programs that specifically help those dealing with the pain of abortion. We have a Rachel's Vineyard Retreat coming up November 6-8. For more information or to register, please visit madisondiocese.org/rachel

Our annual Mass of Hope and Healing with Bishop Hying is this Sunday, October 25 at 1:00 pm at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Monona. All who have lost pre-born children or infants are especially invited to attend, and anyone who has lost a child at any age is also welcome.

Day 2 of the Respect Life Month novena: Today we pray that every child in his or her mother's womb may be protected in law and welcomed in love. View today's reflection and prayers at usccb.org/respect-life-2 You can also sign up to receive the prayers and reflections to your email each day; go to respectlife.org/respect-life… to sign up.

Time is running out! Think you have a prize-winning shot of one of our Catholic cemeteries (or any Catholic cemetery anywhere else in the world!) in your camera roll? Enter it into our Catholic Cemeteries Week Photo Contest by October 30! Visit madisondiocese.org/photocont… for full rules and the photo submission form.

Today is the memorial of St. John Paul II! Karol Wojtyla was born in Wadowice, Poland in 1920 and entered a secret seminary in 1942, at a time when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sought to eradicate Polish culture and education. When World War II ended in 1945, he was able to continue his university studies, and he was ordained in 1946. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow in 1958, then Archbishop of Krakow in 1964, and was named a cardinal in 1967. Cardinal Wojtyla was elected the 263rd successor of St. Peter on October 16, 1978 and began his ministry as Pope just a few days later, on this day in 1978, choosing the name John Paul II. As Pope, he visited 129 countries and wrote 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, 45 apostolic letters, and 5 books. He also instituted World Youth Day in 1985. He wrote and spoke extensively on women, the young, marriage and family, and human sexuality. Pope John Paul II died in 2005 on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast that he instituted. He was beatified in 2011 and canonized in 2014. Let us pray today for our St. John Paul II Pastorate! St. John Paul II, pray for us!

In honor of Respect Life Month, we invite you to join in the USCCB's Respect Life Month Novena from October 22 to October 30! This novena prays for the protection of human life, from conception to natural death. Each day of the novena features a different prayer intention, as well as a short reflection, suggested actions, and additional information to help participants go deeper. Day One's intercession: May every person's life be protected and cared for from conception to natural death. View today's reflection and prayers at: usccb.org/respect-life-1 You can also sign up to receive the prayers and reflections in your email each day! Go to respectlife.org/respect-life… to sign up.

The Holy See Press Office announced that no further treatment is necessary for Pope Leo XIV following his surgery to remove a tumor in his lung. We thank the Lord for this positive outcome and continue to hold the Holy Father in our prayers!

If you have cremated remains in your home, you are encouraged to Lay Them to Rest with our Cemeteries Office on October 31 or November 2. Lay Them To Rest is a committal service that offers free interment in one of our diocesan cemeteries for cremated remains. Services will be held on October 31 in Beloit and November 2 in Madison. Registration is needed by October 24 to guarantee participation; participation may be subject to limitation after the 24th. Please visit madisondiocese.org/rest to learn more, to view important information about each cemeteries' policies, and to register.

Bishop Hying was 16 years old in October 1979, listening to the radio while closing up a restaurant kitchen at 2 a.m., when Pope John Paul II came on the air. He was speaking to the young people of the United States, telling them that if God called them to the priesthood or religious life, they should simply say yes. “I felt like he had come out of the radio and was standing in front of me in that kitchen,” Bishop Hying recalls. From that night on, he never doubted he was being called to the priesthood. In this episode, Bishop Hying reflects on the life of the saint who shaped that call: a young actor and athlete who worked in a stone quarry under Nazi occupation, trained for the priesthood in secret, and stood up to communism before becoming the first Polish pope. “St. John Paul II” is available now on Things Visible and Invisible. Subscribe through your favorite podcast player, or visit madisondiocese.org/podcast for show updates and past episodes. 🎧 Available on: Apple Podcasts: shorturl.at/Mkmui Spotify: shorturl.at/G7PNu YouTube Music: shorturl.at/kSajU Amazon Music: shorturl.at/I8mRs iHeart Radio: shorturl.at/vfxME

In today's culture, navigating topics such as relationships, marriage, sexuality, and gender is more challenging than ever. The Catholic Church has timeless wisdom for these important questions, and renowned speaker Jason Evert is coming to our diocese to speak on how to approach these topics with charity, clarity, and confidence. Join St. Therese of Lisieux Parish for an evening with Jason Evert on Tuesday, October 27, beginning at 6:00 pm, at St. Bernard Church in Watertown! This event will be a double-feature with two of Jason's popular presentations: "Purified" (designed for teens and their parents, focused on discovering God's plan for love) and "Gender and the Theology of Your Body" (focused on how Catholics can approach the topic of gender). The evening includes Eucharistic adoration and the opportunity for Reconciliation. This is a ticketed event for audiences age 13 and up. Visit shorturl.at/cJzva to purchase tickets!

One more reminder about our next Sacred Heart Evenings of Reflection! This Wednesday, October 21, join Bishop Hying at St. Mary's Church in Platteville, or the next day, October 22, at St. Ann's in Stoughton. Both events begin at 7:00 pm. A full schedule of evenings of reflection is available at madisondiocese.org/events?pa…!

Join the USCCB and thousands of Catholics across the country in praying for the protection of human life from conception to natural death! The Respect Life Month Novena begins this Thursday, October 22; we will share each day's intention on all our social media channels at 5:00 am each morning so that you can start your day in prayer. You can also sign up to receive each day's intentions via email or text; visit respectlife.org/respect-life… for more information!

Men of Christ Madison's fall conference is this Saturday, October 24 in Sun Prairie! Join Bishop Hying and men from across the Diocese of Madison for a day of prayer, brotherhood, and renewal, focused on the life and example of St. Francis of Assisi and Jesus' call for him to "rebuild My Church." Visit menofchristmadison.com/ to learn more and to register, and be sure to take advantage of their current offer to save $10 per ticket when you register 3 or more men. Invite your friends, brothers, dad, and any other man in your life!

Calling all young artists! As part of our celebration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus this year, we are running a Sacred Heart Art Contest for youth in grades Kindergarten through High School! The contest has four different divisions: Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. One winner and two runners-up will be chosen from each division. Submissions must be hand-created, original art, with the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the primary subject. Drawings, paintings, and sculpture may be submitted; entries may not be AI-generated or otherwise created digitally/with a computer. The submitting student must live within the Diocese of Madison. Submissions are due December 1 and winners will be selected by Bishop Hying and announced December 18. The winners and their pieces will be showcased in the Catholic Herald, the Diocese of Madison's website, and the diocese's social media channels! Visit madisondiocese.org/sacredhea… for full rules, prizes, and more!

Today, the Church in the United States remembers Ss. Jean de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, and their companions. These 8 French Jesuits (6 priests and 2 lay oblates) were martyred between 1642 and 1649 in what is now upstate New York and eastern Canada. They lived and ministered primarily among the Huron tribe, but they were hated by the neighboring Iroquois tribe, who were suspicious of both the Huron and the French. They all met their ends through torture and murder at the hands of hostile tribes. May we seek their intercession and example, especially in the obstacles and difficulties that we may face in our own evangelization efforts. Ss. Jean de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, and the North American Martyrs, pray for us!

Pope Leo greeted pilgrims at the Sunday Angelus, his first scheduled event since leaving the hospital on Saturday. He expressed his sincere gratitude to everyone who prayed for him.