St. Thomas More Society of Wisconsin

There will be no First Friday gathering for January 2008.

Be sure to plan to join us in February!

On December 7, 2007 our First Friday gathering will again meet - Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

Our speaker is Mr. Paul Hohl. Mr. Hohl is the Principal of St. Sebastian School in Milwaukee. He will speak to us on the impact of school choice on religious instruction, and the state of Catholic grade school education in general.

True to the above ethic of St. Thomas More, and with temperatures set to drop below freezing tonight across the state of Wisconsin, the Diocese of Green Bay has opted to go ahead with its' plans to operate a homeless shelter at the former St. John the Evangelist Parish school building despite the lack of proper occupancy permits and other City approvals.

A report from the Green Bay Press-Gazette indicates the permit was not approved due to neighborhood objections, focusing around concerns regarding safety and public nuisances associated with the persons that the shelter would attract. Both the City of Green Bay and the Diocese continue to work toward a solution that will permit the shelter to operate within City Ordinances, but the Diocese was clearly undeterred from its mission even if forced to operate in formal violation in the interim.

The website links to the Archbishop's letter to the Mayor of Green Bay, as well as the press release from the Diocese. See the following forceful excerpt from Archbishop Dolan's letter to the Mayor of Green Bay:

"I also understand that, regrettably, the St. John facility did not receive the zoning variance for which it petitioned. We know and respect the diligence that you and others have demonstrated in trying to find common ground to serve the homeless. Our current action is being taken only because the homeless have no other place to turn. Further, I believe that our action is consistent with the First Amendment rights of the Catholic Church to fulfill its essential ministry, and am advised that there is judicial precedent to protect that (cf. Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church v. City of New York, U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, 2002)."

Milwaukee's Archbishop Timothy Dolan approved the above action, acting as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Green Bay in the wake of the departure of Bishop Zubik.

Our First Friday Speaker for this Friday, November 2, 2007 is Attorney John Salza. Mr. Salza will speak about "Freemasonry and the Catholic Church". A short biography of Mr. Salza appears below.

Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

John Salza was baptized Catholic and attended Catholic grade school and high school. He grew up having a strong relationship with God. However, during his college years, John began to pursue secular interests and grew lukewarm in his faith. After he graduated from law school, a family member introduced John to Freemasonry. The Masonic Lodge was presented to John as a means of establishing special contacts in the business world. As a young attorney, such an idea appealed to John. John also had no idea that the Catholic Church opposed his membership in the Lodge. However, upon discovering this fact, John quit the Lodge.

Since 1999, John has been a well-respected and highly-skilled Catholic apologist. He is the author of the following books by Our Sunday Visitor: The Biblical Basis for the Catholic Faith (2005); Masonry Unmasked: An Insider Reveals the Secrets of the Lodge (2006); The Biblical Basis for the Papacy (2007); and, The Biblical Basis for the Eucharist (2008). John is a frequent speaker on Catholic radio, appearing on such shows as Catholic Answers Live, Kresta in the Afternoon, and The Drew Mariani Show. John also has his own radio show on Relevant Radio called ?Relevant Answers,? a daily apologetics spot on how to explain and defend the Catholic faith using the Bible. John is the creator of www.ScriptureCatholic.com, one of the most popular Catholic apologetics sites on the Internet. John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Wisconsin ? Milwaukee, and a Doctor of Law degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Wisconsin Law School. John is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the American Catholic Lawyers Association, the National Italian-American Bar Association, the Justinian Society of Lawyers, and the Saint Joseph?s Society.