Category Archives: Uncategorized

October is Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church.  It is a time to reflect on the gift of life more deeply, to renew and increase our commitment to promoting a culture of life through prayer and action, and to recognize the dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death.  Every week ofContinue reading “Respect Life: In the Womb”

I returned home from a CEW (Christian Experience Weekend) retreat yesterday evening and I’ve been reflecting on how retreat experiences are vital to our faith.  The analogy that came to mind was that of a car needing to be filled with gas.  Without refueling our vehicles, they will become empty and not be able toContinue reading “Refueled by the Holy Spirit”

Last week I was at an advisory board meeting for Phoenix Catholic, the Catholic group at UW-Green Bay.  Listening to all that the group is doing and the ways that students’ faith is being impacted was a great inspiration to me.  The question that the board has been exploring over the past few years is,Continue reading “The Impact of Campus Ministry”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about light, a theme and message that is spread throughout the Gospels and other places in scripture.  In the first verse of the passage, Jesus says, “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstandContinue reading “Not to be Concealed”

Every week in my 8th grade religious ed class, I share about a saint of the week.  At last Wednesday’s first class for the school year, in starting our introduction to saints, I asked the students, “who wants to be a saint?”  None of them raised their hands.  I then asked, “who wants to goContinue reading “Back to the Basics”

Yesterday, September 7th, was an exciting day in the Catholic Church.  Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati were canonized.  These two newly declared saints seemed to have brought more excitement and noise than usual.  I think one of the main reasons is because of how young they both were and also the fact of howContinue reading “Lives Not Wasted”

On Friday, I worked my last shift at Eddie Whipp’s Dining Hall.  It was a part time weekend job that I started when I was 14 and in eighth grade.  Having worked there for 14 years and five months, literally half of my life, it will be a huge change to not work there anymore. Continue reading “Unchanging”

A few weeks ago, I was talking to some people who were part of a pilgrimage group that had stopped at my parish.  They were talking about their experiences of the day.  They talked about the small towns and rural areas they walked through and how beautiful the fields, trees, and trails were.  They wereContinue reading “The Beauty Around Us”

The Gospel we heard at mass over the weekend may appear to be challenging at the surface level.  But Jesus is just telling us about the reality of living our faith and following Him.  He wants us to be on fire with love for Him and, if we are, this will come with a cost. Continue reading “Already Blazing”

The Gospel we heard at mass this past weekend should serve as an awakening for all of us.  It is a reminder to be vigilant and live our faith daily.  Jesus tells us, “you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Luke 12:40).  AreContinue reading “Vigilant and Prepared”