All Posts

One of the highlights I experienced early this summer was an event that took place in my parish. I am a member of St. Bernadette Parish in Appleton, and for two days we were privileged to have the relics of St. Bernadette present in our church. The relics were in a beautiful gold container encased in a glass box. The box was set in front of our statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Bernadette. Read More

One on my favorite Sundays of the Easter Season is Good Shepherd Sunday. I think it is because this was the Sunday I made my First Communion so many years ago. I can remember the day as if it were yesterday. I can remember the excitement of getting ready at home, lining up outside of church to walk in, and the moment I received Jesus in the Eucharist for the very first time. There was a feeling of being so close to Jesus and a sense of joy that I was so loved by God. Read More

Every year during Lent I have the practice of meditating each morning on a section of the Passion of Christ from one of the four Gospels. Recently, as I was contemplating Jesus dying on the cross, I experienced some intense emotion, and out of nowhere I heard myself say, “I love my vocation.” Read More

This winter, after the Christmas decorations were removed from our church and we settled into Ordinary Time, something new appeared in the sanctuary. I noticed that the sanctuary lamp, which had previously stood right next to the tabernacle, had been fastened to the wall and now hung slightly higher than the tabernacle. On either side of the tabernacle was a tall, narrow pedestal with an angel mounted on it, bowing in adoration. Read More

Last Sunday marked World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life Day, which celebrates the gifts that religious men and women bring to the Church and the world. Over the weekend, as I watched Olympic figure skating I was impressed by the dedication and focus of each skater. What a beautiful sport! The gracious presence of each skater was impressive. I can’t imagine the work involved to get to that level of competition. But I also noticed how many of their skills are necessary for me to have. Read More

Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ someone looked upon the Jewish people, a small nation influenced by one mighty empire after another, and recognized how precious that people was. “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel.” (Numbers 24:5) This person then predicted that a star would advance from Jacob. These words speak of hope and anticipation. Read More

Recently, as I was undergoing some physical therapy treatment, my therapist told me that he had graduated from a Lutheran high school. That led to a conversation about my life and ministry. Read More

I recently had a wonderful experience with some college students. Sister Laura Zelten, the campus minister from the local university, had invited me to spend a Saturday morning with seven young people who were preparing to lead faith-sharing groups on campus, but had little background in Scripture. Read More

I recently met a woman who hardly knew me, but as soon as I appeared on the scene she began to vent her anger and frustration about many things in the Church and world today. She was assuming that the people who are not attending Mass don’t believe in God and questioned the Church’s closing its doors and presenting the Mass virtually during this time of the pandemic. Read More

Last January, as the Christmas season drew to a close, I dismantled our tree and put all my decorations away for another year. A little later, as I looked around my room, I discovered an ornament still hanging from a floor lamp that stands by the chair where I pray each morning. At that moment I was tired and decided just to leave it there. It has been hanging there ever since. It consists of four letters attached to one another, and together they spell the word, “HOPE”. Read More