Browsing Father Stephen's Columns
Catholic Social Teaching: Origin Story (7/13/25)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 7/09/25
Catholic Social Teaching: Origin Story
The Church’s body of doctrine on social justice issues didn’t develop overnight in the 1800’s with Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical letter Rerum Novarum (On the New Things). The roots lay in Sacred Scripture, the soul of all theology. In ... Read More »
Prayer Plan of Life (7/6/25)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 7/03/25
Prayer Plan of Life Most of us struggle to follow through on our commitments. Whether it’s a New Year’s Resolution or a new diet or that promise we made to keep up with a friend, we are often forgetful, fickle, and feckless. Yet even ... Read More »
The Catholic Experience (6/29/25)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 6/24/25
The Catholic Experience
The Sacraments are the lifeblood of our spiritual life. They are the continuing presence of Jesus in our lives, the way that he most regularly and powerfully moves in the world. But Sacraments are only truly effective if they are building ... Read More »
Corpus Christi (6/22/25)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 6/19/25
Corpus Christi The Feast of Corpus Christi is a favorite devotional occasion for many Catholics. Many with long memories will recall the processions of their youth, with dozens of altar servers, nuns, and first communicants following behind the Blessed Sacrament carried beneath a silk canopy. This feast, ... Read More »
Jubilee Saint: Patrick of Ireland (6/15/25)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 6/13/25
Jubilee Saint: Patrick of Ireland Continuing our series of saints who embodied some part of the jubilee, we focus this week on a fan favorite of American Catholics: Patrick of Ireland, the Apostle of the Emerald Isle. A lot of us think we know the ... Read More »
Pentecost (6/8/25)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 6/05/25
Pentecost The yearly feast of Pentecost, which commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the birth of the Church, is an underrated feast. Though on the same par with Christmas and Easter, it gets none of the credit or pageantry. Yet back in the ... Read More »
Learning from the Past (Part 3 of 3)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 5/28/25
Learning from the Past (Part 3 of 3) These past weeks, we’ve reflected on the lessons of the coronavirus pandemic in anticipation of the feast of Pentecost. Balancing self-preservation and prudent charity and slowing our frenetic pace for prayer and family will help us grow through that ... Read More »
Learning From the Past (Part 2 of 3)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 5/22/25
Learning from the Past (Part 2 of 3) Last week, we began examining the lessons from the COVID pandemic for the fifth anniversary of the reopening of churches at Pentecost. The lesson from human nature is that we are called as Catholics to balance our desire for ... Read More »
Learning from the Past (Part 1 of 3)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 5/13/25
Learning from the Past (Part 1 of 3) The end of this month will mark five years since churches in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee reopened in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Every single one of our lives was affected in some way during that time, ... Read More »
The Catholic Experience (5/11/25)
Posted by Gail Schlicht on 5/10/25
The Catholic Experience May is sacrament season: this weekend’s Adult Confirmations and the Reception of one individual into the Church caps off several weeks of sacraments including last weekend’s First Communion and our Youth Confirmation the week before. My thanks to all who assist in making sacramental ... Read More »