Practicing Catholic Show

With Synod implementation underway, you’ve likely hearing the buzz about small group formation within your parish and what exactly that might look like in the coming year. Recently, parish staff and clergy from across the Archdiocese met for a formation day where the focus was on a series of small group visioning days that will be going on within our parishes.  

With us this weekend to share more about what to expect within your own parish community is Fr. Leonard Andrie, recently-appointed Vicar for Evangelization for Deaneries 10 and 11 in addition to his role as Pastor of St. Therese. 

May 1st is Religious Brothers Day, alongside the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker – both shine a light on the gift of masculinity within our Church and the unique spiritual traits that men bring to the Body of Christ.

Joining us this past weekend was Br. Matt Wooters, SJ: a Jesuit Brother who’s served in our Archdiocese and all over the country as he fulfills his vocation to care for those who are in greatest need. We’ll hear about all the ways that religious Brothers serve our Church, and how you might support vocations to religious life. 

Leading off this week, our new Auxiliary Bishop Michael Izen is with us! We’ll hear his take on how the Ordination went and what’s filling up his plate in these first few weeks!

Find Ordination coverage here.

This past Saturday was Earth Day, and we heard from Sr. Kathleen storms and Adam Fitzpatrick about the Laudato Si’ apostolate and stewardship of creation. 

Archdiocesan Outreach Coordinator for Restorative Justice and Abuse Prevention Paula Kaempffer joined us to introduce a new homebound ministry and a new support group for victim/survivors of clergy abuse. 

Up first this weekend on Practicing Catholic, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams joined Tom Halden, Director of Communications, for his monthly chat. He’s talking Easter, his first year as a bishop and more.

Maybe you, a family member, or a close friend have been experiencing a lack of purpose or emptiness. At a time when the use of social media, many outlets of media consumption, and constant comparison nag at us, it’s more important than ever to cling to our Catholic identity as a daughter or son of Christ the King.

Dr. Tod Worner, managing Editor of the Word on Fire Institute, and Fr. Spencer Howe of Holy Cross in NE Minneapolis joined us this weekend to share about how we might resurrect our Catholic identity in the midst of uncertainty.

Learn more about the Roccasecca Project: https://www.roccaseccaproject.org/events

Spring is in the air and soon enough schools will be out of session! But the learning doesn’t stop there, especially for our Synod Evangelization Teams and those who attended the School of Discipleship in February and March.

Joining us this weekend was Deacon Joe Michalak, Director of Synod Evangelization for the Archdiocese, and key player for the Catechetical Institute’s School of Discipleship. Deacon Joe filled us in on what the School was like for our parish Synod Evangelization Team members, and we also heard about a special 40-day challenge for Team members to help them grow in virtue.

Over the past year, we’ve all become more aware about our Indigenous Catholic sisters and brothers whether here in the Archdiocese or around the country. On the show this past weekend, we checked in with Father Michael Carson, Assistant Director for Native American Affairs from the USCCB, about the work underway and this summer’s Tekakwitha Conference in the Twin Cities.

We’re not the only Archdiocesan podcast on the block anymore! The Catholic Spirit recently launched its first limited podcast series, “Conversion: Embraced by Love” - four episodes dedicated to sharing the stories of three local converts to the faith.  

Here to share some more about the creation of the podcast and why it’s so important to hear from converts, is Joe Ruff: editor in chief of The Catholic Spirit.