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The Practicing Catholic

Intentionally, joyfully living the faith ... we hope.

Being Deacon

Why Did God Bring You Together?

February 3, 2016 by Deacon Joel Schmidt Leave a Comment

We often tell the story of how we met, but do we ever wonder why we met? If God has a plan your life, and He brought the two of you together, God must have a plan for your marriage, too. What is it?

Posted in: Being Deacon, Homilies, Schmidt, Joel Tagged: Being Deacon, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Homily, Marriage

Being Deacon: Good vs. Good

August 26, 2015 by Deacon Joel Schmidt 1 Comment

During diaconate formation, commitments were mostly structured and mandatory. Now, after ordination, little is mandatory. How to meet expectations is largely discerned, not dictated. It’s been a year, and we still haven’t figured out the magic formula.

Posted in: Being Deacon, Schmidt, Joel Tagged: Being Deacon, Discerning God's Will, Fathers For Good, Rest

Being Deacon: Holy Associations

August 19, 2015 by Deacon Joel Schmidt Leave a Comment

God’s call for us can be revealed through the people the Holy Spirit has placed in our lives. I blame Deacon John McCully. Whenever someone asks about my vocation story, I start with him. He played an integral role in planting the “diaconate seed.”

Posted in: Being Deacon, Schmidt, Joel Tagged: Being Deacon, Deacon John McCully, Fathers For Good

Being Deacon: Lessons From the Fishbowl

August 13, 2015 by Deacon Joel Schmidt 3 Comments

As a deacon, I’m becoming more comfortable with the idea that people are watching me and my family. I may not like it, but I’m learning to embrace it. To a large degree, that’s what I signed up for, to be a symbol of something different, a sign of contrast, to represent Christ in a way I hadn’t done before. But as Christians, aren’t we all called to represent Christ in a way that’s visible, that makes Him known to the rest of the world, through the witness of our lives?

Posted in: Being Deacon, Schmidt, Joel Tagged: Being Deacon, Fathers For Good

Springtime Photo Dump

April 24, 2015 by Lisa Schmidt 7 Comments

It’s been awhile since I’ve shared photos of our family and kids, so here’s a quick photo dump. — Das Schmidt Haus, Easter 2015 — Okay, it wasn’t really Easter, and Cy, Iowa State’s mascot, didn’t attend church with us. But let’s pretend because I need an obligatory family Easter photo. Maybe I should Photoshop the … [Read more…]

Posted in: 7 Quick Takes, Schmidt, Lisa, Through Our Lens Tagged: Being Deacon, Das Schmidt Haus, Deacon's Wife, Diaconate, Easter, Jude, Lucy, Lydia

Being Deacon: Not Quite Ready for Primetime

September 5, 2014 by Deacon Joel Schmidt 15 Comments

  It’s been a few weeks since I was ordained a permanent deacon. After four years of deacon formation, there were still some things for which I was not totally prepared. Here are seven … Quick Takes style. — 1 — Everything — A good friend of mine, Deacon Andrew pictured with me above, was … [Read more…]

Posted in: 7 Quick Takes, Being Deacon, Faith, Schmidt, Joel Tagged: Being Deacon, Deacon Joel, Deacon's Wife
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