Ever since I was ordained a deacon last August, I’ve meant to start a “Being Deacon” series. In fact, someone even contacted us through our Facebook page, urging me to provide this very series, but up until now, I’ve managed to churn out exactly one installment. Then, along came the Knights of Columbus, who asked me to write a weekly series this month for Fathers For Good.
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…]
There is one photo I didn’t include in the ordination highlight reel. This one. It was taken during the ordination Mass, and it’s a moment I’ve reflected on a lot lately. That moment captured there may very well be one of the last times I sit with my husband during Mass for the foreseeable future. And for … [Read more…]
Ordination. That one word pretty much sums up this past week. Well, I better add another word: illness. Of course, right? Last week leading up to Saturday’s ordination, Joel came down with food poisoning. I, the one who rarely gets sick, caught the flu bug and was down for the count for two whole days. All three … [Read more…]
A New Blog Design, Radio Gigs, Hobnobbing with Blogging Greats, and Roller Coaster Rides!
Tap tap tap … is this thing on? Let me interrupt our blogging radio silence to share these very important details. 1. Diaconate Ordination! Joel’s deacon stole and invites for ordination arrived two weeks ago. The invites still sit in the box, so it seems we need an office assistant to even get them addressed and … [Read more…]
Joel and I were recently reviewing stats from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2013-14 study of permanent deacons. Take a guess — what’s the average age of deacons in the United States of America? How many are in their 40s like Joel? I won’t spill the beans here, but if you’re curious, head on over … [Read more…]
Oratory. Ever heard of that word? Until a few years ago, I wasn’t familiar with it, and believe it or not, I actually remember my first encounter with it. It was July 2010, our first trip to Conception Abbey in Missouri for Joel’s weeklong summer diaconate formation classes. While attending the initial all-you-need-to-know-for-the-week type of meeting, … [Read more…]
As the youngest of 11 children, five brothers and five sisters, in a devoutly Catholic farm family, Fr. Guerric Letter learned early on to cook for a crowd and pass rigorous sanitary inspections. On the occasions when his mother and sisters would take a day off, the men still needed to eat. The one instruction he received from him mother and sisters? Don’t leave the kitchen a mess.
How should parishes and dioceses enter into the grief of post-abortive parents? How should the local Church recognize and remember the lives lost to abortion?