APPLETON, WI — The St. Francis Xavier Catholic School System marked a historic milestone on May 1, 2026, with its first-ever all-system Mass, bringing together more than 1,000 members of the community. Held in the Torchy Clark Gym at Xavier High School, the celebration united students, faculty, staff, parents, grandparents, and friends in a powerful expression of shared mission and Catholic identity.

Originally planned as an outdoor liturgy in the high school stadium, the event was moved indoors due to cold temperatures. While the change in venue required flexibility, it did little to diminish the spirit of the occasion. While middle and high school students attended, elementary students participated by watching a livestream from their campuses, ensuring that the entire Xavier community could still be part of this meaningful day.

The Mass was celebrated by Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay, joined by the eight pastors from Appleton’s Catholic parishes. Their presence underscored the strong connection between the Xavier schools and the broader Church, highlighting the collaborative effort that supports Catholic education in the Fox Valley.

Taking place during Xavier Days — a week-long celebration of the mission and values of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic School System — the Mass served as a culmination to days filled with community-building celebrations and activities. Throughout the week, students and staff engaged in opportunities to deepen their faith and appreciation for the school system’s commitment to forming the whole person: mind, body, and soul. 

“The Mass was a joyful experience,” said System President Terry Tyrrell, reflecting on the significance of the day. “Seeing all of our students and staff together was a true representation of our theme this year, ‘One Body, Many Parts.’” 

Hundreds gathered at the Wisconsin State Capitol in support of life on April 25 

MADISON, WI — Individuals from across the state heard from Wisconsin-based pro-life speakers who shared their expertise on the importance of protecting life from conception to natural death at the annual March for Life Wisconsin.

Speakers included Bishop James Schuerman from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Laura Karlen, Sara Patterson, Alison Schlei, Dr. Beth Anderson, Dr. Michael Kloess, Dr. Tara Sander Lee, and Lucas Vebber.

In his remarks, Bishop Schuerman emphasized that the love of God is the foundation of human dignity: “We are called to create a culture that witnesses to human dignity, and we witness most effectively when we live a life of charity. God’s love for us is the true source of our dignity, our identity, and our worth. God’s love will never change, and nothing can reduce our dignity nor diminish our worth. We are called to build a culture of life. A culture of life is one that proclaims God’s love and plan for each person.”

Next year’s March for Life Wisconsin will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2027, from 2-4 p.m.

By Fr. Jack Treloar, SJ | For On Mission

As we move more deeply into our celebration of Easter, it is helpful to pay attention to the tone of both the daily and Sunday readings assigned for our Eucharistic celebrations during this season. The picture of Jesus that the Church asks us to reflect on is quite different from the one presented to us during the other parts of the liturgical year. This resurrection picture moves away from the Jesus who seems to be reluctant to have people acknowledge that he is the Messiah to a new picture of a self-assured Jesus, fully alive and confident of his identity as the Risen Christ. The readings not only tell us something of the risen Christ, but they also tell us how different our discipleship has become from the original invitation to follow him as a carpenter from Nazareth.

The first reading from Acts portrays Philip proclaiming the Gospel to the Samaritans. They are outcasts and unacceptable to the observant Jews of the time. There is a boldness about this preaching, miracle-working, and driving out of demons. This certainly is not the pre-resurrection Philip who Jesus originally called to follow him. The effect of the new Philip’s teaching is summarized by the author of Acts with the words, “There was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8).

The confidence expressed by Philip is echoed in the reading from 1 Peter, which begins with the boldest of words, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear (1 Pt 3:15-16).

What is the explanation for all of the exuberance and confidence? The answer to that question is simple. “Christ is risen from the dead.”

What we have learned from these two readings becomes evident in the brief section from Jesus’ discourse at the Last Supper in the Gospel according to John. In the Gospel reading, Jesus gives a series of instructions to the disciples concerning how they are to lead their lives after his Passion, Death and Resurrection: “Keep my commandments.” “The Father will give you another Advocate.” “I will not leave you orphans.” “I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.”

Jesus is preparing them for their lives after his Resurrection. He has given them a set of commandments that builds on — but far exceeds — the commandments promulgated by Moses. He announces the abiding presence of the Spirit in the post-resurrection lives they will lead. Most astounding of all is his claim of the most intimate relationship with the Father. We are genuinely living in a new creation.

Joy, exuberance, and confidence are marks of the post-resurrection life of Jesus’ disciples. If we truly believe that Jesus is the Christ and we are his disciples in this new creation, we have nothing to fear even in troubled times. For as Jesus tells us, “ … whoever loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and reveal myself to him” (Jn 14:21).

The readings for Sunday, May 10, can be found at Sixth Sunday of Easter | USCCB.

The Virgin Mary has powerfully accompanied the life and priestly journey of Fr. Jordan Neeck, O. Praem.

By Jay Sorgi | For On Mission 

May is the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary, perhaps more than any other month of the calendar year. It includes the May Crowning and a pair of feasts: Our Lady of Fatima on May 13 and the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on May 31.

A planet of about 1.4 billion Catholics has experienced an incredible amount of unique ways that God has reached the human heart and soul through the journey, work, accompaniment and prayers of the Blessed Mother.

Fr. Jordan Neeck, O. Praem., a member of the Norbertine community of St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere, and a chaplain at Notre Dame de la Baie Academy in Green Bay, has his own story of encounter, which reflects how God can meet each individual heart through Mary.

“I didn’t really have a strong Marian devotion until becoming a priest. And in part, it was recognizing and sharing in Jesus’s priesthood, that a mother was always there or present for Jesus during his ministry,” Fr. Neeck said.

He used Fr. Don Calloway’s book, “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father,” on the suggestion of a Norbertine brother, yet the lessons from it and numerous other spiritual books directed him even more to Christ through Mary.

“What I found in just getting more and more of this, if you want a relationship with Jesus, you need to be close to the people who were close to him,” Fr. Neeck said.

“If God chose her to help form his Son, she can help me form me in Christ’s image and share in his ministry. I just remember the intensity of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and then just really turning to Our Lady and St. Joseph as well. Looking at the Mediatrix between humanity and Christ, Our Lady helps to intercede and bring us to her Son.”

He also cited a book from Venerable Fulton Sheen, who invoked St. Gemma Galgani’s ministry of praying for a sinner whom she said Christ was refusing.

“St. Gemma said, ‘Then I’ll ask your mother.’ And Jesus said, ‘In that case, I cannot refuse.’ And so it ended up, the sinner ended up going to confession immediately thereafter,” Fr. Neeck said.

Those examples illuminate the incredible resourcefulness God has in revealing himself in countless unique ways through the Blessed Mother’s presence, options each of us can engage in individually in ways that speak to us.

“It is a beautiful thing to think about all the different ways that we can come to know, love and worship our Lord, and especially the devotions through our Blessed Mother that the church provides for us to deepen our relationship,” Fr. Neeck said.

He cited countless pathways, from the Rosary itself to the different pilgrimages to places where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared — from Knock, Ireland, to Kibeho, Rwanda, and, within the Diocese of Green Bay, at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.

“I remember just going for walks every day, praying the Rosary, and just how soothing and comforting those prayers were, being able to memorize and then reflect upon the mysteries of it and recognizing that it’s really that devotion of love to Our Lady that she’ll bring those prayers on those beads to her Son,” Fr. Neeck said.

He also went on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, which has not been officially recognized by the Vatican as an apparition site.

“I remember the first Mass at Medjugorje, the English-speaking overseer, Fr. Leon, gave the opening homily. It was like directly talking to my heart. He said, ‘I bet some of you here are skeptical.’ And I’m like, ‘Uh-huh,’” Fr. Neeck said.

“He’s like, ‘Let me tell you about a place in Champion, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Green Bay.’ I’m halfway across the world and hearing about a local place. He said that wasn’t initially an approved site, but it was because of people’s faith, their devotion in coming there, that allowed the place to be approved (by Bishop David Ricken), allowing Mary to work in and through the people who would get to worship her Son.”

Fr. Neeck said that whether it’s the Rosary, spiritual reading, devotions to any number of manifestations of the Blessed Mother, or a pilgrimage, diving into Mary and her “yes” to God countless times helps us build an incredible level of trust in God that heals and opens doors.

“Rather than saying no to God and, ‘That doesn’t fit into what I have envisioned,’ they said yes. Their lives, as we know, were not easy at all. And yet, things went well. They were loved. They loved one another. They trusted in God’s providence. They weren’t wanting for anything,” Fr. Neeck said.

“We might have our plans, but to be able to surrender to God allows us to find true joy, to find true love. (In) saying yes, as Blessed Virgin Mary did, what we find is that when we lose control or let go of the reins and allow God to be God, that’s where we find true joy, true happiness — not necessarily an easy life, but a life that has purpose and meaning and is fulfilled.”

HAZEL GREEN, WI — Sr. Jeanne Drea, OP, died April 28, 2026, at St. Dominic Villa, Hazel Green, Wisconsin. Her funeral Mass took place Monday, May 4, at 10 a.m. at the Villa, followed by burial in St. Clara Cemetery, Sinsinawa, Wisconsin. Casey-McNett Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

Sr. Jeanne was born May 12, 1943, to Harold and Helen (Connors) Drea in Richland Center, Wisconsin. She professed vows with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa in 1972. She earned a BS in upper elementary education from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; a certificate in theology from St. Norbert College, Green Bay, Wisconsin; and an MPS in pastoral studies from Loyola University of Chicago.

Her ministry was dedicated to teaching and social services. She taught at St. James School, Rockford, Illinois, and St. Thomas Aquinas School, Milwaukee, where she also served in the parish as pastoral associate. Sr. Jeanne was support staff at St. Jude Parish and the Cenacle Spiritual Life Center, Boca Raton, Florida. She then worked at Catholic Charities in West Palm Beach, Florida. She served the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation as co-coordinator of the Associate program. In Apalachicola and Franklin County, Florida, she ministered at Franklin’s Promise Coalition and at St. Patrick Church in parish outreach and at the food pantry. She helped launch a program called Bridges to Circles that focused on moving families permanently out of poverty in the Apalachicola area. Sr. Jeanne joined the St. Elizabeth Manor community in Footville, Wisconsin, in 2021. She moved to St. Dominic Villa in 2025 and filled the days with love and humor.

Sr. Jeanne was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Andrea Kruk. She is survived by her brother, Harry Drea, and his wife, Sally, and her Dominican Sisters. Memorials may be made to the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, or given online at sinsinawa.org/donate.

By Deacon Dan Wagnitz | For On Mission

When my children were little, we were camping in the area and turned off Highway 139 near Newald, Wisconsin, where a dark-stained wooden Forest Service sign simply read “MacArthur Pine.” A short drive down a rustic gravel road brought us to a small parking lot. A foot trail led deeper into the forest, overgrown and seldom used. We trusted, and so we set out with anticipation.

Not far along, we came upon the base of a huge white pine. It took our entire family of six to reach around the trunk. Another sign gave us some particulars: the tree was discovered by a forest ranger in 1945 and named after the famous WWII General Douglas MacArthur. The circumference was 17.5 feet. In its prime, the tree towered 140 feet high, though the crown was missing by the time we visited; it appeared to have fallen victim to lightning strikes and wind. But it was still tall enough that it made you feel like you might tip backward trying to see its top. It was estimated that it took over 400 years for the pine to grow so large.

It was amazing that the tree somehow eluded lumberjacks who harvested the great pine forests of the Northwoods in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Because the white pines were so straight in stature and straight of grain, they were prized for their lumber. A tree of this size could have easily supplied all of the lumber needed to build a sizable home, perhaps two. Shipbuilders also used them for masts on sailing ships that moved goods around the Great Lakes in that earlier period.

I grew up admiring the big white pines that ring many of the northern Wisconsin lakes that we camped on for our summer vacations. When you view a lake’s shoreline from the water, it is easy to pick out the white pines because they tower over the rest of the birches, maples, aspen and hemlocks. If there was an active eagle nest, it was almost always near the top of a white pine.

While it would certainly be appropriate to call a white pine — especially an old, tall one — majestic, the tree is a paradox. While it takes tremendous strength not only for the tree to stand so erect and to support the huge branches that radiate almost horizontally for 20 to 30 feet from the trunk, those branches can be fairly brittle.

Because of my love of white pines, I planted 10 on my five acres the first summer that we purchased the property. They were just one- to two-foot saplings when I planted them, but they now stand at least 40 feet tall. About 10 years ago, during a late-season storm of heavy, wet snow, I picked up almost 40 branches that snapped under its weight. Some of the broken branches were about eight inches in diameter. Today, as I write this, I am looking out after two consecutive days of ice storms, and I see a pile of branches under both white pines from my study window.

I think all but the two youngest grandchildren have climbed up into one or another of the white pines. If I were 12 again, that’s what I would do. So, I don’t try to stop them. But I do give them two cautions: you’re going to get full of sap, so don’t wipe it on your clothes or your mom will not be happy; and, keep your weight near the trunk of the tree, because if you don’t, the branch, no matter how strong it appears, may snap off and you’re going to follow it to the ground!

The white pine is a good metaphor for faith. Spread deep and wide roots. Keep growing. Stand up straight. Know that when you do, you can inspire others, but you may also, from time to time, have to take the brunt of life’s storms. Don’t branch out too far away from the center, the core of faith, who is Christ Jesus, because that kind of branch is brittle and prone to breaking. Shed your doubts, fears, guilt, and grudges like old needles that have yellowed because they bring no life. Be open to the purpose revealed to you, because that will give meaning to this life and plant the seed for the life to come.

By Roy Rasmussen | For On Mission

On May 1, the state of Wisconsin officially recognizes St. Joseph the Worker Day. Celebrated by Catholics since 1955, this feast honors St. Joseph as patron of workers, looking to him as a role model and source of aid. Learn about its history, its recognition by the state of Wisconsin, what St. Joseph means for workers and how to invoke his intercession.

History of the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker

While feasts dedicated to St. Joseph the Carpenter stretched back to the early church, attention to St. Joseph’s patronage of workers grew after Blessed Pope Pius IX recognized him as patron of the universal Church in his 1870 decree Quemadmodum Deus. Pope Leo XIII subsequently highlighted St. Joseph as patron of workers in his 1889 encyclical Quamquam pluries. St. Pope Pius X composed a Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker and established a Solemnity of St. Joseph on the third Wednesday after Easter.

This set the stage for Venerable Pope Pius XII to declare May 1 the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. The feast countered the Communist tradition of using “May Day” demonstrations and riots to manipulate labor unrest, begun in 1889 on the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution — the same year Pope Leo XIII drew attention to St. Joseph’s patronage of workers.

Pope Pius XII held up St. Joseph as a Catholic alternative for workers seeking moral guidance on how to pursue a just social order. After 1969, the feast was changed from a solemnity to an optional memorial, but its significance has continued to grow.

Recognition of St. Joseph the Worker Day in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s recognition of St. Joseph the Worker Day emerged thanks largely to the work of Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC. In 2019, Fr. Calloway was preparing to publish “Consecration to St. Joseph,” presenting a 33-day guide modeled on St. Louis de Montfort’s Marian consecration. He wrote a letter to Pope Francis, inspiring the pontiff to publish Patris corde on December 8, 2020, commemorating the 150th anniversary of Pope Pius IX’s declaration. This letter inaugurated a Year of St. Joseph.

Louisiana Catholics then convinced their state legislature to pass a resolution commemorating 2021 as the Year of St. Joseph and recognizing May 1 as St. Joseph the Worker Day in appreciation of the dignity of Louisiana workers. This inspired Wisconsin Catholic legislators in 2025 to introduce Senate Joint Resolution 16, recognizing May 1 of each year as St. Joseph the Worker Day and honoring the dignity of workers.

What St. Joseph means for workers

Pope Leo XIII drew attention to St. Joseph’s role as patron of workers in Quamquam pluries. He observed that St. Joseph’s patronage of the universal Church stemmed from his unique dignity as spouse of the Mother of God, foster father of the Son of God and head of the Holy Family. Through these familial bonds, St. Joseph participated in the fullness of grace bestowed upon Mary and the divine grace incarnate in Jesus. His dignity as head of the Holy Family gave him an obligation to protect and provide for them, lending their nobility to his work.

The Holy Family contained the start of the Church, Pope Leo XIII observed, and St. Joseph’s role serves as a model and source of dignity for Catholic workers. St. Joseph was descended from the royal house of King David, married to a wife blessed above all women, and foster father of the King of the Universe. Yet he did not deem it beneath him to labor with his hands, be content with few possessions and bear trials for his family’s sake. His embrace of labor lent divine dignity to work, just as Jesus elevated human nature by becoming man.

Likewise, Pope Leo XIII taught, St. Joseph’s model ennobles workers who labor for a living, pointing to the example of Jesus. Moreover, workers have recourse to St. Joseph as a special right. St. Joseph hears the prayers of workers because their labors are one with his work and that of his wife and foster son.

Pope Pius XII reaffirmed these teachings and elaborated on their social significance. He stressed the Church’s role in teaching Christian workers the moral principles that follow from the dignity of workers and promote a just social order through peaceful means, healing social unrest and violence.

Ways to pray to St. Joseph the Worker

How can Catholics, especially Catholic workers and family providers, invoke St. Joseph on May 1 and throughout the year? Here are some suggestions:

• Attend Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker
• Say the Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker before beginning work
• Add the Prayer to St. Joseph after the Rosary
• Recite the Litany of St. Joseph
• Follow Fr. Calloway’s “Consecration to St. Joseph”
• Place a blessed statue of St. Joseph in your home
• Join the Pious Union of St. Joseph
• Make a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Joseph in De Pere
• Participate in the May 2 Walk to Mary from the National Shrine of St. Joseph to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion

May St. Joseph bless you, your work, and your household and family!

As a part of the national celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, the country’s bishops of the are preparing to consecrate the the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The nation will be consecrated on June 11, 2026, ahead of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12. The USCCB is offering resources and different prayers to prepare for the consecration.

Click THIS LINK to see a detailed letter from Bishop David Ricken and a resource page.

BRUSSELS, WI — In a recent press release, the Belgian Heritage Center (BHC) announced the start of its 2026 visitor season, opening its doors beginning Friday, May 22. 

The BHC invites “the community and visitors alike to explore the rich cultural heritage of Door County’s Belgian settlement,” the release said. 

“This year’s opening is paired with an expanded focus on the newly launched Wisconsin Walloon website, a growing digital hub dedicated to preserving and sharing the Walloon language and traditions that remain deeply rooted in the region. The platform features educational resources, recorded oral histories, and tools designed to keep this unique linguistic and cultural heritage accessible for future generations.”

Adele Brice, the seer of Our Lady of Champion and the candidate for the first cause for canonization in the history of the Diocese of Green Bay, immigrated with her family from the Walloon region of Belgium in 1855.

Learn more about the Walloon language and culture at the new website: wisconsinwalloon.org.

New shrine announced to honor first US-born African American priest

SPRINGFIELD, IL — The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is set to establish a shrine honoring Venerable Fr. Augustus Tolton — the first African American Catholic priest born in the United States — at a former parish church in the priest’s hometown of Quincy, Illinois. 

“Fr. Tolton overcame the odds of slavery, prejudice, and racism to become a humble priest and someone after whom we should model our lives,” Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield said in a statement to the (National Catholic) Register.

Read more from the National Catholic Register article: onmiss.io/newshrine. 

By Lyn Zahorik | For On Mission

In the opening moments of this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus looks at his closest friends — the ones who have seen the empty tomb, touched his wounds, eaten breakfast with him on the shore — and he says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (Jn 14:1). What could they have been troubled about?

Think of what they were experiencing: Jesus risen from the dead and back in their presence. Rather, one would think the Apostles should have been dancing in the streets, frying fish, and planning the world’s biggest “welcome back” party? Yet their hearts were troubled. Of course, their hearts were troubled.

They had just lived through the worst week of their lives. They had watched Jesus be arrested, humiliated, beaten, and killed. They had run, hidden, denied, and wept. Trauma doesn’t evaporate just because something good happens afterward.

And let’s be honest: the appearance of the Risen Jesus was also troubling. He appeared and disappeared. He walked through doors. He wasn’t always recognized right away. The Apostles were adjusting to a new kind of presence. It takes trust. It takes a heart that’s willing to be stretched.

And just when they’re finally starting to unclench their shoulders, Jesus starts talking about leaving again. Imagine the emotional whiplash. They lost him. They got him back. Now he’s preparing them for his Ascension.

It’s no wonder their hearts were troubled. They were afraid of losing him twice. They didn’t understand what “going to the Father” meant. They didn’t yet know how to imagine a world where Jesus was present but not visible, near but not touchable. They were grieving the Jesus they knew, even as they were meeting the Jesus he was becoming.

When Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” he isn’t scolding them for being afraid. He’s comforting them. He’s saying, “I know this is confusing. I know you’re overwhelmed. But I’m not abandoning you.” 

Then he gives the reason for them to find peace within: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places” (Jn 14:2). In other words, you belong. You are expected. You have a place with God that cannot be taken from you.

Then Philip says what everyone else is thinking: “Show us the Father” (Jn 14:8). Translation: “Could you maybe give us a little clarity? A brochure? A diagram? A PowerPoint?”

Jesus simply says, “You’ve already seen him. You’ve seen me.” Which is Jesus’ gentle way of saying: “You’re not as lost as you think you are.”

And that’s the heart of this Gospel. The Apostles weren’t troubled because they lacked faith.

They were troubled because they loved Jesus — and love makes us vulnerable, hopeful, nervous, and brave all at once. 

So this week, if your own heart feels a little shaken — by life, by loss, by uncertainty — hear Jesus speaking to you the same way he spoke to them: gently, steadily, with the promise that you are not alone. He is not leaving. He is leading. And he is preparing a place where your heart can finally rest.

The readings for Sunday, May 3, can be found at Fifth Sunday of Easter | USCCB.

Bishop Ricken celebrated Mass and gave a talk for the prayer apostolate members 

By William Van de Planque | On Mission

CHAMPION, WI — Diocese of Green Bay prayer groups of the Seven Sisters Apostolate, an international Catholic prayer apostolate of lay women, gathered for the first time for a Mass with Bishop David Ricken and a morning of reflection at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

“We’ve been doing this for quite a while now, but we’ve never gotten together,” said Kathy DeNoble, the diocesan coordinator for the Seven Sisters Apostolate in the Diocese of Green Bay. “I just felt it was on my heart that we should get together and start to know one another and support one another.”

Over 100 women came to the Shrine for the gathering on Thursday.

Founded in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the apostolate forms groups of at least seven women who each dedicate an hour of prayer once a week to a local priest. The group leaders are called anchoresses. 

In the Diocese of Green Bay, there are over 30 anchoresses, who each lead a group in prayer for a specific priest of the diocese, and over 207 lay women involved in the groups. 

“We’re all very dedicated to doing these holy hours on a regular basis,” DeNoble said.

Last Thursday, Bishop Ricken learned from those gathered that he has two groups praying for him daily. 

Fr. Mark Vander Steeg, for whom a group has been praying since he served as pastor at St. Bernard Parish in Green Bay, came to the event to pray with the women gathered and concelebrate the Mass with Bishop Ricken. 

“(Bishop Ricken) and I both know the power of intercessory prayer,” said Fr. Vander Steeg, now serving as the vicar for priests and pastoral leaders at the Diocese of Green Bay. 

“The greatest consolation is when I make my holy hour, looking at the Lord in the tabernacle, trying to commune with his heart… I know that you are too, that we are both talking to the same heart, listening to the same heart, and trusting everything to the Sacred Heart,” he said to the women gathered at the event.

During his homily, Bishop Ricken thanked all the women who pray for him and other priests across the diocese.

“I know that our priests, and I myself, are benefiting from all the prayers you do,” he said. “Seven days a week, you have your priest’s back covered with your intercessory prayer, and that is extremely important.”

For more information about the Seven Sisters Apostolate, visit: sevensistersapostolate.org.