Connecting the Diocese

Father James Kurzynski introduces himself as a new monthly host of Connecting the Diocese and interviews St. Olaf Parish staff members Dennis and Michelle about their 10-day mission trip to Casa Hogar Juan Pablo Segundo in Lurin, Peru, a diocesan-sponsored children’s home modeled on the Boys Town family-unit system. They discuss motivations for going, expectations versus realities, experiences of poverty and hospitality, relationships with children, and the idea of “reverse mission,” where resid

Father Sam Martin and Father Steven Weller reflect on the universal call to holiness and how fear, wounds, and self-consciousness can keep people “on the edge of the dance floor” rather than fully alive in Christ. They discuss preaching from the heart, the Sacred Heart, and an image of incense as sap drawn from a wounded tree, relating it to how Christ dwells in human lowliness and heals hardened hearts. The conversation touches on vulnerability, beauty that “wounds” the soul, worship and Mass a

Erik Archer introduces an episode first aired last October during Respect Life Month, highlighting Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day and the often-hidden grief from miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss, or past abortion. Clint Berge interviews Amy Mulhern and Jennifer Fisk of Rachel Ministries in the Diocese of La Crosse, explaining Project Rachel’s confidential spiritual and emotional support, referrals to counselors and priests, and the Catholic-based Rachel’s Vineyard retreat focused

Father James Kurzynski introduces himself as a monthly host of Connecting the Diocese while Father Sam Martin takes on expanded curial work and canon law studies, shares his background (ordained 2003, former teacher/chaplain, now pastor of St. Olaf in Eau Claire), and offers a Catholic approach to artificial intelligence: avoid fear and anthropomorphizing AI, treat it as a tool that can be used for God’s glory or for harm, engage it practically in ministry and work without replacing human dignit

This week on Connecting the Diocese, Father Sam Martin talks with Christopher Carstens (Director of the Office for Sacred Worship) and Ann Lankford (Director of the Office for Catechesis and Evangelization) about OCIA (formerly RCIA), emphasizing it as a non–cookie-cutter process of conversion into Christ and the Church through catechesis, liturgical rites, prayer, and communal accompaniment. They preview a diocesan OCIA training conference on Saturday, October 24, at the Holy Cross Diocesan Cen

On Connecting the Diocese, Father Sam Martin interviews Voyage Comics founders Phil Kosloski and Mike LaVoy about using comic books to evangelize through truth, beauty, and goodness. Phil shares his path from seminary discernment to marriage, parish work, and discovering a writing charism that led to Catholic publishing and comics; Mike recounts his childhood art dream, military service, return to drawing, and collaboration with Phil to launch Voyage through crowdfunding. They describe their mis