Local News
Celebrating the saints
On Sunday, July 26, St. Anne Church in Sanborn celebrated the Feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with a Mass followed by refreshments and fellowship.
Community picnic in Eagle River
Northern Lakes Catholic communities – St. Albert, Land O’ Lakes; St. Mary, Phelps; St. Peter, Eagle River; St. Kunegunda, Sugar Camp; and St. Theresa, Three Lakes – organized a picnic at the Eagle River Riverside Park on July 21.
Jesus as ‘Living Water’ focus of SDCCW Convention
The Superior Diocesan Council of Catholic Women gathered for their annual convention at Immaculate Conception in New Richmond on July 23-24.
Iron River hosts Polka Mass for Blueberry Festival
St. Michael Catholic Church in Iron River provided a Sunday Polka Mass celebration on July 26 for the town’s annual Blueberry Fest.
Cluster staff watches Woodchucks
One Family Catholic Community and Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Medford hosted staff day at the Wausau Woodchucks Game in July.
Good works in Barron County
The parish family of St. Peter, Cameron; St. Boniface, Chetek; Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Strickland; and St. Joseph, Barron, recently celebrated 250 years of “One Nation Under God” by inviting parishioners to glorify God by loving our neighbors.
World News
Vandals deface Our Lady statues, set fire to altar at Medjugorje shrine
Vandals desecrated two statues of Our Lady and set fire to the outdoor altar of St. James Church at the Medjugorje shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina early Tuesday, July 28, days before the shrine’s annual Mladifest youth festival.
Catholic book clubs: Tips for building community and growing in faith
More and more young people are looking for opportunities to deepen their faith and build community. In this context, Catholic book clubs are becoming a way to combine a shared love for books with spiritual growth.
Columns
Fr. Rolheiser’s column waters down Jesus’ warning
I would like to respond to the opinion piece by Fr. Ron Rolheiser which appeared in the July 16, 2026, edition of the Superior Catholic Herald. Titled “The ‘narrow gate’ to a fulfilling life,” the article disturbingly waters down one of Jesus’ most stark and clear-cut warnings.
Personal retreats: Who, what, when, where, why
During Jesus’ short period of public ministry, one of the consistent things we see is that he took time away from the crowds and preaching.
Independence and dependence in Ordinary Time
In the afterglow of a happy Semiquincentennial weekend, independence is still very much on my mind. The blessing of independence has been well worth celebrating and treasuring with a grateful heart.
The sister who befriends and listens
When she was growing up, Sr. Ave Clark’s father told her to befriend the workers who were a regular part of her life: the sanitation men, the mail carrier, the bank tellers, etc.
Parenting’s long-term labors of love
“Delivering a baby is called labor for a reason.” That was one of the parting thoughts (pun intended) offered by the nurse who led my pre-birth class more than 20 years ago.
The struggle to be sincere
Who are we really? Who are we when we are stripped naked in soul: stripped of ego, stripped of the image we have of ourselves, stripped of the hype, fads and ideologies that we unconsciously inhale and which color our thinking, stripped of the trauma we carry from our wounds, and stripped of our habitual unconscious posturing?
