As summer drew to a close, nearly 40 young adults from around the diocese and beyond gathered at Our Lady of Lourdes in Dobie for prayer, sacraments, fellowship and fun.

I saw them in the department store – a mother and a little girl about 5 years old. The child, in her restlessness, sought to wander away during what must have struck her as a very dull way to spend time.

On Feb. 10, the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, the Our Lady Queen of the Universe Secular Franciscans opened the doors of Holy Family, Woodruff, to host a mini Lenten retreat open to everyone interested in preparing for their upcoming Lenten journey.

Someone once asked Therese of Lisieux if it was wrong to fall asleep while in prayer. Her answer: Absolutely not. A little child is equally pleasing to her parents, awake or asleep – probably more when asleep!

The 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic, Rumi, once said this is how faith moves in our lives: “We live with a deep secret that sometimes we know, then not, and then know again.”

“We are called to proclaim from the housetops the gospel of life, to speak publicly as we are today,” said Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison at the March for Life Wisconsin event held at the State Capitol in Madison on June 24.

In March, Erich Wallace of Merrill announced he was returning for a third year with the pro-life organization Biking for Babies. Wallace has served as both support crew and biker, and this year will be route leader for the Wisconsin route, which takes bikers from Green Bay to St. Louis.

Forty-eight women, including two from the Diocese of La Crosse, gathered at St. Mary’s Church in Bruce on May 6 for a day of reflection with Seven Sisters Apostolate founder Jeanette Howe.