Author: Fr. David Neuschwander

Introductions

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Ordinary Time

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

This weekend I officially took over the sacramental and administrative duties for three more parishes in our area after the retirement of Fr. Greg Hopefl, a long-time and honored priest of our diocese.  This was my first weekend preaching at St. Philip in Stone Lake, St. Francis Solanus on the Lac Courte Oreilles Reserve, and St. Ignatius in New Post.  These three parishes, along with St. Joseph in Hayward and St. Ann in Cable make up the new five parish Hayward cluster, of which I am the pastor and Fr. Karun from India is my associate.  Please pray for all of us during this time of transition.  I am excited to see what God has in store for us in the future!

Prayerful Generosity-CSA

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Ordinary Time

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This weekend is the kickoff for our annual diocesan Catholic Services Appeal (CSA).  The CSA provides incredible opportunities to spread the faith of Jesus Christ in northwestern Wisconsin – for our seminarians, for our youth, for our schools, for our parishes – opportunities that I witness and see the fruits of firsthand!  I’m challenging you this year to stretch yourself in prayerful generosity to all of your favorite organizations and non-profits.   I challenge you particularly this week to think what you might be able to sacrifice monetarily to support the CSA for your parish this coming year.  Jesus Christ practiced prayer and generosity to the point of death; let’s act more like Christ in this life, so as to become more of who we are called to be in the next!

Apostolic: Being Normal

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Ordinary Time

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As disciples, we are called to be salt of the earth people.  Not too salty (we’ve all had bad experiences of that), but also not non-salty…because that’s just not being true to who we are as Christians.  We’re called to be healthily salty, normally salty.  Disciples of Jesus Christ ought to be ordinary, fun, prayerful, genuine, striving, faithful, real people – normal human people.  That is what I envision when I imagine a disciple of Jesus Christ: someone that others are slightly intrigued by, for whatever the reasons, someone that others want to spend a little time with!

Apostolic: It Starts with Relationships

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Ordinary Time

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our response during this Apostolic Time starts with something we already know very well: relationships.  We have been rescued by Jesus and sent to bring others to relationship with Him so that He can rescue them, too!  The whole reason the Catholic Church exists is to bring people to Jesus.  “Bringing people to Jesus” doesn’t mean shouting on the street corner or annoyingly and oppressively forcing the topic of faith into every conversation you have.  “Bringing people to Jesus” means that there are 3-5 people in your life right now, people that you already know and have some sort of relationship with, whom Jesus is sending you to to simply start a conversation with.  Witnessing to Jesus isn’t rocket science or deep theology, it’s simply relationship and natural conversation (and if you think it’s more complicated than that, then you’ve got the wrong idea).

Christendom vs. Apostolic Times

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Feasts, Ordinary Time

Corpus Christi

You ever wonder why you brought your kids up going to Church and educated them in Catholic schools…and yet most of them don’t go to Church anymore?  You ever worry about why, even though you tell your kids and grandkids that they should go to church and pray, and even though you tell them that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, they still don’t come and don’t believe?  I mean, that’s how you were raised, and you’re here, right?  So that’s how you raised your kids…so why aren’t they here?!  Christendom times vs. Apostolic times – that’s the reason!  We have gone from Christendom times to Apostolic times, but we’re still trying the tactics that used to work but don’t anymore.  The good news: the Catholic Church thrives in Apostolic times – we just need to remember anew how to live in them!

Ask 6

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Feasts, Ordinary Time

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Last summer I challenged everyone to Meet 6, to meet six people from church.  This summer I’m asking you to take the next step.  Christian community isn’t simply meeting or knowing people or getting together; that’s a first step…but Christian community involves Jesus Christ!  Christian community is about Christ-informed relationships, faith-filled friendships and interactions.  The next step in the process, whether it’s someone you know well or someone you don’t know at all, is to ask a very simple, yet a very powerful, question once you’ve met them: “Is there something I can pray for you for?” “How can I pray for you?”

This summer, Ask 6!  Step out of your comfort zone to ask six people, “Is there something I can pray for you for?” Then bring that intention to prayer before God on that person’s behalf.  We all know our world needs the light of Christ, and you, O Christian, have the power to bring that light into our world with an extremely simple and inviting question: “Is there something I can pray for you for?” “How can I pray for you?”  Then pray!

Great Things!

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Easter Season

Third Sunday of Easter

God wants to do great things in our lives and in our parishes!  But we’re also short on priests (and, in our diocese, short on American priests) which means that more and more is expected of our current priests.  So how will God do great things in us and through us and around us if the priest doesn’t have time to do it?  It has to happen through you, O Christian!  God wants to and will do great things in our world when individuals, when the lay faithful, step up and step into their baptismal calling to use the gifts and talents they’ve been given to build up God’s kingdom here and now!  God wants to do great things in our lives and in our parishes…through YOU!

Prayer: Dealing with Distractions

On By Fr. David NeuschwanderIn Lent

4th Sunday of Lent

Do you ever get distracted in prayer?  It’s normal, it’s human; sometimes focus is within our control, sometimes it is not.  There are, however, better and worse ways to respond to distraction, better and worse ways to enter back into prayer and time with our God.  Want to know what some are?  Then listen to this weekend’s homily!