Ministry Madness Bracket 2019!

Ministry Madness Bracket
The 3rd annual Ministry Madness bracket is here! Last year was so much fun, we had to bring it back with a whole new cast of contestants! Have you ever wondered who would win in a boxing championship among Catholic ministry leaders from across the United States? I sure have. While it will most likely not ever going to happen in real life, we can always vote on who would win if it did.

The winner is decided by you the voter. THIS IS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST. This is literally picking who would win in a legal boxing match. If you vote on anything but who would win in a boxing match, you will spend extra time in purgatory. Vote now in the bracket below! (If it is not loading click here).

Follow along on the podcast
The results and winner will be aired and discussed on the Forte Catholic Radio Show and Podcast Ep. 130 on April 10th so you have until April 8th to vote, share with your friends and argue in the comments. For more information about the bracket and an in depth look at the matchups, including some interviews with contenders, tune in to the the Forte Catholic podcast each week while you fill out your bracket.

Support the Show
If you enjoy the show or the bracket, I would love if you would consider heading over to the Forte Catholic Patreon page. This is a great way to join the Forte Catholic community, support the work of the ministry, and get some cool rewards for doing so! 

Bracket Descriptions
Top Left Division-Podcasters
Bottom Left Division-Priests
Top Right Division-Musicians/Authors/Media
Bottom Right Division-Women in Ministry

Get final results sent to you!
Sign up at the bottom of the page to get an email when the results are final. Have fun!

Ministry Madness Bracket 2018 Results

Ministry Madness Bracket Results!
The #MinistryMadness bracket is one of our favorite things we do each year on the podcast. This was the 2nd annual running of the event which pits Catholic ministry leaders against one another in a boxing tournament with the winners determined by listener votes.

In our 2nd year, participation in the bracket doubled with 268 people participating. Thanks for making this fun for us! 

See below for the final results! If the results have trouble loading, click here.

To hear us break down the final results on the podcast, click here to listen to episode 77.

Ministry Madness Bracket 2018! Voting open now!

Ministry Madness Bracket
The 2nd annual Ministry Madness bracket is here! Last year was so much fun, we had to bring it back with a whole new cast of contestants! Have you ever wondered who would win in a boxing championship among Catholic ministry leaders from across the United States? I sure have. While it will most likely not ever going to happen in real life, we can always vote on who would win if it did.

The winner is decided by you the voter. THIS IS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST. This is literally picking who would win in a legal boxing match. If you vote on anything but who would win in a boxing match, you will spend extra time in purgatory. Vote now in the bracket below! (If it is not loading click here).

Follow along on the podcast
The results and winner will be aired and discussed on the Forte Catholic Radio Show and Podcast on April 3rd so you have until then to vote, share with your friends and argue in the comments. For more information about the bracket and an in depth look at the matchups, including some interviews with contenders, tune in to the the Forte Catholic podcast throughout the month of March while you fill out your bracket.

Support the Show
If you enjoy the show or the bracket, I would love if you would consider heading over to the Forte Catholic Patreon page. This is a great way to join the Forte Catholic community, support the work of the ministry, and get some cool rewards for doing so! 

Bracket Descriptions
Top Left Division-Podcasters
Bottom Left Division-Speakers/Media
Top Right Division-Musicians/Authors
Bottom Right Division-Women in Ministry

Get final results sent to you!
Sign up at the bottom of the page to get an email when the results are final. Have fun!

Vote for Top Ten Podcasts of 2017!

2017 was a great year for Forte Catholic! 

I will be revealing the most listened to podcasts of 2017 in the first show of 2018!

UPDATE: Voting is now closed. See the Top Ten countdown list here.

Create your own user feedback survey

Ministry Madness Results

The results are in! After two weeks of public voting(4921 votes from 170 individuals), discussing it on the podcast, and a lot of fun conversations along the way, the Ministry Madness Bracket has concluded.

Your top ten finishers as voted by you the fan are....
10. Sister Miriam James
9. Righteous B
8. Jackie Francois Angel
7. Oscar "II X" Rivera
6. Matt Fradd
5. Justin Fatica
4. Allison Sullivan
3. Alex Gotay
2. Ike Ndolo

AND THE WINNER IS........FR. MIKE SCHMITZ! Congrats to you padre and to all of our contenders!

If you missed the fun, you can check out the three podcasts where we introduced the contest and discussed all of the matchups here.
Episode 27-Introduction
Episode 28-Key Matchup Analysis
Episode 29-Results!

If you would like to see how everyone else did, feel free to browse the full results below or on Brackify.

Ministry Madness Bracket 2017

The first ever Ministry Madness bracket is here! Have you ever wondered who would win in a boxing championship among Catholic ministry leaders from across the United States? I sure have. While it will most likely not ever going to happen in real life, we can always vote on who would win if it did.

Below is the bracket(If it is not loading click here). The winner is decided by you the voter. THIS IS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST. This is literally picking who would win in a legal boxing match. The results and winner will be aired and discussed live on the Forte Catholic Radio Show on April 25th so you have two weeks to vote, share with your friends and argue in the comments. 

For more information about the bracket and an in depth look at the matchups, including some interviews with contenders, tune in to the this episode of the Forte Catholic podcast while you fill out your bracket.

If you enjoy the show or the bracket, I would love if you would consider heading over to the newly created Forte Catholic Patreon page. This is a great way to join the Forte Catholic community, support the work of the ministry, and get some cool rewards for doing so! 

Bracket Descriptions:
Top Left Division-Youth Ministers
Bottom Left Division-Clergy/Media/Apologists
Top Right Division-Musicians
Bottom Right Division-Women in Ministry

Sign up at the bottom of the page to get an email when the results are final. Have fun!

A Day In the Life Of A Religious Sister

Howdy! I would like to introduce you to Sister Christina Marie Neumann. She is a Franciscan sister from Grand Forks, North Dakota who serves at St. Anne's Guest Home and is an active blogger at Our Franciscan Fiat. She has written a guest post below about what a day in her life looks like. I thought it fit perfectly with our discussion about discerning vocations on the most recent episode of the Forte Catholic podcast. Enjoy!

-Taylor

Sr. Christina Marie Neumann, OSF

My alarm went off and my feet hit the floor. Time to get up! I had a busy morning ahead of me and wanted to get a jump start with my morning holy hour. Plus, I had a little work to do!  

I must confess….some days, it is easier than others to get up when the alarm buzzes, but at other times, that SNOOZE button is way too accessible!  

Grabbing my coat and putting it on, out the door I went into the brisk March air. In short order, I had greeted the nurse and the night staff at our assisted living facility, and was on my way into Chapel. After attending to a couple minor preparations (I serve as sacristan), I settled into a pew for my cherished time of prayer. An acquaintance recently commented that I get to “go on a date every time I go to adoration.” I have come to treasure these quiet visits with my Beloved.  

As a religious sister, I am privileged to live out in a special way a verse from the Song of Songs (6:3): “I am my beloved’s and he is mine.” Our directives ask us to set aside an hour each day for these special “dates,” or visits with our Beloved.  

We are also privileged to have Jesus present with us through the Blessed Sacrament in our homes (convents). When I was planning the move to St. Anne’s, I was asked if I had a preference as to which room I would prefer. A big drawing card for me was proximity to the chapel. My room is just down the hall from Jesus!! That is amazing and wonderful! One thing I miss when I go home to visit my family is that closeness to Jesus’ physical presence; you might say I’m spoiled. ;)

After breakfast, I set up for daily Mass.  I also had time for a little miscellaneous work and personal business. When Mass was over and I had put everything away, I hurried to the reception desk for brief receptionist duty before Bible Study, which I lead weekly for our residents. As part of this morning’s session, we also sang Christian songs and acted out a couple of gospel stories.  

Shortly after this, I was due back at the reception desk.  During this time of giving a half hour lunch break, I got a little embroidery done as well as computer work. After lunch, I had a number of “loose ends” to tie up, including counting money and changing soap in the dispenser.  

One part of my apostolic service which I find to be most beautiful, is caring for our residents. I try to engage them, and make their days more enjoyable. We are all called to serve Jesus in each other. This afternoon, I had one of our residents assist me with sorting the money. It gave her something to do which she enjoys. At other times, we’ve even made cookies together.  

In the midst of all this, we found out that someone was needed to collect laundry. There had been a misunderstanding and no one had made it in yet for the shift. I was assured that there would not be much to pick up since it had just been done. Boy, were they wrong! By the time I got done collecting the men’s laundry, my cart was heaped high with clothing! I did all I could do to keep it all in!  

Soon now, I’ll have supper with my other Sisters here, after which we’ll head back into chapel to have Evening Prayer together. The evening, for me, will conclude with a few hours at the reception desk.

In writing this reflection, my mind went back to a folk-song we sang at this morning’s Bible Study.  It's words proclaim: “I have decided to follow Jesus…no turning back.” In good times and bad, I am so grateful to Our Lord for calling me to this life. I have decided to follow Jesus, relying upon His grace each day.

For more from Sister Christina about her vocation, check out her post "Following the Lamb day by day."

Do You Trust Me? (Guest Post)

Way back in 2015, I wrote a blog on what we can learn about trusting the Lord by combining the Scriptures with the Disney movie Aladdin. I wrote this for Ablaze Ministries before I had this website so I thought I would share it with you now. Click here to read it on the Ablaze website.

The Psalms

My favorite part of preparing the music for Mass every week is writing the music for the Psalm. The musical setting is always different and allows me to pray with the words of the Psalms in a new way each Mass.

It is fun to be creative and "sing to the Lord a new song"(Ps 96:1) by taking the ageless words of Scripture and allowing my mood and creativity to bring to life each week. As many of you know, David wrote most of the Psalms. He was the King of creativity and drew on his life situations in his writing. I often try to imagine what it would be like listening to him play and sing each Psalm for the first time. 

The Psalms are one of my favorite books of the Bible to pray with. There are some that are joyful, some that are laments and others in between. They truly capture the human experience. No matter how I am feeling when I come to church that day, I always know that the psalm can speak to the depths of my heart.

Below are some of my favorite verses from the Psalms about music and a video of the most recent Psalm I sang for Mass on Nov 17th. Enjoy :)

Psalm 95:1 "O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!"

Ps 71:23 "My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to thee; my soul also, which thou hast rescued."

Ps 150:1-6 "1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his exceeding greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with timbrel and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!"

"Make a loud noise and rejoice and sing praise."
Psalm 98:4

High Above It All

Things are going crazy

Our nation and world are in so much pain with huge, polarizing issues like the refugee crisis, racial tension and our presidential debate. At times, it can seem as though so much is going wrong that we slip into despair, not knowing what we can do to help the situation or even how to react. 

For quite some time now, I have been wanting to post about the racial tensions going on in our country today, but couldn't figure out what to say. Many good friends and great bloggers have done a great job talking about it but I have been at a loss for words.

I saw quite a deal of racism in my small town growing up and it has always infuriated me and it pains me to see it creeping back up again. It seems as though every day, I see another african-american man or a police officer being killed or mistreated. The whole thing saddens me. It also baffles me. After all of the progress we made as a country in racial unity over the past many years, it seems that recently we have begun to digress. I don't know how and I don't know why. I have seen numbers and statistics thrown out from either side of the debate about who is or isn't to blame and don't know what I can do to help the situation. But I think ultimately, all we can do is love those around us and work on unity with all people, starting in our families, neighborhoods, churches and schools. We have to start somewhere, but it still hurts.

Peace in the storm

There is only one thing that gets me through crazy times: realizing that God has led His people through many crazy times. The song below, High Above It All by For All Seasons, has been a cornerstone for me over the past year. I first heard it at the National Youth Workers Convention last year and it keeps popping back up. I want to walk through some of these lyrics and explain how they have helped me through times when I don't understand what is going on and don't know what to do. It has applied to my life with the situations like the vicious presidential debate, saddening racial tensions, etc. but it has also helped me through personal trials and confusion about what is going on in my own life.

The song starts like this...

"I've come to seek your face, I long for you. You are my hiding place, my safe refuge. I find my hope in You. Your peace it carries me through."

God is our safe refuge amidst all turmoil and strife. He calls us to him because we cannot walk through this crazy world without Him. We need his presence and can only receive true strength and peace from Him. 

Then the chorus hits...

"Waters roar and mountains fall, You remain high above it all. You are high above it all. Kingdoms rage and nations shake but you remain high above it all. You are high above it all, Almighty God"

When the "waters are roaring" in our life, God is bigger. When everything around us in falling apart, God is holding us together. When nations and communities are rocked and weakened, God is still strong and there for us. This is such a great reminder that God stays the same through all the change and nothing that happens in this world can take anything away from Him or from His love for His people. God is bigger and completely in charge and I must trust Him when things seem to be out of control from my human perspective.

Then finally, the bridge...

There is triumph in Your presence, healing in Your peace.
So I will lift my voice, proclaiming victory!

God is the only thing that is going to ultimately solve all of the struggle and hurt in the world. He knows human suffering. He Himself came down from Heaven to become one of us, to suffer with and for us on the cross, but also to claim victory over sin, death, and hurt. He offers you and I that healing, peace and victory. We can receive it in His presence, no matter what is going on around us.

I pray that as you move throughout the rest of your day, with all the craziness in our world and the busyness in your life, that you will find what you are looking for and what you need in the Lord's presence today. When everything is falling apart and bringing you down, God is above it all and wants to lift you up.

FOR ALL SEASONS - "LIVE SESSIONS, VOL 2" Buy Now: (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/live-sessions-vol.-2/id1118445907)

Written by: Josh Farro & Sam Tinnesz (FAS original) Videography: Michael Charlson Mixed by: Jared Fox Mastered by: Drew Lavyne

The Impact of Scripture on My Spiritual Journey

Baby Steps Along The Way

I don't have that one big experience to look back on and say "that is THE moment God changed my life." My spiritual journey has been long and gradual. I grew up in the Church, grew in knowledge of the things of faith and have slowly grown in love of the Lord. Although, looking back on all of the events that led to who I am today, there have been two markers where my growth in faith has been accelerated.

The first marker came in the summer following 8th grade. At the time, I wasn't all that excited about being Catholic. I didn't enjoy CCE/Youth Ministry all that much and was at the age where if you asked my word association with the word "Mass" I would have said "boring". Throughout Junior High, I would attend Mass in the morning but then also attend the non-denominational service in the area where I enjoyed their style of worship and teaching more. 

My appreciation for Catholicism and the Mass changed that Summer when I attended a Steubenville Youth Conference in Louisiana with the parish youth group. It was here that I had the first leap in my Catholic faith. I was surrounded by 5000 other young Catholics who got excited about Christ and His Church through a weekend of community, worship, Mass, engaging speakers, and Cajun food! This was the first time that I realized the beauty in the depth of Catholic teaching on the Eucharist, particularly in Mass and Adoration. It was the experience I had encountering Christ in the Eucharist that weekend that helped me to choose to continue life as a Catholic.

Stemming from that weekend, I had a community of fellow young people and adult leaders to help me continue to grow as a man of God. I am so very thankful for the opportunity to have that experience and for the great people who helped me grow in High School. All of the baby steps I took in faith during High School can be traced back to the decision at that Conference to commit to Christ and the Catholic Church.

The Impact of Scriptures on my Life

The second experience that led to accelerated growth in my life with Christ came in the sophomore year of my time in undergrad. I was a campus ministry intern involved in ministry with both Catholics and Protestants. We were a tight nit community of friends that were always together. One of my Protestant friends in the group challenged those of us who were Catholic to commit to reading our Bibles. At the time, I knew Scripture mostly through what I heard in Mass or through hearing people preach but I could probably count on one hand the times I had sat down alone with my Bible and read. I took the challenge seriously and what a year I had! I had more growth in my faith during that first year of reading the Bible daily than any year before or since. 

In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul says, "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness." In this first year of reading the bible daily, I was consistently showered with the Word of God which helped:
-Teach me the ways of the Lord and show me how I could grow in my relationship with Him.
-It help me to be able to refute untruths when they were presented to me, which happened often that year.
-When the light of the Gospel penetrated my life, it revealed the dark places in my life that needed correcting. Through the Scriptures, prayer and lots and lots of confession, I was able to root out a lot of sin in my life. This training in righteousness through the Scriptures helped me becoming a better man, minister, student, friend and most importantly, disciple of Christ.

Challenge

My challenge for you today is to take some time to evaluate how much emphasis you place on reading the Scriptures in your daily life. As Catholics, we can find ourselves often in Mass or praying a Rosary but how often are we reading the Scriptures on our own time to facilitate our personal prayer? My favorite line from Vatican II is in "Dei Verbum," which speaks about Divine Revelation and Scripture. "The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord..."(DV 21). Wow! In High School I gave most of my attention to the Eucharist and gave almost no attention to letting the Scriptures mold my life. I challenge you to let the Scriptures change your life through daily reading of the Word of God. 

One of my favorite motivational speakers, Zig Ziglar, said that each morning he would wake up and read the paper and his Bible, just so that he would know what both sides are up to. :)

I can attest from personal experience that through taking up this challenge, you WILL grow in your faith as the light of God illumines your heart and mind. It will equip you to be a light in your community.

Helpful Tool to Assist in Consistent Scripture Reading

People are busy and it is often hard to make time to read the Bible. I have made excuses like not having enough time, not knowing where my Bible is, not knowing where to start and just plum forgetting. The thing that has helped me the most to stay consistent in my Scripture reading is the Youversion Bible App. I use it on my phone and iPad and it helps get rid of a lot of my excuses. I know where my Bible is because I always have my phone. I have help knowing what to read because there are GREAT Bible reading plans based on topic that have devotional aspects that I have throughly enjoyed. And my FAVORITE feature is that you can set up push notifications in the app to remind you to read your Bible plan each day at whatever time you set. This has been so helpful for me because even when I get busy, there is a gentle reminder to spend time in the Word.

Another great aspect of the app is that there is a community. You can see what your friends have been reading and vice versa. It is a great way to have some accountability and to see how God is speaking to your friends. If you download the app, add me as a friend :)

Questions

How have you seen God work in your heart by reading the Scriptures?

What is your plan to be more consistent in reading the Scriptures?

If you do read consistency, what have you found is the biggest thing that motivates you to continue doing so?

Comment below if you want to join the conversation. Share this with someone you want to join in the challenge with.
 

In Christ,

Taylor Schroll

The Lying Minister Epidemic

Honesty

Being honest is something we are taught to do from a very young age. There is so much importance in telling the truth and we learn very quickly that people can see through lies. As kids, when we tried to lie, our parents knew it instantly about 99% of the time.

This was very true for me in Kindergarten(that's a very hard word to spell for me...let alone 5 year olds). I was a compulsive liar at 5 years old. My teacher would write me up and send me home with a note for my parents informing them that I had lied. It happened so often throughout the school year that my mom told me that if I lied again, I would not be able to go to the concert of my then favorite artist, James Taylor. 

The last day of school came around and I'll bet you can guess what I did. Yep, I lied. My teacher wrote me a note to give to my parents. I knew the consequences so I.......gave it to my parents? Nope. I threw it away in a trashcan on my way out of class. Now I wasn’t just a bad liar, I also wasn’t a smart criminal. My teacher saw me throw it away, called my parents and there was no James Taylor concert in my future. I had learned my lesson.....or so I thought.

James Taylor

Molded To Lie

I began my journey in ministry in 2008. I was often taught, either explicitly or by example of ministry leaders, to always bring your A-game to ministry, no matter what. Never show any weakness. Always look happy. Always make it look like you have it all figured out so that others will look at your perfect life and be inspired to live holy lives. There are two problems with that. First, who doesn't have any weaknesses, is always happy and lives a perfect life? Second, why are we lying to people, including ourselves? All those years of being told not to lie and now, out of what I thought were good intentions, I was doing it again in ministry. I was being taught to lie and probably should have had a letter sent home to my parents :)

A Solution Is Found

Last fall, the Ablaze Ministries staff went to National Youth Workers Convention. In a room full of approximately 3000 people in ministry, one of the speakers addressed this issue head on. He made it clear that while we think we are protecting our image or helping people in their faith life by acting perfect, we are actually turning them off to growth in faith. Most people who see someone whose life looks perfect and they have it all together will NOT be inspired to live like them, they will quit trying to grow in faith because they know they don't have what it takes to be perfect. The effect that those in ministry desire by acting this way brings about the exact opposite response more often than not. 

So what are we to do as people in ministry?(which is all of us...thanks Baptism!) We don't want to add scandal by revealing all of the details of our past and present sin but we also need to be honest that we are sinners as well. As I was reflecting on this recently, two statements of Paul in the New Testament stood out. They seem to give parameters so that we don't swing too far on either side of the pendulum, but are somewhere right in the middle.

In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” This is boldness that inspires. As people in ministry, we should want to lead lives that can be imitated to follow Christ. This is one of the basic tenets of discipleship. But we can’t stop there. We have to also remember the first few lines of Paul's letter to Timothy when he says, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost.” We can see in example of Paul, the greatest evangelist of all time, that we do not have to pick whether we are a good role model or a sinner. We can be both and be honest about both. We should all seek to root sin out of our lives but we should be examples of how to do that, walking the journey with those our faith community.

As I challenge you to examine how these verses apply to you, I’ll leave you with this. “If we say, ‘We have not sinned,’ we make (God) a liar, and his word is not in us.”(1 John 1:10) I, for one, don’t want to be liar anymore. 

In Christ,
Taylor Schroll/Forte Catholic

How Pokemon Go can help you improve physically, mentally and evangelistically

Thanks to Tony Vasinda for the meme!

Pokemon Go released this week to much fanfare! For those of us who grew up playing Pokemon, this is a dream come true. We can now walk around and catch virtual Pokemon with our friends and battle others for some fun competition. 

The game is meant to get kids(and apparently millions of adults lol) active and off the couch and moving around. AND ITS WORKING! You walk around your neighborhood and Pokemon pop up on your phone's screen for you to catch. You can them train them to make them stronger to take to gyms which are popular places around town like churches, historical marker or city buildings.

This game is not only fun and brilliantly nostalgic, if used well, it can help us improve physically, mentally and in evangelization. 

Physical Improvement
This is the game's primary goal for it's users. We all know that we, especially kids, are less active as a society than in years past. Video games are a part of that epidemic. Many people, myself included at times, would rather stay inside in the air conditioning and sit on a couch for hours playing video games. This is a video game that addresses that by encouraging and rewarding people for walking around and exploring. 

As Christians, we know that "our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit."(1 Corinthians 6:19) Our bodies are a precious gift that we only get one of. We need to take care of them and so many recent studies have shown that walking is more beneficial for our health than we thought. And it is definitely more beneficial than sitting on the couch :) I have lost 10 pounds this year and my only substantial change has been walking a few times a week after work either alone or with my family. This game is encouraging me even more to "get to steppin'". 

Mental Improvement
The first aspect of how this game can help us with our mental health ties in with the physical health. The more active we are, the better our body functions and the better our brain works. Physical exercise is a proven stress reliever and in our fast-paced world, we can all use a little less stress in our lives. 

Another thing that can improve our mental state is spending times with friends and family. I have noticed both at home and at work how much more lively life is because we have all been playing this game together throughout the week. At home, my wife and kids have joined me in catching pokemon on nightly walks. My wife is playing along on her phone and the kids love seeing the pokemon on our street or in our rooms. At the office, our staff has bonded so much over who caught which pokemon, who is stronger and sharing stories of encounters with other Pokemon trainers. The joy, laughter and extra time spent with each other has already begun to bear fruit in our relationships.

Evangelization Improvement

This final improvement has been a huge topic of discussion around the ministry office but also online in youth ministry Facebook groups all to answer one simple question: how can we use this game to help share the love and message of Jesus with people?

Since many churches are destinations in the game as gyms or pokestops, many youth ministries are using this to their advantage to reach people who may not have ever stepped foot on their property without Pokemon Go. Also, many of us who are in ministry are playing and are seeing so many people walking around playing as well. This is such an easy conversation starter to have personal contact with people we would otherwise never have and can lead to really cool opportunities for evangelization. 

Here are some of the best ideas I have seen:

-Have a sign outside saying, "Hey, Pokemon trainer. Having fun? It's hot out there, come inside for free wi-fi and a cold lemonade." They then have the youth minister or others waiting inside to have conversations with people. Brilliant!

-Have a Pokemon catching walk with your youth group. So many of our youth are playing anyway, so have a youth night this summer where you walk around the church's neighborhood catching pokemon. It will be fun to go as a group and bond. Then when you come back, you can have a short lesson on evangelization, the pros and cons to technology or another related topic.

-Have actual conversations with people. We live in a social media culture where much of our communicating is done through phones. This game has already given me opportunities to have conversations with people I never would have spoken to. You can get to know the person and in many cases, as you share about yourself, your faith can be a topic of conversation. I also suggest, carrying around some cards with encouraging Scripture on them to hand to your fellow Pokemon trainers. You never know what could happen next. 

So what will you do?
Comment below on how you think the game can be beneficial to your growth as a person or how you can use this to the advantage of your church/ministry? 

And for those of you who are playing, I would also love if you would share your favorite Pokemon Go experience. 

Blessings
-Taylor Schroll

A Muslim on TV Made Me A Better Catholic

There aren't many more exciting times of the year than when school lets out for summer!(Insert Alice Cooper song here) It is a glorious time for students, teachers and everyone who works with young people. As both a student and a youth minister, I know the relief to the end to the busy schedule of the school year. But I also know, and have witnessed in so many others, that the loss of routine often spells doom for the health of our spiritual lives.

At the beginning of every summer, many of us have the outlook that we will have so much more time to have fun, get the things done that we don't have time for during the school year, hang out with family, and more time to focus on our relationship with God and grow spiritually. But from personal experience, I know that these lofty goals don't always become a reality. Instead of using the time for what we think we should to help us grow as people, we settle for things like binge-watching on Netflix for days at a time. While this can be enjoyable and relaxing, it often pushes the other things we need to do aside. 

I experienced this in a big way at the beginning of a summer during college. I had just finished an insanely intense semester. I wanted to do nothing else than sit in a chair and watch Netflix for days. So I did. I watched season upon season of "Lost." It was a fantastic show that kept me coming back for more. After a few seasons in a few days, there came an episode that punched me in the face and brought me back to my senses. One of the main characters, Sayid, is a Muslim man. In this particular episode, he gets off of the island that they have been stuck on for quite some time(spoiler alert), as is walking through a highly populated Muslim city. He is there seeking out an enemy and is about to find him when a large bell rings. Everyone in the busy marketplace stops what they are doing, kneels down and begins to pray. I was struck by the beauty of how everyone stopped their conversations, business and travel in an instant and turned their hearts to God in prayer. The reality that I wasn't making prayer a priority in my life punched me in the face. I knew I had to make a change. I turned the TV off at that moment, and prayed for the first time in a week. 

To this day, I am amazed at how God worked through this situation. He used a fictional Muslim man in a non-Christian tv show to help me grow in my prayer life. Through this experience, I learned the importance of having a schedule to prayer. While I love spontaneous prayer as much as the next guy, I knew that I needed to have the discipline to stop what I am doing at different times of the day and turn my heart to God. It is widely known that Muslims do this periodically throughout their day, but a little lesser known that Catholics have a similar model from the Church. My hope is that in looking over the following list of ideas that have worked for me is that you will be able to schedule into each of your days a time to pray. It is so crucial for our spiritual health, especially in this Summer time where the rest of our routine is changing. Do whatever it takes to make prayer I priority in your day. 

Daily Prayer Tips
-Set a timer on your watch or phone to remind you to pray.
-Make a deal with yourself that you will not watch tv, play video games, etc., before doing your daily prayer.
-Pick a time of day that consistently works for you to pray and choose an amount of time and be faithful to it. Start with 5-10 minutes a day. 
-Pray before you get out of bed. Each morning, I say a 15-30 second prayer, offering the entire day to God. 
-When you lay in bed at night, examine your day on what you could have done better and how you saw God working. Pray in thanksgiving for your day and the grace to grow again tomorrow.

Resources
-The Liturgy of the Hours. This is the official prayer of the Church. It is prayed by priests and religious periodically throughout the day. We are invited to pray it as well. It is helpful to me both to add structured time to my prayer but also is helpful when I can't think of what to say in prayer. It is a guided way to pray with the psalms, Scripture readings and more. I use the iBreviary app to pray on the go.
-The Youversion bible app. One of my favorite ways to pray is with Scripture. This app is useful since I can read it at any time on my phone. It also has great bible reading plans and reminders to help you consistently grow in your knowledge of Scripture.

Common Practices
-For years, Catholics would stop at noon and pray the Angelus. It is a short and sweet Marian devotion. 
-Many people pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or simply stop and thank Jesus for His sacrifice on the cross at 3pm, the hour that he died. Set a timer :)

No matter what you choose, it is my hope that you will decide with me to make this Summer a time for spiritual growth through consistent and prioritized prayer. If you think this could be of help to others, please share this post. If you have other ideas on how to pray this summer, please share them in the comment section.

In Christ,
Taylor Schroll, the Forte Catholic
 

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Two-Face the Christian

I have been a gamer since I was a little kid. I can remember playing the original Mario game on the brick called the original Gameboy that I received on a beautiful Christmas morning. It was so long ago that you couldn’t even save your progress so if you wanted to beat a game you had to play it for hours and hours straight!(insert gasps of anyone under 20 here) My love for gaming continued through childhood with the Nintendo 64(what odd controllers those were) and countless hours playing sports games with friends through Junior High and High School. Video games are a big part of who I am. As I grew throughout these years in my journey with Christ, I wondered where gaming fit into the Christian life. There are some obvious possible positives and negatives about gaming but I wanted to focus on one of the many instances where I have learned something about myself and have been able to grow in my faith through playing video games.

Recently, I have been playing the finale to the fantastic Batman series, Arkham Knight. So many of the characters in the world of Batman are extremely interesting. One of the big take aways I have been able to glean is what made each the criminals in the story turn into the “bad guy.” In seeing what led them to do bad things, we can recognize those patterns in ourselves and cut them out of our lives. Let me give you the biggest example of this that I found in the game.

Two-face, whose real name is Harvey Dent, is a villain in the Batman universe that most people have at least heard of through pop culture, the recent Batman movies, comics or video games. Dent was an upstanding district attorney who partnered with Batman to dedicate their lives to putting the worst criminals in jail in a city rampant with crime and corruption. Sadly, Dent was driven insane after a mob boss threw acidic chemicals in his face during trial, leaving terrible scaring and disfigurement on half of his face. The event changed him from being a shining knight of justice to now one of the most notorious crime lords in Gotham. 

As I was playing through this story line, I started thinking about how one of the biggest complaints about Christians is that we are “two-faced,” teaching one thing at Church and living a different way. Everyone has met a christian who acted like one person at church and completely different person elsewhere. I met one a while back that I couldn’t stand. I saw him all the time, couldn’t get away from him and avoided him as much as I could. The time I saw him most was in the mirror. Yep, it was me. 

I was at a point in my life that I was very compartmentalized. There was “Church Taylor,” “Athlete Taylor,” “Student Taylor” and other variations of myself that didn’t seem to mesh with each other. It got to a point a few years later during college that someone told me something that rocked my world. She looked me dead in the eye and said, “Taylor, do you know what I like about you? You are one person at Church and a completely different person when it is just us.” This was the point where I had to stare at myself in the mirror and decide who I wanted to be. 

I realized that no matter what happens, I am just one person and can’t be a different person in all of these different scenarios. I needed to let God and my life with Him permeate every single aspect of my life. 

The Bible says that Christians will be known by our fruit. Instead of being fruit that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of those who see us as “two-faced,” I want people to be able to look at our Christian communities and see in us our love for God and His people. Love is attractive. The only way we will be able to be a loving community, a community that attracts others to a relationship with Christ, is to be connected to the Vine. 

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 15, Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful…Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” If we are going to bear fruit as God asks, we need to cling to the Father and cut away the parts of ourselves that are holding us back. God is never done working on us. He wants us to be “even more fruitful” and wants us to help Him in molding and forming us throughout our lives. What are the things that make you “two-faced”? What can you do to cut them out of your life so that you can be more fruitful?

Thank you for reading. I hope you have enjoyed today's blog. If you have, please like/comment and share it with your friends. For more posts in the future, subscribe to the blog below.

In Christ,
Taylor Schroll/ForteCatholic

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Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross

Happy Lent everyone! I hope this season has been a time of returning all of your heart, mind and soul to the Lord. 

One of my favorite prayers of this season is the Stations of the Cross. The reflections below were written by Michael Maldonado and myself during college. They have been prayed with college students, Jr. High and High School youth and at parish-wide events. They have received great feedback and I would love to share them with a wider audience. Feel free to use them for your personal prayer or at your parish.

If you enjoy these reflections or use them with your family or parish, please like, comment and share at the end. I would love to hear your feedback. For more to come from Forte Catholic, subscribe to the blog below.

Blessings to you and yours in this beautiful desert season of Lent.

In Christ,
Taylor Schroll/Forte Catholic

Reader: Please join us in our opening prayer, an Act of Contrition. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

All: O my God, my Redeemer, behold me here at Your feet. From the bottom of my heart I am sorry for all my sins, because by them I have offended You, Who are infinitely good. I will die rather than offend You again.

Reader: The First Station: Jesus is condemned to death 

Priest: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.  (genuflect)
All: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: Standing before Pilate, Jesus, the ultimate Judge, is being put on trial for crimes he did not commit. Look at how dignified he remains amidst the false claims.  The crowds, who just a week earlier welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with praise and shouts of “Hosanna” now clamor for his death. How must he have felt? They have turned on Him so quickly. How often have I praised and welcomed Jesus into my life at one moment and so quickly turned my back on Him the next?

Pilate understands the predicament he is in. He finds no fault in Jesus, but the people are insistent on his death. He begins by standing up for Jesus but the consistent pestering of the crowds chisel away at him until he finally gives in to the pressure. How often have I done the same exact thing by putting my own reputation and desires before those of God or others? 

Priest-Lord Jesus, help me to stay calm when being wrongly accused, stay focused on you no matter the circumstances and find my ultimate joy in following Your will for my life. 

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Second Station: Jesus carries His cross

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: When Christ carries the cross He carries you and me and all of humanity from the dawn of creation up to the present and through the future. He embraced the cross; the cross that would consummate his sacrifice to redeem the world. And as Christ assumed the cross for our salvation, we are called in the same way to “deny” ourselves, take up our cross to unite our suffering with His and follow Him in our journey into Heaven. And as we carry our cross He will carry us, uniting us to His sacrifice and renewing our strength to continue forward. The cross is the outward sign of our surrender to Christ. We live this when we deny ourselves and follow him. It is also a manifestation of Victory in Christ who conquered sin and death by and through the cross.

Priest-Lord Jesus, help me to always live in the victory that you brought through Your Passion. 

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Third Station: Jesus falls the first time

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: After all the beating, whipping, mocking and torment, Jesus eventually stumbles and falls to the ground. The wooden cross falls hard and the rough ground is unforgiving. His body is a mix of sweat, blood and dirt. The king and creator of the world, who 33 years earlier, had humbled himself to become a man, feels the human pain physically, the mental pain of betrayal and humiliation, and the spiritual pain of knowing that as His tormenters and the crowds beat and mock Him, He is giving His life up for them.

But just when you think he is going to give up with all the struggles, He rises to His feet, takes the cross and presses forward. How many times have I given up when everything seems to be going wrong?

Priest-Lord Jesus, I look to you to learn and receive the fortitude and strength I need to press forward in doing what I know you are calling me to do, especially when it is hard. I humbly admit that I cannot do it on my own and I pray that I always seek your guidance and be willing to ask for help from You and Your body here on earth when I am struggling.

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Fourth Station: Jesus meets His Mother. 

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: It is incomprehensible to try and understand the totality and fullness of the suffering Christ endured for us and the complete misery our Blessed Mother experienced in watching. One of the greatest moments of grief our Savior encountered on the path of his crucifixion was the sight of his sorrowful mother. An exchange of extreme hurt and sadness with floods of tears pierced the hearts of our Savior and Blessed Mother. Our Mother was shattered and broken at the sight of her perfect son being tormented by our sin and the sin of the world. In the same way that she expressed great sorrow for her son, we too should imitate that sorrow for our sin that placed this cross on Jesus’ back. Sin distorts the truth in our lives and in several ways brings “sorrow” and misery upon us and our brothers and sisters. How am I then called to act toward offenses against God? Have I portrayed deep sincere sorrow for our sins that nailed Christ to the Cross?

Priest-Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to trust that You are in control of not only my life, but all of creation. Help me to see Mary’s example of trusting Your divine plan, even when it looks hard and heartbreaking at times. Help me to trust You and let You have Your way.

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry His Cross

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: Jesus once said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest….for My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” It didn’t seem too easy and light to Simon, who was pressed into service of a man he didn’t know while going about his daily business.

I often don’t see how Jesus is making my burden light and easy. It seems that times are just as hard, just as often. But what can I learn from this situation? Would I rather have the burden and punishment of my sin that Jesus has taken off my shoulders or the burdens of stress I feel from time pressures, school, work, family or anything else that I often complain about? Thank you Jesus for showing me that You don’t mean that my life will not present troubles, but that you remind us that You have taken and defeated the burden of my sin and offer me life and life more abundantly in following you. 

Priest-Lord Jesus, help me to mold my will with yours so that I can link my sufferings with yours and take joy in the toughest times in the fact that You are “always with me until the end of the age.”

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: Seraphia was deeply moved by the sight of Christ agony that she offered her veil to bring relief to Jesus in the midst of his torture. She gave what she had in that exact moment. She wanted to see Christ to bless Him as best as she possibly could. She put aside all fear and all human considerations as she broke through the crowds and fell prostrate before our Lord. In all that I have been given have I blessed the Lord even in suffering as Seraphia did? In return of her fearless deed, she received back her veil to behold imprinted on it the face of the Son of Man. From then on she earned her new name Veronica which means “true image”. As Christ imprinted his face on Veronica’s veil, He does so in the depth of each of our hearts. 

Priest-Lord Jesus, help me to come to You in prayer, the Eucharist and Your Word and leave with Your image on my face and heart to share with all that I meet. 

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: All of the physical strength in the world could not bear the load of carrying a cross the length of time that Jesus did after all of the torture beforehand without eventually falling. Jesus is tired, hurting and looks as though he is failing. The crowds had wanted a warrior Messiah; One who would overthrow Rome and make Israel a powerful nation again. They wanted the Messiah to put them in power and be a militant leader. How could this man being publicly humiliated and murdered possibly be the Messiah? To many, He is a failure.

But who do you say that He is? Do you trust Him? Trust that He will return in three days, give you life, joy, love, peace? Do I love Him for who He is, or like the crowds, do I selfishly want Him for the things he can give me? 

Priest-Lord Jesus, in recognizing that You are showing that true power is not in physical strength, but in walking in Your Father’s will in faith, I ask that I may be more humble before you, love you for who you are and put You and the needs of others before myself. Thank you that our strength does not lie in our physical or mental prowess but that our strength comes from Our Creator protecting us with His rod and staff.

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: Compassion and sensitivity moved the women in Jerusalem at the viewing of Christ affliction to tears. Just outside the city is where most of the women gathered. Some of them who wept did not know Jesus at all but it was out of their human pity that they cried. Some of them did not even believe in His divinity. They saw in Christ either an innocent man condemned to death, or a criminal who was punished unjustly. But yet their humanity moved their hearts with compassion for Jesus. Have I expressed compassion and mercy for those around me who are suffering today? 

Priest-Lord Jesus, help me to be a vessel for change in the world for those suffering around me in my everyday life. Help me to notice the spiritual suffering and longing for You around me and be willing to help.

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Ninth Station: Jesus falls a third time

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: It is almost the end. You can see Calvary’s hill up ahead. You are almost there. That place of destruction. That place of redemption. You know that you only have a little more to go, but you still fall. The weight of the world is bearing down on your shoulders even more. But with the knowledge that in a few hours you will say “It is finished,” You rise up quicker than the previous falls and continue on your way with the power of patience, endurance and trust providing all you need to push forward and finish what you have started.

Priest-Lord Jesus, Give me opportunities to grow in patience, not only with You but with all those that I encounter. Help me to grow in the gift of placing all my trust about my present and future in You. 

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: The last disrobing of Christ was ever more painful than the first. It tore open new wounds and pulled flesh off his body, burning like fire. Christ then not only bore our sin but He also bore our shame and humiliation as he was stripped completely naked. The shame and humiliation that Adam and Eve brought into the world through the fall was first understood in their nakedness. When sin entered into the world Adam and Eve first saw their nakedness and hid themselves from God. Christ’s crucifixion was going back into that garden to replace what was stolen; our ability to be unashamed; Our ability to confess our sins, wrong doings, and faults and no longer walk in shame but to walk with God. 

Priest-Lord Jesus, help me to be truly sorry for the times I hurt you and everyone around me through my sin. Help me to desire to be reconciled to You through a contrite heart and the sacrament of Confession. 

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: With three nails and a hammer, the Tree of Life is nailed to a tree that will bring about His death. It is sad how something as small as a nail can cause so much pain and death. Jesus, I want to be convicted of the small things I do that take me away from You. I want to be a loving, generous person in every little action, no matter what mood I am in.

As You are raised up, we remember how Your Father told Moses to raise up a serpent on a stick and all who looked upon it after sin or sickness would be healed. We thank you for the cross that defeats all evil and that the cross is where we look for redemption and healing. Thank you for doing what we couldn’t. 

Priest-Lord Jesus, help me not drive the nails further by wandering away from You. Help me to recognize the power of my words and actions so that I do not drive nails into my friends and family with hurtful actions. Help me to be an agent of Your redemption and healing by leading people to the cross.

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross.  Please Kneel

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: Jesus is dead. He has taken his last breath. His heart no longer beats. His body hangs there, lifeless. The Jewish leaders who stood and watched the death of Christ unfold were satisfied that finally “this rebel” was done away with because His teachings and those following Him would fade away. The Jewish leaders thought that they could finally get back to normal duties and comfortable lives. But... suddenly a darkness fell over the land. And the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies was torn in half. The earth shook violently. The veil was torn that separated God from his people. By Christ’s death He liberated us and made a way for all people to move from sin and death to everlasting life. What a gift to lay down one’s life for others. How will I respond to this ultimate gift? 

Priest-Lord Jesus, send Your Holy Spirit to guide me in responding to You daily in prayer and worship and through my actions to Your people.

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: Please Stand.  The Thirteenth Station: The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: Joseph of Arimethea responded to your death with bold faith. He approached Pilate to ask if He could have the body of Jesus. He put his reputation, finances and life on the line to give a gift to Jesus and His family and friends. Before Joseph was granted permission to take Jesus down, Pilate had to make sure the Lord was dead so he had a solider stab him in the side. As the spear pierced Jesus, the water and blood of mercy streamed out onto the ground. Thank you Jesus that even in the moment of death You poured out Your mercy upon our world. Your work was finished and this cleansing was a sign of hope in the world’s darkest moment.

Priest-Lord Jesus, help me to be as bold in my faith as Joseph. Help me to not back down from challenges to stand up for my faith and to stand up for those around me, especially the most vulnerable. 

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reader: The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb

Priest: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. (genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Reader: Right after the death of Christ, His closest followers are left all alone. For the past few years they gave up their livelihood and all they had to follow the Messiah. Now He is gone and almost everyone has either forgotten or lost hope in the Lord’s promise to return. The disciples during this time experienced an extreme feeling of being lost. Their future was unknown. They witnessed this Man heal people and perform miracles and all of a sudden He is gone. The combination of anxiety, fear, and loneliness was fully felt between the death of Christ and his resurrection. Have I allowed myself the time to be still and patient for God? In areas of my life that I am trying to find quick solutions for and easy paths around a situation, how can I instead wait and allow God to move in my life? 

Priest-Lord Jesus, help me to find You in the stillness and quiet and await Your coming. Help us to live lives worthy of Our King. I lay my life before You. Thank you for finishing what You set out to do.

“Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom” (2x)

Reflection

Reader: Following this last meditation and closing song, we ask that you dismiss yourselves from the Church in silence. Please be respectful of those who wish to stay and pray in the Church.

Reader: Jesus, you went to the tomb without a word of protest even though you were innocent.  How many of us can say the same?  All around us people suffer and we fail to reach out to them.  We fail to reach out in love to those who are closest to us.  Lord, help us to walk our way of the cross with a little more faithfulness.  You said that in order to follow you we must pick up our cross daily.  Help us to recognize our crosses with joy, because in accepting them we imitate your life.  In imitating you we will eventually share in your death and resurrection.  Amen.

Closing Song

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Victory in Christ

Hey! Check out my first blog ever with a guest post on the Ablaze website on Victory in Christ!