Author Archives: Bill Schmitt

About Bill Schmitt

OnWord.net is the home for Bill Schmitt's blog and biographical information. This blog, initiated during Bill's nearly 14 years as a communications professional at Notre Dame, expresses Bill's opinions alone. Go to "About Bill Schmitt" and "I Link, Therefore I Am" to see samples of multimedia content I'm producing now and have produced during my journalism career and my marketing communications career. Like me at facebook.com/wgschmitt, follow me on Twitter @wschmitt, and meet "bill schmitt" on LinkedIn.

Our Magical Mystery Tour–Now Departing from Reality

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Also check out the Magis Center blog, which this week posted a previous, related commentary by Bill Schmitt: “We Seek Authenticity, But Be Careful Defining What’s Real.” The Magis Center is directed by Father Robert Spitzer, SJ. Breathe in the … Continue reading →

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After Easter, Shedding Lenten Lessons is a Crying Shame

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

It was timely to learn about so-called “cry spas” during Lent. That period of sadness and penitence ushered in Easter, when our tears are “turned into dancing,” as we’re told in song. The tricky part starts now, as our lives combine … Continue reading →

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Timing is the Key to Comity: No Joke!

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

This is a preview of the commentary to be published tomorrow in “Phronesis in Pieces” at billschmitt.substack.com. Be sure to check out some of the links below to view videos. Comedians have a key area of expertise: timing. We enjoy … Continue reading →

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It’s Time to Baptize the ‘Gig Economy’

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

The Gallup organization advised the corporate world last month to take steps to support employees—especially younger generations—who increasingly report “disengagement” from the workplace. That’s not news to leaders in America’s religious groups, who have bemoaned the rise of the “nones”—those … Continue reading →

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Homeland Security on an Island of Misfit Toys

Posted on February 20, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

This is a preview of a commentary soon to be published in “Phronesis in Pieces” at billschmitt.substack.com. Please also see the story below, which is an accompanying sidebar essay. Today’s headlines proclaim wars and rumors of wars—not only between countries, … Continue reading →

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Now We’ve Got God Right Where He Wants Us

Posted on February 20, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

This is the sidebar essay accompanying the story above, “Homeland Security on an Island of Misfit Toys.” Both commentaries will also be published in “Phronesis in Pieces” at billschmitt.substack.com. Please consider subscribing to that publication. Here is more “grist for … Continue reading →

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A Theology of the Disembodied: The Pope’s ‘AI’ Caveats Continue

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Hear my interview with Father Philip Larrey, an advisor to the Vatican on artificial intelligence. Recorded in early February, this 47-minute audio provides Fr. Larrey’s insights on AI’s benefits and challenges, expanding upon the World Communications Day message described below. … Continue reading →

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Remembering Charles Osgood, a Muse of the News

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Charles Osgood, an immensely talented alumnus of Catholic schooling and brilliantly effective purveyor of a “Catholic imagination,” died Jan. 23 at age 91, leaving an upbeat legacy in secular American journalism. Osgood played a role in inspiring my own study … Continue reading →

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Words of the Year: ‘That Man is Not Real!’

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary was first published in “Phronesis in Pieces,” at billschmitt.substack.com. Please consider subscribing. You can inspect links to my latest work in print and online, including a radio program I produced and hosted, as well as a PBS segment … Continue reading →

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A Worldly-Wise Carol That Makes Us Wonder

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary was published in the latest edition of “Phronesis in Pieces” at billschmitt.substack.com. The gently pensive Christmas carol, “I Wonder as I Wander,” offers a few “epiphanies,” so to speak, about our secular politics and culture. American folklorist John … Continue reading →

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