Category Archives: Education

Look for Helpers, Make Them Headliners

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Bill Schmitt

  Thanks to the USA Today website and the previous reporting of Entertainment Weekly senior writer Anthony Breznican for perhaps the briefest and most powerful “webinar” to instruct today’s journalists.  It’s a simple lesson from Fred Rogers (1928-2003), the Presbyterian minister who hosted “Mr. Rogers’ … Continue reading →

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Proud Daddy, Keep on Browsin’

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Bill Schmitt

Come Holy Spirit! One of your fruits is joy, and it was joyful to see Mary Schmitt among the CUA students bringing up the Gifts to Cardinal Wuerl at the Mass of the Holy Spirit on August 31. Thank you, … Continue reading →

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Marriage and Family: The Power Couple

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Bill Schmitt

Don’t miss the current episode of “Franciscan University Presents,” which is a most thought-provoking and grace-invoking discussion of the sacrament of marriage. The guest, Father John Riccardo, sets the stage in the first half hour with a discussion of the … Continue reading →

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Affluenza — The 20th Anniversary

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Bill Schmitt

(Originally written for the blog of my Secular Franciscan Order fraternity in Mishawaka, Indiana) This is the 20th anniversary of the broadcast of a documentary that has lodged itself in my heart and my mind. May I recommend it to you … Continue reading →

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Celebrating Cities & Classic Photography

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Bill Schmitt

My friend Lou Sabo, a South Bend native with a love of the historic urban scenes of South Bend and Chicago, recently presented a lecture and slide show at the Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture on Washington St. … Continue reading →

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… And Let it Begin with Me (Debate This!)

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Bill Schmitt

Patrick Coffin, an insightful and witty broadcaster skilled in interviewing and conversation, is starting his own series of video commentaries about our culture and today’s challenges to faith and reason. I just viewed the first entry in his YouTube series, … Continue reading →

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Phrases on Stun: Honoring Star Trek’s 50th with Words

Posted on September 4, 2016 by Bill Schmitt

Let’s boldly go into a brief blog post honoring this week’s 50th anniversary of the “Star Trek” universe. Calling it a brand or franchise is correct but inadequate. Like the actual universe, “Star Trek” seems to keep on growing, spawning … Continue reading →

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Stephen Colbert, GK Chesterton, and Conversations of Hope

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Bill Schmitt

Here’s a shout-out to ACE’s own Patrick R. Manning for his cover story in the latest America magazine, noting that TV’s Stephen Colbert offers inspiration to catechists with his threefold approach: “delight, instruct, and persuade.” This connection between the ability … Continue reading →

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This Whovian — or Whoosier? — Learned from the Doctors: The Present Isn’t Enough

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Bill Schmitt

The recent blockbuster episode of the brilliant BBC series “Doctor Who” got me thinking again about the danger of “presentism” in today’s world. Did you see the episode entitled “Day of the Doctor,” in which three different reincarnations of that … Continue reading →

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World Youth Day: “A Positive Outlook on Reality”

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Bill Schmitt

One of the wonderful commentaries Pope Francis offered during the World Youth Day events in Brazil last week was his prescription of three attitudes that would help today’s young people build “a more just, united, and fraternal world.” Those three … Continue reading →

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