Category Archives: Spirit of communication

Proposing a Toast to Toastmasters

Posted on March 3, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

Give some thought to joining your local Toastmasters International club. Toastmasters is one of those great organizations where professional development, personal enrichment, fellowship and fun intersect. Its 16,400 clubs in 141 countries stand as reminders of the importance of good … Continue reading →

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Who Put the “Lent” in Valentine?

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

Happy Valentine’s Day to you! Please accept a gift that has no calories but still has a lot of energy in at least two different forms–my excitement about a little book I produced to make people smile about the deeper … Continue reading →

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This Present Is Past and Future

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Bill Schmitt

I’m still waiting for one Christmas gift to arrive. Actually, I still have to pick it up from a store. And it’s a gift for the whole family, including me. It’s a hard drive that will contain the digital versions … Continue reading →

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The Spirit of Christmas Now, in Words & Music

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Bill Schmitt

“I see friends shaking hands, saying, How do you do? / They’re really saying, I love you.” Louis Armstrong made a good point in the great song, “What a Wonderful World,” which resonates with his own happy heart and the … Continue reading →

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Christ the King and the Public Square

Posted on November 26, 2017 by Bill Schmitt

The Solemnity of Christ the King is capping the 2017 Liturgical Calendar this Sunday. In spite of, or because of, that term “king”—which sounds so old-fashioned and dictatorial to many Americans, this special feast that ushers in Advent offers tips … Continue reading →

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Spanning the Centuries in Photos

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Bill Schmitt

South Bend’s Century Center, in an evocative photo by Lou Sabo. A picture for all centuries…. Yes, this picture was taken in 1977 by my friend, a photographer whose great pictures show his love for his native city and the … Continue reading →

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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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“Holy Darkness”

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Bill Schmitt

See this coverage of the total eclipse from WNDU-TV in South Bend Thanks to WNDU TV in South Bend for this access to shared live coverage from NBC. Thanks to Dan Schutte for his song (“Holy Darkness” copyright 2001, performed … 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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