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Because he had not performed well enough in his studies, he was not granted the full faculties of ordination. He would be a "simplex priest," one who could preside at Mass, but not preach publicly or hear confessions. He accepted his superiors' decision as God's will and never questioned it. 

They hardly knew what to do with a priest whose ministry was so limited. He was assigned to care for the sacristy, train the altar boys and answer the front door. It was that position as porter that defined Fr. Solanus' ministry. His simple trust in God, his certainty that every prayer is answered in God's own way, his gentle listening to each person who came, Catholic, Non-Catholic, Non-Christians, even Atheists, led to his quickly becoming known wherever he was assigned. His heart went out to all. He would listen, pray with them, suggest some "work" they could do for another to "thank God ahead of time." Like Jesus, he saw each person as loved by God and called to share in God’s life. 

Hundred's of people attributed his intercession to seemingly inexplicable spiritual reformations and physical cures, but it was his boundless charity and luminous goodness that won him countless hearts  to Christ.  In May 2017, Pope Francis recognized a miracle performed through Venerable Solanus Casey and he is now known as Blessed Solanus Casey.  He is one step away from becoming a saint.

Father Mike Schmitz is the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth as well as the Chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He is the host of the widely popular podcasts, “Bible in a Year” and “The Catechism in a Year” produced by Ascension. Father Mike also offers weekly homilies on iTunes, Hallow, and bulldogCatholic.org and has appeared in programs for youth and young adults through Ascension Press, as well as through regular short video messages on Ascension Presents. 

The name Bulldog Catholic is based on the bulldog mascot for the university's sports teams.  The mascot's name is Champ.   A Bulldog is described as friendly, courageous and calm. The term bulldog is also a complimentary English idiom for somebody who's tough, tenacious and gets things done, especially in the face of adversity.  Sounds like we should all strive to be Bulldog Catholics and Champs in faith.  

Fr. Mike is well known for his podcasts and videos on faith, pop culture and headline reflections.  His popular YouTube videos are released weekly on the Ascension Presents YouTube channel , and they are also available on the Ascension website .  Below is a link to  the podcasts and videos on the Ascension website. 

Everything at Ascension is aimed to help Catholics have an encounter with the living God. With their bible studies, sacramental prep programs, Q&A styled books and free online videos, everything has been focused on that encounter.  As Jesus stated in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them".  All of their programs are based on that promise … that God will be present whenever a group is meeting in the name of Jesus.

Per Ascension, access to the Bible and Catechism text, daily readings and reflections, as well as audio for Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year will all remain free and available without signing up for a subscription.  They do encourage donations to Ascension Free Media, which supports their mission of bringing the good news to all those searching for God.

Loyola Press Mission Statement:  In the spirit of Saint Ignatius of Loyola who points us always to personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and in response to those we serve, we create books and multi-media products that facilitate transformative experiences of God so that people of all ages can lead holy and purposeful lives with and for others. 

Their website is a great source of information to enhance your prayer life.  They offer information on traditional catholic prayers, contemporary prayers, children's prayers, family prayers and personal prayers.  They also invite you to take a short break each day right at your computer for their 3-minute retreats.  You can use the link below to explore all they have to offer.

 St. Paul Street Evangelization (SPSE) is a grassroots, non-profit organization, dedicated to responding to the mandate of Jesus to preach the Gospel to all nations by taking the Catholic Faith to the streets. Christ’s call to evangelize was made to every Catholic Christian. As an on-the-street Catholic evangelization organization, St. Paul Street Evangelization provides an avenue for people to share the Person of Jesus Christ and the truth and beauty of the Catholic Faith with a hungry culture.   

Our mission: To train, equip, and mobilize Catholics for the urgent work of evangelization. Especially for the proclamation of the gospel in the public square. 

Founded in May 2012, St. Paul Street Evangelization provides the tools and resources for Catholics to engage the culture in a simple, non-confrontational method of evangelization which involves making themselves available to the public to answer questions about the faith and to pray with those who request it. SPSE has had tremendous growth and now has teams throughout the United States and the world.   You can use the link below to find out more information about this organization.