No First Friday - November '08

There will be No First Friday Mass, Breakfast, or speaker for November, due to the close proximity of the Red Mass. We thank all of those who attended the Red Mass, and hope you will plan to join us for the upcoming Ethics CLE on 12/5/08.

August '08 First Friday - Vicki Thorn - Project Rachel

We are pleased to welcome Vicki Thorn as our guest speaker at the August '08 First Friday Gathering. Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

Ms. Thorn is the foundress of Project Rachel and the executive director of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation & Healing located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She served as the first Respect Life Director for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee from 1977 to 1988. She has a degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and a certificate in Spiritual Direction. She is a bereavement facilitator trained by the American Academy of Bereavement and a prenatal loss facilitator certified by Resolve Through Sharing Prenatal Loss. She also holds a certificate in Trauma Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is a long time member of the Association of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health.

Ms. Thorn is an international speaker and author on the topics of abortion’s aftermath in women, men and others as well as the process of post-abortion healing. She has spoken in Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Australia, New Zealand, Guam, Ukraine, Italy, Austria, Poland, Chile, Hong Kong and China. She is the primary author of the “The Priests Manual of Post-Abortion Ministry”, published by the Pro-Life Secretariat of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

More information about Ms. Thorn's work can be found in the following article in the the St. Anthony Messenger or from the website for the National Office for Post Abortion Reconciliation & Healing.

We look forward to seeing you there!

July '08 First Friday - (hiatus)

The Society maintains its traditional First Friday hiatus for the month of July as we celebrate our our Nation's independence.

June '08 First Friday - Dr. David Lodes - Catholic Schools & the Faith in Our Future program

Our speaker this month will be Dr. David Lodes, the Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Dr. Lodes will speak to us about the Strategic Plan for Faith in Our Future the Office of Schools and the impact of the program on that Plan.

The Faith in Our Future program is a campaign drive to attain $105 million to support the needs of the Archdiocese. A minimum of $6.85 million is for schools to fund development of best practices and strengthened accreditation standards, to enhance academic performance and professional development for teachers, the expansion of marketing/development services and grants for facility and technology needs.

Dr. Lodes has masters degrees in science (UW-Oshkosh) and education administration (UW-Milwaukee); and a PH.D from Marquette (Strategic Planning). Dr. Lodes began his education career as a science teacher (Chemistry, Physics, etc.). After serving as assistant principal and principal, he became superintendent of the Arrowhead School District, a position he maintained for fourteen years. During his tenure, the district grew from 800 to over 2300 students. In October, 2007, Dr. Lodes was named the Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

May '08 First Friday - Fr. Harak - MU Center for Peacemaking

The speaker for our discussion group will be Fr. Simon Harak, S.J. Fr. Harak is the director of the recently created Marquette University Center for Peacemaking. Fr. Harak will speak about the Center and related issues.

An interview with Fr. Harak which appeared in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in November, 2007 may also be of interest.

Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

April '08 First Friday - St. Anthony's School and School Choice

Our speaker this month is Terry Brown, who is the President of St. Anthony's School and will speak to us about the school and about the state of the school choice program in Milwaukee. With 1,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, St. Anthony's is the largest grade school in Milwaukee -- including MPS schools. It is the largest school in the voucher program, and one of the largest Catholic grade schools in the country.

For more information, see the recent Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story on Terry Brown's stewardship of St. Anthony's School.

Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

March '08 First Friday - Kevin O'Brien - Men of Christ Catholic Conference

We are pleased to announce that our First Friday speaker this month is Kevin O'Brien. Kevin is the founder and president of the Men of Christ Catholic Conference, Inc. (Website link) which is the organization that sponsored last weekend's Men of Christ Conference for 3000 men at State Fair Park. Kevin is a former NFL linebacker who refound his faith after he left professional football. Drawing on his experience in organizing a men's conference in Massachusetts, Kevin and a small group of friends hosted the first Men of Christ Conference in February of 2007. The organization has grown since the first conference and is presently reaching out to assist groups presenting men's programs in other locations. Kevin is passionate about this ministry and is an engaging speaker.

An article describing Kevin and his vision for the Men of Christ mission appeared in the Catholic Herald on February 21, 2008. The February 28, 2008 issue of the Catholic Herald contains an article reporting on the 2008 conference (Weblink).

See also, 2/23/08 JSOnlne Article; and, the Men of Christ website.

Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

February '08 First Friday - Fr. Nathan Reeseman - "Catechism and Coffee"

On December 7, 2007 our First Friday gathering will again meet - Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

Our guest celebrant and speaker for February is Fr. Nathan Reesman. Fr. Reesman serves as the Associate Pastor of St. Mary's Visitation Parish in Elm Grove. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Fr. Reesman was ordained in May, 2006, and is the youngest priest in the Milwaukee Archdiocese. A dynamic and engaging speaker, Fr. Reesman developed the highly successful "Catechism and Cocktails" program at St. Mary's this summer. For the First Friday discussion, Fr. Reesman will speak on vocations and will reprise the Q&A format of "Catechism and Cocktails" -- call it "Catechism and Coffee". Fr. Reesman will be ready to field any questions you ever wanted to ask a priest.

December '07 First Friday - Paul Hohl - School Choice and the state of religious & Catholic primary instruction

On December 7, 2007 our First Friday gathering will again meet - Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

Our speaker is Mr. Paul Hohl. Mr. Hohl is the Principal of St. Sebastian School in Milwaukee. He will speak to us on the impact of school choice on religious instruction, and the state of Catholic grade school education in general.

November '07 First Friday - Freemasonry and the Catholic Church

Our First Friday Speaker for this Friday, November 2, 2007 is Attorney John Salza. Mr. Salza will speak about "Freemasonry and the Catholic Church". A short biography of Mr. Salza appears below.

Mass will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells), with the speaker / discussion to follow (roughly 8-9am). For more information see our First Friday page.

John Salza was baptized Catholic and attended Catholic grade school and high school. He grew up having a strong relationship with God. However, during his college years, John began to pursue secular interests and grew lukewarm in his faith. After he graduated from law school, a family member introduced John to Freemasonry. The Masonic Lodge was presented to John as a means of establishing special contacts in the business world. As a young attorney, such an idea appealed to John. John also had no idea that the Catholic Church opposed his membership in the Lodge. However, upon discovering this fact, John quit the Lodge.

Since 1999, John has been a well-respected and highly-skilled Catholic apologist. He is the author of the following books by Our Sunday Visitor: The Biblical Basis for the Catholic Faith (2005); Masonry Unmasked: An Insider Reveals the Secrets of the Lodge (2006); The Biblical Basis for the Papacy (2007); and, The Biblical Basis for the Eucharist (2008). John is a frequent speaker on Catholic radio, appearing on such shows as Catholic Answers Live, Kresta in the Afternoon, and The Drew Mariani Show. John also has his own radio show on Relevant Radio called “Relevant Answers,” a daily apologetics spot on how to explain and defend the Catholic faith using the Bible. John is the creator of www.ScriptureCatholic.com, one of the most popular Catholic apologetics sites on the Internet. John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and a Doctor of Law degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Wisconsin Law School. John is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the American Catholic Lawyers Association, the National Italian-American Bar Association, the Justinian Society of Lawyers, and the Saint Joseph’s Society.

October '07 First Friday - Prof. Christopher Wolfe - On founding a new catholic university

We were pleased this month to have Prof. Wolfe of Marquette University as our featured speaker for the October '07 First Friday gathering. As described in the recent Journal-Sentinel article linked above, Prof. Wolfe has undertaken an effort to establish a new university based upon the teachings and intellectual approach of Thomas Aquinas.

See this previous post for general information about First Friday, including location, times, directions, etc.

August '07 First Friday - Ron Zeilinger - Catholic Prison Ministry

First Friday resumes this August 3, 2007. We will offer mass at 7:30am, followed by our featured speaker at 8:00am, Ron Zeilinger. Ron is founder and executive director of Dismas Ministry, a Catholic outreach whose mission includes outreach to Catholic inmates in local, state and federal prisons. Begun in 2000 in Wisconsin, it has grown to include 30 states and over 400 jails and prisons in its area of service. Mr. Zeilinger will speak on Catholic prison ministry and its effect on the lives of inmates.

See this previous post for general information about First Friday

July '07 First Friday - (hiatus)

The Society maintains its traditional First Friday hiatus for the month of July as we celebrate our our Nation's independence.

June '07 First Friday - The Mission of Catholic Charities

Our speaker this month will be Hannah Dugan, Executive Director of Catholic Charities who was recently appointed to this position by Archbishop Dolan in January. After graduating from University of Wisconsin Law School in 1987 Hannah spent 19 years with Legal Aid Society of Wisconsin and then Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee representing low-income families. She will speak on the mission and strategies of Catholic Charities.

As usual, the St. Thomas More Lawyers Society of Wisconsin First Friday Group will meet Friday, June 1, 2007. Mass will begin at 7:30 A.M. in the Chapel of the Holy Family located on the 2nd floor of the Marquette Memorial Union (15th and Wells). Mass will be followed by a meeting and discussion from 8:00 - 9:00 A.M. over a continental breakfast (suggested donation $4.00). Parking is available on Wells Street or in one of the nearby campus lots.

May '07 First Friday - Franciscan Spirituality at Cardinal Stritch

Our speaker is Sr. Mary Lea Schneider, OSF, President of Cardinal Stritch
University, who will offer a reflection on how Franciscan spirituality
guides the initiatives of Cardinal Stritch with a description of some of the
key initiatives.

See this previous post for general information about First Friday.

April '07 First Friday

First Friday was not held this month as it fell on Good Friday.

First Friday - General Information

The Society holds it's "First Friday" mass and discussion group at 7:30am on the first Friday of each month in the Chapel of the Holy Family, which is located in Marquette University's Alumni Memorial Union. The discussion runs from 8:00 - 9:00am following the mass, and is is held over continental breakfast (suggested donation $4). Guest speakers frequently provide expertise on various contemporary issues that arise in the modern world and confront people of faith in their lives as well as in the practice of law.

The Union is located at the heart of the Marquette University Campus, bordered on the north and south by W. Wells and W. Wisconsin Avenues, between 13th and 14th Streets. Metered parking is generally available on Wells St. , and may also be available in one of the neighboring University Parking lots. For directions and maps click here (MU Campus maps and directions), or here (Yahoo! Maps).