The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Day 313: Ownership of Goods (2026)

Beginning our look at the seventh commandment, the Catechism focuses on the universal destination of goods and the private ownership of goods. Fr. Mike helps us understan

Day 312: Polygamy, Incest, and Free Union (2026)

The Catechism continues on with other offenses against the dignity of marriage and concludes our look at the sixth commandment. Polygamy, incest, sexual abuse, and free u

Day 311: Adultery and Divorce (2026)

The Catechism goes into detail about offenses against the dignity of marriage. The two topics we look at are adultery and divorce. These sins against marriage are not iso

Day 310: The Gift of a Child (2026)

Children are a gift from God. Children have integrity and rights. With these key principles in mind, Fr. Mike reviews the Catechism’s teachings about marriage, family, ch

Day 309: Faithful and Fruitful Marriage (2026)

Married love has an “innate language” of total and mutual self-giving. This language expresses itself in the marital act of sexual intimacy. Marital love mirrors God’s lo

Day 308: Same-Sex Attraction (2026)

Fr. Mike guides us through the Catechism’s discussion of same-sex attraction. He highlights that all of the Church’s teachings on sexuality stem from her embrace of God’s

Day 307: Offenses Against Chastity (2026)

What is God's intended purpose for our sexuality? We confront several significant transgressions that hinder this design. These offenses include lust, the consumption of

Day 306: Gift of Self (2026)

What are the different types of chastity? We learn chastity is "a school of the gift of the person." Mastering ourselves enables us to gift ourselves to another. Fr. Mike

Day 305: The Call to Chastity (2026)

We are all called to the virtue of chastity, which integrates our sexuality within the fullness of our person. Chastity trains us in freedom, teaching us how to direct an

Day 304: Male and Female (2026)

Why did God create us male and female? We begin our journey through the sixth commandment by learning about the meaning of human sexuality and the complementarity between

Day 303: Summary of the Fifth Commandment (2026)

The Church offers us a consistent ethic of life from the moment of conception until death. In today’s “Nugget Day,” we review the main takeaways from our readings about t

Day 302: War (2026)

The Church urges us to pray and work for peace to avoid the evils and injustices of war. Because we live in a broken world, the Church also offers guidance on approaching

Day 301: Peace (2026)

Peace is not simply an absence of war. Fr. Mike breaks down the Catechism’s teachings about peace as the "work of justice and the effect of charity.” We learn that to cul

Day 300: Science, Bodily Integrity, and the Dead (2026)

The Catechism looks at matters relating to scientific research, bodily integrity, and the dead with the lens of the dignity of the human person. Fr. Mike helps us navigat

Day 299: Respect for Health (2026)

Our health is a gift from God, and so we have a responsibility to care for it. Fr. Mike emphasizes the importance of caring for our health while also explaining that we c

Day 298: Respect for Others (2026)

We have seen how harming ourselves or others physically is a violation of the fifth commandment, but how can causing harm to another’s virtue or integrity violate this co

Day 297: The Cross of Suicide (2026)

"The cross of suicide is a violation of the fifth commandment that, tragically, many of us have been impacted by in our world today. Fr. Mike explains that we are steward

Day 296: The Sin of Euthanasia (2026)

We continue our examination of the fifth commandment, taking a closer look at the sin of euthanasia. Fr. Mike emphasizes that whatever the motive, the action of ending a

Day 295: The Wound of Abortion (2026)

Together, with Fr. Mike, we examine the wound of abortion. Fr. Mike emphasizes that all human life deserves protection, especially the unborn, but he also emphasizes the

Day 294: Homicide (2026)

Continuing our examination of the fifth commandment, we look at various ways in which one may sin against this commandment as it relates to homicide. The Catechism addres