Ten years ago, I was driving a rental car in a European country. I landed in Brussels, Belgium, as a private pilgrim and intended to visit several Marian shrines. The focus of my trip was to research the title of Our Lady, Notre Dame de Bon Secours (Our Lady of Good Help) and I was going to visit a Basilica and churches dedicated to that title. I was blessed to have the time and opportunity to visit Belgium’s two Marian apparitions in the villages of Beauraing and Banneux.  In fact, I was visiting Beauraing on the anniversary of the final Marian apparition. As I drove to the village, I di ..read more

With the upcoming feast of the Epiphany, and this being the last edition of The Compass, it feels appropriate that we acknowledge our Compass staff. Since 1978, they have manifested in print the Word of God made flesh through its pages. Our gratitude to them and may many blessings accompany each of them on their daily path. It is so easy to overlook the manifestation of good things in our lives. Twenty-two years ago, my landlord planted a five-foot Fir tree in the backyard. That first Christmas I wrapped it in 100 blue lights. This year “Big Blue” towers at 25-plus feet and I had to hire a com ..read more

GREEN BAY — Over 67 years, the diocese has been served by three newspapers and a magazine/newspaper hybrid. The bimonthly On Mission magazine began in November of this year. The Green Bay Register was founded in 1956, followed by The Spirit newspaper in 1970 and, for one year (1977-78), The Spirit magazine. The Green Bay Catholic Compass followed in 1978. Many people have served these papers, including several editors — from Fr. Orville Janssen (founding editor) to Sam Lucero (news and information manager until 2022). Some of these editors have died. Others were not able to respond to our requ ..read more

GREEN BAY — The Compass newspaper closes with its final issue on Dec. 29, 2023. It will be succeeded by On Mission magazine, a bimonthly periodical that debuted with its November/December 2023 issue. With this transition, it seems a good time to look back not only on The Compass’ history from 1978 to 2023, but also on the print publications that preceded it. The Green Bay Register made its debut, the leadership of Fr. Orville Janssen in 1956. The founding publisher was Bishop Stanislaus Bona. However, The Register was not the first newspaper in the Diocese of Green Bay. That honor dates to the ..read more

Did you know that fruitcake helped build a cathedral in Germany? No, not by using cakes for the bricks — as the joke might go. It was more about something called the “Butter Letter.” More on that later, but first a little history on what we know today as a brandy- or rum-soaked, sugar-loaded, fruit-laden cake sold by several monasteries in the United States and known by many names and recipes across Europe. While some historians date fruitcake to the ancient Egyptians who put preserved cakes inside the tombs of their families, fruitcake as we know it would more properly date to ancient Rome. S ..read more

I have been abundantly blessed to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with subscribers because of the incredibly hard-working folks who have made up the staff of The Compass during my tenure. Our Communications Directors — Tony Kuick (deceased), Renae Bauer, Deacon Ray Dubois and Justine Lodl; News and Information Manager — Sam Lucero; Associate Editors — Patricia Kasten and Jeff Kurowski; Graphic Designers — Katie Jagiello, Donna Mleziva, Rachel Cunningham and Sue Simoens; Advertising Manager — Amy Kawula; and Administrative Assistants — Barb Gauthier and Lynn Mullins. And I would be remiss i ..read more

On many a New Year’s Eve, I’ve visited Menasha for its Ball Drop and fireworks. When Appleton had fireworks on New Year’s Eve, I went there, too. To me, those shining star displays always seem a great way to start a new year. One of the first articles I ever wrote for a newspaper was about fireworks. I interviewed a Wisconsin- based, family-owned pyrotechnics company, learning how fireworks are made, packed safely into mortars and shot into the nighttime sky. It was fascinating. As The Compass draws to close, — it’s almost New Year’s Eve again — I am thinking about fireworks. Looking back on a ..read more

When I started at The Compass in 1997, I filed my copy of each issue in a large drawer according to the cover date. As the drawer filled up, I realized that I needed a different plan. The issues are archived, so it wasn’t necessary to keep each copy. The drawer eventually became storage for select issues that I decided to save. The ending of The Compass is cause for reflection, so I pulled out some of those old issues from the drawer. I don’t know why I chose to save a few of them. Nothing jumps out at me in some issues when scanning the pages. Others bring back very fond memories. One of the ..read more

When the Christmas cards begin to arrive in December there is almost always one with a family portrait of the senders. Everyone in the picture is dressed in their best clothing; not a hair out of place; all smiles, broad and inviting. Also, some cards portray the Holy Family as similarly idealized; Jesus, Mary and Joseph are beautifully perfect. It is important to have such idealized pictures of our friends and family and of the Holy Family. Day-to-day life, however, is quite different. All families, even the Holy Family, live with joys and sorrows, day-to-day tasks, and friends and neighbors ..read more

We don’t have royal proclamations in the United States. Many of us, though, may remember the “Principal Proclamation” on Sept. 10, 2022, when Prince Charles was proclaimed “King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” Few if any of us were there for the event. However, you will be able to hear another royal proclamation on Christmas Eve if you attend the Christmas Mass at Night or Vespers for Dec. 24. (Vespers is evening prayer for the Liturgy of the Hours.) The “Proclamation of the Birth of Christ” is read each Christmas Eve from the Roman Martyrology — which lists the s ..read more