Meet Brady

Meet Brady: a religious education student impacted by your gift to the Bishop’s Appeal.

Brady is a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in De Pere.  He was a normal 17-year-old. He enjoyed baseball, hanging out with friends, and playing video games.  A relationship with Jesus, however, wasn’t at the top of his list.

Brady went through the motions during prayer.  He attended Mass on Sunday mornings because it was expected.  Brady planned to become confirmed, so he could be viewed as an adult in his parish.  He practiced his faith, but he wasn’t on fire for it.

That changed thanks to Traci LaCrosse: Brady’s faith formation coordinator at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.

“I grew up going to Church, but I was going through the motions. My faith really grew when I got to know Traci during Confirmation prep last year,” said Brady.

Your gift to the Bishop’s Appeal provides training, support, and resources from the Diocesan Office of Evangelizing Catechesis for religious educators like Traci.  This training equipped her to help Brady and more children at Our Lady of Lourdes become passionate about their faith.

Traci’s training also included a development day at St. Denis Parish.  This development day included Mass, presentations, breakout sessions, fellowship, and more to equip educators as they share Jesus with the youth in our parishes.  Traci attributes the parish religious education program’s success to the Diocese’s help, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish’s support, and the grace of God.

“The training and resources the Diocese provides makes my job so much easier, so I can focus on bringing more kids to Jesus.  I am grateful to the Diocese for supporting my training, and I am thankful to be able to receive mentorship and help from Kately Javier when I need it.”

Thanks to Kately Javier from the diocesan Office of Evangelizing Catechesis, hundreds of catechists receive the resources and support they need to give young people like Brady hope.

“Working with leaders like Traci is such an honor and joy. She is an excellent leader, and a joyful witness of the faith to the people at Our Lady of Lourdes.  Traci is a true inspiration for many children, young people, and adults in our Diocese as they pursue a friendship with Jesus. It is wonderful to see the amazing impact she has as she continues to work to build the Kingdom here, in our local church,” said Kately.

The training Traci received helped her connect with and empower more young people like Brady to grow in their Catholic faith.  For Brady, Traci’s support during COVID was when his faith became on fire.

As classes were carried out via Zoom, Brady had the opportunity to connect with Traci more frequently, finding her kindness and openness to help young people with their faith inspiring.

“Traci’s the nicest person. You can have a conversation with her about anything. She’s all there for you,” said Brady. “The little things she does are what impacted me so much: helping me go through the Bible, finding prayers to say, and working with students one-on-one.”

As classes shifted from Zoom to in person once again, Brady continued to seek guidance from Traci.  He would ask her for help selecting Bible verses for weekly prayer and questions to help him as he got closer to Confirmation.

The retreats Traci organized and held for Brady and his friends were the most impactful part of Brady’s faith journey.

“She was so accommodating and helpful.  We had so much we had to do for Confirmation, and she made it easy and fun. She checked in with me and my friends and made sure we knew the responsibility we were taking on by getting confirmed. She pushed us to think deeper and answer questions we never thought to ask ourselves. I realized how important it is for me to have a relationship with God and how that would continue to strengthen my faith. Traci is the reason I realized I wanted to be a stronger Catholic,” said Brady.

Because of your gift to the Bishop’s Appeal, Traci has been given the training and help she needs to support more children like Brady become on fire for Jesus.

“Your gifts to the Bishop’s Appeal help me have the tools and support I need to encourage kids like Brady to strengthen their faith.  I am blessed to be able to help children discover Jesus. Your support is what makes this work possible,” Traci shared.

Brady was confirmed by Bishop Ricken on October 23, 2024, at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.  As he finishes his senior year of high school, he is eager to bring his faith to college and share it with more people.

Because of your support of the Bishop’s Appeal, more than 13,000 children across the 16 counties of northeastern Wisconsin are becoming energized and excited about their faith.  Religious educators can only make this happen thanks to your incredible generosity.

“Please support the Bishop’s Appeal. It’s important because your gift is helping people grow closer to God, the Bible, and their faith. You help religious educators make someone a better person overall: you’re giving kids faith and hope for their future.  You gave me hope. You changed my life,” Brady shared.

Help more kids like Brady, and make your gift to the Bishop’s Appeal today.