Father Michael 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. After attending the Saint Paul Seminary and being ordained in 2003, Father Mike offers weekly homilies on iTunes & bulldogCatholic and has appeared in programs for youth and young adults through Ascension Press, as well as through regular short video messages on Ascension Presents and the Host of the Bible in a Year Podcast featuring Jeff Cavins.

"To be alive is to grow.  To grow is to change.  And to change is to be faced with adversity, engage with it, and overcome it.  Jesus Christ has made it clear that those who belong to Him would face difficulties, suffering, and challenges.  In fact, it is the default situation of all our lives that we encounter obstacles.  The Christian is the one who knows how to engage with the obstacles, call out to the Lord in the midst of obstacles, and transform those obstacles into opportunities."