Fr. Dave Zimmer

Sometime last year, I received a complaint from some parishioners that stewardship is “getting old” for some people. For many who know me, you can imagine this made my heart sink. However, it also makes me wonder, with some concern — when did living a life of discipleship “get old”? I realize that something that […]

Recently, a little girl came into the confessional while no one was waiting their turn and handed me a stuffed doll that looked like Jesus. She quickly put out her request asking me to bless her “Jesus doll.” I told her I had never seen a Jesus doll, and took the 15-inch stuffed figure into […]

While springtime weather has arrived for pretty much the entire country, I can’t help but think about the long winter we had here in North Dakota, and how the hopefulness of spring begins each year around the middle of January. Although many don’t openly admit it, as mid-January approaches, we begin thinking that we are […]

I suppose I always knew the day would come when Msgr. Thomas McGread would “meet his mentor, inspiration and guide,” our Lord and Savior, face to face. Shouldn’t we all be anticipating and preparing for the moment, in spite of the fact we know not the day, nor the hour, He will call each of […]

I find that the stewardship way of life is often challenged by a “myth” that is very difficult to change. This myth provokes a misunderstanding of the term “stewardship,” and a pleasant expression is replaced by a tense one, which sets eyes rolling. Some “get it,” some don’t, and too many think of stewardship in […]

Renewal is something that some people easily embrace. Others are reluctant to accept it, and still others completely resist it out of fear, because “renewal” seems to always imply we may need to change something about ourselves. Change is always difficult, even when it comes to our spiritual lives. But deep down, we know it […]

Understanding stewardship involves an “attitude of gratitude.” Earlier this month, we as a country celebrated Veterans Day, an important holiday we celebrate each year with gratitude and appreciation for the men and women who have served our country in the military. As I thought about this year’s holiday, I couldn’t help but think about a […]

Recently, a classmate of mine informed me of an article he read in his diocesan newspaper written by a young writer named Christina Capecci, who lives in St. Paul, Minn., and writes a syndicated column on the national level. The column is titled, “Twenty Something” and can be found at www.ReadChristina.com. She is young Catholic […]

A few years ago, I was one of approximately 400 pilgrims who filled a meeting room, eager to hear one of the parish priests of St. James Church in the town of Medjugorje speak. When the priest spoke, he talked about the daily life in his parish—one that has become a host to millions of […]