Tag Archives: Marie Bricher

Angel Thursday Rundown

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If you read one of my blog posts from earlier this week, you know how much I love October! So far, just three days into the month, it is living up to its billing. Hopefully this latest Thursday Rundown will live up to its billing as well. Here we go…

Angels – Once a month, our parish hosts Family Faith Night. These events revolve around a single topic and include lessons, food, games, and fellowship. This past Saturday, our Director of Religious Education Marie Bricher presented “Angel Flight Academy,” an evening all about angels. It was so enlightening to learn about these spiritual beings and how they help and protect us every single day. Although the content was superb, Beau’s favorite part was decorating the homemade angel food cake that was cut into—you guessed it—angels.

Beau and Sloan having a great time at St. Mary’s angel-themed Family Faith Night.

Mr. McMahon – Even for someone who doesn’t typically binge shows like myself, it took me very little time to rip through the six episodes in the Netflix documentary series “Mr. McMahon.” The episodes resonated with me because throughout my childhood I was a big professional wrestling fan so it packed a lot of nostalgia. Besides learning about some of the truly despicable things done by Vince McMahon, I was also surprised by how obsessed he was with success and the lengths he would go to “win.” It was really interesting hearing insight from Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Dwayne Johnson, The Undertaker, and more. Also, all of the footage incorporated into the documentary will have you traveling down memory lane. If you are/were a pro wrestling fan or if business interests you, I recommend “Mr. McMahon.”

Vince McMahon is a complex and win-at-all-costs person.

Friday Night Lights – This past Friday I had the thrill of attending my first high school football game of the fall. And it wasn’t just any football game, it was the Battle of the Bell rivalry game between the two high schools in the Mead School District—Mead High School and Mt. Spokane High School. As an alumnus of both Mead High School and its football program, I naturally cheered for my Panthers. In front of 6,000+ people on a beautiful evening, Mead defeated Mt. Spokane, 27-7. The victory nudged Mead ahead in the overall head-to-head record as the Panthers now lead the Wildcats 14-13 in the rivalry.

It was a beautiful scene at Union Stadium as Mead High School defeated Mt. Spokane High School in the 2024 Battle of the Bell.

Social Circle – One thing I miss from earlier in my career was the chance to work on a campus television show. This month marks 10 years since we launched Coastal Now, the revamped campus show at Coastal Carolina University. When we debuted the fresh version a decade ago, it was a breath of fresh air as we used a digital-first blueprint that was popular in pop culture at the time. The launch of Coastal Now included a segment that was written and delivered by me. Called the Social Circle, I was able to highlight the cool stuff our social media program was doing. To see that first Social Circle segment, tap here.

Me on set of Coastal Now.

Reading Rainbow – It is always ideal when I can end with something fun and wholesome. My niece, Olivia, was born last May. Not even six months yet, she is already starting to follow in the footsteps of her niece when it comes to reading prowess. Last Sunday when everyone was over at my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, I had the pleasure of reading “Five Little Pumpkins” to her. She was engaged the entire time and my brother (Olivia’s dad) managed to take this special candid shot.

I read a book to Olivia while her Aunt Sidney holds her and cousin John looks on.

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Thanks for taking time to read Don’t Blink. Hope your enjoy your first October weekend. Don’t Blink.

Training to be Cathletes

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We are in the midst of that very special week that always comes around during the latter half of June: Catholic Summer Camp!

This year the theme at St. Mary is Cathletics: Training to be Champions of Christ. The goal of this year’s camp is to focus on the Commandments, Beatitudes, and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. As you can imagine, Sloan is working hard to be the best Cathlete that she can.

The theme for this year’s Catholic Summer Camp at St. Mary is Cathletics.

Because it just wouldn’t be right otherwise, this year’s Cathletics theme is playing off the Olympics. Walk in the gym and you will see the six rings everywhere. There is even an Olympics-inspired photo backdrop available.

Sloan wearing her Catholic Summer Camp “Cathletics” t-shirt.

But the Olympics angle was executed to perfection on Sunday evening. That was when the “opening ceremony” was held. Mass was said at 5 p.m. and then all campers and families converged in the gym for a pizza dinner followed by the parade of nations. The parade took the form of camp volunteers marching around the gym holding portraits of saints from all around the world. Then the really cool part occurred. Kevin Schultz, the 8th grade teacher at St. Mary Catholic School, constructed a gigantic monstrance that doubles as an Olympic cauldron. To conclude the opening ceremony on Sunday night, a “torch bearer” (aka random parent) performed the honor of “lighting” the monstrance/cauldron (the “flame” is fan-powered orange paper).

This monstrance was constructed by St. Mary Catholic School teacher Kevin Schultz.

The flame has shined brightly ever since. Over the past three days, Sloan and her fellow campers have made crafts, learned songs, danced their hearts out, watched skits, played games, and—most importantly—ate snacks. Oh wait, that has not been the most important part. Rather, it has been nurturing their relationship with God and becoming more familiar with the graces he has given us.

Volunteers parade around the gym with photos of the saints during the opening ceremony for the St. Mary Cathletics Catholic Summer Camp.

Perhaps the only aspect of camp that is more on fire than the cauldron itself is the enthusiasm of Marie Bricher. She is once again leading the week as she never ceases to amaze me by her creativity, attention to detail, gift for teaching, and love of Jesus. Thanks for all you do, Marie!

Please pray for the campers and volunteers as they finish out the last two days of camp. For the most of us not attending the St. Mary Catholic Summer Camp, we can still train to be champions of Christ. Don’t Blink.

Saints Alive!

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A few days after dressing up for Halloween, Sloan and Beau put on different costumes. They ditched the witch and Spider-Man garb for something a little bit holier. Our children had the honor of dressing up as saints for the latest St. Mary Family Faith Night this past Saturday. Titled “Saints Alive,” the theme came on the heels of All Saints Day on November 1.

Sloan and a friend make a craft at the St. Mary Family Faith Night on Nov. 4. The theme was “Saints Alive.”

Sloan dressed up as the greatest saint of them all—St. Mary. Sid put the costume together and Sloan proudly carried her baby Jesus throughout the event.

Sloan poses for a photo before we went to Family Faith Night. Sid put together her St. Mary costume.

While Sloan depicted perhaps the most well-known saint, Beau portrayed one of the soon-to-be newest saints. He dressed up as Blessed Carlo, the patron saint of the internet.

Beau dressed up as Blessed Carlo Acutis. The favorite video game of Carlo was Mario Kart and he liked to play soccer. The paper Beau is holding contains a QR code linking to Carlo’s Eucharistic miracles website.

I was in charge of Beau’s costume and was so humbled to put it together. You see, the case of Carlo Acutis is a little different than what most people might think of when they hear the word “saint.” Carlo didn’t live 1,500 years ago, he wasn’t a clergy member, and he wasn’t a martyr. Rather, he was born in 1991, played video games, and liked to kick around the soccer ball.

Blessed Carlo…I mean Beau…throws a stuffed animal at the baskets that are situated in front of St. Francis of Assisi (patron saint of animals) at the St. Mary Family Faith Night.

In other words, he was relatable.

Blessed Carlo is sometimes referred to as “the first millennial saint.”

But just because he is a modern day individual who shared probably many similarities with us doesn’t mean he wasn’t holy to the bone. Carlo converted non-believers and non-practicing people to the faith (including his parents), he stuck up for the meek/vulnerable, and he had an incredible devotion to the Eucharistic among so many other things.

St. Carlo is the patron saint of the internet.

Carlo’s devotion to the Eucharistic spurned a huge part of his legacy. The computer genius documented the many Eucharistic miracles that exist and categorized them into a website. He then helped create panel presentations of these miracles that now travel around the world. Sidney and I have been blessed to see one of Carlo’s displays before.

Carlo Actuis during his beatification mass in 2020.

Like so many other beatified people and saints, Carlo would die young. The grace and bravery with which he handled his bout with leukemia is nothing short of inspiring and holy. When asked about the pain, he simply said “There are people who suffer much more than me.” Carlo died at 15.

Beau reels in a catch at St. Peter’s Fishing Hole.

To have a slated saint like Carlo is so beneficial to my children. When we watched a story on Carlo the other night, tears filled the eyes of Sloan. He not only resonates with my kids, he inspires them to be saints as well. And you know what? He does the same for me, too.

Sloan holds the doll she convinced to play Baby Jesus at the St. Mary Family Faith Night.

Thank you to Marie Bricher and St. Mary Catholic Church for offering such an awesome evening. May all the saints pray for us. Don’t Blink.

A Wilderness Adventure For Sloan

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That special week in the early summer is here: Catholic Summer Camp! On Sunday night, the kickoff event for this year’s event was held on the St. Mary campus. We attended mass, ate dinner, and learned about this year’s theme…

This year’s Catholic Summer Camp theme at St. Mary in Spokane Valley is Wilderness Adventure Through the Sacraments.

For the next several days, Sloan is on a wilderness adventure. Or, to be specific, a Wilderness Adventure Through the Sacraments. The campers are taking each day to learn about 1-2 of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. For example, yesterday was baptism and today is Holy Eucharist.

Sloan loves going to camp! Each camper received a t-shirt that they wear each day. All first graders received green shirts.

As they learn about the sacraments, the kids are treated to all the fun stuff you would find at your typical vacation bible school: crafts, music, skits, games, and, most importantly…snacks! So the curriculum and the child-appeal factor are both definitely present.

Marie goes all out with everything she does. This photo backdrop that Sloan is posing in front of is awesome!

But what sets this camp apart from other vacation bible schools—both Catholic and non-Catholic? The answer is Marie Bricher. She is the camp director, which encompasses part of her role as St. Mary’s director of religious education. Marie goes absolutely all out for everything she does, including Catholic summer camp. You would be amazed at the decorations, organization, attention to detail, and enthusiasm she pours into this program. Most impressive of all, however, is how she can explain the content at a level that makes sense to elementary students.

Marie Bricher addresses campers, staff, and parents at the kickoff event inside the St. Mary gym. She is phenomenal at what she does.

And that special ability that Marie possesses is crucial, especially with this year’s theme, because nothing is more important than the sacraments. Ever wonder what makes being a Catholic so unique and why more than a billion people belong to the Church? It is because of these graces given to us by God. Needless to say, the sacraments is a topic that deserves the utmost attention and care when being explained to anyone—especially children—so it is such a comfort that not only is this year’s camp based on it but that someone of Marie’s caliber is leading the discussion on it.

All the decorations and props for this camp are so cool.

Sloan is on fire for this camp. She loved attending yesterday and I was impressed by all she told me about baptism when she returned home. What makes this year’s theme resonate even more is that in Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Catechism In A Year podcast we are currently right in the middle of the sacraments. He just finished baptism and is currently on confirmation. While Sloan is learning about the sacraments on a children’s level I am learning more about them on an adult level. Although two different modes of delivery are at play, Sloan and I are able to “compare notes” and know that we are still learning the same thing. How cool is that?!

Please pray for the campers, the volunteers, and Marie as they continue to go through this week. As Pope John Paul II said, “Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.” Don’t Blink.