Msgr. Michael Clay gives keynote, Bishop Ricken announces new phase in strategic plan
By William Van de Planque | On Mission
GREEN BAY, WI — Diocesan employees, priests, deacons, religious, parish and school staff, lay volunteer leaders, parish councils and trustee members from across the Diocese of Green Bay gathered at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
Nearly 1,000 diocesan leaders, including 93 priests, registered for the event. Twenty exhibitors were represented, including diocesan mission teams, Catholic bookstores, religious orders, healthcare organizations, a retreat center, and an assisted living facility, among others.
The focus of the day’s events was encountering Jesus Christ on one’s pilgrim journey and discovering the hope that is found in him.
The day began with Mass and was followed by keynote sessions and a presentation from Bishop David Ricken about diocesan goals, with breakout sessions in between.
Msgr. Michael Clay, who is a priest from the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina, was the keynote speaker for the day.
Msgr. Clay holds a doctorate in theology from The Catholic University of America and is internationally recognized for his expertise on the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). He recently launched a website, harvest4God.com, to assist rural and small-town ministers with resources to implement the catechumenate.
His first keynote session was centered on the gift of faith and how, by knowing who Jesus truly is, one comes to know who they truly are.
“We cannot give what we do not possess,” said Msgr. Clay, emphasizing the need for internal nurturing of faith before effectively sharing Jesus with others.
There were seven morning and afternoon breakout sessions, each focused on encountering and sharing Jesus within different aspects of the human experience, such as work, relationships, beauty, the Word, the Truth and goodness. There were also Spanish morning and afternoon breakout sessions.
Msgr. Clay’s second keynote session focused on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, a gift all Christians receive at the sacrament of Baptism. He spoke of the importance of developing a relationship with the Holy Spirit and the charisms — special abilities to do God’s work — that emerge from that relationship.
During Bishop Ricken’s presentation before the final breakout session of the day, he said, “I would like to share some of that good news of what’s happening in the diocese.”
A significant piece of data Bishop Ricken shared was that 35 parishes in the Diocese of Green Bay have now exceeded or superseded pre-COVID Mass attendance numbers.
After thanking all of the parish, school, and diocesan leaders present, Bishop Ricken announced his new pastoral letter, “which will serve as a guide for the next few years,” he said.
Bishop Ricken’s upcoming pastoral letter will be centered on sharing Jesus with others, an advancement for the faithful from the theme of his previous pastoral letter on encountering Jesus in the Eucharist.
Save the date: The 2026 Day of Encounter with the Holy Spirit is scheduled for Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the KI Convention Center, Green Bay.