‘To the Heights’ young adult retreat held at Camp Tekakwitha with listening session
SHAWANO, WI — Bishop David Ricken joined young adults from across the diocese for a listening session at a diocesan young adult retreat, “To the Heights,” at Camp Tekakwitha on the morning of Saturday, January 24, 2026.
Representatives from the Diocese of Green Bay, including Bishop Ricken, engaged in in-depth conversations with young adults about how they interact with the local Church and how the Church and their parishes can better serve them. The listening session and the retreat were facilitated and organized by the Office of Evangelizing Catechesis at the Diocese of Green Bay.
With over 25 participants, the retreat was an opportunity for young adults to spend quality time in a faith-filled community, deepen their relationship with God and grow in their understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ and share Jesus with others.
To see more photos, click here: onmiss.io/totheheights.
St. Thomas Aquinas Academy celebrates 150 years with Bishop Ricken
MARINETTE, WI — Bishop David Ricken visited St. Thomas Aquinas Academy, the oldest parochial school in the diocese, during Catholic Schools Week and celebrated Mass to commemorate its 150th anniversary on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
Mass was celebrated in the high school gymnasium with all students, faculty, staff and many alumni and local supporters, including the local Knights of Columbus, present to recognize this milestone.
It was also feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of the school.
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St. Ignatius Catholic School recommended in 2025-26 edition of The Newman Guide
KAUKAUNA, WI — For the first time, The Newman Guide is recommending elementary schools, secondary schools, and graduate programs in addition to colleges. Families seeking faithful Catholic education can now order the 2025-26 edition in digest-sized print format or request the free digital e-book version.
Catholic families have relied on The Cardinal Newman Society’s The Newman Guide for nearly two decades to help navigate the college search and discover faithful colleges that begin with the truth of Christ in all subject matter and form the whole person for God.
With this new edition, families can find a seamless path of faithful Catholic education from kindergarten through graduate school , safely navigating the many educational options available today. Among the institutions recommended in the 2025-26 edition is St. Ignatius Catholic School in Kaukauna.
“We used The Newman Guide to find a college for our oldest son. I am thankful we did. Knowing we can rely on The Newman Guide for his younger siblings to ensure faithful formation and a rigorous intellectual education is a blessing for our family and the entire Church, especially given today’s culture,” said Paul Pagano, a Catholic husband and father of eight, from New Jersey.
The 2025-26 edition explains the importance of a Newman Guide Recommended education for the formation of young people in faith, virtue, and wisdom. It then recommends 28 elementary and secondary schools, 25 colleges, and 55 graduate programs for faithful Catholic formation.
Kelly Salomon, vice president of Newman Guide Programs at The Cardinal Newman Society, says The Newman Guide’s list of elementary and secondary schools is growing rapidly, as more schools seek the coveted Newman Guide Recommended seal and join the Newman Guide Network to connect with like-minded families and faithful institutions nationwide.
Becoming a Newman Guide Recommended school, college, or graduate program requires a thorough review for compliance with The Newman Guide policy and curriculum standards, ensuring fidelity to Catholic teaching and the mission of Catholic education.
The Cardinal Newman Society will work with educators who are serious about achieving
Newman Guide recognition. According to Salomon, The Newman Guide standards not only uphold Catholic identity but also protect educators’ religious freedom from legal threats and the influence of false ideology. While there is a wide variety of approaches to Catholic education, the key to The Newman Guide, as Pope Leo XIV says in “Drawing New Maps of Hope,” is to preserve the central focus on evangelization in fidelity to Catholic teaching and practice.
The Newman Guide Network of education at all levels is swiftly expanding and includes
the brightest stars in what Pope Leo calls the Catholic educational “constellation.”
To order The Newman Guide in print or request the free e-book version, or to inquire about achieving Newman Guide Recommended status for a school, college, or graduate program, please visit CardinalNewmanSociety.org/Guide.