‘Faith Fundamentals’ column by Father Van Sloun has a growing impact on readers

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When Father Michael Van Sloun was appointed pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka in 2001, he was committed to writing an article every week in the parish bulletin.  

In 2007, he became a contributor to The Catholic Spirit. He has contributed columns ever since. And Father Van Sloun has found that his column, “Faith Fundamentals,” has had a growing impact on readers, he told “Practicing Catholic” producer Rachael McCallum in a program set to air at 9 p.m. Feb. 14 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. 

Father Michael Van Sloun

“One of the things that means (the most) to me is that if I can help people grow their faith, that’s my purpose as a priest,” Father Van Sloun said. “If I can help people be closer to Jesus and practice their faith in a more dynamic way, that is very rewarding for me.” 

His heart aches as he realizes many people don’t know the fundamentals of the Church, Father Van Sloun said. 

“The documents of (the Second Vatican Council) say that the parents are the primary teachers of their children when it comes to matters of the faith,” Father Van Sloun said. “One of the things that makes my heart ache is that parents weren’t equipped to be able to do that in a good way. If we’re going to have the kids be well educated in the faith, the parents need to be well educated in the faith.” 

Father Van Sloun wanted to write columns that were down to earth, rather than complicated scholarly articles, so that parents could understand and pass the knowledge down to their children.  

“Parents and children are the primary goal that I have in terms of helping people grow in their faith,” Father Van Sloun said. “Right now, in The Catholic Spirit we’re doing a long series on the sacraments. … This is where people put faith.” 

Father Van Sloun said that because of this, the sacraments were a great topic for a series that now includes multiple articles about baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, confirmation, marriage and now holy orders. The series can be found at https://www.thecatholicspirit.com/faithfundamentals/. 

To hear more from Father Van Sloun about his beloved column, “Faith Fundamentals,” tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Feb. 15 and 2 p.m. Feb. 16. 

The program also includes a discussion with Lacy Apfelbeck of Edge of the Red Sea Ministries based in St. Francis about developing healthy coping mechanisms and leaning on God during difficult times. Also, Lauren Bakke of Catholic Softball Group shares her personal faith journey and her growing love of Christ.

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.

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