Ryan Franz

June 2023

What does a life of faith look like? For third-generation Sacred Heart parishioner Ryan Franz, it’s all about habits. Ryan strives to keep God at the center of his life by carving out time for daily and weekly routines that nourish his faith and keep him moving forward on the path of spiritual growth.

A father of three, Ryan credits his own parents for making sure he and his brother grew up with a strong commitment to their faith. “We never missed a weekend Mass, and I still hold that to this day.” As a college student at Loras, Ryan made a habit of getting to Mass no matter what. “I had all the college fun that anybody else would have, but Sundays would always come and I’d be there.”

Sunday Mass remains a fixture for Ryan’s family, including wife Allison and daughters Zelie, Gemma, and Felicity. Along with parents, grandparents, and cousins, the extended family often gets together for breakfast after Mass, a tradition that helps maintain that strong connection between family and faith.

On other days of the week, Ryan likes to choose from a variety of devotions to keep him on track spiritually. Between the Hallow app on his phone, a monthly subscription to Magnificat, and a lineup of favorite programs on Catholic Radio, he always has someplace to turn for inspiration. He also tries to attend weekday Mass and Adoration regularly, a habit he picked up during the pandemic when he realized he could fit these activities into a busy workday by using flex time.

But even with so many options to choose from, consistency can be a challenge. “My worst enemy right now is the snooze button,” says Ryan, who prefers early mornings for quiet prayer and has a tough time fitting it in otherwise. “If it goes too many days where I don’t do these things, then it gets on me and it really bothers me.”

The effort is worth it. “If I put in this time, I can be a better dad. I can be more humble, I can be more patient, I can be more calm to my family, to my friends, to my coworkers.”

As for being humble, Ryan has never held up his own faith life as a model for anyone to follow, but he believes his holy habits are small steps that can lead to greater things over time.

“Like playing a sport, the more I practice, the more I put into it, the better I am, the more I grow. I’m still growing in this.”