Body of Christ

  • Tom Branigan and his wife, Sally, live in Whitefish Bay.
  • Born in Milwaukee, Branigan was raised in Oshkosh with two sisters and attended Lourdes Academy.
  • He owns Branigan Communications.
  • Seeing the selflessness of his wife, Sally, as she helps him care for his 90-year-old mother brings him joy.

Tell us about your family.
My wife is from Yakima, Washington, and the love of my life. I am thankful for her poor eyesight, low standards and low expectations. Our daughter is a sensational writer, quick wit and effortlessly keeps me in check. Our son is a mathematical wunderkind, has a black belt in sarcasm and would give you the shirt off his back. My family is a blessing beyond measure.

What can you tell young parents about building a faithful and close-knit family?
I don’t have a formal checklist but, looking back, there were a few things that really made a difference:

  • Going to Mass, making connections with church leaders, supporting a ministry, etc.
  • Praying together. Eating at the dinner table and really talking.
  • Catholic education helped ensure that our children had the Catholic faith integrated outside our home.
  • We used Catholicism and our morality to contextualize what was happening in the world. We decided early on not to segment faith and culture. If a controversial topic was on the news or mentioned in school, we discussed it (when age appropriate) at home, candidly. Life has a way of making those conversations organic.
  • We delayed mobile phones until high school and wrote up a contract each child had to sign that governed their use of them. That was another key decision that led to them having a deeper understanding of the dangers, distractions, etc. that come with them.
  • A recurring theme for us is that if your life is Christ-centered, life has tremendous meaning and makes more sense.

Why do you love being Catholic?
Without Jesus Christ, I’d have nothing. I can trace most every success, learning, improvement, tear and joy of my life back to him. Of course, that’s with the benefit of hindsight! I cannot count the number of times I’ve been disappointed that something didn’t go my way only to realize later that I was better off because of it.

To think that Jesus sacrificed himself for us gives me chills. He gave us a path that is beautiful, often difficult, but also undeniable. Being Catholic means I can (and must) try to follow in the footsteps of the greatest man/Father. In a culture that deifies superheroes and celebrities, Jesus eclipses them all. There is a quiet, profound power in that.

As a business owner, do you have any advice for young Catholic entrepreneurs on how to be successful while not selling out to the secular world?
Having a sense of who you are, the gifts you’ve been blessed with and how God is calling you to share those gifts is the core of it for me. I surround myself with people who share my values, and that helps attract the clients and team members that work best. The secular world doesn’t care about us … it really doesn’t. It cares about what it can get from us to perpetuate itself. Deciding not to play into that and having the discipline to stay the course is important.

Tell us about your band.
The band is called Substitute: Tales From The Who and is a tribute to the best rock band that’s ever existed. I play bass guitar. I founded it about 22 years ago and we have been blessed. We played Summerfest, Wisconsin State Fair and various theaters and performing arts centers. Most recently we hit a career high when we played the Pabst Theater. That was a “pinch me” moment. The most satisfying thing is seeing audiences time travel back to their childhoods hearing songs that they grew up with. As my wife says: “You can see the years just roll off.”

What has helped you grow close to Jesus?
Finding lighthouses in scripture/biblical history I can tether my faith to (and help it make sense). The Gospel of St. Mark resonates with me, as does St. Dismas, the penitent thief. Both are examples of arterials into the Word of God that help me both understand, and put into practice, Catholic teaching. A great thing about Catholicism is that you never stop being catechized.

What are you reading?
I’m nearing the end of “The Who in Print,” which does a deep dive into The Who’s discography. On deck is “Shop Class as Soulcraft,” which reassesses the merits of manual labor. It seems like everything is an abstraction today; this book is a reminder of the importance of craftsmanship and self-reliance.

What Catholic books do you recommend?
“The Imitation of Christ” is an incredible work that merits repeat reading. I’m also a big fan of “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission.” In trying to reconcile my faith with the modern world, books like “The Church and the Market” provide great context and insight.