The Catholic Telegraph - September 2025

From the Editor’s Desk

THE BEAUTY OF CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

The most precious time of the day for me is when I sit down to have dinner with my family. I tell my children that no matter where we were throughout the day or what we experienced, we are blessed to be able to come together and share stories over a meal.

Now, because it’s my favorite time does not mean it’s my kid’s favorite time. They’re known to roll their eyes or give short answers when asked about the best and worst parts of their day and are often eager to leave the table to find neighborhood friends or hide in their rooms. However, I remain adamant that we take our time and try to enjoy each other’s company. My children are still young, and I’m already amazed at how much our time together has diminished. I hope they’ll look back one day and recognize how important it was that we were intentional about bonding.

Being the new guy at work has reminded me how important it is for all of us to feel that we belong. I firmly believe that people’s longing to feel connection and understanding but not finding it is a major source of the distress and anxiety in our world. This is why the Catholic community’s power and beauty are so important: Families are the building blocks of society, and we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

As Catholic Christians, we know where to find others who will share our joys, struggles, and deepest hopes. Each Sunday at Mass we are surrounded by like-minded, faithful people who encourage us when we struggle, celebrate our joys with us, and remind us that God is with us no matter what we are going through. Genesis’ first chapters reveal that we are not made to be alone—we are made to be in communion with God and each other. We can’t make it alone. We need each other, and God designed it that way. We’re all part of something

much bigger than ourselves.

A beauty of the Catholic Church is that everyone belongs. Sadly, there are many people out there who don’t know that. We—today’s disciples—must work harder to bring more people in to see.

To be missionary disciples we must model our actions on Jesus Christ. We read in the gospels that He took time to build relationships with people, shared meals with people, and welcomed people who were looking to belong. He never stopped seeking others. To imitate Him, we can start simply by asking: “How can my family and I work to make our parish a more welcoming place?”

When strangers walk into our churches, do they find a vibrant, loving Catholic community in action? Do they see happy faces on people who aren’t afraid to praise God and sing openly and joyfully? Do they feel welcomed and noticed? I found the smallest gestures made a big difference. Give people a smile or a handshake, move to the pew’s center so others feel invited to sit next to you, refrain from rushing out, and in the gathering space or outside, introduce new people to your friends. These little acts of love can go a long way.

Life can be challenging. So many people are suffering and need a place to go to ease the burden. While we can’t escape trials and tribulations, our faith tells us we were never meant to go it alone. No matter what, we always have the Lord with us. And even if there’s no family close by—or at all—the Church is our family. We belong. Through good times and bad, we are all in this together!

David Cooley

cteditorial@catholicaoc.org

Publisher: Archbishop Robert G. Casey

Editor: David Cooley

Graphic Design: Emma Cassani

Media Sales: Deacon Graham Galloway

New Media / Circulation: Greg Hartman

Social Media: Taylor Motley, Madeline Daley

Photography: Margaret Swensen, Mary Fleisher

PHOTO BY MARGARET SWENSEN Archbishop Casey and his sister, Pat, at

The Columnists

Father David Endres

is professor of Church history and historical theology at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology.

Dr. Kenneth Craycraft

holds the James J. Gardner Chair of Moral Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology. He is the author of Citizens Yet Strangers: Living Authentically Catholic in a Divided America.

Dr. Andrew Sodergren

is a Catholic psychologist and director of psychological services for Ruah Woods. He speaks on the integration of psychology and the Catholic faith. He and his wife, Ellie, have five children.

Emma Cassani

is the graphic designer behind The Catholic Telegraph and author of Divine Seeing , which earned first place for Best Column in Arts & Leisure from the Catholic Media Association in 2025.

Dominick Albano

is a passionately Catholic husband and father of four boys. He has been writing, speaking, and leading Catholic retreats for more than 20 years. He is the co-founder of the National Society for Priestly Vocations.

Katie Sciba

is a national speaker and Catholic Press Award-winning columnist. She and her husband Andrew were married in 2008, and are blessed with seven children.

If you would like to share a thought, ask a question, or simply gush, please email cteditorial@catholicaoc.org and we will connect you to the writer. We apologize if someone doesn’t respond, but please know we appreciate and love hearing your feedback!

The Pope’s Prayer Intention

SEPTEMBER

For our relationship with all of creation

Let us pray that, inspired by Saint Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.

Together On Life’s Journey

INTO YOUR HANDS | Archbishop Robert G. Casey

Way back in the early 1970s, there was an advertisement for Coca-Cola that became quite popular. The soda pop company had assembled young people from all over the world on a hilltop in Italy. Together they sang, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.” The decade had begun with wars, crisis, and cultural change. That Coca-Cola commercial attempted to awaken hearts to a new hope that perhaps there might be a better way for us to live together as human family.

Together with that song, I hold a treasured memory from the early 1970s of my brother and I sharing a bottle of CocaCola as we sat together under the pines in the woods of our grandparents’ farm. My brother was eight years older than me. And, though we were brothers, we were quite different from each other. He was into sports; I wasn’t. He was cool; I was a nerd. Having my brother take a bottle of pop from the fridge and invite me to walk with him down to the woods to share it was a significant moment for me as a seven-year-old boy. Fifty years later, that memory continues to speak to me about the potential we hold within ourselves to make the choice to come together, despite our differences.

All too often our human family chooses to live divided and

distant from one another. We decide that togetherness is an impossible hope. We build ramparts and go to battle against one another rather than build bridges that can lead us to peaceful engagement rather than conflict.

That Coca-Cola advertisement had another verse: “I’d like to build the world a home and furnish it with love.” Once in a while we need to pause and consider how we have furnished our homes and our hearts. When we look around the world and look within ourselves, do we find we have created places of welcome where others do not feel threatened by us but instead find us approachable? If we find our lives furnished with prejudice, pride, intolerance, or divisiveness, perhaps it is time to consider a makeover.

In the Book of Leviticus, chapter 19, we read, “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Lv 19:33-34). In the life that God has bestowed on us, we quickly discover that we do not occupy this world on our own; we share the gift of life with a variety of people. Some people are just like us. Many people are quite different from us. We walk the same path together, all of us striving to find our way forward and care for our families, seeking to pass on to the next generation a world more united by the bonds of Divine Love.

Yet, from ancient times to the present day we have continued to lose our way as a human family. We have chosen to clash and conflict with one another rather than seek the way of peace and understanding. We have fallen prey to the temptation toward selfishness and self-interest, when we could instead choose to share our world and be generous in the exchange of our gifts. My hope is that we might finally change our tune. Through God’s inspiration, perhaps we might sing a new song, choosing to extend a helping hand to others and become good companions on life’s journey. That harmony may only be a hope today, but with God’s grace we pray it may be brought to fulfillment. ✣

Juntos en el Viaje de la Vida

EN TUS MANOS | Arzobispo Robert G. Casey

Aprincipios de la década de 1970, hubo un anuncio de Coca-Cola que se hizo bastante popular. La compañía de refrescos había reunido a jóvenes de todo el mundo en la cima de una colina en Italia. Juntos cantaron: “Quisiera al mundo enseñar la perfecta armonía”. La década había comenzado con guerras, crisis y cambios culturales. Ese comercial de Coca-Cola intentó despertar en los corazones una nueva esperanza de que quizá existiera una mejor manera de vivir juntos como familia humana.

Junto con esa canción, guardo un preciado recuerdo de principios de los años 70 de mi hermano y yo compartiendo una botella de Coca-Cola mientras estábamos sentados juntos bajo los pinos en el bosque de la granja de nuestros abuelos. Mi hermano era ocho años mayor que yo. Y aunque éramos hermanos, éramos muy diferentes el uno del otro. A él le gustaban los deportes; a mí no. Él era popular; yo era estudioso. Para mí, en ese entonces un niño de siete años, fue un momento muy significativo cuando mi hermano sacó una botella de refresco del refrigerador y me invitó a caminar con él hasta el bosque para compartirla. Cincuenta años después, ese recuerdo sigue hablándome del potencial que tenemos dentro de nosotros para tomar la decisión de unirnos, a pesar de nuestras diferencias.

Con demasiada frecuencia nuestra familia humana elige vivir dividida y distante unos de otros. Decidimos que estar unidos es una esperanza imposible. Construimos murallas y luchamos unos contra otros en lugar de construir puentes que podrían llevarnos a un compromiso pacífico en lugar del conflicto.

Ese anuncio de Coca-Cola tenía otro verso: “Quisiera al mundo darle hogar y llenarlo de amor”. De vez en cuando necesitamos detenernos y considerar cómo hemos llenado nuestros hogares y nuestros corazones. Cuando miramos alrededor del mundo y observamos dentro de nosotros mismos, ¿descubrimos que hemos creado lugares de acogida donde los demás no se sienten amenazados por nosotros, sino que, por el contrario, nos encuentran accesibles? Si encontramos que nuestras vidas están llenas de prejuicios,

orgullo, intolerancia o división, tal vez sea tiempo de considerar un cambio.

En el libro de Levítico, capítulo 19, leemos: “Cuando un extranjero resida contigo en tu tierra, no lo molestarás. El será para ustedes como uno de sus compatriotas y lo amarás como a ti mismo, porque ustedes fueron extranjeros en Egipto. Yo soy el Señor, su Dios” (Lv 19, 33-34). En la vida que Dios nos ha otorgado, descubrimos rápidamente que no ocupamos este mundo solos; compartimos el don de la vida con una variedad de personas. Algunas personas son como nosotros. Muchas personas son muy diferentes a nosotros. Caminamos juntos el mismo camino, todos esforzándonos por encontrar nuestro camino a seguir y cuidar de nuestras familias, buscando transmitir a la próxima generación un mundo más unido por los lazos del Amor Divino.

Sin embargo, desde los tiempos antiguos hasta nuestros días, hemos seguido perdiendo nuestro rumbo como familia humana. Hemos elegido enfrentarnos y entrar en conflicto unos con otros en lugar de buscar el camino de la paz y el entendimiento. Hemos caído víctimas de la tentación del egoísmo y del interés propio, cuando podríamos elegir compartir nuestro mundo y ser generosos en el intercambio de nuestros dones. Mi esperanza es que finalmente podamos cambiar nuestro tono. Por inspiración de Dios, tal vez podamos cantar un cántico nuevo, eligiendo extender una mano amiga a los demás y convertirnos en buenos compañeros en el camino de la vida. Puede que hoy esa armonía sea sólo una esperanza, pero con la gracia de Dios oremos para que se haga realidad. ✣

The Virtue of Solidarity and the Vice of Alienation

A CLOSER LOOK | Dr. Kenneth Craycraft

The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to solidarity as a “virtue” (no. 1942). Like any other virtue, solidarity develops through the practices and habits of moral agents. Solidarity is both essential to true human being and the virtue by which our fallen social nature is to be restored. The solidarity of all human persons is the mandate to structure our moral lives consistently with that nature. As Pope St. John Paul II put it in his encyclical Solicitudo Rei Socialis, solidarity is “not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress … On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say the good of all … because we are all really responsible for all” (no. 38).

This is echoed by Pope Francis, who explains in Fratelli Tutti, “Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community. It means that the lives of all are prior to the appropriation of goods by a few” (no. 116). Considered this way, solidarity is rooted in the virtue of justice, defined as rendering to another his due. As common members of the one human race, we are responsible for one another. Solidarity as a virtue, according to Pope St. John Paul, is “a commitment to the good of one’s neighbor with the readiness … to ‘lose oneself’ for the sake of the other” (Solicitudo Rei Socialis, no. 38).

The doctrine of solidarity is rooted in the first two creation accounts in Genesis 1 and 2. In the first, Genesis 1:27 simply declares, “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” As created in the image and likeness of God, the human person shares in the essential social nature of the Triune God—the eternal fellowship of love

among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The solidarity of the Holy Trinity is eternally inseparable. This is illustrated even in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus says, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me” (Lk 22:42a). As fully man, Jesus experienced many of the same temptations and impulses toward weakness that we all experience. He is not one “who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). But in the same breath in which he asks that the cup be taken away, Jesus says, “Still, not my will but yours be done” (Lk 22:42b). This is because the will of the Holy Trinity is no more divisible than God himself. Solidarity is an intrinsic quality of the Triune God. Made in his image, the human person participates in that solidarity, looking to it as a model for structuring our own lives together.

The second creation account in Genesis 2 similarly suggests the doctrine of solidarity. By a different literary style, the second chapter’s author gets us to the same conclusion as the first. “It is not good for the man to be alone,” God says. “I will make a suitable partner for him” (Gn 2:18). The author then tells us that no partner is suitable for the man other than the one taken from his very being: “This one … is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gn 2:23).

Using a Hebrew pun, the author causes the man to say, “This one shall be called ‘woman’ [Hebrew ishah] for out of ‘man’ [Hebrew ish] this one has been taken” (Gn 2:23). This tells us that the first person is not complete without the other; and that the other is only known in reference to the first. I use the terms “first” and “other” in this

context to emphasize that humans are both dependent upon and known in relation to one another, without regard to the different sexes. For the purposes of this consideration, dependency and identity are the critical points. This description of the human person’s essential social nature is the basis for the Church’s understanding of solidarity.

Like every other perfection by which the human was created, this lived perfection of dependency and identity comes undone in the account of humankind’s fall in Genesis 3 and 4. The alienation between the man and woman caused by the fall is not their natural state, but rather their fallen state after their pretension to place themselves in the place of God.

Similarly, when Cain slew Abel, God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?” Cain’s response was a petulant non-answer: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gn 4:9). Even apart from his brother’s murder, Cain’s action symbolizes man’s alienation from man when he denies the truth of his social nature.

Rather than affirm solidarity with his brother, Cain separated himself from Abel. The “natural” result from this rejection of solidarity was Cain’s own banishment from the natural community of others. As a “restless wanderer on the earth” (Gn 4:12), Cain was alienated from all other people. And since solidarity means we only know ourselves in relationship to others, Cain was alienated from himself. This alienation is symbolized when Cain builds the first city, which, like all ancient cities, would have had thick, tall walls, separating those within from those without. When solidarity is denied or compromised, alienation follows.

The task of the moral life in Christ, then, is to work toward the restoration of the solidarity of all human beings. This has profound importance for a host of political, legal, social, and other public issues, including employee/employer relationships, immigration policy, penal reform, the nature of the family, and health care policy. When we deny solidarity with one another, we eat from the forbidden tree or slay our brother Abel, just as did Adam and Eve and Cain, respectively. ✣

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The Church as One

QUESTION OF FAITH | Father David Endres

I have heard there are four marks of the Church: one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic. Because there are many forms of Christianity, what does “one” mean in this context?

Before his Crucifixion, Jesus prayed for his followers’ unity: “That they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you” (Jn 17:21). Catholics have understood this as Jesus’ desire that all be united in faith and practice. The Church’s oneness is seen in several ways, all of which reflect its nature and mission.

Unity in Faith

The Church is one because of its source, the unity of the Trinity, and its one founder, Jesus. It professes a common faith rooted in Scripture and Tradition. The Church’s faith is most readily seen in the Nicene Creed, a shared declaration of belief among Christians. In this way, many Christians—even non-Catholics—share in the oneness of the Church and in Christ.

The unity in faith extends to the Church’s teachings that have come down to us from the apostles and continue today through the magisterium, which is the teaching ministry of the Church’s leaders. Our faith as believers is not a collection of individual beliefs but a unity safeguarded by the Church’s teaching office.

Unity in Governance

The Church displays visible bonds of unity through its governance. The pope is the vicar of Christ and universal shepherd. He, along with the bishops in communion with him, are responsible for governance of the Church. This hierarchical structure, rooted in Christ’s commission to the apostles and confirmed by history, is intended to maintain unity of doctrine and practice. The splintering

that has occurred within Christianity, especially since the Protestant Reformation, highlights the importance of having a visible center of unity.

Unity of Sacraments

The Church’s oneness is seen in its sacramental life, especially in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, and participation in common worship and sacraments expresses the deep communion among Church members. Through their participation in and reception of the Eucharist, the faithful are united not only with Christ but also with one another—even those souls who went before us and are now participating in the heavenly liturgy.

Oneness with Diversity

While the Church is united in numerous ways, it is also marked by a diversity that comes from “the variety of God’s gifts and the diversity of those who receive them” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 814). The one Church is manifested through a variety of cultures, languages, and traditions.

This is seen in part in the Church’s liturgical life, including multiple rites (e.g., Maronite, Byzantine, Ukrainian) that each have unique spirituality, traditions, and canon law, even while they are in union with the papacy and in communion with the members of the Latin (Roman) Church. Such diversity is not opposed to unity; rather it helps the Church be more catholic because it reflects the universality to which it is called.

Christ has safeguarded the Church’s unity for over two thousand years. Even amid heresy, conflict, and imperfect leadership, its essential unity has been maintained. That the Church is older than any government, organization, or entity is a testimony to Christ’s words: “There will be one flock, one shepherd” (Jn 10:16). ✣

Together Sunday

REBEKAH OTT

For the second consecutive year, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is celebrating “Together Sunday,” a day set aside for Families of Parishes to especially focus on becoming more welcoming and hospitable communities. This year, Together Sunday will take place Sept. 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

In a June letter to priests announcing Together Sunday, Archbishop Robert Casey wrote, “Each Sunday, as we gather to encounter Christ in Word and Sacrament, we have an opportunity to open our doors and our hearts more widely to provide a blessed oasis to those who thirst. Our willingness to extend hospitality and welcome not only forms better relationships with our neighbors but also invites all people into a blessed relationship with Christ our Savior.”

The archbishop continued, “Together Sunday invites our parish families to consider how each of us offers joyful, radical hospitality within our community. We might think of this as a ‘moment of assessment’ for our parish(es) where we can honestly ask ourselves: How do we come together for Eucharist each Sunday? Do we give witness to being a community of love? Do we offer welcome to the stranger in our midst? Does our celebration of Eucharist reveal the generous heart of Christ to those who gather around the altar?

“Much like when we invite friends over for a visit to our home, we might need to consider some housekeeping in order to prepare for their arrival.”

The concept of Together Sunday was inspired by an initiative in Protestant churches called “Back to Church Sunday.” According to Sean Ater, director of the archdiocese’s Center for the New Evangelization, “The whole idea is to create a certain sense of urgency to put our best foot forward for visitors or those who might attend Mass infrequently. This is an opportunity for the parish staff, leaders, and all active parishioners to embrace the responsibility of being inviting, hospitable, and welcoming,” continued Ater. “Once people start to do that, it can become part of the culture of their community.”

Families of Parishes have been provided with Together Sunday resources that focus on the fundamentals— clean facilities, good signage, proactive outreach, warm welcoming. Each parish also has the creative freedom to make their particular Together Sunday distinct. Parishes that rallied around Together Sunday last year reported a positive experience, Ater said, including meeting and interacting with new people.

St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Liberty Township saw great success with their efforts last year—an increase of about 450 people across all

three Masses that weekend. “That weekend I saw parishioners that I haven’t seen in a long time, and I still see them,” said Mary Ella Wielgos, Director of Worship and Sacraments at St. Max. “That’s where I think the success is … we saw people we haven’t seen for a while come back.”

The parish created invitation cards five weeks in advance for parishioners to hand out. The cards included the Together Sunday date and Mass times, a QR code linking to the event web page, and a message inviting people to attend. Of the 2,500 cards printed, nearly all were distributed.

“I made sure the Call to Worship had informative, welcoming language to it, so that anyone who hadn’t been to St. Max in a while wouldn’t feel uncomfortable,” said Wielgos. After Mass, the parish evangelization core team served coffee and donuts and invited people to the prayer chapel if they had specific intentions or would like to pray with someone.

“Starting with the Together Sunday weekend, we had zero leftover bulletins every single week [despite increasing] our bulletin count by 100 copies,” said Madison Sanders, St. Max Director of Communications. With such success, St. Maximilian Kolbe parish has planned a similar Together Sunday celebration for this year.

Creating a culture of proactive invitation and hospitality is central to evangelization. In the words of Archbishop Casey, “As we come together each Sunday, may we take seriously how we create a welcoming space for all, set the table and gather, responding to the hunger and thirst of our communities with the blessed sustenance that comes to us through Christ, who feeds us with His Divine Word and nourishes us with the Bread of Life.” ✣

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Nativity Fall Fest

When Archbishop Robert Casey steps on the mound at Great American Ballpark on Aug. 30, he’ll bring more than a ceremonial first pitch. He’ll bring a blessing to the ballpark, a celebration of Catholic education, and, hopefully, a little divine help for the Cincinnati Reds.

The moment will be part of a special night. In addition to that first pitch from Archbishop Casey, the Reds will honor Catholic school principals by inviting those from all 87 grade schools and 24 high schools in the archdiocese onto the field for a pregame ceremony. The event will also raise funds for the Catholic Education Foundation, with $5 from each Reds ticket purchased through the archdiocese’s website going directly to the cause.

“It was a wonderful invitation for the Reds to invite me to throw out the first pitch,” Archbishop Casey said. “It went from an invitation to throw out the first pitch to an invitation of, well, what else can we include in this moment? Recognizing that it’s Labor Day Weekend, typically the last hurrah before people go back to school, we decided to have it be a moment of celebrating our Catholic schools and our principals and the good work they do.”

The idea struck a chord with the archbishop, who saw the evening as more than just a fun night out—it was a chance to show how faith can be lived joyfully in public spaces.

“It’ll be a good moment,” he said. “It’s also the recognition that, as a faith community, our life is not just about what we do in church. It’s also what we do outside of church. It’s being a witness to the joy of life, not just within the four walls of our church buildings, but in our community. I love this opportunity for us to give witness to the joy

of life, the gift of life. … It brings us together and offers us a time for food, fellowship, and watching a good ball game.”

At his introductory press conference in February, Archbishop Casey joked that he’d need to trade in his “Cubbies blue” for “Cincinnati red” after growing up a Chicago Cubs fan. A fan of baseball, he admits to not being a standout player. “After one year of Little League, I said, ‘I am done with baseball,’ and I became a spectator,” he said. “I enjoyed watching my brothers play baseball, but I was not the baseball player in the family. My older brother came to town a couple weeks ago and brought two mitts and a ball. We played catch for the first time in probably 50 years.”

The Reds and Catholic communities of greater Cincinnati have a long history together. Every year, St. Vincent de Paul teams up with the Reds for the Strike Out Hunger drive. Several parishes, Catholic schools, and their marching bands take part in the annual Opening Day parade. Catholic school choirs have sung the national anthem before games. And prior to the 1960s, Cincinnati’s Holy Name parades often ended with a Mass at the Reds’ old home of Crosley Field.

This year’s event at the ballpark continues that rich tradition. With Archbishop Casey on the mound and principals on the field, the evening blends America’s pastime with a celebration of faith, service, and community.

On Saturday, August 30, Archbishop Casey will throw the first pitch at 6:20 pm and the game will start at 6:40 pm.

Book Review | Matt Swaim

It’s somewhat remarkable that with a storied career as a university professor and popular apologist, and having presented at countless conferences and authored more than a hundred books, Dr. Peter Kreeft, some 65 years after entering the Catholic Church, has finally published a personal spiritual autobiography.

Several of Kreeft’s apologetics books note significant elements of his journey from Dutch Reformed Calvinism to Catholicism (e.g., Forty Reasons I Am a Catholic), but the newly released From Calvinist to Catholic places those elements in a larger narrative and on a more intentional timeline.

That Kreeft’s title mentions his Calvinist roots is a bit rare. Long respected for his ability to share the truth of Christianity with clarity and humor—even meriting invitations to speak at Protestant colleges and seminaries—he’s often compared to C.S. Lewis, who was also known for his lucidity and wit while downplaying his Anglican faith’s distinctions to appeal to a broader Christian audience.

Specific about the kind of Christian he has come to be, Kreeft also expresses how he thought of his Christian faith before he became Catholic: “I was a Christian first, an Evangelical second, a Protestant third, and a Calvinist fourth.” The first third of his new book discusses his early spiritual trajectory, including as a

student at Calvin College to become a pastor. That road led to two unexpected destinations: the classroom rather than the pulpit and the Catholic Church rather than his Dutch Reformed tradition. His exploration of those Dutch Reformed roots supplies some of the book’s most fascinating material. For Kreeft, the Dutch-ness and the Reformed-ness seemed almost inseparably intertwined. (In his world, Cincinnati Reds legend Johnny Vander Meer was example number one of a fellow Dutchman making his people proud.)

Among the several impactful thinkers Kreeft discusses who turned him toward Catholicism, the dry theological humor of Dorothy L. Sayers and C.S. Lewis fittingly loom large. Kreeft’s style is perhaps best described as “playfully provocative,” so it is no surprise to see Socrates’ significant influence on his faith’s development. And of special interest to some readers, he lays out in Chapter 10 his seven biggest anti-Catholic objections and how he wrestled through them.

Several years ago, I interviewed Dr. Kreeft in his office at Boston College. We talked a bit about his Dutch Calvinist roots, but more about the Christian virtue of humor ... and what bodily functions Adam and Eve had before the Fall. Amid his Lord of the Rings memorabilia collection and Cardinal Ratzinger books, I pointed to a chess board set with Boston and New York baseball player figurines. With a characteristic twinkle, he said, “Ah, yes; that’s the Red Sox versus the Forces of Darkness.” Having hoped this spiritual autobiography would capture some of the personality I encountered that day, I am now happy to report that, as Kreeft’s heroes, Ratzinger and St. Paul, famously proclaimed: my hope has not been disappointed. ✣

Matt Swaim is co-host of the Son Rise Morning Show and Director of Outreach for The Coming Home Network.

$21.95 From Calvinist to Catholic Peter Kreeft Ignatius Press | 192 pages

Saved by Grace & Good Hands

KARY ELLEN BERGER

Most days, John Van Hook works alone performing maintenance. After nearly three decades at St. Leonard Faith Community and eight more at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Centerville, he knows every corner of the church buildings. His days are filled with quiet service, such as setting up for weddings, troubleshooting A/C units, and fixing electrical switches.

But one day in May, the stillness was broken.

“I kind of passed out,” Van Hook said. “I fell down and hit my head. I don’t remember that—I was out.”

What happened next was a chain of grace, quick action, and divine timing.

“Normally I work by myself,” Van Hook said. “So, I was kind of fortunate in that we were changing a room over … putting in doors with glass. Two other maintenance guys were there helping me.”

Kevin Allen and Rob Theewis had finished a CPR/AED training with the parish only a few weeks earlier, and that preparation proved to be lifesaving.

with the family as they gathered. “The Holy Spirit certainly was active,” he said. “John almost always—99 percent of the time—works by himself, and this one particular day, Kevin and Rob came over and were assisting him when he suddenly collapsed.”

Even Rob felt the divine presence guiding his hands. “Rob shared with me that he felt like the Holy Spirit took over and guided him as they did CPR and used the AED,” Deacon Rauch said. “That in itself is another miracle.”

Van Hook’s recovery has been steady. “Right now, I feel good. My strength’s back, and I’m supposed to be coming back [soon],” he said. “I have no restrictions or anything.”

God places the right people at the right time.

“They did CPR, and they fractured about 11 of my ribs,” Van Hook recalled. “The next thing I remember is waking up later that day at Miami Valley Hospital.”

Deacon Chris Rauch, managing director of operations for the Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes, received the call in a meeting. “Kevin notified us that John had collapsed and they were giving him CPR,” Deacon Chris said. “Father Brian [Phelps] and I immediately drove over from Incarnation to St. Francis. When we got there, John was in a lot of pain and distress, and when they put him in the ambulance, I jumped in and rode with him to the hospital.”

Deacon Rauch contacted John’s wife, Barb, and prayed

There’s another part of John’s story that adds depth to the moment. “When I was 10 years old, I was walking home from school, and I was hit by a car,” he shared. “So I am actually visually impaired.” After the recent incident, his vision dipped briefly, but has mostly returned. “It might not be to where I was before I fell, but it’s pretty close, so I’m blessed about that,” he said.

As for what sustained him through it all? “God puts the right people at the place they’re needed the most at that time,” Van Hook said.

Deacon Rauch agrees and hopes this story reminds others of the power of preparation and prayer. “As a manager of people, I really want to get the message across … that CPR and AED training really need to be a regular thing,” he said. “A number of first responders and medical staff that day over and over told me to tell Rob and Kevin how incredible a job they did bringing John back.”

In quiet faithfulness and unexpected trial, Van Hook’s story is one of divine orchestration, a moment when ordinary service became extraordinary grace. ✣

CATHEDRAL CHOIR A

Vibrant Community Within a Community

EILEEN CONNELLY, OSU

Music builds community by uplifting and uniting people as they thank, praise, and worship God, raising their voices together in song and prayer.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains has a rich tradition of providing sacred music under the leadership of talented music directors like Sir John Fehring, Hal Thomkins, and Anthony DiCello, who each contributed to the liturgies’ quality over the years. Matthew Geerlings has served as director of music for the Cathedral Basilica and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati since July 2020. Assisted by Blake Callahan, organist, Geerlings conducts an outstanding choir of trained singers.

“I’m responsible for anything musically that happens in the liturgical life of the cathedral day in and day out,” Geerlings explained. “My primary role is to do the music planning, including all of the daily Masses. That goes back to the founding of the cathedral; there is always music at daily Mass.”

He described his ministry as a “profound gift and responsibility. It’s a reminder that the art of music really is a

gift from heaven. When we think about all of the significant times in our lives as Catholics, from the beginning of life until the very end, we surround ourselves with music and it is a reflection of our faith,” Geerlings said.

Composed of 18 to 24 professionally trained singers, the choir of St. Peter in Chains leads the cathedral parish community in expressing their faith through song. They provide music at 10 a.m. Sunday Mass from September through June and at other liturgies and special archdiocesan events, employing a wide range of liturgical choral music through all periods of the Church’s tradition, from Gregorian chant through the 21st century. The choir also sings the Lessons and Carols during Advent and the Tenebrae service during Holy Week. And they present concerts, often with an orchestra, as part of “Great Music in a Great Space.” In the past year, a youth choir was formed at the cathedral, enabling youth from first grade through high school to learn about the Church’s tradition of music and share their faith.

The music program at the Cathedral Basilica provides

leadership and inspiration for nearly 700 liturgical services and archdiocesan events each year, Geerlings noted. “We really set the bar as high as we can because music plays such an integral role in the liturgy,” he said. “There is such a treasure trove in the musical tradition of the Church, and it is intimately intertwined with the community’s worship experience. I think music can be used in such a way that it helps open people’s hearts and minds to the prodding of the Holy Spirit and show them the beauty of the Church. When people walk through the doors of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, I want them to leave the secular world behind for the hour that they are here for Mass.”

Matilda Smolij studied voice performance and opera at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and has been a member of the cathedral choir for three years. She said it has been both a prayerful and community-building experience, as well as a “beautiful responsibility. I think we’re especially lucky to have such wonderful leadership. Matthew treats us with so much respect, and you won’t find a better organist than Blake.

“Music enriches the liturgy in a way that is really quite special and profound,” she said. “I hope people’s experience of the Mass and their prayer lives have been enhanced by our music. There’s nothing that brings people together more than music and prayer. It facilitates a deeper connection to God and one other.”

“A choir is more than just a group of voices singing together; it is a vibrant community within a community,” added Geerlings. “It fosters a sense of belonging, where individuals from diverse backgrounds unite through the shared experience of music. In harmonizing together, choir members build connections, support each other and create something greater than the sum of its parts. Through their collective efforts, they embody the power of unity, expression and collaboration, enriching not just themselves, but the wider community they serve with the shared goal of leading the greater community in the worship of God.” ✣

Celebrating 23 Years of Broadcasting the Truth

The Communion of Saints

In 1975, my wife (born and raised Catholic) and I began our adult journey of seeking Christ, the Savior of the world. Although raised in a southern Methodist family that was strongly rooted in prayer and singing sacred songs, I was never baptized. It was a time in our lives, newly married and poor, when that yearning arose within us for something missing from our lives—the promptings of the Holy Spirit were stirring within us. It reminds me of an old spiritual: “I gotta move when the Spirit says, ‘Move’!”

In moving with the Spirit, we visited St. Agnes Church (Bond Hill), which had been my wife’s home parish. Something there, as I participated in Mass for the first time—with all of its words, signs, and symbols—welcomed me home. My heart was moved. I felt the call to personally respond to God’s voice that had been calling me since my youth, so the next year, my daughter and I were baptized at the Easter Vigil Mass.

My experience at Mass—though with different songs and pace—reminded me of a sacred song I had heard and sung as a child: “Somebody prayed for me, kept me on their mind, took the time and prayed for me. I’m so glad they prayed, I’m so glad they prayed, I’m so glad they prayed for me.”

This liturgical celebration fused with my prior experiences of praying with extended family members, which included the living and the dead. Though never given a name, like “the Communion of Saints,” as we prayed that sacred song, the prayer included those gone before us in death. It reminded the community and the family that we were standing on the shoulders of saints. A Funeral Rite reading from the Book of Revelation says, “Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, ‘Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?’ I said to him, ‘My lord, you are the one who knows.’ He said to me, ‘These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’” (Rev 7:13-14).

Not limited to the saints depicted in stained glass windows, the Communion of Saints now includes my own family

REV. DEACON ROYCE WINTERS

members, relatives, and friends who have passed on to glory. They are my constant companions on this journey toward heaven, and remind me each day in sacred song, “The road is rough; and the going gets tough, and the hills are hard to climb. I started out a long time ago; there’s no doubt in my mind; I’ve decided to make Jesus my choice.”

In recent years, though, I’ve found it more than challenging to reflect on the Communion of Saints knowing that there has not been one African American canonized as a saint. My heart gladdens to pray an intercession for: Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Venerable Mother Henriette Delille, Servant of God Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, Servant of God Julia Greeley, and Servant of God Thea Bowman.

Their recognition is important for the whole Church. The Gospel can transform every culture, yet every culture “interprets life and relates with nature, God, the world, and other peoples in a particular way” (“Principles of Inculturation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Living Light” [1994], no. 31, from Building Intercultural Competence for Ministers, USCCB [2014], Pg. 8).

And in the words of Pope St. John Paul II in 1987 as he addressed black Catholic leaders in New Orleans, “Dear brothers and sisters, your black cultural heritage enriches the Church and makes her witness of universality more complete. In a real way the Church needs you, just as you need the Church.”

“You reflect the Church’s ability to bring together a diversity of people united in faith, hope, and love” (John Paul II, Address from “Meeting With The Black Catholic Community Of New Orleans,” Sept. 12, 1987).

May our prayers, in communion with the saints, lead us to our heavenly home where we will see Jesus face to face. Amen. ✣

Deacon Royce Winters is Director of African American Pastoral Ministries for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

The Father Let the Son Leave: A Lesson in Breaking Barriers

SHINE ON | Dominick Albano

A youth minister heard something at a men’s formation breakfast at his parish that changed his life.

He hadn’t expected to get much from the morning. Having had a powerful encounter with Christ as a teenager and now working as a minister for almost a decade, he felt he had been around the block a bit more than the group’s typical attendee.

The day’s topic was the beloved Scripture passage he had heard a thousand times, “The Prodigal Son.” There was nothing more he could get out of this, he thought … until an older man shared a perspective he’d never considered.

The session began as expected, with a quick video reflection and notes from the pastor before the men split into small discussion groups. They considered the first standard questions, such as: Which character from the parable do you connect with? What do you think it meant to the son that the father “saw him from a far way off and ran to him”?

Then, the elderly gentleman shared an insight the youth minister had never heard.

“What stood out to me,” said the older man, “is how the father let the son leave. He didn’t berate him. He didn’t shame him. He didn’t say, ‘You’re no son of mine! When your life doesn’t work out, don’t come crawling back to me!’ The father let the son leave in a way that the son knew he could come back.”

The youth minister sat stunned. He had never read a reflection on this point, nor heard a homily about it, nor had it ever even occurred to him.

The father could have placed a barrier between him and his son—a barrier in the way of forgiveness, healing, and life. But he didn’t.

The evil one loves barriers: those that hold fathers back from sons, mothers from daughters, husbands from wives ... and us back from Christ. These barriers take root in our minds and our hearts and tell us such lies as:

I can’t go back.

I can’t be forgiven.

I can’t be loved.

I can’t undo this sin.

“Together” is a beautiful thing. And barriers stand in the way of “together.”

Some barriers are insidious lies that nestle in our hearts and feel insurmountable. Other barriers can be extremely practical—the kids’ sports and school schedules preventing family dinners or a work deadline interfering with daily Mass.

Jesus is the ultimate barrier breaker. He stands before the lies and says so many times and in so many ways, “Come to me” (see Mt 11:28, Jn 6:37, Mt 19:14, Jn 14:6, among many others).

To grow together, you must remove such barriers. From those that separate families or those that stop a family from truly engaging with their parish, Jesus’ example is the same: identify barriers and remove them.

The world needs more barrier breakers.

And removing barriers is often simpler than you think, although not necessarily easy. For example:

Go to confession.

Write a letter to an estranged friend or relative.

Be more intentional about your schedule.

And remember—like the father in the Prodigal Son— sometimes it’s best to be aware of barriers that could be created and head them off at the pass.

Be a barrier breaker.

Remove the lie.

Remove the fear.

And watch what happens when you come back together.✣

Radiate Christ Awards

JAKE EMSER

Each year, the Center for the New Evangelization honors individuals throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for their exceptional witness to the Gospel and their dedication to forming missionary disciples. These recognitions, known as the Radiate Christ Awards, draw their name from Archbishop-Emeritus Dennis M. Schnurr’s 2020 pastoral letter, Radiate Christ

In his letter, Archbishop Schnurr wrote: “Radiate Christ. These two words summarize God the Father's hope for humanity on this earth. The words contain both a reality and a mission: the reality of the person of Jesus Christ as the Savior of all people and the mission of each Christian to participate in the Son's redemption of the world.”

These awards seek to recognize those who embody that mission—those who not only proclaim the Gospel but live it with conviction, joy, and love. Nominations are welcomed across five categories: Parish Evangelization, Marriage & Family Evangelization, Hispanic Evangelization, Young Adult Evangelization, and Evangelization in Communications.

This year’s nomination period for the 2026 Radiate Christ Awards opens August 15 and continues through September 30. If someone in your life has consistently radiated the love of Christ through their ministry or witness, we invite you to submit their name for consideration.

Honoring Tom and Kris Severyn

Tom and Kris Severyn of Dayton received the 2025 award in the Marriage & Family Evangelization category. Their decades-long ministry teaching Natural Family Planning (NFP) shaped the lives of hundreds of couples across the archdiocese—and continues to bear fruit today.

Since 1981, Tom and Kris have taught over 500 couples, trained numerous instructors, and served as a steady, faithful presence in the NFP community. Their work was deeply rooted in evangelization, not just in sharing Church teaching but in accompanying families and couples in discovering the beauty and wisdom of God’s plan for marriage.

Deacon David and Linda Ulmer met the Severyns in an NFP course at the University of Dayton in 1996. They were pro-life Baptists searching for answers about family planning and Christian marriage.

“Tom and Kris Severyn’s commitment to evangelization through Natural Family

Planning has had a profound and lasting spiritual impact,” Deacon David said. “Their clear, passionate explanation of Church teaching on contraception and marriage introduced us—then pro-life Baptists—to a truth we had never encountered before. Their faithful witness, resources, and personal support not only helped us embrace NFP but ultimately led to our conversion to the Catholic Church. Their evangelization didn’t just inform us—it transformed us.”

Tom Severyn passed away from cancer just days before the 2025 CNE Banquet, when the winners of the Radiate Christ Awards were announced. Kris, surrounded by family, accepted the award.

In a November 2024 interview, Tom reflected on their journey, saying:

“If you go seeking glory, it will be hard to find it. But if you work diligently on something that is in God’s plan, you’ll get the glory.”

Tom and Kris’ ministry is a powerful reminder that evangelization often happens quietly, consistently, and over time. Their legacy now lives on in the families they supported, the instructors they trained, and the lives they helped bring into a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Nominate Someone for 2026

The Radiate Christ Awards exist to celebrate evangelists like Tom and Kris—those whose mission is lived out daily in parishes, homes, and communities across the archdiocese. Their work often goes unseen but is no less powerful, and the CNE desires to honor this work. ✣

Jake Emser is Director of Strategy & Communications for the Center for the New Evangelization in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

To nominate someone for the 2026 awards, scan the QR code or visit our website below.

centerforthenewevangelization.org/radiate-christ-awards

The Gift of Hospitality

JILL FOSTER AND TONY STIERITZ

On a Sunday afternoon in July, St. Raphael Church in Springfield hosted a larger and more diverse crowd than usual. While the St. Rose Family of Parishes in Clark County is no stranger to diversity, regularly celebrating Masses in both Spanish and Haitian Creole, it is most unusual for everyone to attend the same Mass. But this Sunday offered a special opportunity to welcome Archbishop Robert Casey, who celebrated a Mass of Solidarity that was graced with hymns in English, Creole, French, Spanish, and Latin. Visitors from Cincinnati and Dayton joined the parishioners, including area ecumenical leaders and Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine and his family.

It was much more than a meet and greet with the new shepherd of the local Church. Archbishop Casey came with a message of hospitality, mission, and communion. He sought to convey a spirit of togetherness to the Springfield community, particularly the Catholic faithful who have been charged with the welcoming of immigrants.

“When we gather to celebrate Mass, we receive an important lesson in hospitality,” Archbishop Casey said in his homily, which Father Fritz Vacin translated into Creole. Reflecting upon wisdom passed down from his family, the archbishop drew parallels between the welcome and nourishment his grandparents offered at meals on their farm and the hospitality we are to give and receive as a Church family united in Christ. “We make sure that the space where we gather is warm and welcoming,” he

said. “We open the doors to greet and to welcome whoever might enter. We gather together so that we might listen and be fed.”

It is a practice that can be a challenge to live out, Archbishop Casey recognized. “All too easily in life, we can begin to see one another not as brothers and sisters. ... We must always give a human heart to our words and actions, knowing that whatsoever we do will impact people, families, men, women, and children who are just like you and me.”

The archbishop’s words harkened to a reality just last fall, when political rhetoric concerning immigration incited a great deal of harassment and threats of violence across the city. The Catholic Bishops of Ohio responded at the time with a joint statement urging the faithful to view their neighbors in light of the Gospel, concluding with an appeal for prayers and support:

As the residents of Springfield, Ohio struggle with violent threats and life disruptions fueled by unfettered social media posts, we exhort the Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill not to perpetuate ill will toward anyone involved based on unfounded gossip … [L]et us reject a mindset of judging who belongs to our community and put on the mind of Christ to understand that God walks with all his people, especially those in need (Letter on Migrants and Refugees and Our Haitian Brothers and Sisters, Sept. 19, 2024).

In addition to his call for hospitality, the archbishop

pressed upon the congregation to carry the encounter with Christ at Mass into the world through actions that lift up the dignity of all people. “Faithful disciples here at the altar must be transformed into missionary disciples,” he exclaimed, “going forth from the altar to put into practice what they have come to know and believe through their encounter with Christ alive and present in the Eucharist.”

Today, immigrant families in Springfield and throughout the archdiocese face a rapidly changing policy landscape that leaves their futures uncertain. Through it all, numerous area ministries continue daily acts of mercy for them and others in need, including the St. Rose Family of Parishes, St. Vincent de Paul, and Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio. These are organized examples on the Church’s behalf for how missionary discipleship can be lived out through acts of hospitality toward everyone, regardless of background or circumstances.

That evening, the archbishop, congregation, and guests gathered for a celebration with food and dance, as Archbishop Casey’s pledge at Mass of continued solidarity uplifted the gathered community: “Especially when life gives us challenges, we need to be able to lean on one another and know that we can come to one another to be good companions on the journey.

“Know that I walk with you.” ✣

Jill Foster is the Associate Director of the archdiocesan Catholic Social Action Office. Tony Stieritz is CEO of Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio and Director of the archdiocesan Department of Life, Human Dignity, and Charity.

The Meal & the Eucharist

FATHER KYLE SCHNIPPEL

So many significant events in the life of Jesus involved meals. From His first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana right up to the encounter with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus; if something significant was happening in the life of Jesus, it typically involved food. Often, Jesus provided the meal for others (think of the multiple accounts of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes), but there are plenty of accounts when others provided a meal in gratitude for having met Him—Matthew inviting fellow tax collectors to his house for dinner with Jesus comes to mind. Reading through the Gospels, there are these constant encounters that involve food and meals.

Because these events happen with such frequency, there must be some significance. But since it is never discussed in the Gospels, it is left to us to discern.

On a primary note, sharing a meal is a sharing of spirit; I share my gifts with you, my guest, and, by doing so, build a bond of friendship and companionship along the way. By the sharing of food, the bond of brotherhood is forged. As an extension of that, I think of all the conversations I have had during meals. Because there is a pace and a rhythm to a meal, there is a chance to just be with one another, not in a rush, not in a hurry to move along to the next thing, but to just enjoy the person who is there with me. This is a skill that is lost in the modern world, it seems; so, to reconnect with that is a way of reconnecting with Jesus in the midst of life’s chaos, too.

Building from a simple meal to something more complex, a true feast, takes this to the next level. Sometimes, a group of friends and I make something complex and involved, preparing a single meal over multiple days of work. It is tremendous fun! And no

small part of that fun is sharing in the work, as each contributes to the whole of the meal. This happens in the meal, too—each ingredient contributing to the whole, becoming more than the sum of the individual parts.

And then we come to the Mass, the holy sacrifice, the sacred meal, in which Jesus gathers the Christian Community in one sacrifice of praise to His Father. All these things that happen when friends or family gather in fellowship also occur in the Mass: we exchange hearts, we exchange spirit—we share the gifts that we have been given so that all can receive something greater.

Additionally, coming to Mass with the same approach as coming to a gathering of friends helps our frame of mind. Much like sharing in the development of a meal helps in the sharing and enjoyment of that meal, coming to Mass with an approach that I am contributing what I can helps in our participation in the Mass, too. Mass is not a spectator sport, but one that I am involved in, where I am adding to the greatness of the whole community experience.

How good God is in that He takes something supremely simple, a family gathered around a meal, and builds from there to something profound: the Eucharistic Banquet of Our Lord. In doing so, He gives us an insight into who He is and whom He calls us to be. ✣

Father Kyle Schnippel is the pastor of the St. Gabriel Family of Parishes and competed on the Great American Baking Show in 2017. He enjoys cooking and baking as a ministry.

Each ingredient adds its gift, becoming more than the sum of its parts.

What Brings Us Together

DIVINE SEEING | Emma Cassani

In a visually saturated world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and become desensitized to beauty. Visio Divina, Latin for “divine seeing,” encourages us to slow down and engage in visual contemplation, using art as a profound tool for connecting with the Divine.

A Guide to Visio Divina

Begin by making the sign of the cross and inviting the Holy Spirit to guide your contemplation. Spend a moment meditating on The Marriage at Cana, ca. 1530-32, by Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen, located at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Then read John 2:1-11.

Background

Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen was born in 1500 in the Netherlands. As a child, he watched his father paint and eventually followed in his footsteps to become an artist himself. In 1525, he began his career by painting for Margaret of Austria, the governor of the Netherlands, and later for her successor, Mary of Hungary. He also worked for Margaret’s nephew, Charles V, who became King of Spain and then Holy Roman Emperor. Painting for the royal and imperial families, Vermeyen became a highly regarded portraitist. He was also skilled in printmaking and tapestry design.

The artistic movement of his time and region was known as

Romanism, a style that blended the Italian Renaissance influence with the rich Dutch and Flemish painting traditions. Unfortunately, much of his religious artwork was destroyed during the iconoclastic upheavals of the Protestant Reformation. His work is remembered for its expressiveness, attention to detail, and masterful use of light and shadow, through a technique called chiaroscuro

Enter In

After the wedding, everyone gathers for dinner to celebrate the newly married couple. As the sun sets, guests take their places at intimate round tables, the candlelight’s soft glow gradually illuminating smiling faces. Servants weave through the crowd, delivering plates of food and glasses of wine. The atmosphere is joyful and light, the wine adding a gentle warmth to the evening’s merriment.

At one table, you see Jesus sitting beside His Mother and a few of His disciples. Nearby, a musician strums a lyre-like instrument with a soft and inviting melody. Laughter rises as glasses are raised in celebration, clinking together in shared delight. But as you step closer, the warmth of their smiles fade, replaced with looks of concern and confusion.

A servant in white hurries to Mary’s side, whispering urgently that they’ve run out of wine. Mary turns to her Son. Jesus doesn’t seem to share the concern and responds with a curious question. She doesn’t argue, but calmly turns to the servants and says, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Behind, movement stirs. Servants rush to fill large stone jars with water, setting them near the table. Jesus gives quiet instruction: pour and serve.

As they tilt the jars, you notice that the water has become a deep red. One servant carries a glass to the head waiter, who lifts it to his lips and pauses in surprise. No longer water, but wine. And not just any wine, the best

Vermeyen offers a unique, intimate vision of the Wedding Feast at Cana, through soft candlelight, close-knit proximity, and a slightly elevated perspective that makes the viewer feel a part of the scene. Close

enough to catch the whispered crisis, we witness the moment the feast’s joy begins to shift.

Upon hearing the news, Mary, dressed in red and blue, twists around to see for herself—visibly engaged in the unfolding conflict. When she looks to Jesus for help, He replies, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?” Though jarring to modern ears, Venerable Fulton Sheen explains that “woman” was a formal and respectful way of speaking: “He now addressed her, not as ‘Mother’ but as the ‘Universal Mother’ or ‘Woman’” (Sheen, 78).

Then, Jesus adds, “My hour has not yet come.” He knows Mary is asking for a miracle, but it would be His first public miracle, and revealing Himself publicly would begin the path that leads to His Passion. As Sheen writes, “The moment He showed Himself before men as the Son of God, He would draw upon Himself their hatred” (Sheen, 78). Jesus’ words and posture reflect a moment of inner hesitation because “His mother … was virtually pronouncing a sentence of death over Him” (Sheen, 78).

Looking more closely at the guests around the table, just behind the musician, two men appear deep in conversation. The man on the left, dressed in gold, with gray hair and defined features, resembles Peter—the eldest disciple. Leaning in beside him is a slightly younger man, clothed in modest red and green garments with gentler features, believed to be Andrew, Peter’s brother and fellow disciple of Christ.

At the table’s center sits a beardless man in white and red—John the Evangelist, the youngest disciple. He gestures toward the meal’s main course: a roasted duck placed beside a roasted lamb. John deliberately points at the lamb, but his eyes remain fixed on Jesus.

Seated between John and Jesus, and directly across from Mary, is a woman in red. Her face is calm, perhaps even unfazed, her gaze steady and intent on Christ—Mary Magdalene. With John and the Virgin Mary, she is among those seated closest to Jesus—the same three who would one day mourn Him at the foot of the Cross.

Continued on page 28.

Continued from page 27.

For further exploration

Reflection

In Vermeyen’s The Marriage at Cana, the importance of shared food and drink at a celebration is shown through Mary’s quiet concern when the wine runs dry. More wine was necessary to sustain the joy of the gathering: “A marriage feast is an occasion for much joy; and the wine is served as a symbol of that joy” (Sheen, 75).

But there is more happening here than just replenishing wine—and John seems to notice. His gesture in the painting suggests more than simple participation in a meal; it shows his recognition of Christ’s choice to reveal Himself. John realizes this decision will come at a cost: a lesser sacrifice that foreshadows a far greater one. He sees Jesus for who He truly is—the Lamb of God, the Sacrificial Lamb.

Food and drink have a way of bringing people together— especially when paired with a shared love of something, a reason to gather, a celebration worth holding. They mark moments of joy, communion, and connection. The wine may have saved the celebration, but the Lamb is what will save the world.

Every Sunday, we are invited into a similar kind of feast. At Mass—like in the painting—Jesus enters the ordinary. He meets us at the altar, offering us what were bread and wine—His Body and Blood. We are invited to eat and drink—not alone, but together, united by a shared love for the One who offers Himself to us. And again, a miracle takes place, joy is sustained, and something ordinary becomes eternal. ✣

• Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen Biography. Web. De Jonckheere Gallery Master Paintings.

• Sheen, F. J. (1990). Life of Christ. Doubleday.

Faith & Science Go Together

WITH FR. ROBERT SPITZER

DAVID COOLEY

According to a recent Pew Research study, half of U.S. adults say that science and religion are “mostly in conflict,” while 47 percent say that science and religion are “mostly compatible.” Three percent said “I don’t know” or refused to answer. The harmony (or apparent lack thereof) between Christian doctrine and science has long been debated, and people are as divided as ever.

The strictly materialistic worldview that has increasingly plagued western culture since the Enlightenment continues leading countless people (especially the young) away from the truth of the Catholic Church to seek answers elsewhere. The impact has been detrimental for the Church and heartbreaking for families.

According to popular Catholic speaker and physicist Father Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., it’s time for Catholics to up their game when it comes to apologetics—the art of defending the faith with logic and evidence.

“There has been an incredible shift in the scientific community toward belief in God,” Father Spitzer said, “but if we don’t give that evidence to our children—evidence for life after death, the transphysical soul, the authenticity of the Gospels—and if we allow the attrition rate to continue going the way it is for the next 25 years, we will have a church that is half the size of what it is now.”

Father Spitzer hosts the weekly EWTN television show, “Fr. Spitzer’s Universe,” and is president of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith. The Center’s mission is to create content that helps people find a higher purpose in life, an awareness of their transcendent dignity, a sense of the transcendent Providential Power who guides them, and a determination to live ethically responsible lives. It provides a plethora of resources for educators, parish leaders, and anyone interested in contemporary Catholic commentary on timeless topics.

“There’s just no reason why a young person should think

that faith and science are contradictory,” said Father Spitzer. “It’s just the opposite.”

He said it is important for young people to understand that science can’t answer all their questions, and good science leads people to God.

“Science seeks to observe the principles of nature. The world is rational and ordered because of the God who created it,” Father Spitzer said.

Father Spitzer also sees phenomena and experiences that can’t be explained by science as powerful tools for apologetics.

“We need to tell people about Eucharistic miracles, the Shroud of Turin, near-death experiences, and Marian apparitions—things that are naturalistically and scientifically inexplicable,” he said. “Close examination of these miracles can be quite profound and beautiful.”

Father Spitzer will visit the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in September to lead a Catholic Faith and Science workshop for archdiocesan schools’ principals and math, science, and religion teachers. The archdiocesan Catholic Schools Office and Sophia Institute for Teachers collaborated to sponsor the event. Father Spitzer plans to share concepts that teachers can explore with their students to help arm them against the biases of atheism, relativism, and scientism.

“We cannot allow our students to go to college totally disarmed and vulnerable to attacks on our faith from not only their peers but their professors as well,” said Father Spitzer. “They are getting blasted by people who are arrogant and incorrect, and we’ve got the evidence to refute it. We must give them a good, strong, scientifically based foundation for their faith to bloom.”

Those interested in learning more about the Magis Center and all the articles, videos, books, and wealth of knowledge the center supplies can visit www.magiscenter.com. ✣

STAR TRAILS PHOTO BY MARY FLEISHER

MATT HESS

Uniting Faith & Farming

Every summer, Catholics in the Northern part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati grab their lawn chairs and gather for the archdiocese’s annual Farm Mass. Jesus becomes present in the Eucharist amid their corn, beans, cows, and chickens in this outdoor liturgy that brings together Catholic farmers. United by their faith and values with others from the parishes in the Land of the Cross Tipped Churches, they thank God in solidarity for His blessings as the harvest begins.

It’s not unexpected as this community of farmers routinely prays for and supports each other. “Neighbors knowing neighbors and helping each other is a great thing,” said Roger Hoying, who coordinates the Century Farm Awards given to families after the Farm Mass.

This year’s Mass was celebrated in Anna, Ohio, and hosted by the local parish, Sacred Heart in McCartyville.

People attend in both good and poor seasons to petition God and thank Him for the gifts they have received on their farms. The tradition reminds farmers that their work is intimately connected to God’s creation: to farm is to be a co-worker in the garden with God.

celebration of the Farm Mass is important to the farmers, a sign of unity among the diversity of parishes represented. His presence among the rural community also highlights the importance of these faithful in our diocesan Church.

The local parish hosts a social after the Mass, featuring homemade goodies made on the farm. After praying and being fed from the Lord’s altar together, fellowship and unity are important, and they grow through conversation and a shared heritage.

To highlight these farmers’ dedication to the land and farming way of life, the Century Farm Awards are distributed at the social to those local Catholic families whose farms have been passed down through generations for at least a century.

For twelve years, the Catholic Rural Life Conference has recognized farm families with this award, and in August, they awarded this honor to nine more families who have farms in the Land of the Cross Tipped Churches.

Some years, the weather has been hot and humid, while in other years it rained. When a storm blew in during the Mass a few years ago on a farm near St. Henry, the Mass was quickly moved to continue inside. The rain did not dampen the farmers’ spirits, and the liturgy was still a source of peace and thanksgiving for those present.

As the visible head of the local Church, the archbishop’s

The award is a tangible way of recognizing God’s activity in the rural community. “We rely on God to be with us,” Hoying said, “as our families grow and our crops and livestock grow.” In the Northern parishes of the archdiocese, family, crops, and faith, working together in harmony, have flourished. ✣

If you would like more information about the Century Farm Award, you can contact Roger Hoying: rbhoying@hotmail.com.

The Catholic Family’s Guide to Protection in Spiritual Warfare

CATHOLIC AT HOME | Katie Sciba

On a play date with neighborhood girls, my daughter tucked herself behind a couch during an innocent game of hide and seek, then waited excitedly. The joy and color drained from her face when she spotted the witchcraft books there. We were blindsided to learn her friend’s older sibling practiced spells.

Satan is not a myth, concept, or symbol, but a cunning fallen angel who exists and relentlessly moves to lead souls away from God. He moves subtlety, never to be underestimated or dismissed; yet for all his strength and show, Satan and his demons’ influence are ineffective against souls shielded by the Lord.

For a responsibility so weighty as our spiritual protection, the means are remarkably simple. Combatting the enemy’s unceasing harassment calls for living humbly and keeping our place under the Lord’s wing; but don’t take my word for it. For expert counsel, I turned to a diocesan exorcist (we’ll call him Father Bernard) who advised three actions, which underscore that acts of faith and love keep evil at bay.

1) “Stay in a State of Grace”

Father Bernard urges here, “Go to Confession once a month and Mass at least once a week for the Sunday obligation.”

No one questions the need to eat or take showers as means of survival and health. Equally necessary is the spiritual cleansing that comes from the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the nourishment that comes in the Eucharist. The cause of spiritual harm is sin, which, when it persists without us going to Confession, gives demonic influence a foothold or even a wide open door to our souls. The late Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth said, “One confession is worth 100 exorcisms” not only for the healing grace and restoration of our friendship with God, but also because Confession is an act of the will that breaks sin’s grip.

Consuming the Eucharist is the closest we can be with God, the presence of Whom no demon can tolerate. We’re blessed to have frequent access to these sacraments, but we tend to lose sight of their vitality; just like food and showers, Mass and Confession keep us alive and well—where the sickness

of evil cannot abide.

2) “Keep a Catholic Culture”

“You gotta have holy stuff around the house,” Father Bernard emphasized. Catholic decor silently points us to heaven. Pictures of Jesus, Mary, and the saints offer hope, declaring that overcoming ourselves, sin, and hardship in this life is possible with God. This month, my family will set up holy cards and statues of St. Pio, Our Lady Star of the Sea, and St. Michael for their respective feast days.

When asked about prayer, Father Bernard responded with zero hesitation, “Mom and Dad need to pray together. The whole family should pray together every day, but Mom and Dad at least.” He made it clear that the Rosary is an especially powerful pillar of spiritual protection for the family.

What surprised me was when this priest who fights horrific evil on the front lines said game nights and hanging out together are also important for a family’s safety. It makes sense; a family is a small culture, a little community that is itself the building block of society as a whole. We want to be close to the Lord not only individually, but as a unit, and that calls for collective prayer and shared life.

3) Bless the Kids

Though Father Bernard offered a wide range of ways to safeguard the souls at home, he concluded with a simple directive: “Mom and Dad should bless the kids. You have authority over these children. Blessing them is a powerful means of protection… just a basic ‘I bless you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ Make a cross on their foreheads, and if you have it, use holy water.”

It takes just a few crumbs to lure a pest inside, but those three actions are the best ways to clean house and keep it safe. While Satan’s intelligence and sleepless cunning far surpass our own, what renders him powerless against us is the mere presence of God. He cannot go to work where souls are in a state of grace, close with the Lord, and steeped in familial fellowship. For such a family, there is only confidence and divine strength. ✣

House L ord of the

l I bert Y towns HI p

St. Maximilian Kolbe

GAIL FINKE

One of the largest and newest parishes in the tri-state area, St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Liberty Township serves more than 3,400 families.

About the Saint

A Polish Conventual Franciscan Friar and the founder of the Militia of the Immaculata, St. Maximilian Kolbe was arrested in 1941 for publishing anti-Nazi literature. Sent to Auschwitz concentration camp and assigned the number 16670, he served fellow prisoners for months until the guards chose 10 men to starve to death as punishment for an escapee. St. Maximilian volunteered to die for one of those men, who begged to be spared for his wife and children. St. Maximilian Kolbe was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1981 as a “martyr of charity” and is the patron saint of prisoners, journalists, amateur radio operators, drug addicts, and families.

Through the Years

1989

St. Maximilian Kolbe parish founded to serve about 500 families. Masses were held at Freedom Elementary School during initial construction.

1990-92

Rectory and parish center built. Masses were moved to the parish center basement (a gym and auditorium space) while money was raised for the church.

1994

Franciszek Gajowniczek, the prisoner for whom St. Maximilian gave his life, visited the parish as part of his quest to

By the Numbers

1 Life-size crucifix above the altar, commissioned from Weberding’s Carving Shop, Batesville, Indiana.

1 Statue of St. Michael, purchased by parishioners as the result of a grassroots, three-year St. Michael Prayer devotion and installed recently over the baptismal font.

Quotes

visit all churches named for the saint.

2001

Current church completed after a $5.5 million capital campaign. Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk celebrated the dedication Mass on Dec. 23. Designed in a modern style by Ruetschle Architects, Dayton, the interior recalls classic, cross-shaped church architecture and features: a semicircle of pews surrounding a wooden altar set on a curved dais, a wood-paneled sanctuary wall, an ambry and altar made by parishioner Greg Jensen, skylights under peaked “clerestory window” openings,

1 Marian stained glass window in the new Immaculata Room, made in 1937 for the St. Peter Canisius Convent Chapel in Chicago. Like other pieces, including the statues from Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Felicity, Ohio, it was purchased from a church that closed.

“Prayer, reverent liturgies, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament are the foundation of everything here. About seven or eight years ago, we began celebrating the Mass more reverently, and the response has just been fantastic. People accepted the invitation to pray, and now, so many are finding a place in ministry work to give from what they received.”

– Mary Ella Wielgos, Director of Worship and Sacraments

“St. Max opened at a time when other parishes were struggling and closing down. Seeing the statues and other art that came from parishes that had closed, it’s moving to witness the adaptability and universality of Catholicism in action. These

and art glass windows by BeauVerre Riordan Studios.

2003

Parish expanded, with new offices adjoining the gathering space.

2018

Twinning relationship with St. Patrick Parish in Soroti, Uganda, began.

2024

New community and meeting rooms built after a $1.3 million capital campaign. Asphalt tile roof replaced with a custom metal roof designed to look like Spanish tile.

2 Major art glass windows in the transepts. One features St. Maximilian Kolbe in his Franciscan habit standing by his discarded striped Auschwitz uniform as the Virgin Mary offers him the crowns of purity and martyrdom. The other features the image of Mary from the Miraculous Medal.

‘hand-me-down’ pieces reveal a powerful truth: Catholicism endures.” – Dr. Annie Huey, Sacred Heritage Tours

“We have a Pieta donated by parishioners that weighs thousands of pounds, and somehow a guy and his son moved it in themselves. I don’t know how they did it! John the Baptist, in the window by our baptismal font, was modeled after one of our parishioners, the father of one of our deacons. The Virgin Mary in the art glass on the East wall is modeled after the [high school picture of the artist’s wife]—he asked parishioners to model, but no one would volunteer.” – Tom O'Rourke, Facilities and Maintenance Manager

Archangels

Background

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an angel is a being of pure spirit; that is “what” they are. St. Augustine tells us that the word “angel” is actually what they do: they are messengers and servants of the Most-High God. There are three archangels named in the Bible: Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. These messengers served God’s people at different times, had different purposes, and had very different missions. Their feast day is Sept. 29.

St. Michael

St. Michael is known as the Prince of the Heavenly Hosts and the defender of God’s people. According to the Catholic Bible Dictionary, “Michael” means “Who is like God?” In the Book of Revelation, “Michael and his angels” battle the dragon, an ancient symbol for the devil, and throw him and his followers out of heaven.

St. Raphael

St. Raphael is mentioned in one book of the Bible— the Book of Tobit. His name can be translated as “God will Heal.” In the Book of Tobit, God sent Raphael to answer the prayers of two people,Tobit and Sarah, who prayed for the same thing on the same day.

St. Gabriel

St. Gabriel appears once in the Old Testament and twice in the New Testament. His name means “God is my strength” or “God is strong.” He was sent to the prophet Daniel during the Babylonian exile to interpret visions concerning the Messiah. Later, he appeared to Zechariah to foretell the birth of John the Baptist. St. Gabriel is best known, however, for appearing to Mary and announcing the birth of Jesus.

Archangel Gabriel Healer Messenger Michael Protector Pure Raphael Slayer Together

The Redemption of the Body - Part 3

CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY | Andrew J. Sodergren, M.T.S., Psy.D.

Note: This article is part of an ongoing series on Pope St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.”

Over the last few months, we have been pondering Pope St. John Paul II’s thoughts on the “redemption of the body.” This concept is essential to the late pope’s thought because, in his own words, “everything” he taught about the human person in Theology of the Body (TOB) “has its definitive foundation in the mystery of the redemption of the body” (86.8). The pope used this phrase from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans to refer to the complete healing, restoring, and elevation of the whole human person. Redemption is ultimately about victory over bondage to sin. As we saw last time, this victory simultaneously has been achieved by Christ through His Death and Resurrection, is being achieved dayby-day in our own lives, and will be achieved definitively at the resurrection of the body when Christ comes again.

In particular, Pope St. John Paul II emphasized that the term “redemption of the body” applies to “historical man,” that is, to you and me. It means that we are all called to cooperate with Christ in the here-and-now to achieve victory over sin and concupiscence, “even in the exclusively inner movements of the human heart” (TOB 86.6). Christ’s words in the gospels give us hope that with Him such victory is possible. Pope St. John Paul II referred to this “hope of victory over sin” as “the hope of the everyday” (86.6). He went on to say, “In his everyday life, man must draw from the mystery of the redemption of the body the inspiration and strength to overcome the evil that is dormant in him” (86.7).

We do this by answering Jesus’ daily call “to discover and strengthen the bond that exists between the dignity of the human being … and the spousal meaning of his body” (86.8). This means learning again and again to see the personal dignity of every human body and refusing to look at another’s body as a mere object for my gratification. Doing so enables us “to understand and bring about the mature freedom of the gift [of self], which expresses itself in one way

in indissoluble marriage and in another by abstaining from marriage for the kingdom of God” (86.8).

While all are called to pursue the redemption of the body in this way, the specific focus will depend on our state of life: “Man and woman, bound in marriage, must daily undertake the task of the indissoluble union of the covenant they made with each other” whereas “men and women who have voluntarily chosen continence for the kingdom of heaven must give a daily living witness of faithfulness to such a choice” (86.7). In either state, “what is at stake is the hope of everyday, which in the measure of normal tasks and difficulties of human life helps to overcome ‘evil with good’” (86.7).

In TOB, Pope St. John Paul II showed that Catholic teaching on sexual morality is not an abstract ideal or an unrealistic, impossible norm imposed on us. It corresponds to the very structure of our human nature and is a precious gift given to us by Christ for our freedom. Indeed, it is the only way to live a truly human life. Victory over sin is not only possible, it is essential, and it is worth it.

To be sure, pursuing the redemption of the body imbued by the hope of the everyday entails suffering. Every time we say “no” to a disordered desire that arises in our hearts, it feels like a death, but doing so out of love and obedience to Christ unites our death with His and opens us to resurrection and the new life of the Spirit. As we continually say “yes” to the grace being offered to heal our hearts and we tirelessly work with Christ and the Holy Spirit to rid ourselves of sin, we are strengthened by the knowledge of Christ’s victory and by the sure hope of the final resurrection so that with St. Paul we can say “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” As John Paul II reminded us, “The hope of everyday shows its power in human works and even in the very movements of the human heart, clearing a path … for the great eschatological hope tied to the redemption of the body” (86.7). ✣

Catholic Crossword

(Mt 8:20)

Catholic songwriter

They ate what they were forbidden to eat

Don’t put it before the horse 20 First name in werewolves

Ancient Roman day

Confused hand-to-

“Let’s go”

Forced upon

Out of the library

Two are in a

Tooth covering

Those whom Jesus came to call

Agape ___

Biblical instrument

Forfeit or sum paid into the pool

Against

“Go Down Moses” et al.

Prom attendee

Stan’s partner

Frat letters

Hebridean tongue

Kind of power

“___, Sing America”

1 False god of the Old Testament

Book containing calendar of Masses 3 Mr. Greenspan

Repeated, it’s the piper’s son

Drooling dog of

The New or The Old

Native Americans

Title for clergy (abbr.)

Smelter input

Mass ender

Elevate

Shopping fun

Carried

Baseball glove

First Christian Roman Emperor

Lace of square mesh

Grandson of Leah

“Just for the fun ___”

“In the ___ of the Father…”

Edges

Enamel

Valleys 32 Karl ___, author of The Spirit of Catholicism

Moses was floated down this river in a basket

Do an eBay transaction

USA

City in the Archdiocese of Westminster and the Diocese of Brentwood 6 Known for his “Funeral Blues”

“…born of the Father before all ___”

Not fitting

Creepier

Glide along smoothly

Radio program, “The ___ Sanctum”

Short letters

“Ave ___”

Small mountain

Benjamin, in the family line

Potpourri

Eastern grp.

News agcy.

THE FINAL WORD | With Fr. Matt Summe, LC

Longing to Belong

I recently found myself reflecting on the course of my summer. As a pilgrim of hope, I traveled to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee year, alongside parish directors of evangelization from the archdiocese. We were blessed and privileged to accompany Archbishop Robert Casey to the Papal Mass where Pope Leo XIV bestowed the pallium on him. Later, in the mountains of Tennessee, I visited a few days with my religious community and got much needed rest. It was a nice respite and renewal after a long work year. Finally, my thoughts drifted to all the young couples I accompanied this summer as they took their first steps into sacramental marriage and founding their newly constituted families. Indeed, a blessed summer.

It was at the most recent wedding I presided over that several interesting encounters with young people inspired me to write this article. Called over to the bridal party’s table at the rehearsal dinner, I was asked to address some questions. One bridesmaid asked how her baptized boyfriend could become Catholic. She and her boyfriend were pondering their relationship’s future and wondered what it would take to both belong to and get married in the Catholic Church. The impending wedding’s excitement and beauty had provoked all kinds of practical questions for how to take the next steps in their own personal journeys.

Several more couples approached me over the next two days with similar inquiries, not only about Catholic marriage but also about receiving the Eucharist and renewing their engagement with the Church. Many found themselves distant or at the initial stages of a spiritual journey, with loose or no connection to the institutional Church. Our current encounter was reawakening deep stirrings and questions about belonging to the Church and its relevance to their lives.

I thought of the rich young man who approached Jesus with deep questions about his life, “What more do I need, what am I lacking?” Translated into modern terms: How do I find happiness? How do I belong? What does it take to build a fulfilling life? Jesus’ response was simple: “Come, follow Me.” Although simple in theory, it is challenging in practice! I believe the more authentic question about belonging was less about how to belong than “to whom do I belong?” We currently find

ourselves in a new apostolic age. It is not enough to just lean on a process of sacramental participation and catechesis: we need to engage in deeper dialogue on what it means to follow Jesus and belong to His Church—His Mystical Body, His people, the family and community of faith.

Our conversations were initiated by questions about sacramental participation in the Church that led to discussions about sacramental realities. The sacraments are the door to participation in the Church’s life and the source of grace and union with Christ and His Church. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life: Jesus truly present. The sacraments are also the immediate preparation for eternal life, as I was reminded when I anointed my own father as he was leaving this life and going home to God.

But too often, we have used the sacraments as a crutch and leaned too heavily into the sacramental process as the participation and primary pathway of evangelization. In past generations, the Christian culture was strong enough to fill in the gaps. Today, the sacraments are just a beginning, a privileged place for nurturing a developing relationship with our God to whom they point and from whom they flow. They are also a goal and an end for life with God, through Jesus, in the Holy Spirit.

Encountering others, engaging them, walking with them as they journey, blessing them, initiating them into following the Lord, and answering their questions about God, their lives, and their purpose in the world—strengthening them with all the means that the Church offers—this is the way of discipleship and evangelization.

For me, this is the reason for Beacons of Light: to rediscover our original calling and renew our response to the Lord. ✣

Father

Matthew Summe, LC, is the Managing Director of College & Young Adult Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.