Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church & St. Louise Chapel

Last week, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray passed away. Perhaps his was not a household name, but this very decent man made a substantive contribution to the life of the Church, serving in a number of different capacities over the years and collaborating closely with St. Pope John Paul II. I had the privilege of meeting him in the mid 1990s when he visited Mundelein Seminary, where I was serving as professor of theology. The Cardinal wanted to address the community, but his English was a bit shaky, so I translated for him. But I recall that his smile and evident joy in the Lord needed no translation whatsoever. The first time I ever laid eyes on Roger Etchegaray was some years before that, on an extraordinary day in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris: the funeral of the legendary theologian Henri de Lubac. A third-year doctoral student at the time, I had…

Something on clear display in the Bible and in the history of the Church is that a mission that is authentically from God tends to draw people to itself. When Peter and his companions were overwhelmed by the miraculous draught of fishes, other fishermen rushed to the scene to help them. When Mother Teresa made her way into the streets of Calcutta to care for the sick and dying, she was joined, within weeks, by many of her former students. One of the great privileges of my life has been my involvement with the Word on Fire apostolate. Something I have watched with fascination and deep spiritual joy is that so many people from around the country have been drawn by God’s providence into this ministry. This past week, for the first time ever, we gathered in Santa Barbara all twenty-five members of the Word on Fire team for days…

Algo que se ve claramente en la Biblia y a lo largo de la historia de la Iglesia es que una misión que viene auténticamente de Dios tiende a arrastrar a la gente hacia ella. Cuando Pedro y sus compañeros se vieron superados por la pesca milagrosa, otros pescadores se apresuraron a ayudarles. Cuando la Madre Teresa se adentró en las calles de Calcuta para atender a los enfermos y moribundos, se le unieron, en cuestión de semanas, muchas de sus antiguas alumnas. Uno de los grandes privilegios de mi vida ha sido haberme unido al apostolado de Word on Fire. Algo que he observado con fascinación y gran alegría espiritual es que tantas personas de todo el país hayan sido arrastradas por la Providencia Divina a este ministerio. La semana pasada, por primera vez, reunimos en Santa Bárbara a los veinticinco miembros del equipo de Word on Fire para…