In the past 12 months, personally, I have been very blessed. Last August, I was able to visit Fatima for the first time and participate in World Youth Day with Pope Francis (and 500,000 of our “closest friends”). This past May, thanks to the generosity of the Order of Malta, I was able to visit Lourdes for the first time.

There are times when writing, like life, can feel like a journey. I would like to invite you to join me in recalling the brief, but informative journey that started with my hope to write a column on recent developments in the cause of canonization of two “Blesseds” who, God willing, will soon be officially named (canonized) as saints.

I share the “heading” and first lines of the “Bull of Indication” that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, wrote to the whole Church and was published in Rome this past May 9, the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In his “bull of indiction” for the Jubilee Year of 2025, entitled SPES NON CONFUNDIT or “Hope does not disappoint,” Pope Francis announces the theme and hopes for the Jubilee Year. Pope Francis speaks of the importance of seeing and discovering “Signs of Hope” in the “signs of the times,” telling us: “In addition to finding hope in God’s grace, we are also called to discover hope in the signs of the times that the Lord gives us …” (#7) Pope Francis goes on to mention many circumstances, places, and groups of people where and in whom we can find “signs of hope.”

Have you ever had the experience of wanting to read a book, knowing that it would most likely be a good idea to pick up the book, but something always seemed to “get in the way”? If you have had that experience, I hope you have also had the experience of FINALLY getting around to finding the time to not only get started but also continue and have the great feeling that it was not too late, that the book was even better than you expected.

In an episode of his Word on Fire Podcast, released on Feb. 19, 2024, with the title “Understanding the Mental Health Crisis,” Bishop Robert Barron recalls his experience of making a presentation at the November 2023 meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

On Tuesday, April 30, we departed (from Baltimore-Washington Airport, after a bus ride from Basking Ridge) on an evening flight to Lourdes, France. Our departure had been delayed a few hours, so we took off close to midnight and arrived in Lourdes around noon (local time) on Wednesday, May 1.

It will not be long until our country celebrates a national Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis as a significant moment in our National Eucharistic Revival. At the heart of our faith is the Eucharist. As we draw closer to Pentecost, we are conscious that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit consecrates us as witnesses to Christ and that the Blessed Eucharist strengthens us for holiness of life.

“At the Angelus (on Jan. 21, 2024), Pope Francis announce(d) a “Year of Prayer” ahead of the upcoming Jubilee, and invites the faithful to pray for Christian unity and for peace throughout the world.”

**“What Happens After We Die?” That question is the “title” of a homily given by Bishop Robert Barron on this past Sunday, the Third Sunday of Easter. If you are a regular reader of this column, you know that I am a big “fan” of Bishop Barron and his Word on Fire n-line ministry. On this past Feb. 2, Bishop Barron released his 1,000th (first on-radio, then on-line) Sunday Sermon.

“T he community of believers was of one heart and mind…” (Acts 4:32) This description of the Church, at its beginnings, in its earliest days, as described in the Acts of the Apostles, was the first line of the First Reading this past Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter, also known as “Divine Mercy Sunday.”

In this space last week, I passed along the invitation and advice to “take the time to appreciate and enjoy Holy Week.” I offered some thoughts on Palm Sunday, on the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Monday**, and on the Chrism Mass on Tuesday.

“Take the time to enjoy and appreciate Holy Week.” I celebrated Confirmation at St. Matthew’s parish in Randolph on Saturday, March 16. In his remarks after Communion, the pastor, Father Brian Quinn, encouraged the newly confirmed, their sponsors, parents, and all those gathered, as we look forward to Holy Week, to “take the time to enjoy and appreciate Holy Week.” I hope that many readers have heard or shared this advice before, but I believe that it is worth repeating.

When was the last time that you heard an inspiring “conversion story?” If it has “been a while,” or even if you have heard one recently, if you haven’t heard Sister Josephine Garrett’s story (raised Southern Baptist, became Catholic after college, and then was called to Religious Life), I strongly encourage you to hear her tell it on the most recent episode of the Revive podcast.

In my column last week, I mentioned that our diocese will be offering “Listening Sessions” as part of the “Interim Phase” of the Synod on Synodality. I wish to return to this topic and, especially, to this “invitation” to each member of the Church. The invitation is also offered to those who may find themselves “outside” the Church or on the “margins” of the Church and/or society.

As I thought about the topic for my column this week, my original plan was to write about a new movie called “Cabrini,” which tells the story of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (also known as “Mother Cabrini”), which will debut in theatres across the country on Friday, March 8.

It was “pretty cool” to hear Bishop Cozzens as he described his experience at World Youth Day in Denver in 1993; he also described my own experience of being “changed” by the “experience of the Church,” gathered in prayer in such great numbers and experiencing in a powerful way the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The words of Jesus revealing to us His compassionate, merciful, Sacred Heart, were on my mind as I thought about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the fast-approaching Season of Lent, and our diocesan initiative that we call “Welcome Home to Healing.”

“Ready or not,” … Lent is quickly approaching. We can say that Lent (and Easter) comes “early” this year. This is also the second time in six years (and only the third time in 79 years) that Ash Wednesday falls on Feb. 14 — also known as (St.) “Valentine’s Day.”

On Thursday and Friday, Jan. 18 and 19, I had the privilege to travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the 51st annual March for Life. The first March for Life took place on Jan. 22, 1974, on the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion throughout the United States. I have shared some of my own experiences and history of the March for Life in previous columns. I wanted to take the opportunity to share some things that I learned and some new experiences that I had at this year’s March.