"Use it any way you will"

My longtime leitmotif of the Καθολικός διάκονος Friday traditio is the fleeting nature of time. "Now" is just the intersection of the past and the future. Because now is super-fleeting, I am never at ease with the lazy exhortation to "live in the now."

Even living in the moment is problematic for me as a "life hack." You really have no choice but to live in the moment. My life unfolds moment to moment. Guess what? Every moment isn't and can't be all you want it to be. You see, there's something called reality.

In any case, today I had a wonderful moment. It was a moment that I can best describe as coming back to myself. Speaking of reality, as both of my readers know, 2026 thus far for me has been a steep climb.

Honestly, it's been a gift. I've really had to lean into God's unfailing and unconditional love for me. What happened today, the culmination of something that's slowly been happening over this week, is that I regained some self-confidence.

Over this year, I have been using a wonderful spiritual resource. It's book of daily reflections entitled An Ignatian Book of Days, edited by Jim Manney. More days than not, the daily reflection has hit me where I'm at, especially on many difficult days. Of course, on those days, I am more open, better disposed to listening with the ear of my heart.

Especially on a number of tough days, the reflections have not only been germane but also provocative. The acid test of spiritual advice or counsel is whether it holds up when things aren't going well. Let's face it, in the realm of spiritual counsel there is a lot of bullshit.

For example, this past Tuesday there was a reflection from an article by Mary Craig: "Suffering- Our Human Situation." The reflection ends with this suggested prayer:

For what it's worth, take it, God, and use it.
Use it to make me grow in compassion.
Use it any way you will

This morning, a few days later, I felt a great physical release. It was very real, very reassuring.

It's possible to care too little. It's also possible to care too much. I need to strive to better cultivate what Saint Ignatius called indiferencia. This is not apathy. Instead, it is the ability to let go of what does not help me. Having confidence in God's love is what enables me to do this. "In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

Well, that's enough, especially on a day when I feel like I have nothing.

For our traditio today I am going with "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath. This version, from an Ozzy Osbourne tribute (it's been a year and a few days since his death), features an all star lineup with Post Malone singing. Note his hat. Spanish Fork is in Utah. Love it. I leave the insinuations and implications to you.

Who is a Christian? Notes on a recent interview

Today, I was featured in an interview conducted by a reporter from a local television news station (see "What does it mean to be a Christian in Utah and across the world?"). The specific question on the table, arising from the controversial Department of Defense decision, which has since been reversed, to de-classify the Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Christian religion, is an old one where I live- Are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Christians?

As it pertains to the DoD's unfortunate ruling, I agree with Utah Senator Mike Lee (something that doesn't happen often), namely that it is no business of the government to make doctrinal decisions or determinations. At least in the United States of America, it is the role of government to guarantee freedom of religion for everyone. While this didn't make the cut for either the video report or the lengthier print piece, I did say this quite clearly during the interview.

Reading a few of the comments on the station's YouTube channel prompted this post. There were several comments basically saying that I was somehow dishonest about the Catholic Church's view of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vis-à-vis Christianity. Of course, I was neither surprised nor particularly bothered by such ill-informed comments.

President Dieter Uchtdorf, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve, paying a visit to Bishop Oscar Solis, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, 14 April 2026

Nonetheless, there are a couple of considerations that are necessary. First, the video report doesn't contain the entire interview. Second, while the written article contains more of the interview than the short video, neither does it set forth the entirety of what I said (see written piece "What does it mean to be a Christian in Utah and across the world?").

Of course, there are fundamental theological differences between Catholics and Latter-day Saints. Without a doubt, the most fundamental of these is our respective beliefs about God's very nature and being. This difference is what caused the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, responding to a dubia in 2001, to determine that LDS baptism is not considered valid by the Catholic Church.

Of course, rejection of the Trinity has huge implications for our differing theological beliefs about the nature(s) and person of Jesus Christ. I suppose an argument can be made that orthodoxy impacts/influences orthopraxy. No doubt it does in several respects but not in some totalizing way. My point is, before there is any disputing about who's right and who's wrong, these are simply objective and important differences that honest Catholics and Latter-day Saints acknowledge.

On the basis of our differing beliefs, I think it would be interesting to reverse the question by asking, "Are Catholics, from an LDS perspective, Christians?"

One would think my use of the phrase "in a meaningful sense" would be understood as a qualifier. In the horizontal aspect, whoever seeks to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ can be considered a Christian in some sense. In the interview, I also discussed the priority of orthopraxy over orthodoxy.

More holistically, whoever believes that Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection has redemptive value and who endeavors to follow him is a Christian in a meaningful sense, even if from an historical and theological point-of-view something of a heterodox one. For any thinking and caring person, the question "Are Latter-day Saints Christians?" cannot be answered in a simple, barely qualified, and syllogistic way.

How well do you think most Christians would do if asked to articulate a thoroughly orthodox understanding of either the Trinity or the hypostatic union? Is someone who claims to be Christian and who has a less than orthodox grasp of these two fundamental dogmas still a Christian?

As the reporter suggests, the descriptor "Christian" is not a univocal one, especially for people with no faith commitment. For such people, it is often rather puzzling these disputes among people who claim to be Christians. As Christians, let's bear mind Jesus's teaching. I am thinking specfically of Mark 9:38-40 and Luke 9:50.

You are beautiful

Probably the greatest anthropological error in advanced societies today is the reduction of the human person to her/his sexuality. In short, you are not your sexuality. That sexuality is an important dimension of human being is beyond doubt.

From a holistic Christian perspective, human sexuality is a gift from God, a blessing. Your sexuality is not just a blessing for you. When well-understood and lived properly, it is a blessing for others.

To use Pope Saint John Paul II's frame, sexual union is the way you can most fully give the gift of yourself to another. Through this, the blessing can extend beyond the couple. The expansion of the blessing beyond sexual partners is not creepy in the least. How is it not weird? Easy, by maintaining the vital link between sex and procreation.

Eros can be transformed into agape. In his still magnificent first encyclical, Deus caritas est, Pope Benedict XVI provided a wonderful meditation on eros and agape (see sections 3-8).

Chastity is not the doctrine of "No." It's important to point out that for married couples, chastity does not mean sexual continence. One easily overlooked and progressive aspect of Humanae Vitae is Pope Saint Paul VI's positing of the "unitive significance" of sex in marriage (sec. 12).

What comes after "No"? In essence, the Church teaches that chastity is "the successful integration of sexuality within the person, ensuring the inner unity of one's bodily and spiritual being" (CCC 2337). This inner unity is vitally important. It's what it means to say the Christian approach to sexuality should be "holistic."

Not only are you not your sexuality, sexual acts aren't all there is to sex. To reduce sexuality to just having sex is a monstrous reduction, one that reduces your humanity and that of others. It is "monstrous" because we're all either witnesses to the effects of this reduction or have suffered ourselves and maybe even harmed others and not necessarily in grave and deliberate ways, though maybe in those ways, too.

To be clearer, just think of watching pornography. For many people today, this activity is considered to be fairly innocent. It's not and it never is. The prevalence of porn is nearly impossible to exaggerate. Talk about an abasement of our humanity as well as that of those who make porn!

Your sexuality is not the most important dimension of the mystery of your person. It isn't even the most interesting aspect of who you are. Insisting that human sexuality is a secondary dimension of the human person isn't to say that it doesn't matter. It is to say that it isn't all that matters or even the most important matter.

Let's be honest, sexuality is a place of great human vulnerability for most if not all people. Many, many people, women and men, bear deep sexual wounds that demonstrate the truth of our vulnerability.

I realize that along with my post on synodality, this post is more provocative on matters sexual than I have written for several years. As I wrote in my Integrity Note: "Stated simply, everything that appears here is my responsibility, especially that which turns out to be inaccurate or uncharitable."

Anyway, some thoughts for a Friday when I am not preaching. What is the important aspect of your person? You are created in the image of God. And the ontological reality that God loves you and there is nothing you can do about it flows from this.

As Pope Leo XIV asserted in Magnifica Humanitas: "No sin, failure, humiliation or exclusion can diminish the profound value of a human life that God has willed and called into being" (sec. 52). Yes, that includes you, your life. It's a concrete reality, not an abstraction.

Anyway, Twila Paris singing "How Beautiful" is our Friday traditio. We haven't had one in awhile.

The vulnerability of parental love

For my morning prayer time this year, I have been using a book I found in a discard pile: An Ignatian Book of Days. Put together by Jim Manney, the book consists of curated meditations for each day of the year. This book has been a boon for my spiritual life.

As a husband and as a father, one who, along with my wife, has been going through our most challenging time in more than thirty years of parenting the past year-and-a-half (I will spare you the details and safeguard my child's privacy), I was particularly struck by the extended extract from another book, written by Carmelite nun Ruth Burrows: Essence of Prayer, that was today's meditation from An Ignatian Book of Days.

I am not sure that consoling is the best word to describe the effect of what Burrows wrote had on me. I would have to go with hopeful. As longtime readers know, I have a very specific take on hope.

Consider a blissfully happy couple finding all they need is one another. For no other reason than generosity and the desire to share their happiness, they decide to adopt children as their own. From then on their life undergoes a profound change. Now they are vulnerable, their happiness is wrapped in the welfare of the children; things can never be the same again.

If the children choose to alienate themselves and start on the path to ruin, the couple are stricken, They will plead, humble themselves, make huge sacrifices go out of themselves to get their loved ones to understand that the home is still their home, that the love they have been given is unchanging.

This perhaps gives us some insight into redemption. In a mystery we cannot fathom, God "empties," "loses" Himself in bringing back to Himself His estranged, lost children. And this is all the Father wants. This is the only remedy for His wound. God is no longer pure God, but always God-with-humanity-in-his-heart

On a theological note, the Incarnation practically forces you to dump your Aristotelianism and your Platonism. As Pascal learned, the God of the philosophers is not the saving God, the God of redemption and liberation, God as revealed in Jesus Christ.

It is, of course, through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit that, in baptism, we become children of God by adoption (the Father has only one begotten child, a Son).

As parents of six children, my wife and I have experienced our share of ups and downs, joys and sorrows, consolations and desolations. We haven't dealt anything of the magnitude of what we are currently enmeshed in. "Now they are vulnerable," indeed! Thank God fo that.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks, Father most holy,
through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, . . .

While I am not one of those who thinks spiritual truths need to validated empirically and scientifically (I am more one who is like, "Duh, of course many of these things bear out empirically!"), here is an article that I found useful: "The Good Kind of Vulnerability."

Of synods and synodaling

The Church being "synodal" or becoming "synodal" or seeking to be more "synodal" is something you hear all the time these days. As most of us know by now, in essence, being "synodal" means "walking with" one another. So, as Church, as God's pilgrim people, we walk together. What seems to sometimes be lost is that our walking together as pilgrims indicates we have a destination, a place we're heading towards. Even if they veer off the path, pilgrims are distinct from wanderers. As Christians, we know "the Way."

It's also easy to overlook and underappreciate all the various synodal instruments the Church already has. These have largely emerged since the Second Vatican Council: parish and diocesan finance councils, pastoral councils, presbyteral and diaconal councils, bishops conferences, liturgical committees, diocesan review boards, vocations committees, admissions and scrutiny committees, etc. Yet, during this era, we rarely see these instruments of synodality named.

Being completely overlooked means that there is no mention, insistence, or even suggestion that these existing means of synodality be strengthened. Each of the above instruments are means of co-responsibility. Synodality as presently constituted runs the risk of the making the Church more, not less, self-referential.

Despite Pope Francis explicitly and publicly indicating otherwise, synodality to a lot people has come to be synonymous with something akin to a Church parliament. All this is a lead up to the increasing controversy surrounding the synodal report of Study Group 9. Study Group 9 is rather inelegantly named "Theological Criteria and Synodal Methodologies for Shared Discernment of Emerging Doctrinal, Pastoral, and Ethical Issues." This report alone could very well (if it hasn't already) undermine the credibility and integrity of the synod and synodality. I will get to why in a moment.

Specifically, Annex A of Study Group 9's report contains testimonies from two male Catholics who are homosexual. One of these testimonies contains a harsh criticism of Courage International. Of particular concern in his critique is the accusation that Courage engages in "reparative therapy," sometimes called "conversion therapy." The further claim is made that Courage's approach "separates faith and sexuality."

Courage is an approved Catholic apostolate. So grave were the criticisms that Courage has publicly responded. In their response, they insist that the testimony that appears in an Annex to the report engages in both "calumy and detraction." One might ask, is mandatory priestly and religious celibacy an exercise in separating faith and sexuality?

Now I come to the matter that may really undermine the credibility of the whole synodal process. When it comes to machinations like this, it doesn't matter what the issue is or what study group it emerged from. Diana Montagna writes about what happened on her Substack: "Fr. James Martin: The 'Mastermind' Behind the Two Testimonies in the Vatican’s Synod Report on Homosexuality."

Montagna, relying on and even reproducing in translation an article that appeared in the Spanish online publication Página Católica, is that Father James Martin was the sole force behind the inclusion of these testimonies. Of note, there is no testimony from a female nor from a same-sex attracted Catholic of either gender who is endeavoring to live accordance with what the Church teaches. Aiding those who desire to do just that constitues the raison d'etre of Courage.

Montagna writes: "The revelations even further erode the credibility of the Synod on Synodality, long presented by the Vatican as an exercise in listening to the whole Church with broad ecclesial representation." As a result of this, the General Secretariat of the Synod is seeking to place some distance between itself and the group reports, especially that of Study Group 9.

To my mind, the most salient criticism of the synodal way up to now is that it is not broadly representative of the Church. I have voiced similar reservations from the beginning. I am in no way opposed to synodality. What we're seeing is something else entirely.

Having read more in-depth about Pope Leo, it strikes me that these are the kinds of things he's good at engaging. His comments on the German bishops' liturgical text for blessing same-sex unions indicate that he is not one to shrink back from challenges. Even Pope Francis frequently noted that, as a son of the Church, he fully embraced with the Church teaches and believed in what the Catechism teaches on these matters.

If the Study Group 9 report weren't enough, we have the German conference of bishops seeking to act in direct contradiction of Fiducia Supplicans as written as well as to subsequent clarfications by the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith. See Larry Chapp's "The German Gambit" and Luke Coppen's "Where is the Rome-Germany blessings battle heading?"

Coppen's article highlights the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith's 2024 letter, mentioned by the Prefect in a recent interview. In the same interview, Cardinal Fernandez made a point of stating that the DDF's negative 2024 judgment not only applied to the draft sent to Rome but the final form as well. The forthrightness and heading off at the pass seems to me pure Pope Leo.

In all honesty, I have to admit that the point of Fiducia Supplicans remains a mystery to me. Prior to its promulgation, people asked for and received spontaneous blessings from bishops, priests, and deacons. I surmise that such blessings were readily given without probing moral inquiries into the lives of those requesting them. I've never interrogated anyone asking me for a blessing. So, why muddy the waters?

In his introduction to a recently published French book, Homos Et Cathos: L’Église à l’épreuve du réel, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, O.P. wrote: "For my part, I do not believe that the intention of this text was to permit only a 'hush-hush' blessing of same-sex couples, as has sometimes been understood." The "text" to which His Eminence refers is Fiducia Supplicans.

In light of section 5 of "this text," I have a hard time ascertaining how Cardinal Vesco can arrive at the conclusion he does. This is not some ideological or editorial point. I seriously don't see how the Cardinal's belief can persist in light of what Fiducia Supplicans actually says.

Cardinal Willem Eijk of The Netherlands issued a strong response to Study Group 9's report (see "Cardinal Eijk: Same-Sex Synod Report Must Be Forcefully Refuted"). He, too, engages the testimonies. His Eminence gets to the heart of the matter, theologically speaking, when he insists:

The deeper problem lies in the report's entire methodological framework. The authors subordinate everything to describing a “synodal process” focused on people’s practices and experiences. They explicitly reject what they call “abstractly proclaiming and deductively applying principles that are set out in an immutable and rigid manner.” Instead, they advocate for maintaining a “fruitful tension between what has been established in the Church’s doctrine and Her pastoral practice and the practices of life”

To be clear, virtually no one would dispute the last assertion about needing to maintain such a tension. But what is set forth, far from maintaining tension, is giving sole priority to the "the practices of life," which radically relativizes the Church's moral doctrine. Just as one should not let the practices of life side go slack, one should not drop the Church's moral doctrine. Pastoral ministry is an art that requires balancing a person's lived experience with what the Church teaches.

In any case, it seems clear that in addition to the need to reflect the Church more broadly, there needs to be much more robust discussion and even arguing in the synodal process. What if, for example, a representative of Courage (representing a Church-approved apostolate) was included in Study Group 9? Also, the competency of the study committees needs to be much better defined.

Robust disputation done in good faith is true dialogue. The Church has a great tradition of theological disputation. Such unfeigned and forthright interaction is the only way to achieve genuine unity. The kinds political manuvering that prompted this overly long post undermines unity by seeking to impose. This becomes particularly troublesome when doctrinal matters are in play. A small group of likeminded people is not an exercise in synodality.

The main point of this post isn't really to take sides in any specific debate. It is simply to highlight that, at least thus far, the synodal process needs to be much more robust. Also, the Church needs to be less, not more, self-referential. To be missionary disciples, we must be clear about our mission: proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, with all that entails and not lightly discarding what has been handed on to us.

Nobodies & Protagonists

Readings: Zephaniah 2:3.3:12-23; Psalm 146:6-10; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a

When preaching or commenting on the Beatitudes, I think there are three approaches available. First, a comprehensive approach through which you seek to say/write something about all nine of the Beatitudes. Second, the thirty thousand foot overview that is an attempt to draw a singular message from the nine distinct teachings of the Lord. Finally, one can zero in on one or two of these teachings.

Today, I am going with a combination of the second and third. I find even the thought of going point-by-point through all the Beatitudes exhausting. Before beginning, I heard two things today that I like a lot: "meekness is not weakness" and something like poverty of spirit means recognizing that you're not self-sufficient.

As to the second approach, contrary to Christianity in the contemporary U.S., being a Christian means having the courage to be a nobody. This does not mean refusing to be a protagonist. A Christian slogan from years ago presented just this false dilemma: Protagonists or Nobodies.

Let's stick with the dialectical tension inherent to the Catholic et/et (i.e., both/and) and go with being Protagonists and Nobodies. Isn't that Saint Paul's message in our reading from his First Letter to the Corinthians: you're all nobodies chosen by God to make God's glory known? Maybe we can be protagonists by being nobodies because, as we are seeing in real time, it takes solidarity and community to protagonize, as it were.

Be meek and merciful. Also, be a peacemaker, a protagonist. Our first reading from Zephaniah (there's a book that doesn't pop up often in the Sunday lectionary!) makes the point I am trying to make beautifully: "Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who have observed his law; Seek justice, seek humility" (Zeph 2:3).

As for the third option, let's focus on being peacemakers. It strikes me as a necessary preliminary to point out that peace isn't merely the absence of conflict. After all, you can have a truce, a ceasefire, and still not have peace. True peace requires justice. So, if you want peace, work for justice.

Daniel Berrigan, S.J.

In our present moment, we are seeing many peacemakers, people who, like me, are nobodies, banding together in the face of injustice to bring about peace. These nobodies have shown more courage and determination than leaders of our large institutions, including universities, which seem to only care about funding.

Inherent in justice is mercy and inherent in mercy is justice. Peace, therefore, once the conflict is over and justice has been realized, or a more just situation results, requires the hard work of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Peacemakers are God's children. While peace begins with me, the peace of Christ flows outwards, the love of Christ impels. Let's not kid ourselves, Christ is always on the side of the poor, the downtrodden, and the oppressed and might will never make right.

In his 2015 speech to a Joint Session of the United States Congress, Pope Francis invoked the figures of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. In our present moment, I would add to that list the Jesuit, Daniel Berrigan. These people bore powerful witness, showing us what living the Beatitudes looks like IRL. It's radical, which is why Jesus warned about suffering for living in this perculiar way. Berrigan, Francis' fellow Jesuit, was probably too radical for that setting.

It is people like King, Day, Merton, Berrigan, and whole cloud of witnesses who rebut the devastating critique made quite a few years go by author Kurt Vonnegut:

For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.

It should be clear, Jesus is not a or even the new Moses.

Break the existential plane

Life continues at an acclerated pace. Friday came and went with no opportunity to compose anything. It's funny, because one of the things I felt really good about last year was my consistency with the Friday traditio.

Not to be too hard on myself, that consistency has continued pretty much through the first month of this year. Hey, life is more than blogging. I am cool with this simply being a really late traditio to bring January to a close.

After my long discernment, which unfolded pretty much over the whole of last year, I am trying to wind things down on one hand and not start winding things up on the other until after I take a few weeks' break in between. Needless to say, this has been futile. Because things aren't winding down, I've started to realize how incredibly difficult the past three and a half years have been on me. What sane person would accept the levels of responsibility I have been shouldering?

When I have time, I've just been feeling exhausted. Lately, this is partly due to a stomach bug I've been battling. It's not bad enough to bring me to a halt but it's physically draining.

Perhaps the worst result of these past years is that it has made me very impatient and intensified my need to be in control. I am blessed that I have been able to recognize these tendencies and to make them a matter of prayer. True to form, I am most impatient and unyielding with myself. Msgr Giussani's exhortation to learn to gaze upon myself with the same tenderness with which Christ gazes upon me has very much guided me over the past few weeks.

Nobody talks much about the personal and emotional dimension of retiring from a career you've spent decades building. It's disorienting. This, too, has been a cause for deep reflection. In what or in whom do I find my identity. For a Christian, of course, the correct answer is in Christ. Finding my identity in Him is the center from which I am supposed to live. How am I doing in this regard? This question has given me a lot to reflect upon and converse with Him about. I look forward to Lent this year.

Pater Tom, a.k.a. Father M. Louis, O.S.C.O.

Today is the birthday of Pater Tom. Discovering one's true identity in God is at the center of Merton's spiritual theology. I have too long absented myself from Pater Tom's writings. One of my favorite books remains his Confessions of a Guilty Bystander. Rather than a long discourse on Merton's theology, I will just provide the summary, taken from his chapter on self-identity found in his book New Seeds of Contemplation: "The secret of our identity is hidden in the love and mercy of God." Of course, Jesus Christ is God's love and mercy incarnate.

Since the start of 2026, my preaching has been very much about the uniqueness, necessity, beauty, truth, and goodness of Jesus Christ. I feel impelled to preach the fundamental Gospel message: Be repenting and be believing, to use the literal translation of Mark 1:15. He is, indeed, the vine and we are the branches. Without the vine, the branches wither and die.

Last night, I attended a high school performance of Frozen in which my youngest son performed. It was amazing and the young women and men did a fantastic job. Never having seen the movie, I was struck by the parallels to C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia (as far as never watching Frozen, I didn't read the Chronicles of Narnia until I was in my forties!). Bending back to the previous paragraph, in Frozen, Aslan never shows up. Thinking this led me to realize how existential we've become. It gave the story a kind of Becketian feel for me.

Since the Gallagher brothers have made up and hit the road last year, I going with an Oasis song that has been on my playlist for several now- "Live Forever"- for our Friday traditio. Face it, despite our increasing refusal to recognize the transcendent dimension of being human, we all want to live forever:

That's a wrap for January 2026.

"So, if you're tired of the same old story..."

Today I am ready to start writing a new chapter of my life. My long discernment being over, I cleared two big hurdles today and now can set my sights on retiring from my long-time career and starting something new. It's never done until you've completed the admin!

Another change is the death of Monsignor Joseph Terrence Fitzgerald, P.A. Msgr Fitz or just "Fitz" as he was known, served for many years as Vicar General for the Diocese of Salt Lake City under different bishops: Weigand, Niederauer, & Wester. After retiring as Vicar General, continued to serve our bishops as a trusted senior advisor.

Msgr Fitz was quite proud of the "P.A." that came after his name. P.A. stands for the Latin protonotarius apostolicus (i.e., protonotary apostolic). A P.A. is more than a monsignor, which is a papally conferred title. P.A. is also papal honor, albeit one rarely conferred. A protonotary apostolic belongs to the highest non- episcopal college in the Catholic Church. While I cannot verify this completely, I am quite certain that Fitz turned down the opportunity to be a bishop. He would've been bishop of a different diocese. His life was utterly devoted to the Church in Utah.

Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald, P.A.

Along with Bishop Scanlan and the Holy Cross Sisters, Msgr Fitzgerald, who died on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, will forever remain a pillar supporting the Diocese of Salt Lake City. It's hard to exaggerate his influence, tireless efforts, and expert management of our local Church during his many years as Vicar General.

As rector quite a few years back, he saved my doctoral alma mater- Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon.

From the time of my ordination, Msgr Fitz was a trusted mentor and friend. He was very proactive, leaving a note once a month or so in my box at the Cathedral, asking me to come over his office for a chat. He's the only person in authority who's bawled me out and I walked away feeling better for it. I knew he loved me. He was a mentor, teacher, and encourager for me.

I had a wonderful father and so I've never needed a father figure. Msgr was a wonderful pastor and mentor. He only retired for good late last year. It's been weird not having him around. A great man, a wonderful person, and a Churchman (not a pejorative!) extraordinaire! May he rest in God's peace.

My friend Mike O'Brien wrote a wonderful piece on Msgr Fitzgerald for the Salt Lake Tribune: "Go-to priest, who ‘built the Catholic heart of Utah,’ dies after a life of service." I will cherish my memories of him for the rest of my life. As Eastern Christians say: Memory eternal!

So far in 2026, I have said goodbye to two dear people: Suzanne Lewis and J. Terrence Fitzgerald. I would have known neither but for Christ, who they both loved deeply and who they both served with every fiber of their respective beings. The world is poorer without Suzanne and Msgr.

Quite unbidden a song popped into my mind this week: "Roll With the Changes" by REO Speedwagon. REO isn't really my preferred genre of '80s music. But then, I don't dislike their music. Besides, Kevin Cronin looks like my deceased cousin Mark. The reason this came to mind seems quite apparent. And so, "Roll With the Changes" is our traditio:

"Te Deum laudamus..."

Today is the first Friday of the New Year. Or, as Roman Catholics observe it, the First Friday of January. This means it's time for the first traditio of 2026!

When given the opportunity, I kind of like blogging about blogging, probably a bit too much. Since Christmas, I've been enjoying some downtime, time at home, which I have loved. I've preached a lot. I preached on Christmas for the Mass at Night. I preached on the Feast of Saint Stephen and for the Feast of the Holy Family. I also preached for yesterday's solemnity.

Bas Relief of Saint Olaf, original work by Dale Schultz, a parishioner, commissioned by Father Andrzej Skrzypiec, 2025

Something that stuck in my craw was when someone, complimenting me on my homily, asked if I prepared my own homilies. My response was, "Of course." To which the inquirer replied, "There's no of course." Sorry, but what?

I work hard and preaching and pour a lot of my education, formation, and experience into my homilies. Posting them, as I do, I am conscious of my words extending beyond the walls of my parish. Stated simply, I hope I am able to serve others in this way. Such a thing shouldn't bother me much. Over the years, I've been subjected to much worse, as has anyone who's undertaken the vulnerability of engaging in ministry.

I often wonder if I put too much effort into preaching. Even good preaching doesn't seem to yield much fruit. But the alternative, in my view, is not winging it. Rather, it would be making homilies less substantial and more superficial. Good thing the Spirit won't let me get away with that.

I don't consider myself a great or even very gifted preacher but I am diligent. I take preaching with the seriousness I often see lacking. Most of the time, frankly, I preach the way I like to be preached to. In any case, good, bad, or middling, each homily is the original result of a substantial amount of work and time.

Since I mentioned The Imitation of Christ in my last post, the thought occurs to me that, like Saint Paul, I should be grateful for the thorns in my side. I'm working on it.

Anyway, this New Year, I already know, will be a year of great change for me, the likes of which I haven't experienced for a long time. Times of vulnerability are good as they put my need in bold relief. It isn't so much praying more. It's really praying. This carries over to my prayers for others.

It's only 2 January. 2026 is still very fresh. Therefore, our traditio for today is the Te Deum. Sung or recited quite often, it is traditionally sung at the end of First Vespers on 31 December. It is the Catholic hymn of praise.

Bye-bye 2025: a quarter of the 21st century

In late 2024, I had a decision to make about Καθολικός διάκονος. This decision was basic: Do I keep at it or stop altogether? As an aside, I have grown comfortable with using "blog" as a verb.

I decided to keep blogging not out of any sense of obligation. After all, to whom am I obligated? My decision was based exclusively on how much I missed blogging regularly. In addition to being what I've taken to calling "a vehicle of growth" for me, I find writing enjoyable. I make no claim to be a gifted or even very good writer.

I don't do much free form writing these days. Sometimes, when something strikes me, I'll post something on culture, society, or politics. After the inaguration this past January, I composed a few posts about where I stand on matters political and economic. Frankly, my views haven't changed since I was quite young. Essentially, I am a pretty socially conservative social democrat. As such, I'm not a fan nor am I a member of either major party (or any political party- though in the past for "tactical" reasons I have been registered as both a Republican and as a Democrat).

I dislike both major parties for different reasons but also for some of the same reasons. I take my political cues from the social teaching of the Catholic Church. This makes me a political outsider. My faith doesn't just inform but shapes and forms my politics. My politics, to the extent that I am aware, does not shape my faith!

Even though I've considered conscientiously abstaining from voting, something I think is a legitimate moral stance, I vote in each an every election. Voting requires the use of prudential reason. Being a purist will get you nowhere politically.

Enough about all of that. Politics exhaust. Politics are provisional- "provided or serving only for the time being. synonym: temporary." As a Catholic, I believe it's helpful to take the long view. The Church has survived every political system in which she has found herself for nearly 2,000 years. Either Jesus is Lord or He isn't. Which side of that dilemma you choose makes all the difference in the world!

Including this one, Καθολικός διάκονος boasts 156 posts this year! That is the most since 2016, when I put up 161. In future, I envision somewhere between 140-150 post per annum. But, who knows? Readership on my "Blogspot page" has been encouraging. Sure it's a bit of an ego boost to see that people read what I write. I'm only human after all.

Most of my posts are homilies. It seems a shame to prepare and deliver them once and consign them to oblivion. More than an ego boost or a dopamine hit, it is my prayer and sincere hope that those who read what I post find it encouraging, challenging, consoling, thought-provoking, that is, useful in some way.

2025 was a fairly eventful year. Political chaos, the likes of which this country has not seen since the nineteenth century, ensued in January. Flooding the zone results in drowning. I see what we're experiencing as the logical conclusion of the drive toward the imperial presidency, which was more than fifty years in the making. Maybe we're simply having a stress test for our constitutional order. The death of my dearly beloved and much misunderstood and maligned Pope Francis on Easter Monday was an event. As was the selection of Pope Leo XIV as his successor. Adding to the latter event, Robert Prevost is from the U.S. Oddly, Ozzy Osbourne's death seems very culturally significant.

Each year there are losses along the way. Positing "a way" implies we're headed somewhere. It's absurd to view the grave as our destination. You don't just have a destination but a destiny. Nonetheless, an invitable aspect of aging (I'm not old, just not young anymore) is these losses pile up. Even as someone with hope, it is sometimes hard to bear the weight of loss. The good news is, I don't have to. Someone else has already borne that weight!

Looking ahead, I plan to continue posting most of my homilies and, on those Sundays I don't preach, a reflection on the readings for that week. I plan to continue the Friday traditio. I wavered a bit on the past month or so. I still have some news to reveal when the time is right. I hope to put up a few more posts on various topics. For the first time in a few years, I am reading the Bible in a Year- not a podcast, but actual reading according to a chronological reading plan. This will easily generate some (hopefully) thoughtful posts.

While I celebrated 20 years since starting this blog this past August, this coming July will mark twenty years since I began blogging in earnest. As a look at the history of my "Blogspot page" (how quaint to a Substack titan!) will show, I began this effort, which I originally entitled Scott Dodge for Nobody in August 2005. It wasn't until nearly a year later that I changed the name to Καθολικός διάκονος and started posting regularly.

So, 2026 will be a year of change and transition for me. It took me nearly the whole of 2025 to properly discern and decide to make some significant changes. I am grateful that I had the time necessary. I can honestly say that I am excited. I look forward to the New Year. I hope you are too, dear reader. I hope I can continue to extend my diaconal service through my little "Blogspot page."

Enjoy New Year's Eve. Blessings as 2026 begins. We'll catch up on the other side of midnight!

"Defend us, O Lord, from all peril and dangers of this life"

Fall is beautiful. I love the transitional seasons. But you have to have winter and summer to have fall and spring. I believe this experientially communicates something about life.

I read somewhere recently that joy is the overcoming of sorrow. I think it's the best definition of joy I've ever read. For one thing it disentangles joy from that slippery and largely facile word happiness.

And so, you can't experience joy without having experienced sorrow. Many psalms bear this out. Take Psalm 22, the opening words of which are placed on the lips of Jesus as He hangs on the Cross by the inspired authors of Mark and Matthew: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). Verses 1-22 of this psalm are a song of deepest lament.

In Psalm 22, things begin to turn around starting with verse 23, with the plea: "Save me from the lion’s mouth, my poor life from the horns of wild bulls."

Saint Olaf church after evening Mass Monday, 13 October 2025, by Deacon Scott Dodge

From verse 24 on, Psalm 22 goes from being a song of heartrending lament to a song of praise, even an ode of joy! Or, in words from Psalm 30:12- "You changed my mourning into dancing; you took off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness."

At present, there is a lot to lament. It can easily overwhelm. But hope, which, just as joy needs to be differentiated from happiness, needs to be distinguished from optimism, sustains. Hope sustains because it is a theological virtue, a supernatural grace.

Hope remains when optimism has long since left the building because hope, like true joy, comes from God. As in all things that matter, Jesus Christ shows us this through His life, passion, death, resurrection, and sending the Spirit.

It bears noting that today we observe the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr. Hence, one can use the Common of Pastors or of One Martyr. I always prefer the latter when these are the choices. Antiphon 2 for this Common, riffing off Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans is fitting: "The sufferings of this life cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us in the life to come."

Or this from the first reading for the Office of Readings from the same Common, from 2 Corinthians (see 2 Corinthians 4:7-5:8): "We are afflicted in every way possible, but we are not crushed; full of doubts, we never despair... Continually we carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may also be revealed." This is hope!

Our traditio for today reveals my Anglo-Catholic heart. It is from Greg LaFollette's lovely album Songs of Common Prayer: "Lighten Our Darkness."

Worldly confusion

"The world, the flesh, and the devil." Let's stick this morning with the world.

Anyone who claims to be humble is proud. The more someone insists he is transparent, the more opaque he turns out to be. Anyone who makes a big deal about being for free speech is eager to shut down any expressed view she doesn't like. It really is that simple.

We're so inured to these incongruities that we don't recognize the irony in which we daily swim. If anything characterizes the past 15 years or so, it is utter incoherence. This incoherence is across the board. It is not the exclusive domain of any one side. Ideology is blinding and makes you stupid. Ideologies abound and propagate.

In the words of the Eurythymics song "Sweet Dreams," "everybody is looking for something." Exactly what, many can't say. An endeavor with no objective amounts to wandering in the optimism that you'll stumble onto something. While maybe not all who wander are lost (I can only imagine Tolkien's response to the abuse of this assertion), some certainly are lost. It strikes me as good advice not follow anyone with that bumper sticker.

Saint Benedict responded well to the chaos of his time. At the end of his still magnificent work After Virtue, written more than forty years ago, the late philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre contrasted our age with that of Saint Benedict's. Benedict's milieu was what are often called "the Dark Ages." In 1981, MacIntyre wrote that we were entering "a new dark ages."

Contrasting our time with that of 1500 years prior, MacIntyre observed: "This time however the barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for quite some time. And it is our lack of consciousness of this that constitutes part of our predicament." Hence, what we need, he insisted, is "another—doubtless very different—St Benedict." What MacIntyre sought to prescribe is "the construction of local forms of community within which civility and the intellectual and moral life can be sustained."

This is what hope, as contrasted with optimism, looks like. It is our lack of consciousness about our predicament that is most worrisome. Beyond that, many remain content to let politics and political ideologies take the lead, which is to get things the wrong way around. Another philosopher worth reading in this regard is Giorgio Agamben, particularly his Homo sacer series of books. There is a convergence between MacIntyre's conclusion and what Agamben asset forth in his book The Highest Poverty: Monastic Rules and Form-of-Life. Come to think of it, maybe the Saint Benedict we need is not one who is so very so very different.

As you might've guessed, given my usual lack of subtlety, our traditio for this Friday is the Eurthymics "Sweet Dreams." Why? In the immortal words of future senator Bluto Blutarsky, "Why not?"

As Philip Roth observed through the main character of his own favorite novel, Sabbath's Theater, Mickey Sabbath: "whoever thinks himself pure is wicked."

Busy and grateful or busily grateful

Busy-ness is hard for me. After a week or so, it starts to seem downright tyrannical. When I awoke on Monday morning, I steeled myself for the upcoming week (this week) and the week following (next week). Don't get me wrong. I am immensely blessed and my busy-ness is comprised of good things. Plus, so far, I'm keeping the pace. Deo gratias!

"Daunting" is the word that best describes my experience of these busier that usual times. It's not unusual for me to not feel up to the tasks. But what I find by keeping my routine the best I can, putting one foot in front of the other, and taking short pauses to reconnect with the One who walks with me, is not only that can I do it but that I can even enjoy it, despite definitely not wanting it to be my norm.

Even in normal times, people ask me how I manage all my roles and responsibilities. My somewhat sly answer is, "Sometimes better than others." Truth be told, it's all about priorities and knowing my limitations. Above that is staying connected to the Vine, knowing that I but a mere branch. What I have gotten used to at times is not getting to a lot of things done as soon as I'd like. I am a task in/task out, next, kinda person. During those times when my regular cycle is disrputed by the need to make trade-offs in order to attend to higher priorities, some things snowball. For example, as a result of this two week period, I will definitely have some digging out to do.

I don't mind divulging that I am doing my second Saint Michael's Lent through Exodus 90. My fraternity this year is smaller than last year. There are four us from my parish who are walking together. Spiritually, this is what I need right now, despite the commitment adding to my burden somewhat. Since it's Christ's burden, rather than increase my load, it lightens it. My three brothers, all from my parish, were all already friends. Their fellowship means a lot to me.

While I enjoyed last year, I felt the spiritual guidance was lacking in certain aspects. I also found some of it theologically off. This year, two Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Fathers Innocent and Angelus, are our spiritual guides. At the risk of sounding like an older man trying to be "with it," I am vibing this year. I eagerly look forward to each day's reflection and prayer. Since fasting is the forgotten and deliberately neglected spiritual discipline, I enjoy that aspect of Saint Michael's Lent, as it is a discipline I try to practice regularly. It's nice to have companions.

I still remain fascinated by time, by its passage, by its relativity. It's hard to believe that we're approaching the end of the first week of September. I am very grateful that returning to this online endeavor late last year has borne the fruit for me that I hoped it would bear. In reality, it's been a bumper harvest. God is good and gracious. It helps that this has long been a labor of love. As the response to the Intercessions from Morning Prayer today puts it, In your will is our peace, Lord. Seeking to live in God's will is vital.

I have a road trip today. I need to go and return so I am back to meet commitments I have for tomorrow- the first of which is my Fraternity meeting- the other rather more formal. Otherwise, I would spend the night at my destination. Next week, I have a one day trip to Florida for a business meeting. (Deep sigh!)

I have been listening lately to some of my favorite contemporary Christian music. In particular, Phil Keaggy's 1993 Crimson & Blue album. It seems fitting that "Everywhere I Look" is our Friday traditio. Tenga un buen fin de semana a todos.

The humility of forgiveness

The Annunciation is the first Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The fruit of that mystery is humility. This links today's Gospel (as well as our reading from Sirach) with what happened in Minneapolis at Annunciation parish this past week.

On Wednesday, while attending Mass, fourteen children were wounded, several critically, along with three elderly parishioners. Moreover, eight year-old Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed. We apply the description "unimgainable" to these atrocities because it's impossible to imagine what it would be like to have something like that happen to me. It's terrifying to ponder.

On 2 October 2006, Charles Roberts entered a one room Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania and took everyone hostage. He killed five girls and wounded another five. This after he released all the boys, leaving the girls to face his wrath. These girls ranged in age from 6 to thirteen. After shooting his victims, Roberts then took his own life. Roberts was a milkman known to the Amish community he so brutally attacked.

On the very day the Pennsylvania shooting occurred, the grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls warned relatives not to hate, telling them, in reference to Charles Roberts, "We must not think evil of this man." Another member of this community pointed out that Roberts "had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he's standing before a just God." We can say that, too, of Robin Westman, the person who so violently attacked Annunication church, and who also killed himself, that he had a mother and a father and is now standing before a just God. We must leave ultimate judgment to God.

Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster County, explained in the wake of the 2006 shooting: "I don't think there's anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts."

Several members of the Amish community attended Roberts' graveside service, which took place the day after they buried the five children he killed. Those who attended the service hugged Roberts' widow and other members of his family.¹

In 2015, family members of some of those killed by Dylan Roof in a racially-motivated shooting at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston, South Carolina, publicly forgave him in court. In a court hearing, a family member of Myra Thompson, one those Roof murdered, said, "I forgive you and my family forgives you," before urging the shooter to "Repent and give your life to Christ and change your ways. You'll be better off than you are now."²

Let's not forget the powerful scene from Rome's Rebibbia prison in 1983, where Pope John Paul II went to meet with and to forgive the man who shot and nearly killed him in Saint Peter's Square in 1981, Mehmet Ali Ağca.

It's never too soon and it's never too late to live the Gospel. This is one of the reasons it is good news. Without a doubt, the shock and trauma are still being experienced by those children and others who experienced Westman's incomprehensible attack as well their families, especially the Merkel and Moyski families. Sadly, these effects will likely linger. Therefore, we must pray for them.

After experiencing the killing of his own infant daughter, Jonas Beiler became a counselor in Pennsylvania. He's counseled members of the Amish community attacked by Roberts. It was during the time he was studying to be a counselor that Beiler's wife founded Auntie Anne's Pretzels. This has allowed him to practice counseling among the Amish.

Speaking from personal and professional experience, Beiler noted, "Tragedy changes you." After experiencing such trauma, he noted, "You can't stay the same." Looking at the bigger picture, he observed

Where that lands you don't always know. But what I found out in my own experience if you bring what little pieces you have left to God, he somehow helps you make good out of it. And I see that happening in this school shooting [referring to the one in Pennsylvania in 2006] as well. One just simple thing that the whole world got to see was this simple message of forgiveness³

Forgiveness sends a powerful message. As the apostle Paul urges: "Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good."⁴

As disciples of Jesus Christ, let's commit ourselves to non-violence and to doing what we can reduce and eliminate violence. It's important to bear in mind that peace begins with me. In his Angelus message today, Pope Leo, after remembering the shooting in Minnesota and the children violently killed throughout the world each day, addressed the scourge of violence, saying,"Let us plead with God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world."⁵

Let's never forget that Holy Mass is always the celebration of Christ's resurrection. It is by His resurrection that He overcomes evil and death. It is by His resurrection, ascension and descent of the Holy Spirit that we have the Eucharist. It is through our reception of Holy Communion that Christ can live in us.

A lot more could be said but I will limit myself to pointing out that there are eerie parallels between last week's shooting in Minneapolis and the one that occurred at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee in 2023. These bear looking into.⁶

---

1 Joseph Shapiro. "Amish Forgive School Shooter, Struggle with Grief." NPR^↩
2 "Charleston shootings: Power of forgiveness in African-American church." CNN^↩
3 "Amish Forgive School Shooter."^↩
4 See Romans 12:17-21.^↩
5 "Pope: 'Arms must fall silent, voice of fraternity and justice must prevail.'"^↩
6 Aaron Cantrell. "Minneapolis tragedy rekindles Covenant School Shooting grief in Nashville." NewsChannel5 Nashville.^↩

Pope Leo XIV on the Pontificate- "loving as Jesus did"

In his homily for his Mass of Inauguration for his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV summed up the Petrine ministry beautifully in one short paragraph:

Peter is thus entrusted with the task of 'loving more' and giving his life for the flock. The ministry of Peter is distinguished precisely by this self-sacrificing love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never a question of capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or by means of power. Instead, it is always and only a question of loving as Jesus did

At least for me, Pope Leo, in addition to being his own man, combines wonderful characteristics of his two predecessors. He has the missionary fervor and deep concern for those on the periphery of Pope Francis. Like Pope Benedict, he speaks clearly and precisely from a deep well of love for our Lord and for His Church. At least in profile, he looks quite a bit like Pope Saint John Paul II.

"Swim out past the breakers..."

When I decided to reinvigorate this little piece of cyber space late last year I could never have predicted all the excitement 2025 would bring. What a year so far! We've experienced the good, the bad, and the very ugly. But in the face of this, there is reason for hope. Solidarity seems to be springing up tace not just the challenges but the crises we are living. As Pope Francis noted earlier this year, while speaking in his beloved basilica of Saint Mary Major, where he was laid to rest, “Today, we are not living an epoch of change so much as an epochal change.”

In my view, the first quarter of the twenty-first century has been an awful epoch, a paradigm has emerged that badly needs to be changed. Maybe the next quarter century will be better, a time when we start asking why to technology, regulating it smartly, and rejecting stifling ideologies. Maybe it's time, to quote the late Joe Strummer, "to take the humanity back to the center of the ring..."

In the same speech cited above, Pope Francis noted: “The situations that we are living today pose new challenges which, at times, are also difficult for us to understand. Our time requires us to live problems as challenges and not as obstacles.” Above all, he reminded us, “The Lord is active and at work in our world.” The seemingly hopelessness of death overcome by unexpected resurrection.

Catholic social teaching, which is built on the pillars of human dignity, the common good, subsidiarity, and solidarity, offers a lot in this regard, even for non-Catholics, non-Christians, and non-believers. This is why I found the Pope's choice of the name Leo so encouraging.

Speaking of need for change, Fr. Sam Sawyer, S.J., who serves as editor of America magazine, wrote what I think is a great opinion piece for The New York Times yesterday: "Pope Leo XIV May Be a Stern Teacher for American Catholics." I won't rehash Fr Sawyer's short piece. I will just encourage you to read it.

We can all rest easy, Pope Leo is on social media.

With everything going on, I have been "blogging" up a storm. With this, I have posted as many times already as I posted last year. Of course, last year was nearly the end of Καθολικός διάκονος. Hey, it's Easter- Resurrection time!

Καθολικός διάκονος remains for me a labor of love. Writing here is something I want to do, not something I feel I have to do. I re-started in earnest because I was poorer by not doing it. From the beginning, I felt this to be part of my diaconal vocation. It is my prayer that there are others who benefit from what I post, too.

This week's Friday traditio is one of those great '90s grungy kinda ballads" "Santa Monica" by Everclear. Why? In the words of "Bluto" Blutarsky, "Why not?"

Pope Leo XIV- Il Papa dagli Stati Uniti

It is not accurate to say that Pope Leo XIV is the "first pope from America." Born and raised in Argentina, Pope Francis was the first pope from America. At this time, I know it is more than okay for people from the U.S. to speak in that way. Catholics, especially, should not.

But quite unexpectedly, Pope Leo is the first pope from the United States. This distinction, while undoubtedly a bit pedantic, is made even more important by the fact that the Holy Father spent a lot of time in South America. Specifically, he served as bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru from 2014-2023. Prior to that, he served quite a few years in Peru as a priest, making him truly a pope from the Americas.

Leo is the second man in a row chosen to walk in the shoes of the Galilean fisherman belonging to a religious order. Pope Francis, of course, was a member of the Society of Jesus (i.e., the Jesuits). Just like the consensus was that no one from the U.S. could become the Roman Pontiff, it was previously asserted that no Jesuit could be chosen.

Pope Leo is a member of the Order of Saint Augustine (i.e., the Augustinians). Like Pope Francis, Pope Leo served his order as a Provincial. Unlike Francis, he served two terms in Rome as worldwide head of the Augustinians.

Besides growing up there, between his various tenures in Peru and Rome, Pope Leo spent time in Chicago. While Pope Francis was the first Jesuit to become Bishop of Rome, Pope Leo is the sixth Augustinian pontiff. Of Saint Peter's 267 successors, thirty-four have belonged to religious orders. Prior to Pope Francis, the last religious to be pope was Gregory XVI, a Camaldolese monk, who served from 1831-1846.

Pope Leo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Villanova University. Born in 1955, he is the first pope born after World War II. Ordained a priest in 1982 he is, after Francis, the second pope ordained a priest after the Second Vatican Council. In high school (like me) he participated in speech and debate. I wonder if he, too, earned the National Forensic League's (now the National Speech and Debate Association) double ruby award? I mention this because it is one of my proudest high school achievements!

Contrary to initial reports that he is a Cubs fan, according to his brother, John, His Holiness is a White Sox fan.

Pope Leo XIV, Getty Images used under Fair Use provision

Leo's being a pope from the Americas was highlighted by the fact that in speaking his first words as Roman Pontiff, the only language he spoke other than Italian was Spanish, which is a departure from the norm.

Breaking with custom, Pope Leo initially read prepared remarks but quickly went extemporaneous in Italian. In another break, he switched from Italian to Spanish, as noted above. He did so to greet those from his former diocese in Peru. Then, returning to Italian, the Holy Father noted that May 8 is the feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. He then led the pilgrims in praying the Hail Mary.

Making a bit of a nerdy liturgical point, I love that he donned the summer version of the papal mozetta for his first appearance. Dare I hope for a return of the red shoes? Red shoes, after all, are meant to symbolize the blood of the martyrs, not just a stylistic affectation.

If his first appearance is anything to go by, he seems comfortable in his own skin with simply being who he is. By all accounts, one from a priest friend who knew him in Chicago, he is reserved and quiet. He didn't try to be Pope Francis and seemed fine being himself. Authenticity matters.

One of the best things in watching events unfold in Saint Peter's Square after white smoke appeared, was seeing the Catholicity of the Church on display in such an amazing way. The joy of the pilgrims came through screen. This excitement is or at least should be the Church: Evangelii gaudium, to borrow a Latin phrase. The joy of the Lord is our strength!

What a great thing to see people young and old, women and men, people from all nations and many ethnicities who speak different languages, lay people, religious, clerics rejoicing together. Through the Eucharist, we are One Body. It is through the Eucharist that we have communion, through our own bishops, with the Bishop of Rome, who presides in charity over Christ's Church.

I admit to being utterly surprised by the selection of a Cardinal from the U.S. to be Bishop of Rome. Above all, I am grateful that we have a Pope. Because nothing is complete until the Lord returns, all papacies end with mixed results and all popes leave unfinished business.

For what it's worth, Pope Leo XIV is the third pope since the launch of Καθολικός διάκονος in the summer of 2005. I look forward to serving at Mass tomorrow morning and hearing "together with Leo our pope and Oscar our Bishop" in the Eucharistic Prayer.

For obvious reasons, this is a day early but in honor of His Holiness' hometown, our Friday traditio is from those two other guys from Chicago who were also on a mission from God. You got it, Jake and Elwood Blues, "Sweet Home Chicago."

Lest we forget, in 2010, The Blues Brothers was deemed by L'Osservatore Romano as a "Catholic classic." Deal with it. Besides, I already used Palestrina's "Tu es Petrus" during the interregnum.

Lord Jesus Christ,
Good Shepherd and High Priest,
we praise you and offer you our sincere gratitude
for calling Pope Leo
to serve as the shepherd of the universal church.
May he lead us as a loving shepherd
who cares for his flock and seeks out the lost sheep.
May he be for us a gentle and listening father,
a faithful teacher and a steward of your sacred mysteries.
Grant him health, strength, and wisdom.
Strengthen the bonds of unity among us
so that we may serve you as one body.
Purify us and sustain us in charity for your love for us never fails.
Grant that we may boldly answer your call to mission.
You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.
Amen.

Conclave curiosities

When one considers the episcopal lineages of the 133 Cardinal electors (i.e., their principal consecrator, their principal consecrator’s principal consecrator, etc.) one name stands out: Scipione Cardinal de Rebiba.

Cardinal de Rebiba lived his entire 73+ years in the sixteenth century (1504-1577). Ordained a priest at 23, he was ordained a bishop at age 37. On 20 December 1555 then-Bishop Rebiba was created a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church by Pope Paul IV.

Like 1978, 1555 was a year of three popes. Julius II, who became pope in 1550 died on 23 March. He was succeeded by Marcellus II, whose pontificate lasted less than a month- from 10 April to 1 May. On 26 May, Paul IV was selected as the 223rd Successor of Saint Peter. He reigned until 18 August 1559. Quite a tumult during the century of the Protestant Reformation and in the midst of an Ecumenical Council!

To give an idea of the times in which Cardinal de Rebiba lived, it bears noting that the Council of Trent was convened by Pope Paul III in 1545 and brought to its conclusion after twenty-five sessions by Pope Pius IV in 1563. In 1552 the Council was halted when Maurice, Elector of Saxony, triumphed over the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, resulting in the occupation of the Tirol region in the spring 1552.

After the death of Julius II and brief reign of Marcellus II, the virulently anti-Protestant Paul IV became Bishop of Rome. Due to his hostility to the Protestants, he did not see the need to continue the Council. As a result, no sessions were held in the decade 1552-1562.

Portrait of Scipione Cardinal de Rebiba

Why does Scipione Cardinal de Rebiba matter when it comes to the Conclave of 2025? Well, one hundred twenty-eight of the one hundred thirty-three Cardinal electors for this Conclave are in Rebiba’s episcopal line. Three of the five Cardinals who are not part of Rebiba’s episcopal lineage are from Eastern Catholic Churches: Mykola Bychok, C.Ss.R., from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Louis Raphaël I Sako, from the Chaldean Church, and Baselios Cleemis (Isaac) Thottunkal, from the Syro-Malabar Church.

One Cardinal, Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., is not a bishop. Therefore, he has no episcopal lineage. He is the first non-bishop Cardinal to participate in a Conclave since Pope John XXIII promulgated, motu proprio, the Apostolic Letter Cum Gravissima in 1962, the year he died. It was in 1962 that Pope Paul VI was chosen to walk in the shoes of the fisherman.

This leaves one Latin Rite Cardinal serving as a bishop who does not belong to Rebiba’s line: Sebastian Francis. Cardinal Francis is one of those members of Sacred College called by Pope Francis from the margins. He is the bishop of the Diocese of Penang, Malaysia.

It’s hard to imagine that Scipione de Rebiba could’ve imagined this.

Let's be diligent in praying for the Cardinal electors, who enter Conclave on Wednesday.

On the verge of the Conclave

Today is day eight of the novendiales, the nine days of mourning observed on the death of a pope. Pope Francis' funeral Mass marked day one. On each of these days, a Cardinal celebrates a Mass for the deceased pope. Only other Cardinals may concelebrate with him. Today's Mass was celebrated in Saint Peter's Basilica with Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Pro-Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, as main celebrant.

The final Mass of the novendiales, which will also be in Saint Peter's Basilica, will have as the main celebrant the Protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, with the Papal Chapel group in attendance. Mamberti, who is French, will announce the new pope after his selection. He will be he second French Cardinal in a row to do this. In 2013, it was Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran who announced Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam! ("I announce to you news of great joy. We have a Pope!"). Cardinal Tauran died in 2018.

Based on previous reports, I posted that two Cardinals would not be in he upcoming Conclave, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday, 7 May. It is still true that two Cardinals eligible to vote will not participate. As previously noted, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Archbishop Emeritus of Valencia, Spain will not be Rome due to poor health. But it appears that Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo will join the Conclave. I had previously written that he would not.

It is Cardinal John Njue, Archbishop Emeritus of Nairobi, Kenya who, along with Cardinal Cañizares, will not come to Rome for the Conclave. Both Njue and Cañizares were created Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI. Cañizares (who served as Prefect for the then-Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was known in some Roman circles as "little Ratzinger") in the 2006 Consistory, Pope Benedict's first, and Njue in the Consitory of 2007. Despite the absence of two electors, this conclave will still be both the largest in terms of electors and the most international, the most catholic, in the Church's history. 133 electors from 71 countries. In the Sacred College, which includes Cardinals older than 80 who cannot participate in the Conclave, 94 countries are represented.

The Last Judgment, by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

In the Conclave there will be fifty-three European Cardinals: 19 from Italy, 6 from France, and 5 from Spain. Thirty-seven Cardinals from the Americas: 16 from North America (including 10 from the U.S.), 4 from Central America, and 17 from South America. There will be 3 Cardinals from Asia, 18 from Africa, and 4 from Oceania.

Thirty-three of the 133 electors are from 18 religious orders, including 5 Salesians, 4 Franciscans all from the Order of Friars Minor (there is a variety of Francican orders, of which the OFMs are the largest and, I believe, the oldest), Franciscans include Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who is considered papabile, 4 Jesuits, the order to which Pope Francis belonged, will also participate.

The morning of the day on which the Conclave begins, the Cardinals celebrate the votive Mass Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice (Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff). The celebrant is the Dean of the Sacred College. In 2005, it was likely his homily at the Pro Eligendo Mass that sealed then-Cardinal Ratzinger's election as the 265th Successor of Saint Peter. At 91, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the current Deacon, will not be in the Conclave.

In the afternoon, the Cardinal electors proceed in a solemn procession to the Sistine Chapel, where the Conclave is held. Once inside the chapel, each Cardinal elector takes the oath as prescribed in paragraph 53 of Universi Dominici Gregis: Through this oath, they commit, if elected, to faithfully fulfill the Munus Petrinum as Pastor of the Universal Church. Each Cardinal also pledges to maintain absolute secrecy regarding everything related to the election of the Roman Pontiff and to refrain from supporting any attempts of external interference in the election.

After this procession, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations proclaims "Extra omnes", meaning that all individuals who are not part of the Conclave must leave the Sistine Chapel. The Master of Ceremonies and the cleric who is going to deliver the second spiritual meditation are the only people who remain that are not part of the Conclave.

The Conclave is held in the Sistine Chapel. All voting is done facing Michelangelo's mural of the Last Judgment. Talk about sub specie aeternitatis !

On his blog, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Archbishop Emeritus of Boston, who participated in the 2013 Conclave that elected Pope Francis, addressed the issue about whether the real Conclave was anything like the movie. He wrote: "My experience of being in at least one conclave was not that it was some sort of scene of political backroom plotting of how to get your candidate elected."

Rather, he insisted, being in Conclave "was an experience of a very intense retreat where there was much prayer and silence and listening to conferences on spiritual themes." Finally, "For all its artistic and entertainment value, I don’t think the movie is a good portrayal of the spiritual reality of what a conclave is." Let's pray for the Cardinals as they prepare for the Conclave and pray even more fervently once their discernment commences.

When it comes to selecting a new Roman Pontiff, I don't do preferences or predictions. Do I have a preference? Yes. There are three Cardinals who I think would be a good selection to serve as Christ's vicar. I don't mind saying that in addition to being very "pastoral" (an equivocal term if ever there was one), each would, in my view, have the much-needed doctrinal clarity and coherence, which I think is vital for the Church's unity in our present moment.

As far as predictions go however, especially given the size and catholicity of the upcoming Conclave and the concomitant fact that many of the Cardinals don't know each other very well, I think predictions are nothing more than either guesses or expressions of a preference. Whoever emerges as the next Bishop of Rome, I will take it as an expression of divine providence.

When asked directly in a 1997 Bavarian t.v. interview in 1997 if the Holy Spirit selected the pope, then-Cardinal Josef Ratzinger replied:

I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope. ... I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit's role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined