Catholic Fire

Blessed Pope John Paul II saw the outline of our new “new world” more than 30 years ago.  And following his lead, the Church has been calling Catholics to the work of a “new evangelization” ever since.  But there’s a natural human tendency to attach magic powers to slogans, which then replace serious thought and effort — as if saying the slogan, or talking about it, actually makes mission work happen.  In practice, the words “new evangelization” are overused and underthought.  Unless we reconfigure our lives to understanding and acting on it, the “new evangelization” is just another pious intention – well meaning, but ultimately infertile. ~ Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M.CAP., excerpted from his speech at the Serra International Convention, June 22, 2013, Mallorca, Spain.

"Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Bergoglio, is a man from the new heartland of the global Church; a priest  of extraordinary intellectual and cultural strengths; a man deeply engaged in the issues of contemporary life and able to speak to the modern heart; open to the new realities the Church faces; and rooted in a deep love of Jesus Christ.  He is a wonderful choice; a pastor God sends not just to the Church but to every person of good will who honestly yearns for justice, peace and human dignity in our time.  May God grant him courage and joy, and sustain him with his divine presence. " ~Archbishop Charles J. Chaput