A Hero Of Evangelization

In celebration of his upcoming canonization, Columbia Magazine dedicated their most recent issue to Blessed Junípero Serra, who was beatified by Saint John Paul II in 1988. In his article about the life of the soon-to-be-saint, Msgr. Francis J. Weber wrote:

One year before he beatified Fray Junípero Serra in 1988, St. John Paul II made a pilgrimage to the grave of the Franciscan priest at Mission San Carlos Borroméo in Carmel, Calif. Standing on the site of Serra’s former missionary headquarters, the pope reflected on the historical impact of the friar’s Christian witness.

“At crucial moments in human affairs, God raises up men and women whom he thrusts into roles of decisive importance for the future development of both society and the Church,” the pope said. “We rejoice all the more when their achievement is coupled with a holiness of life that can truly be called heroic. So it is with Junípero Serra, who in the providence of God was destined to be the Apostle of California.”

Read more here.

Bl. Junípero Serra, please pray for the American Church, that she may be full of heroic 

evangelizers, just like you!

The Pilgrim’s Way

Last spring, Columbia Magazine published a story about developments at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. The story includes the diagram above, displaying the thematic path that pilgrims will take through our permanent exhibit on the life and teachings of St. John Paul II, scheduled to open this fall.

Pray for us as we complete the finishing touches, that we remain true to the blessed legacy of our beloved Holy Father.

The Human Person As Gift

Last month, Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield published a beautiful reflection on the legacy of St. John Paul II. He specifically wrote about the late Holy Father’s teachings on the human person’s identity as gift:

Throughout his pontificate, St. John Paul II fearlessly taught the great truth that countless generations had long known, a truth confirmed by both sacred Scripture and the living tradition of the Church: Human life and the beauty of man and woman are not toys or tools; they are gifts, and as such, are meant to show us something not only about ourselves, but about God.

For the full article, see the Columbia Magazine website.

More on the New Evangelization

Two new additions have been made to the New Evangelization pages on the Blessed John Paul II Shrine website.

In last month’s edition of Columbia Magazine, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson wrote a piece about the New Evangelization and how we are called to be missionaries in our families and communities.

Cardinal Dolan also gave an address during the Day of Prayer and Reflection of the College of Cardinals. In it he shares a seven step strategy of evangelization that will help defeat the “towering challenge” of secularism in our world.