Carpe Diem Pro Deo

November 1, 2026

The Holy Spirit is drawing people to Christ amid today’s cultural turmoil, and we are called to share in this work of evangelization

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

November 1, 2026

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

As a child, I was among the 30 million people who watched Bishop Fulton J. Sheen on television. I sat on the floor in front of the TV with rapt attention. I was mesmerized by how he spoke and looked. I didn’t understand everything he said, but I noticed his piercing eyes. I thought he had X-ray vision. I knew he was speaking for God. I was a fan. So were my mom and dad. Years later, they prayed every night for his beatification.

I could not miss Archbishop Sheen’s beatification Mass. In late September, I joined the Supreme Officers and 50,000 others in St. Louis. As his relics were carried in procession, my heart stirred. I thought of how he influenced my priestly vocation and the lives of countless others.

The honor paid to him was more than “a blast from the past.” His beatification coincides with what is happening the world over. The Spirit is moving across the face of the earth. Look at France and other countries where, only a short time ago, it seemed unlikely that the faith would revive. To say nothing of the many people who are quietly embracing the faith in the midst of war, exile and oppression.

The crisis is not so much ideological as it is anthropological. We have forgotten who we are. People hunger and thirst for Christ, the One who reveals us to ourselves.

In my own Archdiocese of Baltimore, nearly 2,000 entered the Church last Easter. Many were young adults. Dioceses around the world reported similar record numbers. Campus ministries are booming. Urban parishes are often filled by young adults.

The growth of the Knights of Columbus is another sign of the Spirit at work among us. Many new members belong to college councils; others are young married men getting started in their adult lives. They are discovering in the Knights a pathway to following Christ, growing in their understanding of the faith and serving those in need. They are finding support for living their vocation in a culture sometimes hostile to God and the things of God.

Nonetheless, questions about the Church have not disappeared. Nor have controversies and scandals evaporated. We may think of the culture that surrounds us as hardened against the Gospel. And often, it is — partially because it has followed the path of secular humanism and partially because of our own folly and sinfulness.

But the words of the Easter Vigil resound: “Christ has conquered, glory fills you!” These words pierce my heart, and I hope they pierce yours. Christ is wiser than our doubts and questions. Christ is not deterred by our folly. His love is stronger than any resistance a culture can muster.

Underneath the questions and hardness of heart lies an intense hunger. Our culture has extraordinary technological power yet struggles to answer basic questions of meaning. We communicate constantly yet experience profound loneliness. We have unprecedented access to information but too often find ourselves uncertain about truth.

As I wrote in my June column, our political culture is wounded. People define themselves by opposition. Public discourse becomes anger rather than argument. Disagreement becomes suspicion. Relationships are fragile. The result is not just political dysfunction but spiritual exhaustion. The crisis is not so much ideological as it is anthropological. We have forgotten who we are. People hunger and thirst for Christ, the One who reveals us to ourselves.

More souls than we realize long for what the Lord has entrusted to his Church. Just as the Lord sent his disciples, so he sends us, his Knights, to evangelize and bear witness. Let us seize this opportunity to invite men seeking to live their faith to join us — not simply to meet membership quotas but, like Fulton Sheen, to bring souls to Christ.

A woman is pictured in a file photo reading the Bible.

Carpe Diem Pro Deo

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