History is full of great quotations that people never said.  One of the best lines comes from Vladimir Lenin.  He described Russian progressives, social democrats, and other fellow travelers as “useful idiots” – naïve allies in revolution whom the Bolsheviks promptly crushed when they took power.  Or so the legend goes. 

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will hold a Commissioning and Send off Ceremony for three parish ambassadors; Ms. Norma Yabut, Ms. Lois Heist, and Mr. Levi Keene who will be traveling to Burkina Faso, Africa, for a ten day delegation trip.

His wide-ranging pastoral and administrative experience among diverse communities makes him well prepared to shepherd a diocese of his own. I’m confident that Bishop Perez will carry on the work of his predecessors with great energy, compassion, zeal, and fidelity.

Christians are always, in a sense, outsiders. We have the joy and privilege to be a leaven for good in society. That’s an exhilarating vocation. It means working for as much justice and virtue in human affairs as we can. We have a special obligation to serve the weak and the poor, and to treat even those who hate us with love. But while we’re in the world and for the world, we’re never finally of the world. And we need to understand what that means.

This week’s column is adapted from the Archbishop’s July 2 remarks to the breakout session he chaired (“Growing Isolation in America: Individualism and Indifference”) at Orlando’s national Convocation of Catholic Leaders.

Earlier today, Sister Maureen Lawrence McDermott, I.H.M., Ph.D., Superintendent of Secondary Schools for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, revealed the aggregate scholarship value earned by the class of 2017 on social media.

Monsignor Alfred A. Schlert’s appointment as the 5th Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown is a moment of joy for the Church in Pennsylvania and I’m confident he will carry on the work of his predecessors with compassion, zeal, and fidelity.