Dear Friends,

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about being a priest is meeting people and finding that we have something in common. Reveling with someone who has a shared friend or experience immediately lowers a barrier. From the outset, we move forward with a common bond.

The bond of our faith was a centerpiece of the World Youth Day celebration this past August in Lisbon, Portugal (cover story, page 8). Several of our Jesuits attended with students, parents and chaperones from Cincinnati and around the Midwest. It was especially meaningful in light of the four Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus, the third of which instructs us to “Accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.” Youth and hope were abundant in Portugal.

Hope is also abundant at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Parish (page16) in Kangemi, Kenya, where I recently visited. St. Joseph’s changed the way I view parishes, thanks to a wide variety of social and spiritual services offered, beyond just a church and school.

Our connected world of faith is evident elsewhere in the Midwest Province, where graduates of Jesuit schools talk about how their education helped them navigate life and careers in professional sports management (page 22). On a more serious note, our connections are evident in the work of two women, Ukrainian lawyers and graduates of Loyola University Chicago’s Rule of Law Institute in Rome, who have returned to Ukraine and Poland to fight corruption (page 12). We pray for them and their vital work.

Fierce, faithful women like the Ukrainian lawyers and the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph (page 18) have always been the bedrock of the Church. Founded nearly 375 years ago in France, with the help of a Jesuit priest, the Congregation continues its work across the Midwest and beyond. The Sisters are beacons of faith-filled service.

Finally, this past August we were blessed to celebrate the First Vows of nine of our men (page 3). They were replaced at the novitiate the following week by 10 new novices who joined the four others now in their second year, for a total of 14 now at the novitiate.

May these men, and all who journey in faith, find joyful connections throughout their lives, removing any barriers to common bonds in God’s love with their brothers and sisters.

Yours in Christ,