A Journey into America’s First Promise

In this 250th anniversary year, a new documentary series traces the fragile dream of religious liberty. From the Ark and the Dove to the unfinished promise we inherit today.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

In the noise of politics and patriotism, fireworks and slogans, I’ve found myself drawn somewhere quieter… older… and far more fragile.

Before there was a nation, before there was a Constitution, before there was even independence, there was a small group of Catholics stepping off two ships onto a muddy island in the Potomac River.

They did not arrive with an army.
They did not arrive with certainty.
They arrived with a hope.

A dangerous hope.

Over the coming months, I’ll be working on a deeply researched, heavily illustrated, multi-part series tracing the origins of religious liberty in America. From an English nobleman’s improbable vision, to a perilous Atlantic crossing, to a March morning in 1634 when a Mass of thanksgiving was offered on unfamiliar soil.

This is not simply a history project.

It is an exploration of a dream, one that shaped our nation long before it was fashionable… and long before it was safe.

The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, fittingly titled One Nation Under God, will pass through the very lands where that dream first took root. As we enter into America’s 250th year, I want to walk backward before we move forward.

To understand what was risked.
To understand what was built.
To understand what may yet be recovered.

I’ll share more soon.

For now, just know this: the story we tell about America’s beginnings is incomplete — and the deeper story is waiting just offshore.

God Bless,

Jeff

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