A Season of Hope, A Season of Change

As the Church welcomes a new Pope, an American Pope, a deeper renewal is already underway across the world

It wasn’t that long ago I found myself walking beside a group of Catholics through a cornfield under a blazing Kentucky sky—Blessed Sacrament held high.

It wasn’t that long ago I “accidentally” stumbled into what may go down as the largest Eucharistic procession in New York City’s storied history—7,000 strong, right through the heart of Times Square. A uniquely Catholic event in a city that, at times, acts anything but.

And it wasn’t that long ago that 50,000 gathered in the heartland of America—Indianapolis—to celebrate and witness their faith in what stands as the largest Eucharistic procession in U.S. history.

I could stop there.

But what the heck.

I won’t.

Just this year, Planned Parenthood’s flagship facility in Manhattan—the so-called abortion capital of America—announced it would close its doors.

A miracle? Possibly.

Definitely the fruit of persevering Prayer: of sidewalk witness, of mercy shown, of millions of Hail Marys, Glory Be’s, and Our Fathers offered through the years.

And just days before I jetted off to the Papal Conclave, I stood amid a sea of red robes in Ozone Park, Brooklyn. A place known more for its proximity to JFK... but now, even more so, for its surging Catholic community.

I could go on…

But I think you get the point.

Something breathtaking is happening in the Church today.

Something surprising.

Something profound.

Something beautiful.

And it’s not confined to one diocese or one headline.

It’s happening everywhere.

Small events. Big ones. Quiet moments. Eucharistic processions. Campus chapels packed wall to wall.

When I attend Mass at NYU—and it’s standing room only?

In NYC? At NYU?

There’s no denying it.

There is a clear outpouring of Grace in our time.

As the new Pope emerged from behind the crimson curtain and stepped onto the Loggia of Blessings, the square erupted—bells ringing, flags waving, hearts lifted.

I was at the foot of St. Peter’s, front row in the media section, watching history unfold just feet away and I confess…I welled up.

And the name announced to the world?

Robert Francis Prevost—a son of Chicago, and the first American in history to assume the Chair of Peter as Pope Leo XIV.

A missionary Augustinian with deep roots in Latin America and decades of service in the Church’s global mission, Pope Leo XIV is no stranger to cultural bridges or pastoral nuance. He inherits a Church already rising—not from institutional power, but from a groundswell of Grace.

That he comes from the United States, at a time when Eucharistic processions fill Times Square, campus chapels overflow, and spiritual renewal is quietly sweeping the nation, feels less like coincidence and more like convergence.

But make no mistake: while he may hail from America, he is Pope for the whole world.

Every nation. Every tongue. Every soul Christ died to save.

And now, he shepherds this hopeful vessel of faith into a future filled with promise.

And that future?

It doesn’t begin tomorrow.

It began the moment Grace caught fire—in cornfields and city streets, in hearts and in homes.

It’s already here.

This is not the end of a conclave.

This is the beginning of a great return.

Not just a return to tradition or reverence, though those matter deeply.

But a return to the Source.

To Christ in the Eucharist.

To the Mission.

To the Call.

To the quiet certainty that no matter what comes next... the Church is alive…

And the Holy Spirit is at work among us.

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You have my heartfelt thanks for your generosity and support and please keep me in your prayers, and know of mine for each of you. God Bless, Jeff