Last Saturday, Fr. Nathan Blanchard, Fr. Paul Graupmann, F.H.S., Fr. Simon Ortiz, and Fr. Jeff Pooley were formally added to the fraternity of clergy during a Mass of Ordination celebrated by Bishop John Dolan at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale, AZ. We praise and thank God for their courage and generosity—an inspiration to all of us. May these new priests be filled with zeal and courage as they proclaim the Gospel and bring Jesus’ message of salvation to all.

We all have unique gifts, and people often notice them, saying, “You know, you have a gift!” Sometimes, we find ourselves wondering, “How so?” and may even feel a bit uncomfortable or embarrassed by the compliment. From my former pastor, Fr. Chuck Kieffer, I learned the value of simply saying “Thank you” and of appreciating any form of praise or affirmation from others.

“Magnifica Humanitas is Pope Leo XIV’s bold and time-first encyclical, a sweeping meditation on artificial intelligence, human dignity, technology, war, labor, truth, and the future of civilization itself. Framing the modern world as a choice between the Tower of Babel and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, Pope Leo confronts the promises and perils of AI with spiritual depth, moral clarity, and prophetic urgency.”