In the fall of 1992, I was a freshman at Champlin Park High School on the first day it was open. It wasn’t too long after the school year started that clubs formed, and among them was a Bible study and prayer club that would meet before classes began once a week. It became something I would be in for my 4 years of high school.

What was unique about it though was that now that it was my first real experience outside of the Catholic schools, I was meeting people from different denominations of Christianity for the first time. It was quite a hodgepodge; I think I may have been the only Catholic. There were Lutherans, Methodists, Evangelicals, you name it.

For the most part it was good – we would pray and there was strength in that. But on the Bible study part, not every interpretation of Scripture would be what I would say was correct. I remember for instance some members of the group getting all-upset over evolution which was taught at the sophomore level in high school, how they were going to have arguments all ready. (Interestingly though, when I got to biology, the teacher was herself a Christian and had a short lesson on the overhead projector about the parallels of Creationism and Evolution!). Needless to say, I did not get too concerned about the lesson. And it was just after high school ended that Saint John Paul II came out with his teachings on the matter, calling it more than a theory.

Also, for the most part people were respectful of my faith, but one member, a staff person who was a hardworking, good man, once made a comment that the Catholic Church doesn’t teach the truth. Hmm, I thought, perhaps that’s true. I mean there were scandals over the years, and what if the Reformers got it right? I began to think a little bit about that, but within a couple of years, that thinking led to a deeper appreciation for my Catholic faith and actually helped me find the doors of the seminary.

All of us go on faith journeys, but on this feast of the Pentecost, I think it’s worth stepping back a bit and pondering just how amazing our Catholic Church is.

For one, it was created by Jesus. No other denomination can say that. They were all created by humans.

For another, Jesus promised that the gates of the netherworld would never prevail against our Church. The storms have been fierce, but here we are.

The Church also is guided by the Spirit too, and this is what is so important with “Tradition” with the capital “T.” The Bible needs to be interpreted, and the Church does that. It helps us understand things with greater clarity, and adds to that with the Tradition that develops; now for instance we have deeper understandings of things like human relations, ecumenism, social justice, etc. Through the Spirit, Divine Revelation is able to be understood with more depth as the Church guides us.

The Church also is there to have all people be a part of it. Pentecost reminds us we each play a unique role in our Church as servant leaders.

And lastly, the Church is also there to give us the sacraments which help bring us closer to God, in particular the Eucharist.

I look around and I see in people the same hunger that was in me in the fall of 1992, a hunger for seeking the truth, and this is why nearly 2000 people came into the Catholic faith in our archdiocese alone this Easter. We all know people who fall away, or who think faith is about entertainment with music of particular worship styles. They may mean well but the Catholic Church Jesus created is all about one thing – salvation of souls – and when we trust in Her, and let Her lead us, we will be brought closer to Jesus. What a gift we have in our Mother Church. May we cherish that by being active in our faith, letting the Church lead us and guide us, and letting the Holy Spirit work through us so we actively lead one another.

Have a blessed week,

Fr. Paul

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May 24, 2026