Tomorrow is the birthday of our nation, and with the rest of you, I will be thanking God for the bountiful blessings He has lavished upon our wonderful country.  Daily I find myself praying for citizens and inhabitants of other nations where, instead of peace, prosperity, and freedom, they experience war, violence, hunger, persecution, sickness, poverty, and oppression.  May God continue to bless America!  May the Lord keep calling us to the noble virtues that have made us stand tall: a respect for all life, the hunger for justice, the desire for peace and the fostering of family life…

This week I am on a pilgrimage with the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Seplechure to various holy sites in Germany.  However, I thought you might be interested in my column that appears in this week’s issue of Catholic New York.  The title is Declaring Our Dependence (on God), and you can find it here.

Have a safe and blessed Fourth of July!”