Extension Magazine - Fall 2021

4
Letter from Father Wall
E
A thousand
points of light
very year you—our generous
donors—enable us to provide
over 1,000 grants to build up
vibrant and transformative
Catholic faith communities
in America’s poorest regions.
Each beneficiary is a light
that shines brightly in our
country, because with the
funds you invest in their
communities, they develop
new leaders to serve future
generations, build and
improve church facilities to
welcome more of God’s people,
and create ministries that
extend the Church’s presence
to those on the margins.
That is why since 1978
Catholic Extension has
bestowed its Lumen Christi
Award to people who have
demonstrated in extraordinary
ways how the light
of Christ is shining brightly
through their ministry and in
their communities.
I am so honored to introduce
to you in this edition
of Extension magazine the
2021 finalists for the Lumen
Christi Award, now in its
44th year.
These humble heroes of
our Church are sources of
hope for us and our country.
They remind us that faith is
still a relevant force in our
society and culture. They
remind us that there is so
much energy and generosity
in our Church. They remind
us that there are people willing
to sacrifice for the good of
others.
For me it is a pure gift to
read the stories of our Lumen
Christi Award finalists, to see
how they both radiate and
reveal Christ’s light in the
communities they serve. I
am delighted to pass this gift
on to you for your enjoyment
and fulfillment.
Their amazing stories
convincingly demonstrate
Catholic Extension’s core
conviction about the good
that can occur when we build
up vibrant and transformative
Catholic faith communities
in the poorest places and
regions of the country.
Catholic Extension’s
founder, Father Francis
Clement Kelley, frequently
spoke about his dream that
Catholic Extension would be
a catalyst to “awaken the missionary
spirit in America” by
accompanying the amazing
people who animate the
existing seeds of Catholic
faith in the most challenging
places and realities, from sea
to shining sea.
In 1918 Catholic Extension
and our founder experienced
a pandemic that temporarily
shut down churches—a
difficult moment that seemed
to stifle the missionary spirit
of the Church. Even the
famous Extension-sponsored
“chapel cars” that traveled
the U.S. railway system to
offer sacraments to far-flung
communities were halted. It
undoubtedly looked bleak