Extension magazine - Spring 2024

catholicextension.org 

STORIES OF FAITH FROM CATHOLIC EXTENSION SOCIETY 

SPRING 2024 

IS HERE 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US? 24 

Priest named general in U.S. military 42

Extension | Spring 2024 3 

S T O R I E S O F F A I T H F R O M C A T H O L I C E X T E N S I O N S O C I E T Y 

Catholic Extension Society has published 

Extension magazine since 1906 to share with 

our donors and friends the stories illustrating 

our mission: to work in solidarity with people 

to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic 

faith communities among the poor in the 

poorest regions of America. 

Contact Us 

Catholic Extension Society 

150 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 2000 

Chicago, IL 60606 

800.842.7804 

magazine@catholicextension.org 


Board of Governors 

CHANCELLOR 

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich 

Archbishop of Chicago 

VICE CHANCELLOR 

Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas 

Bishop Emeritus of Tucson 

PRESIDENT 

Reverend John J. Wall 

VICE CHAIR OF COMMITTEES and SECRETARY 

Elizabeth Hartigan Connelly 

BOARD MEMBERS 

Most Reverend Gerald R. Barnes 

Bishop Emeritus of San Bernardino 

Most Reverend Steven Biegler 

Bishop of Cheyenne 

John W. Croghan 

Most Reverend Daniel E. Flores, STD 

Bishop of Brownsville 

William D. Forsyth 

Most Reverend Ronald Hicks 

Bishop of Joliet 

The Honorable James C. Kenny 

Most Reverend Robert N. Lynch 

Bishop Emeritus of St. Petersburg 

Peter J. McCanna 

Michael G. O’Grady 

Christopher Perry 

Andrew Reyes 

Sister Fatima Santiago, ICM 

Karen Sauder 

Pamela Scholl 

Most Reverend Anthony B. Taylor 

Bishop of Little Rock 

Most Reverend George L. Thomas, Ph.D. 

Bishop of Las Vegas 

Timothy Turner 

Most Reverend William A. Wack, CSC 

Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee 

Edward Wehmer 

Your investment in Catholic Extension is tax 

deductible to the extent allowed by law. Catholic 

Extension is a nonprofit 501(c)( 3 ) organization. 

ISSN Number: 0884-7533 

©2024 The Catholic Church Extension Society 

All rights reserved. 

Extension is a publication provided to you and 

your family by Catholic Extension Society. If you 

do not wish to continue receiving Extension, 

email magazine@catholicextension.org and we 

will remove you from this mailing list. 

AI and the 

Church 24 

What will be the impact of 

artificial intelligence on our 

world? Our article on page 24 

considers how AI can assist as a 

helpful tool for the betterment of 

humanity, as well as its potential 

drawbacks. You will see images 

generated by a new AI system, 

Midjourney, that we prompted to 

create the cover of this magazine 

as well as vivid religious art, such 

as this image above of a rural 

mission church. Also included 

is Pope Francis’ 2024 address: 

“Artificial Intelligence and Peace.” 

BUILD 

We are a ‘Society’ again 8 

ROOTS | Key word brings us back to our origins 

Why many Black Catholics trace roots 

to Josephite parishes 16 

ROOTS | Religious priests served emancipated slaves in 

the South 

INSPIRE 

Wyoming’s cowboy priest 20 

FEATURE | Associate pastor develops a spirituality steeped 

in a rancher’s life 

Sports can be a pathway to the 

spiritual life 36 

FEATURE | Young adults celebrate their love of soccer, 

friendship and God 

IGNITE 

military 42 

Priest named general in U.S. 

FEATURE | Florida pastor is the highest-ranking Catholic 

clergyman in the armed forces 

Extension’s pen pal club sparked 

love 44 

DONOR PROFILE | A widow’s second marriage began with 

magazine’s pre-tech dating service 

Letter from Father Wall 4 

Mission needs 12 

Vocations 34 

Parish Partnerships 40 

Connect 46

4 

Letter from Father Wall 


This Lent, fast 

from your fears 

F 

RANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT 

famously said, “The only 

thing we have to fear is fear 

itself.” He was not wrong. 

Fear can be a debilitating illness, 

and it is becoming more 

widespread. 

In this age of anxiety, fear 

has become a predominant 

force in so many people’s 

lives. But faith is a force 

stronger than fear. 

Perhaps that is why the 

sacred Scriptures state—in 

some form or fashion—more 

than 300 times that we must 

“fear not.” 

In this Lenten season, I 

pray that instead of fasting 

only from material things, 

like food and daily comforts, 

we will dig a little deeper 

and also fast from the mental 

junk food that is fear. May we 

let go of the doom and daunting 

feelings that dominate 

life, and instead lean into the 

gift of fortitude offered to us 

by the God of life whose love 

has redeemed us. 

So much of our fear today 

is sparked by the unknown. 

For example, we are perhaps 

on the precipice of 

another major technological 

revolution with the arrival of 

artificial intelligence, the consequences 

of which we cannot 

yet fully grasp. This has 

triggered a great deal of fear. 

You will read an article in this 

issue of Extension where we 

discuss the possibilities of AI 

in ministry. We want to know 

your thoughts on the matter. 

I cannot tell you how this 

story will end. But, I do know 

that in addition to the Spirit’s 

gift of fortitude, we will also 

need the gifts of wisdom and 

right judgement to help us 

find a safe, ethical and beneficial 

path forward with AI. 

In spite of all that we face 

as a human family, there are 

many reasons why I believe 

our future remains bright and 

why we must let go of our 

fears. 

All throughout our country 

are good people, courageous 

and virtuous people, who are 

part of Catholic Extension 

Society, and together we are 

creating something that can 

withstand any storm. We are 

building up strong communities 

of faith which are an 

antidote to indifference and a 

cure for our crippling anxiety. 

These faith communities 

are reminding people that we 

are destined for the love of 

God—the God who reminds 

us, “under His wings you 

may take refuge; His faithfulness 

is a protecting shield” 

(Ps 91:4). 

Thanks to your support, 

many young people are being 

filled with courage and faith 

despite the multitude of 

voices in our society telling 

them that religion is meaningless. 

Read the story on 

page 36 about the hundreds 

of young adults who drove 

countless miles to attend a 

regional retreat in Alabama 

sponsored by Catholic Extension 

Society. They left that 

retreat with greater courage, 

ready to set the world ablaze 

with their faith and passion 

to serve. Some are even considering 

vocations to priesthood 

and religious life as an 

outcome of their powerful 

encounters with God and 

one another. 

We should all be encouraged 

by the stories of wonderful 

and courageous priests 

featured in these pages. 

Read the story on page 20 

about the “cowboy priest” in 

Wyoming who had the courage 

to say “yes” to God’s call 

to priesthood, even though 

he wasn’t exactly sure 

how being a cowboy 

and a clergyman 

could be compatible 

vocations. 

See the article 

about our longtime 

board committee 

member, Father 

Peter Zalewski, who 

just became the highest-ranking 

Catholic 

priest in the U.S. military 

upon his recent promotion 

to general. He was 

courageous in his years of 

combat deployment, and 

now as a military chaplain he 

brings a reassuring presence 

to the men and women of our 

armed forces as their spiritual 

companion. 

On page 34, read about the 

young priest who made his 

way from Brazil all the way to 

Idaho, and the leap of faith it 

took to follow God’s call from 

one hemisphere to another. 

Likewise, read about the 

Society of St. Joseph on page 

16, which had the courage 

to ordain the nation’s first 

Black priests at a time when 

no one else would. This religious 

community of Josephite 

priests has faced hatred 

and discrimination over the 

years, but by the grace 

of God, and your support, 

they are continuing 

their vital mission 

among Black Catholic 

communities 

in the Deep South. 

As we reflect on 

these incredible stories, 

may we too be 

filled with courage 

and conviction from 

the one who had the 

fortitude and faithfulness 

to face the cross 

so that we might have 

life and have it abundantly. 

The future is 

here and the future is 

bright. 

May God bless you 

and all whom you 

love, 

Rev. John J. Wall 

PRESIDENT, CATHOLIC 

EXTENSION SOCIETY 

Father Jack 

Wall, president of 

Catholic Extension 

Society


Poor faith communities need your help 

BUILD 

RETURNING TO OUR ROOTS 8 | NEWS BRIEFS 12 

News from 

around the country 

Catholic Extension Society’s support for ongoing ministries 

in this Native American parish represents a true miracle 

for a community in a desperately poor area. 

Donate today 

Text “Extension” to 50155 to make a gift 

catholicextension.org/give 

An altar server 

at St. Peter 

the Apostle 

prepares for 

Mass. Josephite 

priests founded 

the parish in 

Pascagoula, MS. 


Society rebuilt the 

church, which is 

commemorated in 

the plaque on the 

far wall. See story, 

page 16.

8 

BUILD 

Roots 


T 

Key word 

brings us back 

to our roots 

he word “Society” has 

been officially re-added 

and re-introduced into the 

Catholic Extension title and 

logo after a brief hiatus. 

“Society” has always been part 

of our legal name, but it was 

dropped from our logo for the 

purpose of brevity. 

Now “Society” is back in. 

The noun “Society” automatically 

turns “Catholic” and 

“Extension” into adjectives. 

Every noun is lonesome for 

adjectives. 

Adjectives are servants. 

They dress up nouns, lending 

them qualities, distinction 

and focus. A world in which 

nouns go without their adjectives 

would be a poorer and 

duller world. 

So what kind of “society” 

are we talking about? The 

answer is that we are a 

society that extends. And we 

Father Francis C. Kelley, founder of 

Catholic Extension Society, in 1916 

are a society that extends in 

uniquely Catholic ways. 

Thus, we are “Catholic 

Extension Society.” 

Titles matter, and so do the 

adjectives that serve them. 

WHY THEN, A “SOCIETY”? 

A “society” is a voluntary 

association of individuals with 

common beliefs or interests 

that bind us together and move 

us toward action. A society is 

different from a club. There 

are no stringent membership 

requirements that distinguish 

who is in from who is out. 

We are a society made so 

by our common beliefs and 

our common purpose so 

that together we can achieve 

something. 

What kind of society are 

we? We are not just any 

society. We are a society that 

believes in “extension.” 

When we extend ourselves 

to see suffering, we are 

moved to action. Matthew 25 

We 

again 

describes Jesus’ foundational 

belief in the concept of extension, 

namely, “Whatever you 

do for the least of my people, 

you do for me.” Connectivity 

activates our empathy. 

A society of “extension” 

believes we must go to the 

peripheries, to put those most 

counted out in the center 

of our consciousness. By 

extending ourselves to the 

poor, the marginalized and the 

suffering, we are transformed. 

We can easily develop 

“spiritual cataracts” when we 

cease to extend. We become 

detached and indifferent, 

unable to repair and reverse 

injury, doubt, despair and 

darkness. 

“Extension” is the only 

are a 

‘Society’ 

antidote to this spiritual 

paralysis and is an indispensable 

adjective in our name. 

The Extension Society ensures 

that we can readily access 

this antidote to indifference, 

through our connection to 

the poor, marginalized and 

forgotten of our country. 

The last indispensable 

adjective in our title is that we 

are “Catholic.” 

To be Catholic is to be in 

communion with others. To 

be Catholic is to find the face 

of Christ in the poor. And to 

be Catholic means that we are 

called to “love and serve the 

Lord” as a sign of hope for the 

world. 


has continually given us 

a larger sense of ecclesial 

communion that extends 

beyond the narrow geographical 

confines of any particular 

area. A Catholic Extension 

Society also brings us to an 

encounter with Christ through 

our connection to the poor. As 

Catholics, we are concerned 

with the well-being of others 

not because of who they are, 

but because of who we are, 

namely people of faith. 

The adjectives and noun 

that form our name matter. 

They make us the Catholic 

Extension Society. 

HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY 


was born out of the genius 

of Father Francis Clement 

Kelley, a young pastor serving 

a poor, rural parish in Lapeer, 

Michigan, in the early 1900s. 

While traveling out West, 

he found many areas of 

Many years, same mission 

Catholic Extension Society has 

updated our logo several times since 

our founding in 1905. 

1920 

1970 

1980 

2000 

2010 

2015 

2024

10 

BUILD 

Roots 


Our core mission continues. 


Society’s 119-year-old mission 

is going strong today. Pictured 

right, a frontier chapel is 

erected in South Dakota 

in 1908. 

Below, a modern-day church 

is constructed in Peñitas, 

Texas. 

the country where there were 

Catholics, but no presence of the 

Church. In these isolated areas, 

people needed help. He knew that 

building up faith communities in 

the hills and hollers, the frontiers 

and borderlands of our country 

would strengthen the Church and 

change the fabric of this nation. 

Father Kelley articulated his 

vision in a stirring essay that 

began with the words, “I know 

a little shanty in the West.” He 

described the deplorable living 

conditions of a priest in Ellsworth, 

Kansas, as he served people on 

the peripheries. Catholics near 

and far were moved by his story 

and his appeal to start an “extension 

society” for the Catholic 

Church. “Extension societies” 

already existed in other Christian 

denominations, but one was 

lacking in the American Catholic 

Church. Many people started 

sending donations, and Catholic 

Extension Society was born. 

As the first step, Father Kelley 

created a trio of mobile train cars 

fashioned into chapels, complete 

with altars, pews and confes- 

sionals. They traveled westward 

with a priest aboard, stopping in 

town after town, offering Mass, 

baptisms, weddings and funerals. 

With increasing demand, Father 

Kelley started sending funds to 

these remote faith communities to 

build small churches. By collecting 

donations from Catholics in more 

established dioceses—typically in 

the East and Midwest—Catholic 

Extension Society soon began 

constructing hundreds of 

churches. Within a few years, it 

had helped build roughly half 

of the Catholic churches in this 

country at that time. Many of these 

churches remain vibrant centers 

of faith across our nation. 

What began with Father Kelley’s 

dream to build up our Church and 

country continues today. 

Methods have evolved, but 

the mission is the same. We 

still seek to deepen and expand 

our commitment to Catholic 

faith communities by providing 

resources to develop leaders, 

ministries and facilities, while 

inviting more people across our 

country to invest in this work. 

So what is old is new. The word 

“Society” has been officially 

re-added to the Catholic Extension 

title and logo. The noun 

“Society” automatically turns 

“Catholic” and “Extension” into 

adjectives. And adjectives matter. 

We are a Society whose 

members extend Catholicism to 

the peripheries of our Church and 

country. 

We are Catholic Extension 

Society. 

THE GIFT 

THAT PAYS 

YOU BACK 

A Catholic Extension Society charitable 

gift annuity offers you immediate financial 

benefits and will help communities that are 

poor in resources but rich in faith. Future 

generations will thank you! 

• Receive fixed, stable payments for life 

• Get immediate and future tax benefits 

• Make a lasting impact 

For a personalized proposal, contact Betty Assell at 

800-842-7804 or Bassell@catholicextension.org 

or visit catholicextension.org/annuities 

NEW 

HIGHER 

RATES! 

Diocese of Stockton, California 

ATTRACTIVE PAYOUT RATES 

10.1% 

9.1% 

8.1% 

7.0% 

5.7% 

6.3% 

5.2% 

AGE 

60 65 70 75 80 85 90+

12 BUILD Mission Needs 


Your donation will be applied to a similar 

need should your specified project be fully 

funded before we receive your support. 

Thank you! 

Chalan Kanoa 

Guam 

HAYS MONTANA 

PLEASE SUPPORT LENTEN 

ALMSGIVING OPPORTUNITIES 

Catholic Extension Society has supported St. Paul 

Mission, which serves the Assiniboine and Gros 

Ventre Native Americans, since 

1970. Today, your donation 

will help the mission with its 

operating costs and support a 

priest’s travel to the Fort Belknap 

Reservation. This faith community 

is looking to offer a consistent 

sacramental and catechetical 

presence to its people. 

Your donation will support a poor faith community 

in need this Lent and help keep the presence of the 

Catholic Church strong in our country. To contribute 

to one of these projects, please contact us at 

magazine@catholicextension.org or call 1-800-842-7804. 

LEXINGTON KENTUCKY 

Deacon Jim Bennett and his 

wife, Dorothy “Dot” Bennett, built 

Centro de San Juan Diego in 2021 

to serve as a place that the more 

than 10,000 Hispanic immigrants 

of eastern Kentucky could call 

home. The building includes a 

chapel for Mass and Bible study, 

as well as classrooms for ESL 

learning and a medical clinic. Your donation will go 

toward the center’s operational costs. Photo taken 

during pandemic. 

KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN 

Your donation will support the ministry of 

Catholic sisters serving 

the thousands of 

migrant farmworkers 

who come to Michigan 

each summer on worker 

visas. The sisters make 

frequent camp visits, 

leading faith formation 

for the workers and their 

families. Through this ministry, the sisters 

provide migrant families with the Church’s 

care and support. 

Caroline Islands 

Marshall Islands 

HUNTINGTON UTAH 

Your donation will help Father 

Arokia Dass David travel 45 miles 

on mountain roads each week 

to San Rafael Catholic Mission. 

Located in a mountainous region 

of central Utah, this mission 

established in 1977 serves mostly 

miners and farmworkers. Catholic 

Extension Society first supported 

this faith community 35 years ago, helping to build its 

present church. 

SALINA KANSAS 

The Diocese of Salina, Kansas, spans 

over 26,000 square miles of rural 

Kansas farmland. Currently, there 

are 50 priests serving 86 parishes in 

31 counties. Forty percent of those 

diocesan priests will reach retirement 

age in the next 10 years. Your 

donation will support the education 

of 10 seminarians who are a source of 

great hope and promise for the next generation. 

TALLAHASSEE FLORIDA 

Samoa-Pago Pago 

ISSION NEEDS 

Hawaii 

You can support campus ministry 

at Florida State University. The 

Catholic Student Union enriches 

the faith of young adults and 

prepares them to carry their faith 

into their post-college lives and 

careers. Additionally, the Diocese 

of Pensacola-Tallahassee credits 

this campus ministry with sparking 

many of its new priestly and religious vocations. 

EXTENSION DIOCESES 

Puerto Rico 

St. Thomas- 

Virgin Islands

14 

BUILD 

News Briefs 


HIGHLIGHTS 

Become a parish 

partner 

Does your parish 

want to support the 

mission of Catholic 

Extension Society? 

Visit catholicextension. 

org/parishpartnerships 

or contact 

Natalie Donatello 

at ndonatello@ 


to learn more. 

Follow us on social 

media 

Follow Catholic Extension 

Society’s social 

media channels to see 

more stories, photos 

and videos about the 

vibrant faith communities 

we support! 

Facebook: 

@CatholicExtension 

Instagram: 

@catholicextension 

X (Formerly Twitter): 

@CathExtension 

Large cohort of sisters arrive in the U.S. 

Catholic Extension Society recently welcomed a new cohort of 30 

religious sisters to the United States through our U.S.-Latin American 

Sisters Exchange Program that began in 2013, with funding 

from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The program provides a 

university degree to religious sisters from Latin American congregations 

while they serve marginalized communities in Extension 

dioceses. To date, 150 sisters have participated in the program. 

This newest cohort come from 10 distinct communities in 

Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico 

and Nicaragua. The sisters will minister in dioceses across the 

country in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Florida and 

Georgia. Their ministries are projected to touch the lives of more 

than 100,000 people over the next five years. We offer our thanks 

to the sisters for their beautiful witness of self-sacrificing love and 

for their commitment to serve the Church in the United States! 

NEW BOARD OF 

GOVERNORS MEMBER 

CHICAGO 

William D. Forsyth joined 

Catholic Extension Society’s 

Board of Governors 

this year. He serves on the 

University of Illinois Foundation 

Board of Directors, 

as well. A parishioner 

at Saints Faith, Hope & 

Charity Catholic Church in 

Winnetka, Illinois, he has 

also participated in our 

immersion trips to witness 

our work with faith communities 

like the Diocese of 

Jackson, Mississippi (pictured 

above). He brings his 

commitment to help support 

our mission. 

2025 JUBILEE EDITION 

CALENDAR 

NATIONWIDE 


2025 Jubilee Year calendar, 

titled “Places of 

Pilgrimage,” is on sale 

now. Explore the holiest 

pilgrimage sites worldwide 

in this 12-month journey 

inspired by the pope’s 

Holy Year theme, “Pilgrims 

of Hope.” Calendars are 

available in English and 

bilingually. One hundred 

percent of the proceeds 

supports our mission. 

Order calendars for your 

parish at catholicextension.org/calendars. 

NEW SHEPHERD IN 

VAST REGION 

ALASKA 

In October, Bishop Steven 

Maekawa, OP, was 

ordained as bishop of 

the Diocese of Fairbanks, 

Alaska. He now shepherds 

the largest geographical 

diocese in the 

United States, covering 

409,000 square miles. He 

travels by plane, snowmobile 

or boat to visit 37 

out of the diocese’s 46 

parishes. Catholic Extension 

Society supports this 

region to ensure Catholic 

communities can receive 

the sacraments and develop 

local leaders. 

FIVE CARDINALS SHOW THEIR SUPPORT 

500 PARISH 

PARTNERS 

NATIONWIDE 

Since formally establishing 


Parish Partnership 

program in 2018, nearly 

500 parishes nationwide 

have joined our mission 

to support poor faith communities 

across the country. 

Twenty-one parish 

partners are uniting with 

us this Lenten season to 

continue this work. Learn 

more by visiting 

catholicextension.org/ 

parish-partners, and 

read about the transformative 

impact of these 

partnerships on page 40. 

Five U.S. cardinals attended Catholic Extension 

Society’s Spirit of Francis Award Dinner 

in New York this past November to honor 

Archbishop Roberto Octavio González Nieves 

of San Juan, Puerto Pico. The cardinals showed their 

appreciation for his commendable leadership following 

multiple natural disasters. Pictured with the 

archbishop (center) from left to right are Father Jack Wall and Cardinals Christophe 

Pierre, Wilton Gregory, Blase Cupich, Daniel DiNardo and Timothy Dolan. 

NEWS BRIEFS

16 

BUILD Extension | Spring 2024 17 

Roots 

Religious priests served 

emancipated slaves 

in the South 

Deacon James Bryant 

preaches at Most Pure Heart of 

Mary Church in Mobile, Alabama. 

In 1909, Extension magazine 

published the words of 

one of the first Black priests 

ordained in the United 

States, Father John Plantevigne, 

as he spoke at a 

missionary conference in 

Washington, D.C. “The Negro,” he 

said, “shall be treated as a man and 

not a problem.” 

His statement, sadly, would have 

been met with much skepticism 

by many Catholics at the time. 

The pastor belonged to St. 

Joseph’s Society of the Sacred 

Heart, better known as the Josephites, 

who stood in solidarity with 

the Black community. This order, 

which was originally founded in 

England, established its presence 

in the U.S. shortly after the Civil 

War to serve newly emancipated 

slaves. In the late 1800s the Josephites 

became an independent 

American Catholic order. 

For more than a century, Catholic 

Extension Society has supported 

the work of the Josephites 

as they minister to Black 

Catholics. 

At a time when seminaries 

refused to accept Black students 

and Southern Catholic 

churches followed Jim Crow laws, 

which forced many indignities 

upon Black Catholics, the Josephites 

took an alternative approach. 

Extension magazine printed letters 

from Josephite priests, hoping 

that their voices and perspectives 

would help change people’s hearts. 

For example, Father John J. 

In back, parishioners at St. Therese of Lisieux in Gulfport, Mississippi, welcome visitors. Front, 

from left to right: Father Tom Connery, pastor of St. Theresa in Belleview, Florida; visiting priest 

Father Michael Trail from Chicago; Bishop John Ricard, superior general of the Josephites; Bishop 

Louis Kihneman of Biloxi; and Marcia Wheatley, operations manager of St. Theresa in Belleview. 

Why many Black 

Catholics trace roots to 

Josephite parishes 

Albert, SSJ, in an article on how 

the Church discriminated against 

Black Americans, wrote, “The 

Church should be what it professes 

to be—Catholic. … It is not the private 

property of a single race—it 

is Catholic. As such, any tendency 

toward exclusiveness should be 

immediately booed. What right 

have we to make pharisaical distinctions 

in the House of God?” 

Close to the altar 

The Josephites established 

churches specifically for Black 

Catholics to provide worship 

spaces free of prejudice. Father 

Albert wrote that in these churches 

“the colored Catholic gives free 

scope to a growing Faith. The children 

sing in the choir; the boys 

serve on the altar and all of them 

have equal opportunities of seeing 

In 1909, 

Extension 

magazine 

shared the 

words of 

Father John 

Plantevigne, 

SSJ, one 

of the first 

Black priests 

ordained in 

the United 

States. 

and hearing and praying to their 

heart’s content.” 

The vision of the early Josephites 

came to fruition through their 150 

years of tireless, faith-driven work. 

They established parishes, schools, 

a seminary and an interracial community 

of priests. They founded 

what has become the largest Black 

Catholic fraternal organization of 

men and women in the country, the 

Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver. 

Their current superior general, 

Bishop John Ricard, SSJ, put 

it simply: “If not for the Josephites, 

there would be very few Black 

Catholics.” 

Catholic Extension Society has 

been working in solidarity with 

the Josephites, mostly in the Deep 

South, by helping to build or repair 

their churches, support religious 

education for children, and simply 

keep the doors of their vibrant 

parishes open. 

Empowering generations 

Following the Emancipation, 

millions of formerly enslaved people 

were forced to continue to 

labor in poverty in the fields without 

the means to improve their 

lives. “It was a huge challenge at 

the time,” said Bishop Ricard. 

In response, the Josephites 

opened the first Catholic schools 

for Black students. They worked 

with orders of women religious 

such as the Sisters of the Blessed 

Sacrament, founded by St. Katharine 

Drexel, to staff the schools. 

The community has served over 

170 parishes in over 35 dioceses 

throughout the U.S. The education 

and care provided in these missions 

transformed entire families 

and communities. 

The churches and schools gave 

their children, and their children’s 

children, a chance at a better 

life. Many prominent Black leaders 

today come from families that 

have been going to Josephite parishes 

for generations. Archbishop 

Shelton Fabre of the Archdiocese 

of Louisville, Kentucky, a prominent 

Black Catholic leader, grew 

up going to St. Augustine Church in 

New Roads, Louisiana. The church 

was founded by the Josephites in 

1922 and has been supported by 

Catholic Extension Society. 

The influence of the Josephite 

missions, which were largely 

based in the South, extends into 

the entire country. As millions of 

Black Americans moved north in 

the Great Migration, they took their 

faith with them. Today, Black Catholics 

across the country trace their 

roots back to Josephite-founded 

parishes. 

Passing the baton 

Josephite parishes today are 

places of light and joy in their 

communities. 

Bishop Louis Kihneman shepherds 

the Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi, 

which includes six historically 

Black parishes, four of which 

were founded by the Josephites. “I 

just love to celebrate with them,” 

he said. “They really bring a tradition 

of faith, which I think in many 

ways helps us as a Church at large 

to stay alive in the spirit, because 

they’re very spirit filled.” 

In January of this year he celebrated 

Mass at St. Peter the Apostle 

Church. The parish’s church was 

completely destroyed in Hurricane 

Katrina in 2005. In 2018, Catholic 

Extension Society helped construct 

a new church—modeled after the

18 

BUILD 

Roots 


original design, but larger. When 

the new church was constructed, 

Bishop Kihneman said, “Parishioners 

were dancing in the aisles.” 

Another Josephite parish in 

Mississippi is equally vibrant. St. 

Therese of Lisieux in Gulfport, 

established in 1932, is a historically 

Black Catholic parish that draws 

people because of its warmth and 

family-oriented atmosphere. 

The parishioners have great love 

and appreciation for their Josephite 

pastors. “The Josephite priests are 

priests who made some really serious 

sacrifices,” parishioner Marsha 

Lowe said. “They were put in areas 

that no one would have gone to.” 

The parish is, as it has been 

throughout decades of turbulent 

years for Black Americans, a safe 

haven in Gulfport. Today it continues 

outreach through community 

events and a food pantry. 

Parishioner Robert Thomas 

sees a vibrant future in the church 

through the engaged youth. “It’s 

good to see the young kids coming 

through,” he said. “We can pass 

the baton. Going out and visiting 

the sick, reaching out to the community. 

Understanding the importance 

of what this church meant in 

the past and what it can mean for 

them in the future.” 

A parish in Belleview, Florida, 

that is also named after St. Therese, 

has become a supporter of this 

Josephite parish through our Parish 

Partnership program. They are 

helping with a project to renovate 

the church to make it more accessible, 

and to help them achieve a 

small but significant dream of having 

indoor bathrooms at their parish, 

which will be especially helpful 

to elderly parishioners. 

Students grow in faith at Heart of Mary School, founded by the Josephites, in Mobile, Alabama. 

Father Tom Connery, pastor 

of St. Theresa in Florida, visited 

the “sister parish” that his flock 

is helping. He was struck by the 

deep faith and heartfelt welcome 

at St. Therese of Lisieux. “We found 

God’s presence there,” he said. 

Bishop Kihneman said the partnership 

has “enabled the people to 

have the sense that the Church is 

behind them and that the Church 

is ready to walk with them.” 

The Josephite mission moves 

forward 

In Mobile, Alabama, yet another 

Josephite church has a rich history 

and bright future. Most Pure Heart 

of Mary Church, built in 1908, was 

a spiritual beacon during the Civil 

Rights Movement. It harbored 

organizers and activists, including 

Martin Luther King Jr. 

Deacon James Bryant has 

served the parish for decades. He 

was born in 1942. His ancestors 

were enslaved and picked cotton. 

In his youth he played baseball 

with Major League Baseball Hallof-Famer 

Hank Aaron. 

The deacon grew up witnessing 

the violence and lynchings instigated 

by the Ku Klux Klan. 

He converted to Catholicism 

after his son began attending a 

Catholic school at the parish. 

Raised a Southern Baptist, Deacon 

Bryant was moved by the real 

presence of Christ being in the 

Eucharist. 

Today, the parish’s school, 

located around the corner, attracts 

families from many surrounding 

areas seeking quality education in 

a faith-filled environment. 

Deacon Bryant’s own numerous 

grandchildren attend the school. 

He teaches them and their classmates 

about the history of the 

Josephites and how their work 

advancing faith and social justice 

for Black Americans must be carried 

on. 

“We’re still here,” he said. “We’re 

still being blessed.” 

Today, families worshipping in 

Josephite parishes continue to fill 

their beloved churches with praise 

and gratitude. They walk with the 

Josephite priests, who are determinedly 

carrying on the mission 

they began 150 years ago. 

INSPIRE Features of faith 

THE COWBOY PRIEST 20 | THE POPE AND AI 29 | A MULTICULTURAL VOCATION 34 

Young adults 

played in 

a soccer 

tournament as 

part of a ministry 

retreat co-hosted 

by Catholic 

Extension Society 

and the Southeast 

Pastoral Institute 

(SEPI). See story, 

page 36.

20 INSPIRE 

Feature Story 


ASSOCIATE 

PASTOR 

DEVELOPS A 

SPIRITUALITY 

STEEPED IN 

A RANCHER’S 

LIFE 

It is a basic tenant of Catholic 

belief that “grace 

builds upon nature,” 

meaning that we don’t 

need to change who we 

are as people to give glory 

to God. After all, God created 

us in His image and 

likeness. Therefore, we need only 

to perfect or build upon the foundation 

that God already created. 

At his core, Father Bryce Lungren 

is a cowboy by nature, having 

grown up on a ranch in Wyoming 

as the descendant 

of homesteaders. 

WYOMING’S 

Throughout his life he 

has remained close to 

this spectacularly gorgeous 

western land. 

cowboy 

He felt that when 

he was called to be a priest, God 

was not asking him to abandon the 

“cowboy way” that grounded his 

identity, but rather to bring those 

PRIEST 

inherited values of his parents and 

grandparents and his closeness 

to the land with him as he serves 

God’s people. 

Ordained in 2018, Father Lungren 

is based at St. Matthew’s 

Parish in Gillette, Wyoming. As 

associate pastor, his primary responsibility 

is to serve the parish’s 

surrounding missions in the small 

towns of the northeast corner of 

the state. On Sundays, he travels 

220 miles in his pickup truck, 

dubbed his “white horse,” to say 

Mass at three missions. 

The iconic “praying cowboy” 

image from the cover of Extension 

magazine in 1961. 

PHOTO RON WU 

Father Bryce Lungren 

definitely feels “home on the 

range” as he poses in front 

of the refrigerated trailer that 

stores the beef he personally 

raises, butchers and packages. 

All of the churches have been 

built with Catholic Extension Society 

support, and all of the miles 

Father Lungren travels are fueled 

with support from Catholic Extension 

Society donors. 

While in seminary, Father Lungren 

discovered that the way to 

be a happy priest would be to live 

an authentic life—true to the Gospel 

and true to who he is as a person: 

a cowboy. His grandfather, on 

whose ranch Father Lungren grew 

up roping and branding cattle, 

would say these words: “Always 

wear your hat.” He interpreted 

this to mean, “Never stop being 

the man God created you to be.” 

And so, along with the Roman 

collar, he wears his cowboy 

hat, a big metal belt buckle and, 

on occasion, cowboy boots with 

spurs. His cowboy persona is not a 

“shtick” or public relations stunt. 

He described his grandparents’ 

and his parents’ influences 

of faith, family and hard work as 

“an endless school of virtue that 

motivated me to be the best man 

I can be.” 

This compelled him to take his 

cowboy values and convert them 

into a Catholic spirituality. Last 

year he published a book titled 

The Catholic Cowboy Way: Finding 

Peace and Purpose on the 

Bronc Called Life. 

The book links the virtues and 

ideals of the iconic American 

cowboy with that of the Catholic 

spiritual journey.

22 INSPIRE 

Feature Story 


He describes the cowboy as “a 

man who is humble, not in a hurry, 

and has a broad perspective of life, 

always looking toward a brighter 

day. He usually rides for another 

man’s brand, travels light and is 

willing to sacrifice himself to accomplish 

whatever task is at hand. 

Yet he does it with a light heart.” 

Father Lungren contends that 

“Jesus has much of the same 

disposition [as the cowboy]. 

He knows He’s on a mission.” 

That mission is on behalf of the 

“brand” of God the Father. 

RANCHER AND RELIGIOUS LEADER 

So what does it mean in daily 

practice to be a cowboy priest? Father 

Lungren does everything a 

city priest would do. He teaches, 

he administers the sacraments, he 

buries the dead, he counsels and 

he consoles. 

But the cowboy lifestyle remains 

part of his life and ministry. 

At his first assignment, he 

served at the Wind River Reservation, 

where he encountered a wild 

horse. Being the natural cowboy 

that he is, he caught the horse and 

tamed it in service of the ranch. 

He named the horse Chief. 

Eventually, he found and tamed 

a second horse that he called Mollie. 

These horses are somewhat of 

a metaphor for Father Lungren’s 

life. He never intended to be a 

priest, but God pulled him into His 

service, and he discovered a new 

and beautiful purpose along the 

way. 

After high school, he was happily 

ranching, competing in rodeos 

and engaged to the rancher’s 

daughter, whom he described as 

“the girl of his dreams.” That was 

ABOVE Father Bryce Lungren 

produces quality meat for his local 

community. 

RIGHT Father Lungren rides a 

horse he tamed. 

also when he first began to hear 

the call to priesthood, fueled by 

his love of the Mass. 

Much like his wild horses, God 

eventually drew Father Lungren 

in closer, and helped him see that 

“when we discover our vocational 

mission in life, we discover happiness.” 

Even though he never wanted 

to be a priest, he says he is happier 

than he ever could have imagined 

now that he is doing what God 

created him to do in this world. 

He openly said, “I am not a 

desk-job priest. It’s not in my 

nature. Sure, that is part of my 

priestly responsibilities, but I 

don’t have to take off my hat to do 

so. I can still be Bryce even when 

Father Lungren comes to call.” 

And a rancher he remains. 

On the side, Father Lungren operates 

a small ranching co-op that 

produces quality meat for his local 

community. Every year he receives 

a dozen “heiferettes” that have 

been rejected by other ranchers 

because they are infertile or cannot 

sustain the herd. He receives 

these 1,000-pound rejected cows 

and takes them to a parishioner’s 

pasture, where they graze for four 

months and “fatten up” to 1,400 

pounds. 

In his spare time, Father Lungren 

will personally slaughter, 

hand butcher, package and freeze 

the meat of these cows in a refrigerated 

trailer that he procured. He 

then distributes the meat through 

his local co-op, which now has 150 

members. 

“There is so much satisfaction 

in cutting a steak or grinding 

hamburger in order to feed someone 

I know. I gladly work late into 

the night, not for money, but for 

love,” he said. 

He added that this satisfaction 

is reminiscent of his grandmother 

at the family ranch who would say, 

“It’s no fun to cook for one.” He 

learned that joy comes in feeding 

PHOTOS RON WU 

others. “What wisdom our elders 

have to teach the younger generations!” 

he said. 

WE NEED MORE COWBOYS 

One of the most iconic pieces 

of original art ever produced by 

Catholic Extension Society in its 

118-year history is the image of a 

cowboy praying his rosary in an 

open prairie, much like the topography 

of eastern Wyoming. 

For decades, people have written 

to Catholic Extension Society 

requesting copies of this image 

which first debuted in Extension 

magazine in 1961. 

It seems that the Catholic cowboy 

way speaks to the hearts of 

American Catholics. In other 

words, Father Lungren is onto 

something. “The Church needs 

cowboys even more than the 

world does,” he said. “She needs 

more courageous and confident 

men and women who seek the 

truth, who don’t give up and who 

are proud to be Catholic. Above all 

though, she needs more authenticity 

and less hypocrisy.” 

In Father Lungren’s cowboy 

parlance, being authentic is to be 

“raw and real.” He said the cowboy 

spirit has roots in “hardworking” 

Jesus Christ. “He was all 

about getting the job done, and he 

knew how to have fun.” 

Perhaps there is a little inner 

cowboy in all of us waiting to be 

let out. Father Lungren likens the 

ups and downs of the spiritual life 

to a bucking bronco. “It’ll dump 

you if you’re not careful,” he said. 

But if you put your mind to it 

and keep going, “it’s a dance that 

never gets old.”

24 INSPIRE 

Cover Story 


HOW CAN WE USE IT 

FOR THE BETTERMENT 

OF HUMANITY? 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS for many a 

chilling technological revolution that has 

arrived at our doorstep. The notion that a 

robot can exceptionally mimic human intelligence 

is something that keeps many 

people up at night. 

Artificial intelligence has, in fact, 

been around for almost 70 years. The 

term “AI” was actually born in 1956 

through the emergence of cybernetics—the 

science of control in machines 

and humans. In the 1980s, AI gradually 

progressed with the rise of expert systems, 

which is the component of artificial 

intelligence that emulates the 

decision-making ability of a human 

expert. And now in the last 15 years, 

AI has progressed further thanks 

to massive data and new computing 

power. Many people are already 

familiar with the newest crop of 

AI tools like ChatGPT, which was 

launched in late 2022. 

So artificial intelligence has been 

here among us for quite some time. 

But like most technologies, it took 

a while to evolve. And now that it 

has, it is becoming a bigger part of 

daily life in society. 

As with any technological innovation, 

it has the potential to 

be used for good or evil, just like 

those that came before it. The 

cotton gin sped up textile production, 

but also prolonged the 

institution of slavery in the U.S. 

The industrial revolution created 

cheaper and more accessible 

goods, but also led to 

dangerous work conditions, 

greater pollution and child labor. 

Social media’s debut al- 

ARTIFICIAL 

ABOVE We prompted AI to create a 

realistic photo of the conversion of Saul 

as he is being blinded by a light from 

heaven on his way to Damascus, after 

which the former zealous persecutor of 

the Christian church becomes St. Paul 

the Apostle. 

lowed us to connect with old 

friends, but also gave way to 

easier dissemination of hate 

and disinformation. 

Many people feel that we 

are on the brink of perhaps 

another, even greater, revolution 

with the dawn of AI. 

In his January 1 message to 

the world, Pope Francis expressed 

a mix of sentiments: 

openness to this latest technology 

with a heavy dose of 

caution. He warned against 

any use of the technology 

that would distort reality; be 

used as a weapon of war; or 

in any way become detrimental 

to the well-being of 

the poor, the innocent and 

the young. 

“We rightly rejoice and 

give thanks for the impressive 

achievements of science 

and technology, as a result of 

which countless ills that formerly 

plagued human life 

and caused great suffering 

have been remedied,” said 

Pope Francis. “At the same 

time, techno-scientific advances, 

by making it possible 

to exercise hitherto unprecedented 

control over reality, 

are placing in human hands 

a vast array of options, including 

some that may pose 

a risk to our survival and endanger 

our common home.” 

You can read Pope Francis’ 

full message, called “Artificial 

Intelligence and Peace,” on 

page 29. 

INTELLIGENCE 

IS HERE 

UPSIDE OF AI? 

Some speculate that AI offers 

tremendous benefits. Could 

it lead to more medical breakthroughs, 

even finding the cure to 

cancer? The pope said, “If artificial 

intelligence were used to promote 

integral human development, 

it could introduce important innovations 

in agriculture, education and 

culture; an improved level of life for 

entire nations and people; and the 

growth of human fraternity.” 

If we learn to use it appropriately 

and harness it ethically, AI could serve 

as an augmentation—and not a total 

replacement—of human intelligence. 

“Human” is the key word here. Humans 

must be the drivers of this technology. 

The technology should not drive us. 

According to an Associated Press 

report, the definition of artificial intelligence 

hits these four areas: AI helps 

to process data, AI 

does not have a mind 

of its own, AI depends 

on data that humans 

feed it, and AI produces 

results from human-fed 

information. 

Those last three points are essential in 

helping us understand artificial intelligence. 

AI is reliant on us human beings to tell it 

what we want it to create. Based on our instructions, 

our own thought-out prompting 

based on our human knowledge, emotions,

26 INSPIRE 

Cover Story 


IMAGE BEFORE COMMUNITY INPUT 

IMAGE AFTER COMMUNITY INPUT 

and moral understanding, it 

will then attempt to create 

what we are thinking about. 

As the drivers of this upand-coming 

technology, humans 

must provide ethical 

guidance on using this tool. 

As Pope Francis mentioned 

in his message, “Freedom 

and peaceful coexistence are 

threatened whenever human 

beings yield to the temptation 

to selfishness, self-interest, 

the desire for profit and the 

thirst for power. We thus have 

a duty to broaden our gaze 

and to direct techno-scientific 

research towards the pursuit 

of peace and the common 

good, in the service of the integral 

development of individuals 

and communities.” 

He continued, “Artificial 

intelligence ought to serve our 

best human potential and our 

highest aspirations, not compete 

with them.” 

AI AND OUR CATHOLIC FAITH 

Using this approach to AI, 

we at Catholic Extension Society 

wondered if this new 

technology could also assist 

as a tool in deepening our religious 

sensibilities and potentially 

serve as a tool of catechesis 

and evangelization. 

To demonstrate this, we 

employed a new AI system, 

Midjourney, to create vivid 

religious art that speaks to 

our Catholic faith and traditions. 

The system responded 

to prompts based on Catholic 

theological ideas that we 

fed it regarding the lives of the 

saints, Catholic traditions and 

biblical moments. 

When prompting AI, one 

can ask for different features, 

concepts and certain 

variations. When we first 

prompted AI for the images 

in this magazine story, we got 

fair returns, but not what we 

felt to be the most spiritually 

accurate portrayal. This is an 

important realization when 

working with AI. Humans 

must be able to recognize 

when AI makes something 

that isn’t quite right. AI does 

not comprehend errors in the 

same way humans do. So, we 

must then use our reasoning 

to guide AI in fixing the issue 

in order to create something 

that is theologically accurate 

and captivating. 

INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO AI 

Pope Francis suggests that 

when considering how to use 

AI, we should include the 

voices of many stakeholders, 

The initial image of Our Lady 

of Guadalupe, above left, 

generated by artificial intelligence 

is beautiful, but is also lacking in 

indigenous features. 

Based on the feedback we 

received regarding the first image, 

Latina Catholic leaders in Catholic 

Extension Society’s Mujer Valiente 

(“Valiant Woman”) program helped 

guide us in prompting artificial 

intelligence to generate this more 

accurate depiction, above, of Our 

Lady of Guadalupe. 

including the poor. We took 

that approach in this AI experiment. 

For example, in 

including the voices of many, 

we sought help in generating 

an image of Our Lady of 

Guadalupe. We asked Latina 

Catholic leaders in Catholic 

Extension Society’s Mujer 

Valiente (“Valiant Woman”) 

program to weigh in on our 

initial images and how they 

believe Our Lady of Guadalupe 

should be depicted. 

Their responses, filled with 

love, joy, holiness, and creativity, 

led us to better 

prompting of the AI generator 

and the creation of the final 

image you see here. These 

women remarked that the 

initial image of Our Lady of 

Guadalupe was beautiful, but 

it was inaccurate in that she 

lacked indigenous features— 

which are key to her apparition 

story. As Blanca Primm, 

director of Hispanic ministry 

for the Diocese of Knoxville, 

Tennessee, said, “It invites 

me to pray and is very pretty 

too, although her appearance 

is not as mestiza (mixed ancestry).” 

The leaders we asked are 

of varying ages, educational 

backgrounds and experiences. 

They share a deep love 

of the Catholic faith, have a 

desire to deepen that faith 

and are committed to sharing 

their faith with others. These 

are the exact right agents for 

AI. They are an example of 

those people Pope Francis 

described who can properly 

show us how artificial intelligence 

can serve to create 

something good. 

So we want to know what 

you think: Can artificial intelligence 

help us more vividly 

tell the stories of our 

faith? Take a close look at the 

AI-generated images from 

theology and Catholic Extension 

Society history in these 

pages. You be the judge. 

Send us your thoughts at 

magazine@catholicextension.org.

28 INSPIRE 

Cover Story 


Artificial intelligence helped us 

visualize what conversations 

between holy friends St. Francis 

and St. Clare of Assisi might have 

looked like. 

Father Francis Clement Kelley 

established Catholic Extension 

Society in 1905 to bring the 

sacraments to remote faith 

communities across the country. The 

mission first spread by way of the 

railways, with priests riding into tiny 

frontier towns to celebrate Mass from 

the backs of rail cars. 

Inspired by our early history, we 

prompted artificial intelligence to 

create an image showing Catholic 

Extension Society’s chapel car 

pulling into a small Montana 

town for Mass to be celebrated with 

the people. We gave AI the original 

image of our chapel car, seen above, 

so it could compute what the rail car 

looked like, and how people in the 

early 1900s should be presented. 

At the beginning of the 

New Year, a time of 

grace which the Lord 

gives to each one of 

us, I would like to address 

God’s People, 

the various nations, heads of state 

and government, the leaders of the 

different religions and civil society, 

and all the men and women 

of our time, in order to offer 

my fervent good wishes for 

peace. 

MESSAGE FROM 

HIS HOLINESS 

POPE FRANCIS: 

ARTIFICIAL 

INTELLIGENCE 

AND PEACE 

1. THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE 

AND TECHNOLOGY AS A PATH 

TO PEACE 

Sacred Scripture attests 

that God bestowed his Spirit 

upon human beings so that 

they might have “skill and 

understanding and knowledge 

in every craft” (Ex 

35:31). Human intelligence is 

an expression of the dignity 

with which we have been endowed 

by the Creator, who 

made us in his own image and likeness 

(cf. Gen 1:26), and enabled us 

to respond consciously and freely to 

his love. In a particular way, science 

and technology manifest this fundamentally 

relational quality of human 

intelligence; they are brilliant 

products of its creative potential. 

In its Pastoral Constitution Gaudium 

et Spes, the Second Vatican 

Council restated this truth, declaring 

that “through its labours and its 

native endowments, humanity has 

ceaselessly sought to better its life.” 

[1] When human beings, “with the 

aid of technology,” endeavour to 

make “the earth a dwelling worthy 

of the whole human family,” [2] 

they carry out God’s plan and cooperate 

with his will to perfect creation 

and bring about peace among 

peoples. Progress in science and 

technology, insofar as it contributes 

to greater order in human society 

and greater fraternal communion 

and freedom, thus leads to the betterment 

of humanity and the transformation 

of the world. 

We rightly rejoice and give 

thanks for the impressive achievements 

of science and technology, as 

a result of which countless ills that 

formerly plagued human life and 

caused great suffering have been 

remedied. At the same time, techno-scientific 

advances, by making 

it possible to exercise hitherto unprecedented 

control over reality, are 

placing in human hands a vast array 

of options, including some that 

may pose a risk to our survival and 

endanger our common home. [3] 

The remarkable advances in new 

information technologies, particularly 

in the digital sphere, thus offer 

exciting opportunities and grave 

risks, with serious implications 

for the pursuit of justice and harmony 

among peoples. Any number 

of urgent questions need to 

be asked. What will be the consequences, 

in the medium and 

long term, of these new digital 

technologies? And what impact 

will they have on individual 

lives and on societies, on international 

stability and peace? 

2. THE FUTURE OF ARTIFICIAL 

INTELLIGENCE: BETWEEN 

PROMISE AND RISK 

Progress in information 

technology and the development 

of digital technologies in 

recent decades have already begun 

to effect profound transformations 

in global society 

and its various dynamics. New digital 

tools are even now changing 

the face of communications, public 

administration, education, consumption, 

personal interactions 

and countless other aspects of our 

daily lives. 

Moreover, from the digital footprints 

spread throughout the Internet, 

technologies employing a variety 

of algorithms can extract data 

that enable them to control mental 

and relational habits for commercial 

or political purposes, often 

without our knowledge, thus limiting 

our conscious exercise of freedom 

of choice. In a space like the 

Web, marked by information overload, 

they can structure the flow of 

data according to criteria of selec-

30 INSPIRE 

Message from the Pope 


5. BURNING ISSUES FOR ETHICS 

In the future, the reliability of an 

applicant for a mortgage, the suitability 

of an individual for a job, the 

possibility of recidivism on the part 

of a convicted person, or the right to 

receive political asylum or social assistance 

could be determined by artificial 

intelligence systems. The lack 

of different levels of mediation that 

these systems introduce is particularly 

exposed to forms of bias and 

discrimination: systemic errors can 

easily multiply, producing not only 

injustices in individual cases but 

also, due to the domino effect, real 

forms of social inequality. 

At times too, forms of artificial 

intelligence seem capable of influencing 

individuals’ decisions by option 

that are not always perceived 

by the user. 

We need to remember that scientific 

research and technological 

innovations are not disembodied 

and “neutral,” [4] but subject 

to cultural influences. As fully human 

activities, the directions they 

take reflect choices conditioned by 

personal, social and cultural values 

in any given age. The same must 

be said of the results they produce: 

precisely as the fruit of specifically 

human ways of approaching the 

world around us, the latter always 

have an ethical dimension, closely 

linked to decisions made by those 

who design their experimentation 

and direct their production towards 

particular objectives. 

This is also the case with forms 

of artificial intelligence. To date, 

there is no single definition of artificial 

intelligence in the world of 

science and technology. The term 

itself, which by now has entered 

into everyday parlance, embraces 

a variety of sciences, theories and 

techniques aimed at making machines 

reproduce or imitate in their 

functioning the cognitive abilities 

of human beings. To speak in the 

plural of “forms of intelligence” 

can help to emphasize above all 

the unbridgeable gap between such 

systems, however amazing and 

powerful, and the human person: 

in the end, they are merely “fragmentary,” 

in the sense that they 

can only imitate or reproduce certain 

functions of human intelligence. 

The use of the plural likewise 

brings out the fact that these 

devices greatly differ among themselves 

and that they should always 

be regarded as “socio-technical 

systems.” For the impact of any artificial 

intelligence device – regardless 

of its underlying technology – 

depends not only on its technical 

design, but also on the aims and interests 

of its owners and developers, 

and on the situations in which 

it will be employed. 

Artificial intelligence, then, 

ought to be understood as a galaxy 

of different realities. We cannot 

presume a priori that its development 

will make a beneficial contribution 

to the future of humanity 

and to peace among peoples. 

That positive outcome will only be 

achieved if we show ourselves capable 

of acting responsibly and respect 

such fundamental human 

values as “inclusion, transparency, 

security, equity, privacy and reliability.” 

[5] 

Nor is it sufficient simply to presume 

a commitment on the part of 

those who design algorithms and 

digital technologies to act ethically 

and responsibly. There is a need to 

strengthen or, if necessary, to establish 

bodies charged with examining 

the ethical issues arising in 

this field and protecting the rights 

of those who employ forms of artificial 

intelligence or are affected by 

them. [6] 

The immense expansion of technology 

thus needs to be accompanied 

by an appropriate formation in 

responsibility for its future development. 

Freedom and peaceful coexistence 

are threatened whenever 

human beings yield to the temptation 

to selfishness, self-interest, 

the desire for profit and the thirst 

for power. We thus have a duty 

to broaden our gaze and to direct 

techno-scientific research towards 

the pursuit of peace and the common 

good, in the service of the integral 

development of individuals 

and communities. [7] 

The inherent dignity of each human 

being and the fraternity that 

binds us together as members of 

the one human family must undergird 

the development of new technologies 

and serve as indisputable 

criteria for evaluating them before 

they are employed, so that digital 

progress can occur with due respect 

for justice and contribute to the 

cause of peace. Technological developments 

that do not lead to an 

improvement in the quality of life 

of all humanity, but on the contrary 

aggravate inequalities and conflicts, 

can never count as true progress. 

[8] 

Artificial intelligence will become 

increasingly important. The 

challenges it poses are technical, 

but also anthropological, educational, 

social and political. It promises, 

for instance, liberation from 

drudgery, more efficient manufacturing, 

easier transport and more 

ready markets, as well as a revolution 

in processes of accumulating, 

organizing and confirming data. We 

need to be aware of the rapid transformations 

now taking place and 

to manage them in ways that safeguard 

fundamental human rights 

and respect the institutions and 

laws that promote integral human 

development. Artificial intelligence 

ought to serve our best human potential 

and our highest aspirations, 

not compete with them. 

3. THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE: 

MACHINES THAT “LEARN” BY 

THEMSELVES 

In its multiple forms, artificial 

intelligence based on machine 

learning techniques, while still in 

its pioneering phases, is already introducing 

considerable changes to 

the fabric of societies and exerting 

a profound influence on cultures, 

societal behaviours and peacebuilding. 

Developments such as machine 

learning or deep learning, raise 

questions that transcend the realms 

of technology and engineering, and 

have to do with the deeper understanding 

of the meaning of human 

life, the construction of knowledge, 

and the capacity of the mind to attain 

truth. 

The ability of certain devices to 

produce syntactically and semantically 

coherent texts, for example, 

is no guarantee of their reliability. 

They are said to “hallucinate,” 

that is, to create statements that at 

first glance appear plausible but are 

unfounded or betray biases. This 

poses a serious problem when artificial 

intelligence is deployed in 

campaigns of disinformation that 

spread false news and lead to a 

growing distrust of the communications 

media. Privacy, data ownership 

and intellectual property are 

other areas where these technologies 

engender grave risks. To which 

we can add other negative consequences 

of the misuse of these 

technologies, such as discrimination, 

interference in elections, the 

rise of a surveillance society, digital 

exclusion and the exacerbation of 

an individualism increasingly disconnected 

from society. All these 

factors risk fueling conflicts and 

hindering peace. 

4. THE SENSE OF LIMIT IN THE 

TECHNOCRATIC PARADIGM 

Our world is too vast, varied and 

complex ever to be fully known 

and categorized. The human mind 

can never exhaust its richness, even 

with the aid of the most advanced 

algorithms. Such algorithms do not 

offer guaranteed predictions of the 

future, but only statistical approximations. 

Not everything can be 

predicted, not everything can be 

calculated; in the end, “realities are 

greater than ideas.” [9] No matter 

how prodigious our calculating 

power may be, there will always be 

an inaccessible residue that evades 

any attempt at quantification. 

In addition, the vast amount of 

data analyzed by artificial intelligences 

is in itself no guarantee of 

impartiality. When algorithms extrapolate 

information, they always 

run the risk of distortion, replicating 

the injustices and prejudices of 

the environments where they originate. 

The faster and more complex 

they become, the more difficult it 

proves to understand why they produced 

a particular result. 

“Intelligent” machines may perform 

the tasks assigned to them 

with ever greater efficiency, but the 

purpose and the meaning of their 

operations will continue to be determined 

or enabled by human beings 

possessed of their own universe 

of values. There is a risk that 

the criteria behind certain decisions 

will become less clear, responsibility 

for those decisions 

concealed, and producers enabled 

to evade their obligation to act for 

the benefit of the community. In 

some sense, this is favoured by the 

technocratic system, which allies 

the economy with technology and 

privileges the criterion of efficiency, 

tending to ignore anything unrelated 

to its immediate interests. [10] 

This should lead us to reflect on 

something frequently overlooked 

in our current technocratic and efficiency-oriented 

mentality, as it is 

decisive for personal and social development: 

the “sense of limit.” 

Human beings are, by definition, 

mortal; by proposing to overcome 

every limit through technology, in 

an obsessive desire to control everything, 

we risk losing control over 

ourselves; in the quest for an absolute 

freedom, we risk falling into 

the spiral of a “technological dictatorship.” 

Recognizing and accepting 

our limits as creatures is an indispensable 

condition for reaching, 

or better, welcoming fulfilment as 

a gift. In the ideological context of 

a technocratic paradigm inspired 

by a Promethean presumption of 

self-sufficiency, inequalities could 

grow out of proportion, knowledge 

and wealth accumulate in the hands 

of a few, and grave risks ensue for 

democratic societies and peaceful 

coexistence. [11]

32 INSPIRE 

Message from the Pope 


erating through pre-determined 

options associated with stimuli 

and dissuasions, or by operating 

through a system of regulating people’s 

choices based on information 

design. These forms of manipulation 

or social control require careful 

attention and oversight, and imply a 

clear legal responsibility on the part 

of their producers, their deployers, 

and government authorities. 

Reliance on automatic processes 

that categorize individuals, for instance, 

by the pervasive use of surveillance 

or the adoption of social 

credit systems, could likewise have 

profound repercussions on the social 

fabric by establishing a ranking 

among citizens. These artificial processes 

of categorization could lead 

also to power conflicts, since they 

concern not only virtual users but 

real people. Fundamental respect 

for human dignity demands that we 

refuse to allow the uniqueness of 

the person to be identified with a 

set of data. Algorithms must not be 

allowed to determine how we understand 

human rights, to set aside 

the essential human values of compassion, 

mercy and forgiveness, or 

to eliminate the possibility of an individual 

changing and leaving his 

or her past behind. 

Nor can we fail to consider, in 

this context, the impact of new 

technologies on the workplace. Jobs 

that were once the sole domain of 

human labour are rapidly being 

taken over by industrial applications 

of artificial intelligence. Here 

too, there is the substantial risk of 

disproportionate benefit for the few 

at the price of the impoverishment 

of many. Respect for the dignity 

of labourers and the importance 

of employment for the economic 

well-being of individuals, families, 

and societies, for job security and 

just wages, ought to be a high priority 

for the international community 

as these forms of technology penetrate 

more deeply into our workplaces. 

6. SHALL WE TURN SWORDS INTO 

PLOUGHSHARES? 

In these days, as we look at the 

world around us, there can be no 

escaping serious ethical questions 

related to the armaments sector. 

The ability to conduct military operations 

through remote control systems 

has led to a lessened perception 

of the devastation caused by 

those weapon systems and the burden 

of responsibility for their use, 

resulting in an even more cold and 

detached approach to the immense 

tragedy of war. Research on emerging 

technologies in the area of socalled 

Lethal Autonomous Weapon 

Systems, including the weaponization 

of artificial intelligence, is 

a cause for grave ethical concern. 

Autonomous weapon systems can 

never be morally responsible subjects. 

The unique human capacity 

for moral judgment and ethical decision-making 

is more than a complex 

collection of algorithms, and 

that capacity cannot be reduced to 

programming a machine, which as 

“intelligent” as it may be, remains 

a machine. For this reason, it is imperative 

to ensure adequate, meaningful 

and consistent human oversight 

of weapon systems. 

Nor can we ignore the possibility 

of sophisticated weapons ending 

up in the wrong hands, facilitating, 

for instance, terrorist attacks or 

interventions aimed at destabilizing 

the institutions of legitimate systems 

of government. In a word, the 

world has no need of new technologies 

that contribute to the unjust 

development of commerce and the 

weapons trade and consequently 

end up promoting the folly of war. 

By so doing, not only intelligence 

but the human heart itself would 

risk becoming ever more “artificial.” 

The most advanced technological 

applications should not be 

employed to facilitate the violent 

resolution of conflicts, but rather to 

pave the way for peace. 

On a more positive note, if artificial 

intelligence were used to promote 

integral human development, 

it could introduce important innovations 

in agriculture, education 

and culture, an improved level of 

life for entire nations and peoples, 

and the growth of human fraternity 

and social friendship. In the end, 

the way we use it to include the 

least of our brothers and sisters, the 

vulnerable and those most in need, 

will be the true measure of our humanity. 

An authentically humane outlook 

and the desire for a better future 

for our world surely indicates 

the need for a cross-disciplinary dialogue 

aimed at an ethical development 

of algorithms – an algor-ethics 

– in which values will shape 

the directions taken by new technologies. 

[12] Ethical considerations 

should also be taken into account 

from the very beginning of 

research, and continue through the 

phases of experimentation, design, 

production, distribution and marketing. 

This is the approach of ethics 

by design, and it is one in which 

educational institutions and decision-makers 

have an essential role 

to play. 

7. CHALLENGES FOR EDUCATION 

The development of a technology 

that respects and serves human 

dignity has clear ramifications 

for our educational institutions and 

the world of culture. By multiplying 

the possibilities of communication, 

digital technologies have allowed 

us to encounter one another 

in new ways. Yet there remains a 

need for sustained reflection on 

the kinds of relationships to which 

they are steering us. Our young people 

are growing up in cultural environments 

pervaded by technology, 

and this cannot but challenge our 

methods of teaching, education and 

training. 

Education in the use of forms 

of artificial intelligence should 

aim above all at promoting critical 

thinking. Users of all ages, but 

especially the young, need to develop 

a discerning approach to the 

use of data and content collected 

on the web or produced by artificial 

intelligence systems. Schools, 

universities and scientific societies 

are challenged to help students and 

professionals to grasp the social 

and ethical aspects of the development 

and uses of technology. 

Training in the use of new 

means of communication should 

also take account not only of disinformation, 

“fake news,” but also 

the disturbing recrudescence of 

“certain ancestral fears… that have 

been able to hide and spread behind 

new technologies”. [13] Sadly, 

we once more find ourselves having 

to combat “the temptation to build 

a culture of walls, to raise walls… in 

order to prevent an encounter with 

other cultures and other peoples,” 

[14] and the development of a 

peaceful and fraternal coexistence. 

8. CHALLENGES FOR THE 

DEVELOPMENT OF 

INTERNATIONAL LAW 

The global scale of artificial intelligence 

makes it clear that, alongside 

the responsibility of sovereign 

states to regulate its use internally, 

international organizations can play 

a decisive role in reaching multilateral 

agreements and coordinating 

their application and enforcement. 

[15] In this regard, I urge the global 

community of nations to work together 

in order to adopt a binding 

international treaty that regulates 

the development and use of artificial 

intelligence in its many forms. 

The goal of regulation, naturally, 

should not only be the prevention 

of harmful practices but also the 

encouragement of best practices, 

by stimulating new and creative approaches 

and encouraging individual 

or group initiatives. [16] 

In the quest for normative models 

that can provide ethical guidance 

to developers of digital technologies, 

it is indispensable to 

identify the human values that 

should undergird the efforts of societies 

to formulate, adopt and enforce 

much-needed regulatory 

frameworks. The work of drafting 

ethical guidelines for producing 

forms of artificial intelligence can 

hardly prescind from the consideration 

of deeper issues regarding the 

meaning of human existence, the 

protection of fundamental human 

rights and the pursuit of justice and 

peace. This process of ethical and 

juridical discernment can prove a 

precious opportunity for shared reflection 

on the role that technology 

should play in our individual and 

communal lives, and how its use 

can contribute to the creation of a 

more equitable and humane world. 

For this reason, in debates about 

the regulation of artificial intelligence, 

the voices of all stakeholders 

should be taken into account, 

including the poor, the powerless 

and others who often go unheard in 

global decision-making processes. 

* * * 

I hope that the foregoing reflection 

will encourage efforts to ensure that 

progress in developing forms of artificial 

intelligence will ultimately 

serve the cause of human fraternity 

and peace. It is not the responsibility 

of a few but of the entire human 

family. For peace is the fruit 

of relationships that recognize and 

welcome others in their inalienable 

dignity, and of cooperation and 

commitment in seeking the integral 

development of all individuals 

and peoples. 

It is my prayer at the start of the 

New Year that the rapid development 

of forms of artificial intelligence 

will not increase cases of 

inequality and injustice all too present 

in today’s world, but will help 

put an end to wars and conflicts, 

and alleviate many forms of suffering 

that afflict our human family. 

May Christian believers, followers 

of various religions and men and 

women of good will work together 

in harmony to embrace the opportunities 

and confront the challenges 

posed by the digital revolution and 

thus hand on to future generations 

a world of greater solidarity, justice 

and peace. 

From the Vatican, 1 January 2024. 

To see the bibliography, visit 

cathext.in/pope-ai.

34 INSPIRE 

Vocations 


A 

The Catholic Church’s universality 

attracted Idaho’s newly ordained priest 

A global 

vocational journey 

ccording to a report by the 

Center for Applied Research 

in the Apostolate, young men 

are four times more likely 

to consider becoming a 

priest or brother if they 

attend World Youth Day. 

Father Nelson Cintra, a 

newly ordained priest in Idaho, 

is proof of this phenomenon. 

Since 1985, World Youth Day 

has provided young Catholics 

the opportunity to experience 

how the Church transcends 

borders, nationalities and backgrounds. 

The global gathering, 

which occurs every three 

years, transforms the lives of attendees 

as they share their passion 

for their faith among their 

peers and with the pope. 

Father Cintra’s story is 

unique—his encounter of a 

Church without borders at 

World Youth Day mirrored his 

own life and vocational journey, 

which began a world away. 


funded his seminarian education, 

but his calling followed 

him in his journey across the 

world. 

ONE HEMISPHERE TO ANOTHER 

Born in Brazil, Father Cintra 

grew up in a Catholic home 

and school. However, the early 

loss of his father to cancer led 

him to question his faith in 

God throughout his youth. 

In 1999 at age 13, he relocated 

to Ohio with his mother 

to join their American-born 

family members. He went on 

to study at The Ohio State University, 

where he earned an 

undergraduate degree in psychology. 

The new Buckeye alumnus 

was a young man with the 

world at his fingertips. And 

like many young people do, he 

made the adventurous choice 

to move across the country. In 

2011, he moved to Idaho and 

began working as a mentor 

at a boarding school for troubled 

youth. During those years 

in his early career, he began 

attending a little mission 

church, St. Ann’s Parish in Arco. 

A young Father 

Nelson Cintra 

(top row, far left) 

and his travel 

group attended 

the 2011 

World Youth 

Day gathering 

in Madrid, 

Spain, where 

he decided to 

devote his life to 

Christ. 


helped establish the parish in 

1956 and supported it through 

the years. It was there that his 

faith started to rekindle. 

“I GIVE YOU MY WHOLE LIFE” 

Father Cintra’s sister encouraged 

him to stay connected to 

his Catholic faith, so in August 

of that year, she bought him a 

ticket to attend World Youth 

Day in Madrid. The young professional 

from Idaho didn’t 

know what to expect. 

Once there, he was moved by 

the crowd’s “visible representation 

of the universal Church.” 

He met many young people 

from all corners of the world 

who came together to rejoice 

“because of the Church and 

because of the pope.” 

When Pope Benedict XVI 

addressed the throngs of young 

people, Father Cintra felt as if 

the Holy Father was speaking 

directly to him. 

“Him saying these things 

very directly, very convincingly, 

very compellingly, spoke 

to me,” Father Cintra said. The 

pope’s words provided closure 

to Father Cintra’s questions 

about God following his 

father’s death. 

But what struck him most 

was being around passionate, 

faith-filled young adults for the 

first time. 

He listened to pilgrims speak 

about “how to live with God, 

and how to pursue holiness.” 

During a heavy rainstorm, he 

stepped away from his group 

for a private moment of prayer. 

“I give you my whole life,” he 

said to the Lord. “I give it in 

your Church.” 

When he returned to Idaho, 

he began living an intentional 

Christian life and opened 

himself up to priesthood. He 

entered Mount Angel Seminary 

and was ordained to the priesthood 

on June 8, 2023. 

His diocese covers the 

84,000 square miles of Idaho, 

and the young priest is overjoyed 

to be able to offer the 

sacraments to hungry souls 

like himself. 

“I’m going to these communities 

that don’t have a priest, 

that don’t have regular access 

to the sacraments, that don’t 

have the luxury of choosing 

which church they want to 

attend. But they are really just 

grateful for anything and anyone 

that the Church can give 

them,” he said. 

Father Nelson Cintra celebrates his first Mass as 

a new priest for the Diocese of Boise, Idaho. 

IDAHO PRIEST WITH GLOBAL 

PERSPECTIVE 

The Brazilian-born Buckeye 

now feels at home in Idaho. 

Father Cintra currently serves 

as parochial vicar of Pope St. 

John Paul II Parish and Holy 

Rosary Catholic School, both in 

Idaho Falls. 

“This became my home, my 

home parish and my home 

Catholic family. It’s a privilege 

to be here as a priest for my 

first assignment,” he said. 

While he settles into his 

local community as priest, he 

has not lost sight of the universality 

of the Church that first 

drew him to the priesthood. 

He returned to World Youth 

Day in Lisbon, Portugal, last 

year, celebrating Mass for people 

coming from all over the 

world, including a group of pilgrims 

from his diocese. 

He was glad to be part of the 

group’s transformative experience. 

It was a reminder of 

where his vocation came about 

and how it led him to an unanticipated 

permanent Catholic 

home in Idaho. 

He thanks Catholic Extension 

Society for being part of 

his long and winding journey to 

the priesthood. 

“The work of priestly formation 

is really crucial for the life 

of the Church,” he said. “It’s an 

investment that pays high dividends.”

36 INSPIRE 

Feature Story 


Young adults celebrate 

their love of soccer, 

friendship and God 

LEFT A team competing in the “Copa Católica” (Catholic Cup) soccer 

tournament prays together before one of its games. BELOW Young 

adults at the ministry retreat participate in Eucharistic adoration at the 

Lourdes Grotto of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in 

Hanceville, Alabama. 

Pope St. John Paul 

II famously loved 

sports, believing 

that they could 

serve as preparation 

for the spiritual 

life and aided the cultivation 

of virtues and values conducive 

to the Christian journey. 

The late pope once said to 

a group of competitive athletes, 

“The expressions of 

the language of sport are not 

unfamiliar to Christ’s disciples: 

terms like selection, training, 

self-discipline, persistence in 

resisting exhaustion, reliance 

on a demanding guide, honest 

acceptance of the rules of the 

game.” 

His conviction proved 

true once again on a playing 

field in Hanceville, Alabama, 

which was the site of a recent, 

inter-diocesan young adult 

retreat that culminated in a 

soccer tournament, the “Copa 

Católica,” featuring seven 

teams from five states. A group 

of energetic 20-somethings 

gathered in early November at 

this ministry retreat co-hosted 

by Catholic Extension Society 

and the Southeast Pastoral 

Institute (SEPI), which serves 

Latino Catholics in 30 dioceses 

of the Southeast U.S. 

Many participants traveled 

hundreds of miles to be there, 

from Nashville, Tennessee, 

to Mobile, Alabama, for two 

Sports can be 

a pathway to 

the spiritual life 

days of talks, team building, 

Mass and Eucharistic adoration 

at the Lourdes Grotto of 

the Shrine of the Most Blessed 

Sacrament. Then came the 

“Copa Católica”—the Catholic 

Cup soccer tournament. 

By Saturday afternoon, these 

young adult leaders were 

ready to showcase their talents 

on the field. 

It was a tournament filled 

with underdog stories, teamwork, 

inspiring wins and gracious 

losses. 

“Throughout the weekend 

the guys were waiting to play,” 

said SEPI’s Giovanni Abreu, 

one of the tournament’s organizers. 

“And what a beautiful 

way to end it with playing the 

beautiful game as brothers 

and sisters. No matter the result, 

both teams were embracing 

each other.” 

The underdogs 

Since many of the players 

came from smaller or 

under-funded communities, 

Abreu’s idea was to change the 

format from the traditional 11 

versus 11 players on the field to 

7 versus 7, or “fútbol rápido.” 

The shift to this fast-paced 

style of playing soccer with 

fewer players had teams signing 

up immediately across the 

southeastern dioceses. 

Six of the seven teams 

hailed from Extension dioceses, 

including Birmingham 

and Mobile in Alabama; Knoxville 

and Nashville in Tennessee; 

Lafayette, Louisiana; and 

Jackson, Mississippi. They had 

creative or spiritually inspired 

team names such as Knoxville’s 

“Renewed by Christ,” 

or Lafayette’s “Latin Cajuns.” 

But perhaps none were more 

inspiring than the under-dog 

and under-manned “Saints” 

from the Diocese of Jackson. 

The “Saints” team comprised 

players primarily from 

the young adult group at St. 

Francis of Assisi in Madison, 

Mississippi. The team had a 

few players who had to pull 

out in the days leading up to 

the conference, but the remaining 

five players met others 

from their diocese, from St. 

Anne’s in Carthage, who were 

eager to compete. 

The two faith communities 

in Madison and Carthage 

are an hour away from each 

other. The players had just met 

that weekend and had never 

played together, a contrast to 

many of the teams that had 

practiced with each other for 

weeks ahead of the Copa. But 

the beauty of both sport and 

spirituality is the ability to 

come together and learn from 

each other and grow closer to 

one another. 

And that can create something 

magnificent to watch. 

Despite having a team of 

players that hadn’t practiced 

together and carried just two 

substitutes, the Jackson Saints 

ended the round robin portion 

of the tournament as the 

second-best team on the field, 

which included a 4-0 shutout 

victory in their first match. 

It was quite the accomplishment 

for a makeshift 

team that had met just 36 

hours before. 

The beautiful game 

In the end, the Jackson 

Saints’ magic run fell short. 

They and the Latin Cajuns 

from the Diocese of Lafayette, 

Louisiana, fell in the

38 INSPIRE 

Feature Story 


The “Saints” from the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, were the tournament’s underdog story. 

semis, paving the way for an 

all-Tennessee final between the 

Extension-supported Dioceses 

of Nashville and Knoxville. The 

“Éxodo F.C.” from Nashville took 

home the win, 2-1, giving them 

the Copa Católica title. 

What was most impressive 

about the tournament was the 

incredible sportsmanship on 

display. Even after Nashville and 

Knoxville had played each other 

in a highly competitive championship 

finish, decided in the 

final minutes, both teams and 

their supporters were cheering 

each other on equally as they 

received their first- and second-place 

trophies. 

It was the culmination of a 

weekend that sharpened leadership 

skills, fostered teamwork and 

created lasting relationships and 

memories. Anyone that attended 

this ministry retreat will tell you 

it was special because they were 

drawn closer to God, and had a 

spiritual encounter through soccer, 

the game they love. 

Pope St. John Paul II is, no 

doubt, proud of these players. But 

even more so, he is proud of the 

faith and energy that they bring to 

the Church. 

IGNITE Making a difference 

PRIEST AND U.S. GENERAL 42 | DONOR PROFILE 44 | CONNECT 46 

“And he began to send them out two by two…” – Mark 6:7 

Donors in the Two by Two Giving Society— 

leaders who give at least one $1,000 

gift each year—walk in companionship 

and solidarity with poor Catholic faith 

communities. This esteemed group helps 

Catholic Extension Society recognize and 

support the hidden heroes lifting up the 

Church on the margins of society. 

Contact Kate Grogan, Development Coordinator, at 312-795-6046 

or kgrogan@catholicextension.org for more information. 

catholicextension.org/twobytwo 

Students from 

the campus 

ministry at the 

University of 

Montana, which 

is supported 

by Catholic 

Extension 

Society, climb 

a mountain and 

pray as part of 

a retreat. See 

a letter from a 

student, page 46.

40 IGNITE 

Parish Partnerships 


One plus one equals 

two. This obvious 

equation is known 

by everyone. 

But are there 

examples where the 

sum is greater than the addition 

of its component parts? In other 

words, where does one plus one 

equal something greater? 

Take St. Mark the Evangelist 

Catholic Church in Oro Valley, Arizona, 

and St. Anthony Mission 

and School in Zuni, New Mexico. 

They are 277 miles apart, almost a 

five-hour drive. But, connected by 

Catholic Extension Society’s Parish 

Partnership program, they add 

up to something extraordinary. 

St. Anthony Mission and 

School serves the Zuni Pueblo in 

New Mexico. Founded in 1920, 

St. Anthony’s school currently 

serves 120 students, kindergarten 

through eighth grade. The school 

is totally dependent on outside 

resources to operate. 

Father Patrick McGuire is pastor 

of St. Anthony. He is a missionary 

priest from Scotland and has 

an accent as thick as a tartan kilt, 

but his heart is entirely with the 

Zuni people. He deeply admires 

their strength in family, their 

sense of extended family and 

their awareness of the divine. 

The Zuni people have many 

struggles. Thirty percent lack 

access to potable water. (Father 

McGuire always keeps the par- 

Children in the Zuni Pueblo 

are supported by St. Mark the 

Evangelist in Oro Valley, Arizona, 

through a partnership with 

Catholic Extension Society. 

Moving from 

transactions 

to transformations 

Tucson church demonstrates the “multiplying 

effect” of our Parish Partnership program 

The Blessed Virgin Mary wearing 

a traditional blanket at St. Anthony 

Mission and School. 

ish facilities open so his people 

can fill up their containers with 

life-giving water.) Many families 

live in homes without electricity 

or the internet. The cycle of 

poverty and unemployment has 

afflicted generations. 

Father McGuire and his staff 

believe that the Catholic faith 

and education is the key for these 

Native American youth to break 

that cycle. Since 1971, Catholic 

Extension Society has supported 

this incredible church and school. 

The modest request 

In April 2022, Father John 

Arnold, pastor of St. Mark the 

Evangelist, visited St. Anthony 

Mission and School as part of 

Catholic Extension Society’s Pastor 

Immersion Program. The program 

is based on the insight that 

to find Jesus in our world today, 

we must go to the peripheries. 

And as Pope Francis believes, 

spending time with the poor revitalizes 

our church. 

Father Arnold was deeply 

touched by his experience in 

April 2022. He suggested that St. 

Mark should partner with Catholic 

Extension Society to help St. 

Anthony Mission and School. In 

other words, he believed that one 

plus one should equal something 

greater. 

Father Arnold directed St. 

Mark’s 2023 Advent Appeal to 

help St. Anthony Mission and 

School. He asked that young people 

from St. Mark’s Life Teen program 

speak at all the Masses on 

the first Sunday of Advent to ask 

the parish for their financial help. 

St. Anthony’s wish list was 

amazingly humble. 

From the simple: $35 for spiral 

notebooks, $15 for internet 

bill, $30 for crayons and coloring 

books—to the sublime: $600 

for vestments and linens for Mass, 

$200 for catechism materials, $20 

for devotional kits for families. 

More than an occasion for just 

a financial transaction, the Parish 

Partnership program moved 

everyone involved toward a true 

transformation. 

St. Mark’s teens learned about 

never taking for granted the abundance 

with which they were 

blessed. 

They learned about the Shalako, 

a ceremony of thanksgiving 

and requests for blessings. 

They also learned how the school 

teaches its students Zuni beliefs 

on respect and harmony with the 

world—teachings that, if taken 

by all, would change their high 

schools and just might change our 

fractured world. St. Mark’s congregation 

learned how beautifully 

Zuni culture was woven into 

Catholicism: the Blessed Virgin 

Mary who is covered by a traditional 

blanket, a painting of the 

Last Supper attended by Native 

American people, and the sacredness 

of the Zuni mountain. 

And, most importantly, the 

teens encountered Christ. As one 

said, “Loving like Jesus did takes 

immense strength and courage. But 

the rewards are awesome because 

serving others means we are serving 

Christ, and in the process deepening 

our relationship with Him.” 

Abundance everywhere 

The abundance of St. Mark mingled 

with the abundance of St. 

Anthony Mission and School. This 

parish partnership is a powerful 

example of the evergreen vitality 

of the Catholic faith and Catholic 

education at its best. 

For there is a space after a sum’s 

component parts, and there is a 

variable component where the 

Holy Spirit can move, leading us on 

new paths to abundance. 

The parish partnership of St. 

Mark and St. Anthony enlarges our 

sense of what is possible. Their 

young people help us see that the 

cycle of poverty can be broken, 

that high school corridors can be 

places of care and support, and 

that all of us, from Oro Valley to 

Zuni Pueblo and points beyond, are 

part of the same tribe, not so different 

as we think and more alike 

than we imagine. 

God magnifies and multiplies 

our efforts in ways that defy our 

finite understanding of the world. 

God moves our minds, which gravitate 

toward simple transactions, 

and moves them toward genuine 

transformations. 

In God’s divine wisdom, one 

plus one can add up to something 

extraordinary.

42 

IGNITE 

Feature Story 


Priest 

named 

general in 

US military 

Florida pastor is 

the highest-ranking 

Catholic clergyman in 

the armed forces 

If you were to visit Father 

Peter Zalewski at his parish 

in Tallahassee, Florida, 

you would find a busy and 

beloved pastor, tending to 

the activities of his church 

community and the local 

Catholic school—the largest primary 

school in the diocese. 

One might not realize that this 

pastor with many responsibilities 

also serves as a general in the Air 

Force chaplain corps. On his one 

day off a week, he won’t be playing 

golf under the Florida sun or 

resting in the rectory. Instead, he’ll 

be tending to meetings at the Pentagon 

or elsewhere in Washington, 

D.C., because he now serves as the 

primary advisor to the chief of the 

National Guard Bureau on religious, 

ethical and moral issues. 

Father Zalewski’s recent promotion 

to one-star general will 

have him serving members of 

both the Air and Army National 

Guard. The promotion ceremony 

on December 14, 2023, was the 

culmination of his nearly 40-year 

life in the military, which began 

In 2023, Father Peter Zalewski was promoted to one-star general in the U.S. Armed Services. 

in 1984 as a cadet at the U.S. Air 

Force Academy. 

In the early 1990s he deployed 

in major military operations, 

including serving as an intelligence 

officer in Operation Desert 

Storm in the First Gulf War. 

Not only did he follow in the footsteps 

of his father who served two 

tours in Vietnam, but he also followed 

the encouragement of his 

mother who helped him appreciate 

the meaning of service in the 

armed forces. 

Dual vocation 

The Florida native eventually 

heard the call to pursue priesthood 

instead of Air Force pilot 

training, so in 1992, he became a 

seminarian of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. 

During that 

Father Peter Zalewski’s military career spans 

nearly 40 years. 

Catholic Extension Society supported Father Peter Zalewski’s seminarian education in 

the 1990s, and today he is a member of our mission committee. 

period, Catholic Extension Society 

funded his education. But even 

as he was being led to serve God, 

the call to serve his country never 

went away. As a new seminarian, 

he became an Air Force chaplain 

candidate. 

After ordination in 1997, he 

began serving as a parish priest 

in his diocese and as a military 

reserve chaplain at bases in the 

Florida Panhandle. He was eventually 

deployed again in 2008 as a 

“wing chaplain” to Al-Dhafra Air 

Base in Abu Dhabi, serving military 

personnel supporting our country’s 

difficult operations in Afghanistan 

and Iraq. 

In his remarks at his promotion 

ceremony, Father Zalewski 

thanked his parishioners at 

Blessed Sacrament in Tallahassee, 

where he is currently pastor, as 

well as St. Dominic in Panama City, 

Florida, where he was previously 

pastor, for always supporting his 

dual responsibilities. 

“Thank you for your support,” 

he said. “We have to protect those 

who protect us. So thank you for 

allowing me to do that. That means 

a lot to me.” 

As a general, Father Zalewski 

will provide guidance and programs 

directing guard chaplain 

personnel and supporting Army 

and Air guardsmen. 

The past 20 years of U.S. history 

have been marked by long wars 

abroad and many natural disasters 

in our homeland, which have 

demanded a great deal of sacrifice 

from military personnel and their 

families. While many of us can too 

easily forget their sacrifices, Father 

Zalewski cannot. 

He knows that the many sacrifices 

of our service members 

have created a toll—physical, mental 

and spiritual. Father Zalewski 

recalled his visits to military bases 

over these past years where he 

would encounter young soldiers 

wearing prosthetics, reminding 

him of what they gave on the battlefield. 

More troublesome, still, 

are the wounds that are not visible. 

Father Zalewski lamented 

that despite many efforts within 

the services, suicides among military 

personnel are not decreasing, 

and more efforts must be made to 

stem this tide. 

Giving back 

Father Zalewski feels that he 

has been given so much in life 

through the generosity of others, 

and he wants to spend his life paying 

forward those blessings. For 

example, when he was born at a 

Navy hospital, he urgently needed 

multiple blood transfusions to 

survive. He said that the young 

enlisted servicemen at the hospital 

literally gave him their blood so 

that he might have life. 

He is also mindful of the Catholic 

Extension Society donors who 

supported his seminarian education 

all those years ago. For 

the past 10 years he has served 

on Catholic Extension Society’s 

mission committee, an advisory 

committee to our board that 

helps Catholic Extension Society 

increase its impact and awareness 

around the country. 

He has also involved his parish 

in raising financial support for various 

Extension initiatives over the 

years. He said, “It’s been an honor 

to serve my country in the military 

and an honor to serve the Catholic 

Church in America through Catholic 

Extension Society’s mission 

committee. I see that many of our 

service members come from rural 

communities—so Extension is a 

direct contributor to their spiritual 

well-being and strength.” 

While Father Zalewski now 

possesses the highest rank in the 

military of any Catholic priest, 

he is not driven by the title or the 

power, but by duty. As a general, 

he will serve people regardless 

of their religious affiliation, being 

mindful that roughly a quarter of 

all active-duty military personnel 

are Catholic. His job will be to 

ensure that these young, self-sacrificing 

men and women, who have 

given so much to our country, have 

the spiritual care they need. 

Hopefully, Father Zalewski’s 

own life story and example will be 

an inspiration to them as much as 

it is to us.

44 

IGNITE 

Donor Profile 


Since its inception in 

1906, Extension magazine 

has made a powerful 

impact in countless 

households across multiple 

generations. For 

example, 6,000 women passionately 

sewed vestments for priests 

in the U.S. missions through the 

Order of Martha that was started 

by Catholic Extension Society in 

1911. One of those women was the 

mother of the late Cardinal Francis 

George of Chicago. 

Likewise, more than 700 baby 

boomers remember how Catholic 

Extension Society recruited 

them as young adults in the 1960s 

to spend two life-changing years 

serving the poor in the U.S. They 

were called the Extension Lay 

Volunteers. 

But one family’s history with 

Catholic Extension Society is even 

more special. 

Lolita Hagio is a supporter of 

Catholic Extension Society. Her 

late mother’s life was transformed 

by a program in Extension magazine 

called the “Chaperon Club.” 

It began in 1927 after readers had 

requested for years that the publication 

devise a way to connect 

them with other Catholics from 

around the country. 

Unmarried Catholics over the 

age of 17 were eligible to join. 

Interested readers mailed in brief 

descriptions of themselves and 

their hobbies. They were assigned 

an anonymous “club number,” 

their information was printed in a 

bulletin, and they could then start 

a letter-writing relationship with 

another member. 

By 1950, more than 40,000 

people had joined since the 

Extension’s pen pal 

club sparked love 

A widow’s second marriage began with 

magazine’s pre-tech dating service 

program’s inception. A magazine 

issue from that year stated, 

“While we shout from the housetops 

that we are not a matrimonial 

bureau, nor do we encourage 

such a thing, we cannot stop 

certain acquaintances from ripening 

into deep friendships, and 

some into love, and we must 

admit that hundreds of marriages 

have resulted.” It can only 

be concluded that, for decades, 

Extension magazine offered the 

pre-technology version of online 

dating for Catholics. 

It was through this initiative 

that Lolita’s widowed mother, 

Irene, found love in 1962 at the 

age of 65. 

Late-in-life love 

Irene’s husband had passed 

away in 1950 after 31 years of marriage. 

He worked for the Rock 

Island Railroad in Chicago, where 

he and Irene raised seven children, 

including a son who served 

in World War II. Ten years after 

her husband’s death, they had all 

moved away, and Irene found herself 

living alone. 

Lolita recalled visiting her 

mother one day. 

“What would you think if I got 

married again?” Irene asked. 

“Mom, that would be great, but 

you don’t know anybody,” Lolita 

replied. She was surprised 

and thought her mother couldn’t 

be serious. Her mother was an 

intensely shy person and not a 

risk taker, she said. 

Irene told her daughter about 

the gentleman she had been writing 

letters back and forth with for 

several months through the Chaperon 

Club program in Extension 

magazine. His name was Albert, a 

widower himself, and he lived in 

Montana. 

“My mom felt it was OK to correspond 

with this person. She 

sensed that it that was a good 

thing that it was in a Catholic magazine,” 

Lolita said. “She felt that 

someone—of course, Himself—was 

guiding her up there.” 

To the shock of her friends and 

family, Irene cleared out her home, 

bought a train ticket, and traveled 

by herself to Montana. When she 

saw Albert waiting for her at the 

train station, “she knew she had 

made the right decision,” Lolita 

recalled. 

They married shortly after Irene 

arrived. The wedding took place in 

the Extension Society–supported 

faith community of Choteau, 

Montana. 

Lolita reflected that Albert was 

different than her father. He was 

an outdoorsman, with Chippewa 

and French-Canadian heritage. He 

had been a cowboy in his youth. 

Irene embraced his lifestyle, learning 

to fish and trap. They shared a 

strong faith and adventurous spirit. 

“He was such a good man. Our 

family just adored him and accepted 

him,” Lolita said. 

After several years in Montana, 

they moved to Arizona for the 

warmer weather. Albert passed 

away from cancer in 1972 in the 

care of Irene’s family in Chicago. 

Irene lived another 10 years before 

dying at the age of 85. 

Passing on the joy 

Catholic Extension Society is 

part of Lolita’s family story by 

helping her mother discover love 

and happiness in life. “Extension 

magazine made all this happen. It 

provided a whole new life for her,” 

she said. “Mom was a woman of 

faith, and that drove her to make 

the decisions in her life.” 

Lolita’s connection to Catholic 

Extension Society is even 

more personal. In 1950 we helped 

build her own parish, St. George, 

in a Utah town that shares the 

same name. Today the parish is a 

vibrant, multicultural faith community 

where Lolita serves as a 

cantor. 

Lolita has made sure to carry 

LEFT The Chaperon 

Club is advertised 

through this 

illustration in a 1961 

issue of Extension 

magazine. 

FAR LEFT Irene and 

Albert fell in love 

and married after 

meeting through 

Extension magazine’s 

Chaperon Club. 

on her mother’s support of Catholic 

Extension Society. She said 

she is “fascinated” by the work of 

the Catholic Church in the United 

States among the poor in the poorest 

regions. She knows that Catholic 

Extension Society’s impact is 

not unique to her family. It is a mission 

that has impacted families all 

across the country by building up 

vibrant Catholic faith communities. 

“It makes sense to me to support a 

mission like that,” she said. 

As a Legacy Club member, Lolita 

is committed to helping ensure 

that other families experience the 

same joy of faith, the enrichment 

of community life, and the transformation 

of lives and hearts that 

Catholic Extension Society brings.

IGNITE 

46 

Connect 


From the mail 

Community is grateful for the 

gift of the sacraments 

Young woman uses her education at 

Fordham University to advance ministry 

Catholic Extension Society funds the 

salary of Father Joel Perez to serve 

Santa Monica in Texas. 

Dear Catholic Extension Society 

donors, 

Through our Young Adult Leadership Initiative, Catholic 

Extension Society provides master’s degree scholarships 

and paid internships to enable young adults to 

become effective leaders in the Church. 

Dear Catholic Extension Society, 

While this is a small community, it is 

nevertheless a hard-working community 

of people full of faith that have set 

down roots. These parishioners tend to 

not take things for granted and appreciate 

the value of hard work. The people 

of this parish work together towards 

a common goal. To them, knowing that 

they can count on the support of their 

priest [Father Joel Perez] means the 

world to them. The priest and parishioners 

want to continue to receive the 

sacraments, have weekly worship service, 

and receive adult faith formation. 

› Gloria E. Vázquez | Development 

Project Coordinator 

Diocese of Laredo, Texas 

Thriving church revives a once “sleepy” Louisiana town 

Catholic Extension Society is supporting the operational expenses as 

well as religious education program costs of this mission church we 

helped build. 

Dear Catholic Extension Society, 

Yesterday I had the pleasure of celebrating Mass at St. Charles Borromeo 

Parish, a rural farming parish here in the Diocese of Lake Charles. 

The parish was celebrating its 40th anniversary, and the pastor and 

parishioners had requested my presence. In the brochure enclosed with 

this letter, there was a brief history of the parish. Since special mention 

was made of the gift of Catholic Extension Society to the building of the 

original church, which is still in use, I thought I would forward this to you. 

Catholic Extension Society has made a substantial contribution to the 

life of the Church in this area, and I wish to assure you of our gratitude. 

St. Charles Borromeo has only expanded and grown over the last few 

decades. The pastor, Father Jom Joseph of the Heralds of the Good 

News, informs me that the elementary religious education instruction 

classes have more than doubled and now number approximately 

80 children. This growth points to another factor which is the general 

increase in population. The parish has moved from a “sleepy” farming 

community to an area of growth for the Church, and Catholic Extension 

Society helped make it possible. 

› Bishop Glen John Provost 

Diocese of Lake Charles, Louisiana 

Through the program, I’ve been able to deepen my faith 

and gain more knowledge, specifically about the ministry 

I do at work, both internally and externally. I am also 

more aware of different aspects of ministry but also in 

leadership. Throughout the year, it’s been exciting to be 

able to associate and apply what I am learning during 

the process of working on a project or event or being 

able to use it after my course is over, but also when 

having conversations with parishioners, coworkers, 

family, and friends. Allowing the Holy Spirit to act has 

allowed me to be inspired but also to think creatively 

and be able to continue to see the beauty of the Church, 

not just in the small picture but also the overall picture. 

› Valeria Flores | Young Adult Leadership Initiative 

scholarship recipient 

Diocese of Yakima, Washington 

College campus ministry helps students 

return to the Church 

Catholic Extension Society supports the University of 

Montana faith community, serving hundreds of young 

adults per year. 

Dear Catholic Extension Society donors, 

When the new year came, I decided to attend church for 

the first time since high school. I went to church the first 

Sunday of the new year, and I had this giant pit in my 

stomach, like the pit in your stomach you get before a 

speech or a football game. It was because I felt as if I did 

not belong in the church, so why even go? But as soon 

as the father gave his homily, I knew God was talking 

to me. There was a phrase in the homily that sent chills 

throughout my body. It went, “Don’t wait to be perfect 

to come to God but rather come to God to become perfect.” 

It has been just about a year since that day, and I 

have grown more in my faith and identity this year than 

I did in the rest of my life combined. I am now an active 

member of the Griz Catholic organization and run a 

Bible study through them. 

› Matthew Simkins | Student, University of Montana 

Diocese of Helena, Montana 

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Society is tried and 

true, uses its financial 

resources wisely and 

will be there in the 

future. It is a lasting 

investment. 

—JEANNE BEREZA, 

Legacy Club member 

since 2017 

Make a lasting impact by joining 

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Extension magazine - Spring 2024

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