I’ve never been so ready to say goodbye to a year. Where to begin?
Our country has endured a devastating pandemic that has claimed some 230,000 lives, lingering social and racial unrest, hurricanes, wildfires, and a brutal election season that proved how divided our country is. Simply put: 2020 belongs squarely in our rearview mirror.
But we’re still thankful. As an organization, we at Franciscan Media are grateful for the leadership and charism of our friars. As a magazine, we are grateful for you, our readers, who support our mission. As an individual, I’m grateful for my friends, family, and colleagues.
I would also like to take a moment to thank the writers who contributed to this issue: Katie Rutter, an intrepid journalist, who wrote this month’s cover story; photographer/writer Richard Bauman, who brought us to the Shrine to St. Frances Cabrini; longtime contributor Rita E. Piro, who interviewed renowned chef Mary Ann Esposito; and Melanie Rigney, whose book Radical Saints: 21 Women for the 21st Century, published by Franciscan Media, we adapted in this issue.
It’s been a grueling year. Perhaps this line from Psalm 69 says it best: “But here I am miserable and in pain; let your saving help protect me, God, that I may praise God’s name in song and glorify it with thanksgiving.”
