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As we celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary, I want to tell a story that has two roots—one global and the other personal. The global story has to do with the winds of renewal that have been blowing in the church since Vatican II. And the personal story has to do with my mother, Edie, without whom I am convinced there would be no magazine.
Since I can’t tell two stories at once, let me begin with the global one and then move to the personal.
The Global Story: Vatican II. In 1959, the newly elected Pope John XXIII announced his intention to convene the Second Vatican Council. The inspiration for the Council came, Pope John said, as a revelation from the Holy Spirit—a sense he had in prayer that the Spirit wanted to bring a fresh wind of renewal upon the church and the world.
Over the forty years since the Council ended, the winds of renewal have been blowing very powerfully. Parishes have seen a dramatic increase in prayer groups, in Bible studies, in lay ministries, and in social and evangelistic outreaches. In addition, spiritual movements like Opus Dei, Focolare, the Charismatic Renewal, Marriage and Engaged Encounter, Cursillo, and the Neo-Catechumenate have touched…
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