Elizabeth Scalia

Thanks to both social and mainstream media, these four days exposed a striking, ungodly amount of noisy Christian infighting to the rest of the world.

One need no longer hold a cold and lonely vigil at a locked door because — thanks to what used to be called “new media” — monasteries and diocesan adoration chapels from all over the world maintain live streams of the Blessed Sacrament for remote adoration, whereby the energy of the Christ is transmitted through energy both housed and in the ether, to encounter our own.

Prayer is also merely dialogue whose simplicity can resemble all the manner of conversations we have throughout our days, large and small, pleasant or sarcastic or even heated.

There were plenty of lessons to be learned in that “Year of Mercy” now we are in a “Year of Prayer” — so designated by Pope Francis in anticipation of the 2025 Jubilee Year.

I felt like Pat Carroll was leaving one last gift to the world — offering real wisdom from someone who had gone ahead and made her choices, and in ways that remained true to her own vision and her own voice.

It’s all about accompaniment, this declaration, but — both theologically and pastorally — some will doubtlessly find it confusing and yes, messy.

Pastors throughout the church, if you haven’t already, please fill the fonts and supply holy water to the stoups.

St. Mary’s Cathedral will remain a longshot on my itinerary, while a temple wholly outside my faith looks too gorgeously interesting to go unexplored.