While traditionalists, conservatives and often Catholics, may be tempted to dismiss “feminism” out of hand, Pope John Paul II reminds us that women are in fact equal in dignity and called to all sorts of vocations and involvement.

Last month’s anniversary Mass was something of a grand recapitulation of the John Paul II years.

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.

Jesus desires to heal us in both body and soul.

As a columnist with a case for press credentials in the Catholic space and a close friend in public relations, I’ve attended a few movie premieres. But I had never been to a “Red Carpet” event until the one held for “Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist,” a new limited theatrical release documentary.

Caravaggio’s victims are long gone. But living, breathing women whose lives have been drastically impacted by Rupnik live on. It’s time to honor them.

We are born with hearts that are designed to love. We are created to be members of families and communities. We are intended to be neighbors—and not just to the people we know and love, but to everyone.

The holy days of obligation you are actually bound to observe as a Catholic depend on what your local bishops’ conference (the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States) has decided to do.

The fruits of the Eucharist are many. They bring about a unity in diversity, wherein each member of the body — responding to grace — can live unique and compelling eucharistic lives. The list is long, but I’m inclined to think St. Paul should be at its top.

This pilgrimage, set to commence the weekend of May 17-19, Pentecost Sunday, is not just an event but a profound journey of faith, community and spiritual transformation.