The life of some American saints and their relevance for our times with Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, Matt Malone, S.J., President & Editor in Chief of America Media, and Claire Vouk, College student, and Paige Sanchez (moderator), Associate Superintendent for Mission Effectiveness for the Archdiocese of New York

"The saint is a true person," Fr. Giussani once wrote, "because the saint holds fast to God, and thus, to his heart’s Ideal."

Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, Junípero Serra, Damien of Molokai, and Katharine Drexel were ordinary people of their times, yet their lives were made great by following the Ideal their heart was made for. To say our hearts are ‘made for something’ sounds strange to the modern ear, for we no longer believe that creation in any way suggests some higher purpose. Indeed, the term sainthood can seem just as antiquated, a relic or remnant of some distant past. Even today, however, the relationship with God remains the most adequate working hypothesis for the growth and full realization of the personality. This is so because life is a vocation, a call to greatness that gives human existence a decisive direction and an infinite horizon. Following the ideals of their hearts, that is, following God’s call to bring Christ to America, became the dream of Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and their companions, the dream of Junípero Serra, Damien of Molokai, and Katharine Drexel. An American dream. An American dream come true in the sacrifice of their lives.

---
The event is sponsored by America Media.

<-- Back to 2017 events