The Grapes of Reflection 2014

One activity I like to take up at the changing of the year is the Hispanic custom of consuming 12 grapes for the occasion of New Year's, equal to one for each month.  My Grandma put her own spin on it by having each grape signify something.  In the spirit of taking stock of the calendar year 2014 that is drawing to a close, I here offer some reflections on experiences in my life during this year 2014, with 12 grapes to serve as a guide:

Grape #1, my trip to Atlanta:  This was another great opportunity to meet with professionals in the field of meteorology gathered at the AMS Annual Meeting, not to mention colleagues of mine at ValpU.  It was also great seeing the sights, like the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum, the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Georgia State Capitol.  It was all a grand way to mark my first time in Georgia.

Grape #2, my job: It was good to spend the months since February getting some valuable work experience under my belt, not to mention enjoying the chance to spend more time in the heart of downtown Oak Park.

Grape #3, the Sochi Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony:  I always look forward to seeing what kind of show the host country puts on, and this show offered a great expression of Russia, in all its mystical glory.

Grape #4, movies and musicals: I enjoyed the presentation of profound insights about life and humanity, with the 40 film and the movie Million Dollar Arm, as well as The Sound of Music at the Lyric, and then there was an incredible story about faith and the power of redemption in the face of evil in the musical Amazing Grace at the Bank of America Theater.

Grape #5, The Land and the Book live event:  Almost four years after the debut of this weekly Moody program, I was delighted to have the chance to participate in a live recording of this wonderful program at an Elmhurst church, being a frequent listener.  I saw the personalities come alive, and had some fun in the other activities held in between recordings.

Grape #6, Open House Chicago: What a fantastic weekend I had going out and about seeing a different set of sights in Chicago, open specially to the public on this weekend, including splendid houses of worship, and fabulous views of the city from up above.  (This also makes me think back to the excellent time I had touring worship spaces in Oak Park back in June.)

Grape #7, the CC Alumni Reading Group:  I enjoyed passing those few evenings from January to May in the company of Valparaiso University Christ College alumni, sharing thoughts on the contents of our syllabus, and swapping stories from the Plains of Valparaiso (campus, that is), as well as other happenings in our lives.

Grape #8, visits to Valparaiso, and with ValpU friends elsewhere: I delighted going back to Valparaiso to visit with friends and acquaintances on campus and elsewhere in the community on four different occasions.  And I had the chance to visit with ValpU friends outside of Valparaiso:  I went to Madison one weekend to visit two friends, which also gave me my first opportunity to ride on the Megabus, my second bus journey this year after having traveled for the first time on Greyhound, which I used to travel to Atlanta.  Two other very good friends came to visit me in Oak Park.

Grape #9, Father Kevin's 25th Anniversary Celebration: One very special visit I made to Valparaiso was to mark 25 years since Father Kevin's ordination to the priesthood.  His ministry has had an awesome impact on many lives, especially at St. Teresa's, including mine, and it was a distinct honor to be present for this celebration of his milestone.

Grape #10, Archbishop Cupich's Installation in Chicago:  I counted this transition in Archbishops as the first time in my life I witnessed this change in leadership of the Archdiocese of Chicago, because I was too young to follow the proceedings when Cardinal George came to town.  I was very excited when I first heard the news of Blase Cupich's appointment.  And I reveled in the opportunity to view the Installation Mass, where I saw the ceremonial procedures of Archbishop Cupich taking his place at the helm of the Archdiocese, as well as hearing him express his worldview in his homily on the task at hand that all of us in the church share.

Grape #11, giving blood:  For much time, I have feared being poked by needles.  But I've been gradually overcoming this fear, and, wanting to do a measure of good, I finally decided to give of my healthy self and donate blood.  It was a personally empowering experience, as I took another step against my fear.  The experience was enriched by its timing during Lent, when I was pierced, as was Christ, which has resulted in good for someone in need.

Grape #12, participating in Religious Education: One the greatest delights I've had this year is being present in the faith formation of the next generation of the Church, guiding them along in their own individual journeys of faith.  I've done this week after week in RE class, and also monthly preparation meetings for those young people preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation.  Within this calendar year, I've had two different groups for each.  It's been great working with a new curriculum for the 2014-15 RE year that has a lot of great content, and I've had a great co-teacher along for the ride.  Not only was I able to empower these young people, but in my role as RE teacher and Confirmation mentor, I've been empowered by putting to good use the faith I've built up over many years in the midst of many circumstances.  And it was a privilege to share about my experiences in a witness talk at the Living Your Strengths reconnection session in June.

So it's time to conclude 2014, a year like all others with its highlights, "low"-lights, and everything in between.  For all these and more, which I'm sure to be pondering for years to come, I render thanks unto God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, holding all times and all our lives in His hands.

News In Review 2014

I keep a close eye on the news stations at this time of year to join them as they look back upon the big stories that happened in the calendar year drawing to a close.  It's interesting how many of these stories I forgot happened earlier within the calendar year as I view their compilations of the stories.

There were a lot of major stories that I feel were almost overdone by the media: the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight, the escalating situation in Ukraine (which was tied in with the crash of a Malaysia Airlines flight), the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the ensuing unrest, and the Ebola virus.  As for the last headline, I was almost amused to see coverage of the growing Ebola threat diminish in mid to late October as the midterm elections neared.

The elections were a more noteworthy matter for me, despite the media over-hyping them as usual, because of my personal experiences with meeting candidates closer to Election Day.  It was quite something to see the Republican Party win control of the US Senate, and to see Bruce Rauner elected.  It looked like it would be a close election in the Illinois gubernatorial race for a while, but given the state of affairs in Illinois and the tactics of the Rauner campaign, his comfortable victory margin doesn't surprise me too much.  I still retain my sense of cautious optimism, knowing that even with these victories, these officials elect have important, tough work ahead come January 2015 when the new terms start.

In the wake of reeling--if you will--from these Republican victories, President Obama took major actions later in the year, when he issued an executive order on immigration reform, and then, nearly a month later, announced normalizing relations with Cuba.  (He told the story of an Oak Park resident during his State of the Union Address in late January.)

Also on the government scene was the Supreme Court's decision on the case of Hobby Lobby's fight against the HHS mandate.  It was so good that the company owner's constitutional rights to exercise their religious views were protected, and that they won't be forced to cover abortion-inducing drugs.  Yet my elation is tempered by the reality that this decision was made on the basis of a technicality, and much work must be done to more fully secure the conscience rights of the American people, especially in business activities.

On the matter of standing up for rights, Malala Yousafzai, who became an international advocate for female education after having been attacked by the Taliban, won the Nobel Peace Prize.  Unfortunately, it seems the Taliban massacred students at a Pakistan school in retaliation.  Other extremists kidnapped school students in Nigeria, and the ISIS group rose up threateningly in the Middle East, driven by Islam extremism.

On the matter of religion, in September came the announcement that Pope Francis had appointed Blase Cupich, Bishop of Spokane, to succeed Cardinal George as Archbishop of Chicago, with Archbishop Cupich's Installation Mass on November 18.  This was definitely one of the most exciting news event of the year for me, coming in the calendar year after Pope Francis's election.  This came months after a bleak new prognosis of Cardinal George's cancer situation, at which point he urged the Vatican to expedite the process of selecting his successor.  In the wake of this development, Cardinal George had to miss one of the biggest church events ever: the dual canonizations of Popes Saints John XXIII and John Paul II on April 27.  It was meaningful for me to take in the canonization of a Pope I had gotten to know in my own lifetime.

Also very noteworthy for me was the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.  What an opening ceremony they put on!  And how notable that Oak Parker Emery Lehman participated, although I didn't get the chance to view him in action, nor did I get to view the one winter sport that intrigues me the most, curling, because I lacked access to the airings on cable stations.  Despite not winning any medals, it seems he performed in more stellar fashion than many of the professional sports teams in Chicago, namely the two animalistically-related ones, the Cubs and the Bears.  On the other hand, Chicago reveled in the titles the Jackie Robinson West team won at the Little League World Series.

The world also remembered the 100th Anniversary of the start of World War I, aware from this vantage point in history of how much the order of societies and nations changed as a result.  Closer to home, the United States marked the Bicentennial of the "The Star-Spangled Banner", which Francis Scott Key wrote after the inspiring sight of the American flag flying to declare the US victory at the  Battle at Fort McHenry.  The state of Nevada marked 150 years of statehood, which came in the midst of raging war at that time.

Speaking of raging and fires, even closer to home were fires that caused some significant disruptions.  In September, an employee started a fire at an Aurora FAA facility that disrupted airline operations in the greater Chicago/Northeast Illinois area.  Then, on November 11, workers handling a tank with gas caused a fiery explosion at the Turano garage in southern Oak Park, disrupting traffic on Roosevelt Road and cutting off power to hundreds of nearby homes for a few hours, including mine.

Just months after a runaway train crashed at the other end of the line near Oak Park, in March, a CTA Blue Line train jumped the tracks at the terminus O'Hare Airport station and crashed into the escalators in the early morning hours after the train operator dozed off.  Also in transit news, the CTA completed its rollout of the Ventra transit system, which is generally overcoming most of the problems that initially plagued it.  I got my own Ventra card in February, just days before starting to use public transit regularly to commute to work, leaving behind the CTA Chicago Card.

We said goodbye to some important individuals in 2014, including Jane Byrne, Chicago's only female mayor who successfully took on the political machine in Chicago in a great political upset.  And how shocked I was when I heard the news that Judy Baar Topinka had passed away, after having won a second term as Illinois State Comptroller.  On the entertainment scene, actor Robin Williams and child star actress Shirley Temple Black both passed away.  And very recently, Al Piemonte departed from us, whose face was an institution in the business of car sales, familiar from all those ads for Al Piemonte Ford at 25th and North Avenue.

It was an intersection in Oak Park that made headlines when plans proceeded ahead for the development at Lake and Forest.  The parking garage was finally torn down, long after the building came down that once stood by it that housed the Original Pancake House and a grocery store, among other businesses, leaving a large empty lot.  While we await the completion of the building there, we in Oak Park have new businesses to patronize in the downtown Oak Park area, including Red Mango and Lou Malnati's.

The weather made big headlines, especially at the beginning of the year with the extreme cold that permeated much of the nation.  Normal activities, like schools and commerce, were majorly impacted by two bouts of subzero temperatures in the Chicagoland area.  The impacts reached far south, where the Atlanta Metro Area experienced a snow/ice event that shut everything down, stranding motorists on roads and students at school.

But it was a different story on the West Coast, where temperatures were well above normal, even all the way up into Alaska, which was part of the reason why the bitter Arctic cold permeated so far south.  Furthermore, much of the globe during those winter months experienced above average temperatures--even Sochi, Russia, experienced spring-like conditions during the Winter Olympics.  Later, in November, a major lake-effect snow event accumulated foot upon foot of snowfall in narrow bands in the area of Buffalo, NY.  In the Chicago area, a cold November was followed by a more temperate December, which is set to tie a record for the least snowy December in Chicago recorded weather history, having only a trace of snowfall, not to mention the lack of sunshine.

The wintry cold earlier in the year persisted, held at bay in a reservoir over Lake Michigan for weeks, keeping temperatures quite cool into April.  Then came a wet June, followed by a rather dry, and not so hot July and August.  And meanwhile, the Atlantic basin remained relatively quiet, with few tropical systems forming.

Keeping an eye on the weather, Al Roker went on a marathon effort and set a world record for the longest TV weather broadcast, 34 hours.  And Julia Collins, resident of Chicago suburb Kenilworth, IL, won 20 straight games on Jeopardy!, the most ever for a female contestant, and a string only exceeded by the famed Ken Jennings.

I guess we've been going on a marathon pace of sorts reviewing all that's happened this year, and I'm certain I've forgotten a few other events.  But now that 2014 is headed into the books, history shall take it from here as we look upon these events from its lens.

Planetary Motivations

Earlier this year, the IPCC released its Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) on the state of global climate change.  It is another contribution to the discussion of this hot-button issue, featuring the latest findings of scientific research into this phenomenon.

Many scientists are declaring that they have evidence that global climate change is definitely happening, and action is needed now to avert catastrophic consequences.  Others in the arena, including politicians, and other citizen/advocates, are calling for drastic action, too, all because a doomsday scenario on its way.  Some are going so far as to say "the debate is over", and viciously shutting down any one who would dare express skepticism or try to say global climate change is a sham.

I don't necessarily have expertise in climate change, even from my studies in meteorology as an undergraduate, because meteorology is focused more on hourly or daily conditions, whereas climate focuses more on weather that occurs over months, years, decades, and centuries.  Nevertheless, I garnered enough ideas from my studies to recognize that climate change is complex, affected by many factors.

One thing I've noticed in the past few years is a change in the verbiage used by climate change advocates.  They used to refer it by the phrase "global warming", saying temperatures across the planet are on the rise, with dire effects in store.  But I've noticed a shift toward the phrase "global climate change" recently, which I applaud, because it hints at the great complexity of the matter.

For example, it could be said that the extremely cold and snowy nature of the 2014 winter in the central US was caused by global warming, but such a statement doesn't sufficiently explain the whole picture.  Increasing planetary temperatures most affect the polar regions.  When the polar regions warm, the cold air that is normally based there gets dislodged and travels toward the Equator.  In the case of last winter, this brutally cold Arctic air headed far south into the United States.  So temperatures are not necessarily warming uniformly across the planet.  As such, it would be more accurate to say that global climate change caused last winter to be especially cold, rather than "global warming".

I also know from my scientific studies that we can hardly claim the debate is "over".  Science is never something that is firm and set in stone.  It's constantly changing, as new observations reveal new findings about our universe.  Global climate change is no exception.  So while findings suggest something is going on with the planet's climate, I'm not convinced we can make such firm conclusions yet.  (Notice also that the change in wording from "global warming" to "global climate change" also corroborates the idea of how science changes.)

And I feel that's why I take issue with those who say global climate change is a reality, because they're so vicious in their rhetoric, insisting they're right, and anyone who disagrees is outright wrong, which I sense hints at some kind of ulterior motive that doesn't respect science.

I also detest the fear-mongering employed by people who promote climate change.  When I was younger, I used to hear reports on the news about scientists announcing that global climate change was happening and it would lead to drastic consequences, like polar ice diminishing, sea levels rising, and more intense natural disasters.  And I would sit there, filling up with fear that the Earth was headed toward a doomsday.

At a certain point, I wanted to stop being afraid, and so I began denying climate change was a reality, embracing the rhetoric of climate change skeptics.

But now, I feel the real issue holding me back from joining with climate change advocates is their tactics.  They spend so much time publishing reports and talking about the terrible effects of climate change, both in the present and future, but they don't spend nearly as much time talking about what kinds of practical solutions we should act on.  If they really think the Earth is headed toward doomsday, why don't they talk up practical solutions like there's no tomorrow?  They should also spend much more time in civil dialogue with climate change skeptics.  The reality is that the solutions to global climate change are as complex as the phenomenon itself.  We should spend much more time in conversation about the solutions instead of endlessly discussing the problem itself, especially what actions I can personally take in my own daily life, as much as what governments and corporations can do.

And ultimately, I feel we'll be better served by these kind of motives, because it will spur us on to take the right kind of reasonable actions.  Let's be motivated by a healthy desire to care for this beautiful planet God has created, and an awareness of our responsibility to be good stewards of it.  Let's do our part in the little things of our lives to take care of the environment.  Let's take reasonable steps to stop unreasonable pollution of the environment, without taking impulsive actions motivated by fear-mongering or other extremist rhetoric that disrupt people's lives.  This, I feel, will be better for us, and for the planet.

United States and Cuba: Relationship and Reconciliation

I was very intrigued when I heard President Obama's announcement that the United States and Cuba are normalizing relations for the first time since a Communist regime came to power in Cuba in 1959.

The actions the United States took at that time to cut all diplomatic ties and impose an embargo were probably not all that unreasonable back then.  But the world is different now that the Cold War is over and Communist governments no longer pose the same kind of threat they did.  And given that the embargo hasn't had its intended effect, I suppose it's worth trying a different strategy in responding to the troubles that Cuba poses.

Certainly in more recent years, there has been plenty of exchanging between Americans and Cubans.  I think back to 2005, when I was in 8th grade, and one of my fellow classmates went on a trip to Cuba with her team to play softball with a team there.  From what I heard from her and from news coverage of their trip, they had some positive interactions with their Cuban counterparts.

Of course, critics of this action are right to point out that Cuba has to address its abuses of human rights.  Keeping that in mind is important to building a relationship with Cuba from here on out, the United States doing its part as a member of the international community to effect the right kind of domestic change within a foreign country, even while allowing the flow of trade and commerce.

One thing that struck me from these proceedings was the role Pope Francis and Vatican played in helping mediate.  It's notable how the Church is taking on a diplomatic role among the world powers in our present day, centuries after playing on the world stage as its own political power.  Pope Francis--himself from a Hispanic country--is leading the way in taking an active role to help bring about healthy encounters among all the peoples of the world.  It speaks to the mission of the Church to bring about reconciliation, in the spirit that Christ reconciled us to God, and this diplomatic action is a very real example of such reconciliation playing out on the world stage.  We're sure to find a measure of success with that kind of worldview prevailing.

Immigration: Who's Job is it?

President Obama's announcement of his executive order taking action on immigration reform last month has rekindled in a whole new way the discussion on the problem of the broken immigration system in the United States.

President Obama's speech on November 20 made me think back to a speech President George W. Bush gave in May 2006.  As I looked over the major points of each, I couldn't help but notice the similar intentions of each President: secure and strengthen the borders, provide easier means for those who want to work in the United States to do so, deporting immigrants who are criminals, and deal with the many law-abiding immigrants here already without proper documents, by making them pay penalties and then go through a strict process to obtain citizenship, in line behind those who followed the rules, all the while respecting the rich heritage of our country as a nation of immigrants.

The big difference this time around is that President Obama is taking matters into his own hand by issuing an executive order.  Certainly, the concept of the executive order is only implied in the US Constitution as one of the powers of the President, and it should be carefully used.  The problem I see with President Obama's executive order, besides the fact that he's using it when there's no immediate pressing need, is that it's only a band-aid for a large, complex issue.  It doesn't really do all that much, because the President by himself, can only do so much to remedy the problem.  (In fact, looking over the executive order, I can't really even tell what it's exactly doing.)

The real solution needs to come from Congress's passing a bill for comprehensive immigration reform.  Because that hasn't happened, people like President Obama are being pushed to take these kinds of actions, similar to how Arizona passed a controversial immigration law a few years ago, because the federal government hasn't been effectively doing its job.  It's time for Congress members to come together, with other experts on the various particulars of immigration system, to craft legislation that will thoroughly resolve the issues and provide for a better process for immigrants to the United States.

The Matter of War

As we look over world history, it's hard to ignore the reality that wars drive the sequence of events.  This year 2014 marks significant events in wars of history:

It's been 100 years since the outbreak of World War I in the summer of 1914.

December 24 marks 200 years since the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, which concluded the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain.

There are two things I, in a sense, resign myself to, which I feel I should be outraged by, and one of them is the idea of war.  How awful that human beings come to a point where, to settle a conflict, they take up weapons and inflict harm, and even death, in the worst way upon each other.  We condemn such violence in our own sphere, such as when someone shoots someone else fatally in our communities, yet the tendency exists to more or less approve it when it happens on a large scale in war.

Of course, usually the breaking point that leads to the outbreak of war comes as a result of various factors building upon one another, as many and varied factors lead triggered World War I.  For example, I once remember a high school reading assignment about a conference in Berlin in the late 19th Century in which the European powers divided up Africa into colonies, and a friend, seeing my reading, remarked that the conference drew the battle lines for World War I--decades ahead of time, when these powers probably weren't thinking of fighting each other.

It was from this complex, tangled mess of factors that a regional conflict commenced that soon engulfed much of Europe, and beyond.  Its outcome, which placed much of the punishment on Germany, eventually triggered the rise of the Nazis and then World War II, which then triggered the Cold War.  In the midst of the Cold War's closing years, the seeds for the War on Terrorism were planted, which were also influenced by the aftermath of World War I.

Indeed, armed conflicts have steered the course of world history.

But if we go to the heart of the matter, we realize that these warring desires are ultimately embedded within our own hearts, because we as a human race, are fallen, and so our hearts incline to do evil to one another.  From there arise the complicated matters of when to use force as a just means to stop evil.

Truly this is something that can only be resolved when Jesus Christ comes to reign in fullness over the Earth at the End of Time, something which we anticipate during the Advent Season as much as we await the yearly celebration of Christ's Nativity.

In that light, perhaps we can take a cue from something that happened on the Nativity Day occasion 100 years ago.  In the midst of fighting in the trenches during the early months of World War I, both sides declared the Christmas Truce.  They ceased their fire and lay down their weapons and exchanged gestures of good will for a few hours.

Let us look beyond our warring world to the God of Peace.  Let us welcome Him into our hearts so that He may reign, and so be bearers of His peace, as we await the day when the fullness of His reign comes to our world, and all violence shall cease.

Come Lord Jesus.

Peace be with you all as we come upon the annual commemoration of the birth of the One who is the Prince of Peace.

The Changing of the Cathedra and the Crozier

It's a momentous time in the Archdiocese of Chicago, as Cardinal George is retired, and Archbishop Blase Cupich is now at the helm.  I can still remember the excitement back in September, my heart jumping when I heard the news of his appointment.  (I was half-wishing that Wilton Gregory would be appointed Archbishop of Chicago, given that's he from Chicago and is a minority, both of which would suit him well here.  But the great thing about the Roman Catholic Church is how our leaders are appointed for us by individuals in a hierarchy under the Pope, who is chosen and who leads by the power of the Holy Spirit.  So ultimately, I see God is the one who's making the appointments, and I trust myself to what He decides.)

I sensed the immensity of the occasion while watching Archbishop Cupich's Installation Mass, which I taped because I was at work while it was happening live.  While I was around when Cardinal George was installed back in 1997, I was too young to really follow what was happening.  So this was the first time in my life I witnessed the change in leadership for the Archdiocese of Chicago.  It was quite a scene to watch the many bishops process into Holy Name Cathedral--and then to see them remove and don their miters in unison at the various points during the Mass.

It was amazing to see the workings of the Church as Cardinal Vigano, the Apostolic Nuncio, read the mandate from Pope Francis, and then the consent being given by the assembly, and then to see Blase Cupich walk up to and then take his place at the Cathedra, the symbol of his authority as Archbishop, and then receive the crozier, which apparently was used by Cardinal Mundelein.

One of the things mentioned by the commentators was how Blase Cupich has such a sense of history, exemplified in the design of his coat of arms, and his choice to have the Installation Mass on November 18, the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul in Rome, the name of the parish of his grandparents in Omaha.

And he spoke well of our mission as the Church in his homily.  In a time when the Roman Catholic Church faces troublesome issues, the departure of many of its members, and the daunting task of reaching out to the young people, Archbishop Cupich reminded us to look to Christ, who beckoned Peter to come out of the boat to Him on the water, with the oft repeated, Do Not be Afraid.

For me, I see that I must not be afraid, and turn toward Christ who first beckoned me into this life of faith in Him, and continues to beckon me to walk out on the water.  By so doing, my faith will come alive.  One part of his homily especially spoke to me, that we should not be afraid to share with young people how God has worked in our lives.  As a Religious Educaiton teacher, that gives me fresh encouragement as I seek to minister to the young people in my class, guiding them on in their journey to embrace faith for themselves.

I look forward to seeing what Blase Cupich makes of his time in the Archdiocese of Chicago.  I feel he has a lot to offer, even from just his homily at the Installation Mass, with words of wisdom, encouragement, and humor. His background in an immigrant family, and then his time interacting with aboriginal Americans in the Diocese of Rapid City, SD, make him ready to interact with the diverse groups of people here in the Archdiocese of Chicago.  I can also see his conciliatory tone, and hope it will open up dialogue.  (This puts my mind at ease, because I was a bit concerned about how he instructed priests in the Diocese of Spokane not to participate in Planned Parenthood protests, and wouldn't say anything against the HHS mandate in the ACA.  I hope these were done in a spirit to get people to dialogue about these issues, and prohibit confrontation.  If more dialogue comes about as a result, I hope it results in meaningful resolutions that address all facets of these troublesome issues.)

So we're off in the boat with Archbishop Cupich.  And it was good having Cardinal George along for the ride for 17 years.  He was a strong voice for the Truth, the church, and the faith.  I especially appreciated this when he spoke up about the validity of one's values in the wake of the controversy when Chick fil A sought to open another restaurant in Chicago, and got backlash because of the company owners' stance on marriage as it should be.  He is also a very scholarly individual, which even showed in the way he spoke about these important moral issues in society.  And he showed a good deal of personableness when interacting with individuals, which I had the privilege of experiencing for myself on the few occasions I met him.  So yes, I look forward to seeing what roles he takes on in retirement.  (This link takes you to a broadcast of the Relevant Radio program A Closer Look, on November 14, which devoted an hour-long panel discussion to Cardinal George upon his retirement.)

Godspeed and God Bless to Archbishop Cupich and Archbishop Emeritus George.  I'm sure with Jesus Christ along, it will be quite a ride.