This week the church honors Saint Teresa of Avila (Spain). Earlier this month, we celebrated the feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux, who entered the Carmelites and chose her name (originally Marie Francois) to honor the sixteenth century Spanish influencer of her faith. Last month we paid tribute to Saint Teresa of Calcutta (originally Agnes) who wanted the religious name Therese, because of her little ways and simple spirituality, but the name was already taken in her community—so she honored the one who Therese honored to shape her religious identity and mission. The month before that was the feast of Saint Teresa Benedicta (originally Edith) who also chose her name and religious order because of the Teresian spiritual influence.

In our twenty-first century we experience legions of social media influencers. To me, it is a strange phenomenon that online personalities shape opinions, drive trends, and direct ways of thinking.  Among the hopes at my spirituality center, though, is to promote sanctified influencers to help balance what comes at us on screens. One of the groups I meet with monthly devoted this year’s sessions to examining lives of saints. It has been time well-spent and I believe that we have been positively influenced by studying them. When I guide youth through confirmation preparation, we spend a large amount of prep time learning about names and saints and why they are patrons of everyday activities in which kids engage. These holy men and women can impact us in numerous and continuous ways.

On the first day of this month, several hundred people gathered to celebrate my spirituality center’s mission, promote faith development in our city, and support ministry in the three urban parishes I serve. Our goal was to raise $200,000; through your contributions, we surpassed the goal. Thank you! As a priest, my intent is to cultivate relationships, enhance spiritual development, inspire convictions to care for the poor and lowly, and share stories that might bring greater awareness and support. I have been blessed and influenced by many of you who are willing to accompany one another in matters of faith and who reach out to strangers in need with material assistance. I am humbled and encouraged by how you share your resources to enrich others. Now in my fortieth year of priesthood, I am reinforced in my belief that all people desire a closer walk with the Lord, that they want an honest assessment of their relationship with God and avenues to pursue a stronger connection with tools to avail them to deeper faith. Though you and I are not influencers like the saints probably ought to be, or like social media currently is, we can impact those around us in little ways such as those prominent in Teresian spirituality.

Thank you for the good influence that you bring to those in your lives and to unexpected encounters that God places before you in random ways at unpredictable times. In closing, I want to congratulate Saint Teresa’s Academy which, on this week of their patron saint and Founder’s Day, celebrates 160 years as Kansas City’s first high school and, according to many, Kansas City’s best. They have influenced our community in wonderful ways for a long time as our town’s number one school.