Denver Catholic

3 DENVER CATHOLIC | DECEMBER 23, 2017-JANUARY 26, 2018 Around the Archdiocese On behalf of the Denver Catholic sta , thank you for a wonderful year. We wish all of our readers a joyful and Merry Christmas! Our next issue will be published January 27, 2018. May the Lord bless you in the New Year! Papal biographer George Weigel coming to Denver A triptych is a picture, or more com- monly an altarpiece, that appears on three panels, though meant to be understood as a single composition. This year, George Weigel, biographer and longtime friend of John Paul II, has completed what he refers to as the "John Paul II Triptych." His newly released biog- raphy Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II (Basic Books, 2017), completes the fi rst two best-selling "panels" — Witness to Hope (1999) and The End and the Beginning (2010). In January, Weigel will be in Denver to speak about his new book. He will speak at Holy Name Parish in Sheri- dan Jan. 30 and at the Thomas Aquinas Center in Boulder Jan. 31. DENVER CATHOLIC: How did you fi rst meet John Paul II? Was there anything remarkable about that meeting that would have led you to believe that you were to have a long friendship with a future saint? GEORGE WEIGEL: As I tell the story in Lessons in Hope, my fi rst real conversation with John Paul II was in September 1992 when I presented him with a copy of my book, The Final Revolution: The Resistance Church and the Collapse of Communism, which he had previously read in galleys. I think he appreciated the book, not because I had made him the hero of the story, but because the book suggested a way of interpreting history that was par- allel to his own: Over the long haul, culture is the most dynamic force in history, not politics and not econom- ics. In any event, he asked me to stay in touch, and I did, although I had no idea in 1992 where that would lead. DC: You say that there is much still to learn from John Paul II, but is our fast-paced world already forgetting the legacy of Pope John Paul II? How can we counteract that? GW: I fi nd it astonishing every summer, when I teach in Cracow, that I have to teach Polish students the modern history of their own country and the Church's heroic role in besting both Nazism and Communism. Regret- fully, I've come to expect that lack of historical perspective from my Ameri- can students, but that Poles don't know this story tells you something about the fragility of historical memory. The only way to counteract this problem is to, well, counteract it: Preaching and teaching the magisterium of John Paul II as the authentic interpretation of Vat- ican II that set the Church on the road to the New Evangelization. Of course, I also think it would help if people read my books, too! Perhaps Lessons in Hope, which I think of as a very user-friendly book of stories and anecdotes, will help introduce this great fi gure to those for whom he is only a vague memory — and entice them to read Witness to Hope and The End and the Beginning! DC: Denver is set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of John Paul II's visit to that city for World Youth Day in 1993? How important was that visit for the United States, and for John Paul II? GW: He loved it, and he loved to talk about it, because he had been told it couldn't be done (not least by a lot of U.S. bishops), and as I tell the story in Lessons in Hope, he proudly proclaimed at our last dinner, when speaking of WYD 1993, "I proved them wrong!" I'm quite sure that WYD 1993 was a turning point for the Church in Denver, which is now a model New Evangeliza- tion diocese. And I think it had a great ripple-e‹ ect throughout the United States. Various projects of youth min- istry, including campus ministry and marriage preparation ministries, trace their origins to WYD Denver. And then of course there are the multiple vocations — to priesthood, consecrated life, and marriage — that were inspired during those remark- able days. So the whole Church in the United States owes a great debt of gratitude to Denver, to Cardinal J. Francis Sta‹ ord (who had the courage to try what others said was impossi- ble), and of course to St. John Paul II.© DC: For a young millennial who didn't have the opportunity to live during the time of John Paul II, where would one begin in getting to know the Ponti… ? GW: Well, perhaps I could suggest beginning that exploration by reading Lessons in Hope! The whole intent of the book is to introduce John Paul in an accessible way, through stories.© DC: Is there one anecdote about John Paul II that you seem to tell more than any other? GW: As I mention in Lessons, he once said to me, speaking of other biogra- phies, "They try to understand me from the outside, but I can only be understood from inside." It wasn't an angry or bitter remark; it was almost wistful. But it was a powerful reminder that everything he accom- plished, in the Church and in the world, was the fruit of his prayer, and I tried to keep that in writing the three panels of what I now think of as my "John Paul II Triptych": Witness to Hope, The End and the Beginning, and now Lessons in Hope. Please join the Biblical and Catechetical Schools for: 2018 Servant of the Word Workshop Saturday, February 3 9:00 am - 3:00 pm For more information and to purchase, visit www.sotwworkshop.org HONORING Dr. Edward Sri Professor at the Augustine Institute Best selling author and international speaker Immaculate Heart of Mary 11385 Grant Dr, Northglenn, CO 80233 Follow Me: Answering the Call to Live as a Disciple Lessons in Hope: the fi nal panel of the 'John Paul II Triptych' BY KARNA LOZOYA karna.lozoya@archden.org SEE GEORGE WEIGEL Jan. 30 "JP II and the Evangelical Catholicism of the future" Holy Name Parish, Sheridan 7-9 p.m. Jan. 31 St. Thomas Aquinas Center, Boulder See website for details: thomascenter.org i

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