August 2019
Dear Friends,
Those on our mailing list can look forward to receiving our Christopher Highlights very soon.
Featured in this year’s highlights are important ways our organization continues to make a positive
impact on the world today, from our 70th annual Christopher Awards to our Christopher Closeup radio
show and podcast and our multifaceted print media outreach. Here’s a little preview of what to look for
in our Christopher Highlights:
In remarks delivered upon receiving our Christopher Leadership Award, Frank Siller quoted
Saint Francis of Assisi, who said, “While we have time, let us do good.” This quote was repeated in the
Siller household when Frank and his six brothers and sisters were growing up and it defines their ethos
to this day. After their brother Stephen was killed on 9/11 in the line of duty as a New York City firefighter, Frank and his siblings lit a candle rather than cursing the darkness and formed an organization to help provide aid to catastrophically injured veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families. We were honored to have the chance to acknowledge their vital work and grateful for Frank Siller’s presence and inspiring remarks at our awards ceremony.
All of our award winners were truly amazing this year and those reading our Christopher Highlights will be interested to learn about the winners of our video contest for college students and poster contest for high school students. You will also learn of our ongoing media outreach, such as our Christopher Closeup radio show and podcast where Tony Rossi interviews notable people living out their faith in unique and inspiring ways.
Our print media remains a vital part of our outreach and our yearly Three Minutes a Day books and calendars are currently in production and will be ready to enjoy and share with friends and loved ones during the upcoming Christmas season. Our News Notes tackle topics that address the pressing concerns of our day and our prayer cards inspire contemplation of God’s work in our lives and the world around us.
Our Light One Candle columns are classics syndicated to newspapers around the country, and our Christopher Leadership Workshop held yearly at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake outside of Chicago, Illinois, is in its 27th year. We highlight the work of Jim Collins, a Christopher Leadership course graduate whose work exemplifies the chain reaction of good The Christophers’ seek to set in motion through our many initiatives. And we highlight the support we provide to prison ministers to show how we are reaching out to those on the margins of society.
On August 4, we celebrate the feast of Saint John Vianney, also known as the Cure d’Ars, which translates to “the parish priest of Ars.” He is the Patron Saint of Parish Priests due to the devotion he showed to his role as a parish priest in 19th century Ars, France. He called his flock to live out their faith with greater devotion and modeled a humble life for them, making regular sacrifices for the benefit of the souls in his care. Let us pray that he intercedes on behalf of parish priests around the world to inspire devotion and humility through their actions.
On August 15, we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the entire month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which makes this a great time to honor Mary for her role in the story of salvation. It was her ‘yes’ to God that brought Christ into the world, so we should see her as a model of openness to God’s will that we must all strive to achieve.
In 2020, The Christophers will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of our organization. It’s going to be an amazing year so please continue to follow all we are doing. A special thanks to our donors for making all we do possible.
God bless!
Joyfully,
Mary Ellen Robinson
Vice President/COO
Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary (August 15)