I recently received a letter from a young Catholic husband and father in which he observed: “Peers of mine who are converts or reverts have specifically cited teachings like ‘Humanae Vitae,’ ‘Familiaris Consortio,’ and ‘Veritatis Splendor’ as beacons that set the church apart from the world and other faiths.” What he suggests might seem counterintuitive, but it is borne out by experience: The church does not grow by going along with the world, but by confidently proclaiming the truth about the human person revealed by Christ.

In the 50 years since it was built, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, perched on the redwood slopes of Mount Tamalpais has become an iconic feature of Mill Valley’s small-town landscape.

St. Cecilia parishioner Mary Chien spent a little more than a year in prison in Communist China during the 1950s. Her crime was belonging to the Legion of Mary, which Mary says the Communists thought was a military operation.

It has been my good luck to know Paul Totah, longtime communications director and much else at St. Ignatius Prep, for all of my near 35 years as a chancery grunt. When I heard that he was retiring I checked in with him and was glad to hear that he is not coming to a stop, just taking his foot off the gas a bit.

Father Kenneth Weare, longtime pastor of St. Rita Parish in Fairfax, has been appointed by the California Catholic Conference of Bishops to serve on the newly formed Ad Hoc Committee on Environmental Stewardship.

Ten years ago, the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael were one of eight other communities of women religious who founded the Religious Communities Investment Fund, a portfolio of investments in projects that promote economic justice, compassion, human dignity and environmental stewardship.

The episcopal ordination of Bishop Robert F. Christian, OP, as San Francisco’s 18th auxiliary bishop on June 5 at San Francisco’s St. Mary’s Cathedral cast the role as one of service over honor and achievement.