Our Theme

Despite knowing with our heads the truth that we hear in St. Augustine's words – that we should "rest in God" and find our peace in Him — at the beginning of the 21st century, we would admit that our hearts are restless in the face of the future. The cultural shift in how the world understands fundamental human realities, including the body, love, marriage and freedom, forces us to ask questions like, "What road are we on now? How did we get here? Where is it leading?" In other words, we find ourselves in the desert, wandering and wondering what we have to look forward to and questioning the right path to get there. We are restless in all senses of the word.

Pope Benedict XVI reminded us earlier this year that Christ is our hope in the face of such anxiety, especially when we've lost our way and gotten off course. We ask, then, "How do we get to where we want to go? Will we ever get there?" Like the average person, we look for signs and signposts, we reach for our maps, or more frequently, we rely on the swift responses of Garmins and Google Maps to help us steer in the right direction. Trying to get back on course, we then start asking about the nature of the human person and the roles of technology and progress.

These questions all come together "as in a tight knot" in Humanae Vitae, said our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. In fact, the Church has always shown us the best route to get where we're going: turns we should make, how to find the right path if we've made a wrong turn – no matter how far off course we've wandered – even where we should stop to eat. In particular, Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI have all used their pontificate to explain anew the Catholic vision of the human person, and since 1968, the Church's mission of defending human dignity has not faltered but become more intensified. The way proposed by Christ and the Church is not a "no" but a great "yes" to life and love.

In November, the Restless Hearts conference will bring us together in the desert, and we will examine the path of life and love laid out for us by the Cartographer who created us. We hope all will come to a greater understanding that this road is neither too far nor too difficult – even through the desert – and we are meant to be more than just skilled map-readers as we navigate the course with Him by our side. Living and loving are an art form, not just a technique of existence, and we are called to be artists who contribute to making the path fruitful and beautiful along the way.