Punctuate the positive: Today is National Punctuation Day. It is a good day to demonstrate our gratitude for those symbols that allow us to understand and enjoy the written and spoken word.
Impressive resume: Earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Luigi Ventura as apostolic nuncio to France. For anyone speculating about the pope’s successor, it is worth noting where the 64-year-old native of Borgosatollo, Italy, has served as apostolic nuncio: Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chile and Canada. If he doesn’t already have one, the archbishop appears to be obtaining a first-hand universal view of the church, which might be attractive to the cardinal-electors. One would expect Archbishop Ventura will be a cardinal by the next conclave.
No shortage of prayers for peace: This past Monday was the World Council of Churches’ International Day of Prayer for Peace. Jan. 1 is the World Day of Prayer for Peace, as established by Pope John Paul II in 1986. The Knights of Columbus observes its World Day of Prayer for Peace on Sept. 11. Always an opportunity to pray for what we need most.