6 Gulf Pine Catholic • January 30, 2026 St. Francis of Assisi has been quoted as saying, “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” It’s a statement that so perfectly captures the spirit of hope that he strove to live by and that we all are called to cultivate within our hearts. We are called to be light to the world by inviting Christ into our lives to allow His light to shine through us in all that we do. And spreading hope is most vital in trying times because that’s when our light is most needed. “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness,” is the ancient Chinese proverb that Father James Keller, M.M., adopted as a motto in founding The Christophers back in 1945. It’s a bit of wisdom that reminds us to always be positive amid the challenges of life. Father Keller said, “Rebellion against difficulties and obstacles that cannot legitimately be avoided only makes a bad situation worse. Ordinary common sense recommends that we ride the storm, not buck it.” Though we must certainly be realistic about the challenges we face, Father Keller understood that we’ll never overcome our obstacles if we don’t stay positive. A quote attributed to St. Catherine of Siena states, “Start being brave about everything, driving out darkness and spreading light as well. Don’t look at your weakness, but realize that in Christ crucified you can do everything.” Catherine and Francis were separated by over a century in time, but they lived in cities less than a hundred miles apart in central Italy -- and their actions had ripple effects felt throughout the world to this day. This is the legacy of those who devote their lives to God. They become the fertile ground upon which good fruit can flourish. Francis was so humble that he interpreted the command from God, “Rebuild my Church,” as a simple instruction to repair stonework in a hillside chapel. That may have been God’s first and simplest intention for Francis, but the world now knows that Francis was also called to lead a renewal of devotion to Christ. Catherine followed in his footsteps over a hundred years later. Although she started by confining herself to a cloister to grow in devotion to God, she eventually felt called to ministry to the poor and sick, and her mission just kept growing until her counsel was sought by leaders on the world stage. Another quote attributed to St. Catherine states, “Be who you were born to be, and you will set the world on fire.” She and Francis both answered the call to simply be themselves. In each case, it was a humble path that led to great things. Two centuries after the time of St. Catherine of Siena and a thousand miles away in Spain, St. Teresa of Avila set the world on fire by charting a path of prayer and contemplation. St. Teresa also understood the importance of staying positive. She once said, “From somber, serious, sullen saints, save us, O Lord.” Like Catherine and Francis, St. Teresa knew she was called to bring light into the world. These saints teach us that the path to accomplishing great things for God is forged in hope and a positive outlook on life. So let’s resolve to stay positive, knowing God will meet us in our hope and transform it into a seed from which good fruit will blossom in the world around us. Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M., serves on The Christophers’ Board of Directors. For a free copy of the Christopher News Note, GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, write: The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org. Living with a Spirit of Hope Light One Candle Fr. Dougherty ʻTruly historic՚: Kuwait՚s first church elevated to minor basilica BY JOSEPH TULLOCH OSV News (OSV News) -- Kuwait’s Catholics witnessed a historic moment as Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, presided over Mass at Kuwait’s Our Lady of Arabia Church Jan. 16 as it was raised to a minor basilica. The cardinal said that the church built on the desert stands is a reminder that “Mary herself once found refuge in those same desert lands.” The title of minor basilica that the church now holds is conferred on churches that have special liturgical or pastoral importance and stand out for their historical, spiritual, or architectural value. In his homily, delivered to a congregation including local Catholics, politicians, diplomats, and representatives of the Kuwaiti Oil Company, Cardinal Parolin described the occasion of elevating the church to a minor basilica as “truly historic,” not only “for the Church in Kuwait, but for the Church throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula.” “Built upon the sands of the desert,” the cardinal said, “this basilica reminds us that Mary herself once found refuge in those same desert lands, where she cared for, raised, and safeguarded the one Mediator between God and the human family, Jesus Christ.” In the year 1948, a small group of Catholics -- foreigners who had recently arrived in Kuwait to work in the burgeoning oil industry -- opened a small chapel in Al-Ahmadi, the country’s second city. Just a few years later, a church took its place and was decorated with an image of the Virgin Mary blessed by the pope himself. As the oil industry took off, and ever greater numbers of foreign workers began to arrive in Kuwait, the church -- dedicated, as the original chapel had been, to Our Lady of Arabia -- continued to grow in importance. The church was completed in 1957 “as a generous gift of the local donors, whose care and support for the church complex continue to this day,” the Vatican Jan. 15 press release said. Cardinal Parolin in Kuwait reflected on the day’s Gospel reading, in which Jesus asks His disciples the “decisive question”: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Reflecting back on the recently-concluded Christmas period, the cardinal stressed that “we cannot welcome the Child Jesus into our homes … unless we recognize His true identity and all that it implies.” Christians, he emphasized, “are called to recognize and bear witness that Jesus Christ is true God and true man.” In a joint Jan. 15 press release published by the Vatican, the State of Kuwait reaffirmed “its steadfast principles of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence among religions, which are values that are enshrined in its ideals from its inception and were later codified in its Constitution.” Christians now make up some 20% of Kuwait’s population, although almost all are migrant workers without Kuwaiti citizenship. The situation is similar in many other oil-rich Persian Gulf countries, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Of these countries, Kuwait and Bahrain are unique in also having a small number of Christian citizens, almost all of them descendants of immigrants from Arab countries, such as Lebanon and Palestine, with sizable Christian populations. SEE KUWAIT CARDINAL PAROLIN, PAGE 8 Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, speaks with the press after the presentation of the 2025 Religious Freedom Report compiled by the papal foundation Aid to the Church in Need and released Oct. 21, 2025, during a conference at Rome’s Augustinianum Patristic Institute. CNS photo/Lola Gomez
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