I write again from Scotland, having just finished a retreat for Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. The UK is still glowing after Pope Benedict’s visit here last month. I myself am thrilled to walk through Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s residence in Edinburgh, just a few weeks after Benedict had spoken with Her Majesty in that place. Benedict came to England both on official business of state and to beatify John Henry Newman. In his homily at the beatification Mass, Benedict quoted the Church’s newest saint: “I want a laity,” wrote Newman, “who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it.” Now this is Catholic Stewardship: laypeople who recognize the treasure we have in the Catholic faith. They make the effort to study it, teach it, witness to it. A Catholic doctor, for instance, studies not only the technical dimensions of medicine, but also the moral dimensions of his art. He practices medicine in accord with Catholic doctrine, which means refusing to do immoral procedures and performing procedures gratis for the uninsured. A Catholic lawyer studies law in order to help others more than helping himself, refusing to take cases that harm family life or take advantage of the legal system. Catholic stewards know their faith well enough to know the difference between “doing well” and “doing good.” The richest deposit of western culture is ours as Catholics. Do we make the effort to learn it? St. Joseph's offers the best parish religious education system in Central California (I challenge anyone to prove me wrong!). Our parish offers all you need to become the kind of smart layperson of which Newman speaks. How about you? Have you seriously studied your faith recently? No one is going to pay you to do it. No one is going to give you education credits for taking a Bible Study or a Short Course in Catholicism. But you would make Blessed John Henry Newman proud if you did! We just celebrated our newest saint’s first feast day on Saturday (Oct 9). In his honor, I invite you to see page 4 of the bulletin or get on our website and see what adult courses we offer. In October alone we have on offer School of Faith classes, 7 Step Study groups and a Catholicism 101 on the basics of the faith. Register for one today!