In certain situations an employer has plenipotentiary power, and so it was that I explained to Fr. Ray Ryland, as he prepared to leave Catholic Answers, that he wasn’t ceasing to be a member of the staff but simply was going on a long-term sabbatical with my blessing. He smiled that wonderful smile. Last month he and his wife, Ruth, sold their home in San Diego and moved to Steubenville, where Fr. Ryland taught for several years after retiring from the University of San Diego. Fear not: He will continue to write for This Rock.
I first learned of Ray Ryland when he and I were in law school. He was a year or so ahead of me—he was a “late vocation” to law—but it wasn’t until years later that we actually met. By that time he had been ordained under the “pastoral provision” set up by the Vatican. It was with no little irony that he came to achieve notoriety for giving what I think is the best-ever talk on the virtues of priestly celibacy—with his wife nodding approvingly in the audience. They knew, and know, that their situation is exceptional and that it should stay exceptional.
That adjective is a good one for Fr. Ryland himself: exceptional—as a priest, as a co-worker, as a friend. We miss him and Ruth dearly, especially at his weekly celebration of Mass. Never have I seen a priest exude such joy at the privilege of being an alter Christus. That memory won’t fade, despite the miles.
Attentive readers may recall the observations I made in the January issue regarding “The Gift of Salvation,” the successor statement to “Evangelicals and Catholics Together.” I quoted the document’s key sentence: “We understand that what we affirm is in agreement with what the Reformation traditions have meant by justification by faith alone (sola fide).” I remarked, “It is this sentence that has received the most play in the press, and it is this sentence that would prevent me from being able to subscribe my name to ‘The Gift of Salvation.’” I then gave my reasons. This issue’s cover story, by Prof. Philip Blosser, returns to “The Gift of Salvation” and considers that problematic sentence in a somewhat different light. His reading varies a little from mine. I think you will find his remarks worth pondering.
You will notice that the “Snapshots” column is missing from this issue. We’ve dropped it—and expanded it. From now on news about Catholic Answers and its outreach will not have a regular space in This Rock, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be kept informed. Each of our subscribers, plus thousands of other people, will be receiving, free of charge, an eight-page quarterly newsletter called Inside Catholic Answers. The newsletter is intended to keep our friends and supporters updated on the apostolate’s work. It will give us room to explain just how your donations are being spent. There will be reports on the status of projects mentioned in our fundraising letters, accounts of how our work has touched people around the world, updates on “Catholic Answers Live,” profiles of our staff members—and much else.