Editor’s note: The following is a letter to the faithful Bishop John Noonan offered on his birthday, Feb. 26, 2026.

My Beloved Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord! I am grateful to God for your faithfulness as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. St. Paul reminds each one of us to stir into flame the gift of God! For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power, love, and self-control.

"He has risen. This is the heart of our faith. Mary was a silent witness of all these events. Let us ask her to help us also to receive the fullness of this Easter message."

~   Pope St. John Paul II   ~