Ten YEARS Later, Christina Grimmie Still Shines Brightly

Ten years ago, Christina Grimmie was unexpectedly called home to be with the Lord. 

She was only 22 years old on the night of June 10, 2016, when she was gunned down by a deranged man during a meet-and-greet after her concert in Orlando, Florida. Her final gesture in this world was to open her arms to welcome this person she didn't know as he approached her from the line. He shot her three times in the head and chest at point blank range before shooting himself.

What an incomprehensible tragedy! We miss her so much. Yet the light of her witness has remained with us and grown stronger over the past decade, even as the world has grown more violent, chaotic, confused, and alienating.

And today, when we worry about whether new technologies might overwhelm our humanity, Christina Grimmie continues to show us the way forward. 

Christina was a pioneering YouTuber who shared her astonishing musical talents and herself, offering love and gratitude to people all over the world, not only through social media but also in and after her concerts. With faith in the One who LOVED her, she found the courage to communicate her love, to use technology and her "celebrity statue" to encounter human persons, to build a "communion of persons," to love unconditionally. 

She knew that love is always a risk. Life is a risk. Being human is a risk. Using new technologies to connect with people is a risk. Christina did not shy away from that risk. Love moved her forward to make music and connect with people, to "risk herself" every day.  And she touched the hearts of vast numbers of people because she was so full of life, so real, so rich with that magnificent humanity that the Lord gave her.

This is why we remember and honor Christina Grimmie today.

In February of 2014, people all over the USA watched and heard on national television Christina Grimmie’s astonishing, jaw-dropping, “four-chair-turning” blind audition for Season 6 of The Voice. (It is frequently ranked among the greatest auditions in the history of this talent contest show or other similar shows.) Shortly after the program aired, she posted the accompanying text on Twitter. At other times she also expressed her intention to live everything in her life for Jesus Christ, “for His glory.” Christina was never “preachy” — rather, she expressed simply and when the occasion presented itself her determined and persistent desire to live her whole young, enthusiastic, funny, musically amazing, great-hearted, and very human life “for Him.”

Corpus Christi 2026

"We are gathered around the Eucharist, the gift of Christ’s living presence among us. He who wished to offer us his life so that we might enter into communion with the Father and become his children, is here as the living Bread come down from heaven, to nourish us with the very life of God, with a love stronger than death."

Jesus in the Eucharist "does not enclose us in private devotion, but sends us out to refresh our brothers and sisters, our families, the poor, the suffering, and those who have lost hope. Eucharistic grace transforms us and makes us protagonists of the transformation of history, a sign of hope for those we meet."

~Pope Leo XIV, Solemnity of Corpus Christi,

June 7, 2026 (Madrid, Apostolic Journey to Spain)

Saint Norbert: A Medieval Reformer

June 6th is the feast of Saint Norbert. Let’s learn a little bit about him, from one of my old columns:

This is the story of a young German living a worldly life, who, after experiencing a terrible thunderstorm, joined a monastery and later became known to the world as a “reformer.” But this is not the story of Martin Luther. Our German lived 400 years before Protestantism, and was very different from the conflicted, tumultuous, and rebellious Luther. St. Norbert was a true Catholic reformer, shaped by the Church. Under her obedience, he brought together monastic discipline and apostolic zeal, renewing the clergy, refreshing the witness of preaching, and leaving a legacy of followers who still bear his name today.

Norbert was born in 1080 in Xanten, near Cologne, to a wealthy noble family. He served at the court of the Archbishop of Cologne and the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V and gave himself over to a sinful life of luxury and the pursuit of pleasure. Worldly though he was, Norbert nonetheless resisted the corrupting path of ecclesiastical careerism by refusing an episcopal appointment or even ordination to the priesthood.

Jesus was waiting for Norbert, keeping him free for a decisive moment that would move his heart. In 1113, Norbert’s horse was struck by lightning during a storm and threw him to the ground, unconscious. Something happened in those moments, and when Norbert recovered he was changed. Jesus had suddenly revealed to him the futility of his life, and filled him with the desire for conversion and penance. 

Norbert left the court at Cologne, and in order to follow Jesus fully, he turned to the Church in earnest, and he did so by going to a place close to home, the Benedictine Abbey at Siegburg. This was a relatively new monastery, a fruit of the great monastic reform that spread from Cluny in France, but it had begun to flourish under Cono, its third abbot. Jesus drew Norbert to His heart through the wise spiritual fatherhood of Cono. For three years Norbert lived the life of the abbey and followed Cono’s guidance. He saw the foundational value of the monastic life, and yet — as his faith grew stronger — he was filled with the desire to preach the Gospel beyond the monastic walls. Cono’s friendship prevented Norbert from any rash decisions, and helped him to learn humility and patience. But when the right moment came, this great friend sent Norbert out to seek ordination as a priest in the Archdiocese of Cologne.

The courtier returned with the humility of a monk and a heart burning with the desire to bring Christ to the world. After his ordination, during his initial struggles with his inimical fellow clergy, and then after the final confirmation of his vocation in 1118 when the Pope appointed him “missionary apostolic” with authority to preach throughout the Church, Norbert continued to visit the abbot and consulted with Cono up until the latter’s death. By then Saint Norbert was spreading from Premontre to Magdeburg his vision of a priestly life that was both monastic and missionary. He faced much resistance but gained many friends and disciples of his own, one of whom —Blessed Hugh of Fosse — would become the first abbot of the religious order we call the “Norbertines,” who brought renewal to the Church in the Middle Ages and continue to do so today.

“Alone and Poor”

"Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God" (antiphon, June 4).

We Must Not Forget the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre

Chinese Diaspora communities all over the world held candlelight vigils to mourn the 37th anniversary of that terrible night of June 4, 1989. 

On that night, the government of the "People's" Republic of China turned the guns and tanks of the "People's" Liberation Army against... the Chinese PEOPLE in their own capital city who had dared to give voice to the fundamental and implacable desire of their hearts (and of every human heart) for freedom and dignity. Thousands of people died for the "crime" of expressing their longing to be treated like full human persons whose freedom was not defined by the State or the Party, but who sought something greater....

Saint Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe: Uganda’s First Martyr

The stories of the Uganda martyrs in the late 19th century are well known to us today, thanks to vivid testimonies from a variety of sources, many of whom were fellow Christians who witnessed the events and/or knew the martyrs personally. They present the most remarkable circumstances that attended the birth of Christianity in the Great Lakes region of East Africa, in the Kingdom of Buganda.

Present day Uganda traces itself back to this unusual kingdom, a pagan realm in the African interior, governed for centuries by an absolute monarch (the Kabaka) who had the power of life and death over his three million subjects. The Kingdom of Buganda was a courteous, refined, and generous place, with worthy traditions passed down from generation to generation. It was also marred by political intrigue between the Kabaka, his ministers, and clan chiefs. The social order had many good features, but also ingrained habits of cruelty, a form of polygamy that made women virtual slaves, and narrow and sometimes violent superstitions that occasionally even called for human sacrifice.

All the conflicting tensions of Buganda were ultimately in the hands of the Kabaka, until outside forces began bringing new ideas and practices into his realm. Arab Muslims came first, followed by English explorers, then English (Anglican) missionaries, and (after many setbacks) the French Catholic “White Fathers” led by Father Simeon Lourdel, who arrived in 1879. Kabaka Mutesa allowed everyone religious freedom, and Bagandans with searching minds and hearts were drawn from the old oppressive paganism toward Islam or the preaching of the Gospel. The Kabaka himself was ambivalent, as he feared encroachment from both Arabs and emerging European colonial powers. He leaned toward one or another religion in turns, trying to play the Arabs, French, and English against one another to see who would best serve his political interests. Kabaka Mutesa was not a persecutor, but his political-religious intrigues ultimately led to the collapse of the Kingdom under his sons, and to great suffering for Bagandan Christians.

Meanwhile, (Joseph) Mukasa, born in 1860 in the Giant-Rat Clan, grew up tall, athletic, and intelligent among his extended family. Seemingly destined for prominence, he was sent to serve at the Kabaka’s court in 1874, where he distinguished himself and rapidly rose through the ranks, while also seeking religious truth. Faith in Jesus Christ came for Mukasa, as it did for so many in Buganda, through the grace of an encounter and the encouragement of friendship. After several years at court, Mukasa became friends with the new royal drummer Kaggwa (later Saint Andrew Kaggwa, another of the early martyrs). Kaggwa had met the remarkable Fr Lourdel, and was fascinated by his radiant Christian life. He convinced Mukasa to join him in the Catholic catechumenate. On April 30, 1882, Andrew Kaggwa and Joseph Mukasa were baptized by Fr Lourdel. They had long been busy bringing others to meet the Catholic missionaries, and so the Church grew from person-to-person.

Soon Joseph Mukasa had risen to the special rank of Kabaka Mutesa’s personal attendant, and he took care of the enigmatic Kabaka during the latter’s final illness and death in 1884. His son and successor Mwanga retained Joseph and respected him deeply, often seeking his advice on political questions. Kabaka Mwanga, however, was a man of unstable temperament and self indulgence. He soon turned against the Christians. Joseph Mukasa’s patient rebukes of the young ruler led to Mwanga’s condemning him to death. On November 15, 1885, Joseph Mukasa became Buganda’s first Catholic martyr at the beginning of the persecution and heroic witness of the other Uganda martyrs whose feast is collectively celebrated on June 3.

Jojo Graduates From High School!

Josefina Janaro got her high school diploma on Sunday afternoon after completing her course of studies and activities at the White Oaks School of the John XXIII Montessori Center. Hooray for Jojo!

She is one of the pioneers of this educational enterprise that my wife Eileen has participated in since its beginning in 2009, when the Center launched its program offering the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd together with Montessori academics for Primary and Elementary levels. All five of our kids carried out a significant portion of their education at John XXIII, but Jojo has the rare distinction of having accomplished the entire program. She began at the age of 3, and did Primary and Elementary and then continued through the Middle and Upper School levels of the Adolescent program which was added (as “White Oaks,” on a distinct part of the campus) in time for her to continue with this unique Integrated Catholic Montessori experience all the way to this graduation day.

When I began the “Never Give Up Blog” fifteen years ago, it was primarily about all five of the “kids” and the adventures of our family life. Jojo was the “baby” of the family, and her growing up was a source for many of the funniest anecdotes. Everything remains in the Blog archive and is still easily accessible.

I really can’t say that it “seems like only yesterday,” because in fact it seems like a long time ago. Life has changed a lot during these recent years. Jojo has changed the most of any of us during this time, and has become a lovely and outgoing young woman. We are very very proud of her.

Congratulations Jojo. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide your steps in days to come.