If you had asked me about surrender as a child, I might have asked back, “Do you mean ‘Surrender Dorothy’ from The Wizard of Oz?”

If you had asked me in junior high, I would have said, “It’s a song by Cheap Trick.”

In college, I might have said, “Oh, it’s part of the Corey Hart song ‘Never Surrender.’”

You see, most of my life I have been consumed by songs, movies, popular culture, sports and, eventually, social media. Yes, I was a practicing Catholic through my formative years and into adulthood. I went to church most Sundays. My wife, who converted to Catholicism, and I raised three boys in the faith. I volunteered at church, taught third-grade catechism and even started a Christian-based travel baseball club called the Flames—after the Holy Spirit, of course.

On the surface, I checked all the boxes.

But had I truly surrendered to Him?

Absolutely not.

Why? Because surrender is not easy.

In Catholic spirituality, surrender means freely entrusting yourself—your will, plans, fears, desires and future—to God because you trust in His goodness and providence.

It isn’t defeat or giving up. It is yielding our will to God’s will.

Jesus gives us the clearest example in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) Christ does not surrender to circumstances; He surrenders Himself to the Father.

If you’re a video game player, imagine following Jesus in “beginner mode” your whole life. We know the controls. We know the prayers. We know when to stand, sit and kneel. We know what is expected of us.

But we haven’t advanced because we’re afraid to surrender control. We want Jesus in our lives, but we still want to hold the controller.

Why?

Because conversion, a fruit of surrender, means becoming someone new.

That’s one of the greatest lessons I have learned over the past two years serving the Lord in this diocese and Bishop Gruss in the Office of Communications. And those lessons, those daily conversions, are ongoing.

Perhaps that’s why St. Paul’s words hit home: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)

In this issue, you will read a lot about surrender.

Our newest priest, Father Charles Warner, is on the cover and shares his own story of surrender to Christ. The cover photo is like one I took of him on St. Peter’s Square in 2025 as he finished his studies and prepared for ordination to the transitional diaconate.

Bishop Gruss congratulates Father Charles in his column and encourages us to pray daily for vocations. Bishop knows surrender, too. At Holy Hours for Vocations, I have heard him speak about giving up his career as a pilot — and the possibility of marriage and family life — to follow Jesus.

We’re also excited to introduce columnist Kellie Deming, our director of Parish Life and Evangelization. Her column, appropriately titled “Answering the Call,” will share stories of people who say “yes” when God calls.

You’ll also find our Christ’s Mission Appeal Impact Report, photos from the Bishop’s Golf Classic and Seminarian Dinner and Banquet, and the columns and stories you look forward to each issue.

I hope you enjoy this issue, friends.

And perhaps, as you turn these pages, ask yourself:

What am I still holding onto that God is asking me to surrender?

In Christ,

John Diego Gonzalez