With my family living on the west side of Florida, I’ve grown to love sunsets. I’m pretty sure that our Minnesota sunsets, however, can measure up to the best; there is something special about enjoying a beautiful sunset on one of our many lakes, and I’m even enthralled by the sun as it sets over the St. Paul and Minneapolis skylines. It’s always an opportunity for a review of the day and a recollection of how our loving God has been present to us in the past 24 hours.

While watching the sun set, I sometimes think of one of Jesus’ teachings that was captured in three of the four Gospels: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5: 14-16).

Those passages came to mind recently when I was reviewing the names and stories of the eight 2021 Leading with Faith Award recipients. Talk about light for the world! I am so grateful for the commitment these women and men make every day to serving our Lord, his Church and his people. We often talk about these leaders “bringing Christ into the marketplace.” We know, however, that this isn’t wholly accurate. Christ is always in the marketplace, in every workplace, in every business exchange, in every difficult decision, in every success, in every celebration — even when he’s not acknowledged. These honorees, however, remind us to live in a way that recognizes that Christ is with us always, even when his presence might otherwise feel hidden or even unwanted.

When Leading with Faith was launched nearly 20 years ago, The Catholic Spirit never imagined that the award would gain the traction it has. The event has grown beyond the focus and capacity of The Catholic Spirit and the Archdiocesan Communications Office to the point that we now realize that Leading with Faith will only be able to grow and expand if business leaders themselves are at the helm.

That’s why I’m excited to announce that after this year, we will be entrusting the administration and organization of the Leading with Faith Awards to the St. Joseph Business Guild, a growing organization in the archdiocese that is fully dedicated to helping Catholics find good work and then do their work well, in a way that embraces our Catholic values and the virtues. Launched just two years ago, the Guild now has more than 350 members, many of them under age 35, with energy and a shared expectation that our faith will significantly inform how they approach their work. The synergy between Leading with Faith and the Guild is quite promising. It is my hope that under the direction of the Guild, the Awards will continue to be a source of hope, inspiration and aspiration for years to come, to the great benefit of our Church and community.

Please join me in both congratulating the 2021 Leading with Faith Award recipients and thanking the St. Joseph Business Guild for agreeing to carry on the important work of recognizing men and women who strive each day to have the Catholic faith guide their personal and professional lives.