The nation’s 250th birthday has been a key talking point in Washington this year. So, naturally it was the highlight of the annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast March 19.
The breakfast was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and welcomed some 1,500 Catholics from across the country. Speakers included Hillsdale College professor Brad Birzer, Catholic conservative influencer Michael Knowles, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, and actor Jonathan Roumie, known for portraying Jesus in the series “The Chosen.”
Retired Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. Cardinal Christophe Pierre sent a video message to the thousand-plus attendees. “For nearly 10 years, I have had the privilege of serving as apostolic nuncio in the United States. During this time, traveling across the country and meeting many communities, I have seen, again and again, the deep faith of the people of this country,” he said. “I have seen how prayer opens the possibility of encounter, encounter with Christ and encounter with one another as brothers and sisters.”
Before breakfast was served, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Fred Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., read a message sent by Pope Leo XIV in honor of the annual event. “This year, in particular, as the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its foundation, you have chosen to consider the contribution of Catholicism to this beloved country,” he read.
“As long as you remain faithfully united to (Jesus) and grounded in his love, I am confident that the church in the United States will persevere in its mission to be a leaven in society, and thus continue to contribute to building up the reign of justice and charity, both within your own nation and around the world,” the pope’s message added.
A special guest, Claire Lai, spoke on her father, human rights advocate and devoted Catholic Jimmy Lai, and his wrongful imprisonment in Hong Kong.
“Almost six years ago, Beijing imposed the draconian and arbitrary National Security Law in Hong Kong. One month after its enactment, my father was arrested,” she said. “He has been incarcerated and in solitary confinement ever since. Last month, my father was sentenced to 20 years in prison … that is a death sentence for a 78-year-old man,” she said.
But all throughout, her father has kept his faith strong. “For the majority of his imprisonment, my father has been denied the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation, and deprived of his right to attend Mass. Yet, the denial of these sacraments has not stopped him from finding ways to serve Our Lord, performing humble acts to grow in virtue,” she said. She said her family remains hopeful that the U.S. government will work to free Lai.
Keynote speaker Knowles reflected on the long impact Catholics have had on the formation of the U.S. “Over the course of our history, legislators have banned Catholics from holding public office,” but today, Catholics are prevalent in the political sphere. “Today, if you count vice presidents and first ladies, we have now had baptized Catholics in the White House for 17 consecutive years,” he said. “Catholics today make up a little over 20% of the U.S. population, but we make up 28% of congressmen, 38% of governors, and at least two-thirds of the Supreme Court.”
Catholics may have started out as persecuted in the 13 colonies, but the 21st century paints a completely different picture, Knowles said. “And yet, here we find ourselves a quarter-millennium later, a people and a place so improbably and perfectly suited for each other, that not only can a Catholic become president, but an American can even be the pope,” he said, as laughs resounded around the room.
