A Legacy of Faith and Freedom

I love America.

I love her beauty—from the Pacific coastline and California’s golden mountains to the rolling hills and fertile farmland of Pennsylvania that nourish our communities each season. I love the promise that America represents: a place where people from every corner of the world have come seeking freedom, opportunity, and the chance to build a better life for their children.

Most of all, I love and cherish the brave men and women who left their homelands and made difficult journeys so future generations could flourish. Their sacrifices were not only for themselves, but for children and grandchildren they would never meet. Because of their courage, we have the opportunity to live, worship, learn, and become the people God created us to be.

A few weeks before our digital team launched the America’s 250 campaign, I found myself reflecting on that reality while on a boat with my family in New York City. As we passed the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, I became overwhelmed with gratitude.

I thought about the millions of immigrants who arrived on these shores carrying little more than hope. Most did not know the language. Some arrived alone with no formal documentation. Others had no family waiting for them, no guaranteed job, and few possessions. Yet they came with courage, determination, and faith in God’s providence.

As I looked toward Ellis Island, my thoughts turned to my grandfather, Walter Maksymiuk.

My grandfather served in the Polish Army during World War II and endured the horrors of a concentration camp. Yet even amid suffering, hunger, and persecution, he refused to abandon his faith.

One story has stayed with me throughout my life.

On Good Friday, knowing he was starving and severely malnourished, guards offered him a steak. It was not an act of kindness. It was an attempt to break his spirit and mock his faith.

My grandfather refused.

As he later recounted, Christ had suffered and died for him on the Cross. The least he could do was fast in remembrance of that sacrifice.

In response, the guards withheld food and water until Easter Sunday.

When Easter finally arrived and he was given bread, his first instinct was not to eat. Instead, he tore off a small piece and used string from his clothing to fashion a simple rosary. Before satisfying his hunger, he offered prayers of thanksgiving to God for the joy of Christ’s Resurrection.

Even in a place designed to strip away human dignity, faith remained alive.

Not long afterward, American troops liberated the camp.

At that moment, my grandfather faced a decision that would shape generations of his family. He could return to the homeland and family he loved, or he could board an American ship and begin a new life in a country he had never known.

He chose America.

He chose the possibility that his children, grandchildren, and future generations could live in freedom and openly practice their Catholic faith.

His decision changed my life before I was ever born.

Today, every opportunity I have enjoyed, every church I have entered freely, every prayer I have spoken publicly, and every blessing I have received is connected in some way to the courage and faith of a man who endured suffering yet never lost hope.

As we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, I find myself reflecting not only on my grandfather’s story but on the stories carried by so many families throughout our nation.

Every family has stories of courage, sacrifice, and faith. Some crossed oceans. Some crossed borders. Some survived war, persecution, poverty, or hardship. Many came seeking the freedom to worship God, raise their families, and build a better future.

Our America’s 250 campaign invites us to remember those who came before us and to honor the sacrifices that helped shape both our Church and our nation. Their stories remind us that freedom is a gift, faith is a treasure, and hope can endure even in the darkest moments.

This July 3, Catholics from across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will gather for a Mass for the Nation at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels as we entrust our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and give thanks for the many blessings we have received.

I will be there remembering my grandfather and every brave immigrant who took a step to make their home in this great land.

I will be there thanking God for the gift of faith that sustained him, for the freedom he sought for future generations, and for the countless immigrants and ancestors whose sacrifices helped build the nation we call home.

I invite you to remember someone who came before you.

Visit lacatholics.org/america to share the name and story of a loved one whose faith, courage, and sacrifice helped shape your life. Together, may we honor their legacy and entrust our nation to the loving Heart of Jesus.