Our Good Friend Avery

On Friday, May 30, three America editors, including Drew Christiansen, S.J., the editor-in-chief, traveled to the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University, in New York City, to present to Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., a long-time contributor to the magazine, a small token of the editors’ appreciation. We met Cardinal Dulles in the Jesuit residence and presented him with a framed copy of the original artwork that appeared on the cover of our issue featuring the Cardinal’s final McGinley lecture. That portrait of Cardinal Dulles, a watercolor by Fred Carlson, came with a plaque that read: "To Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J.: In Memory of our Long-standing Association," and was signed, "The Editors of America." Despite the challenges of his health, the Cardinal remains active and in good spirits. He continues to write, and he is currently reading his way through the galleys of a lengthy new biography, by Paul Mariani, of Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., the 19th-century poet. This small blog post and our modest gift cannot begin to convey how much affection we have for Cardinal Dulles, and what a signal contribution he has made to this magazine, and, of course, to the life of the church. Ad multos annos! James Martin, S.J. Matt Malone, S.J.