Jesus once quipped that a prophet is not welcome in his own hometown. Ever the rebel, Fr. John Thomas Lane has enjoyed testing that proverb now for over 15 years as pastor of St Paschal Babylon Parish in Highland Heights, OH—the parish he grew up in as a child, with family members still nearby. Moreover, Fr. Lane now also serves as the Provincial Superior for the U.S. Province of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament—a religious community he has known since childhood. This congregation, founded by St. Peter Julian Eymard, has a commitment to “respond to the hungers of the human family with the riches of God’s love manifested in the Eucharist” (Rule of Life 3) The day I reached him in Fall 2022, he was in the process of manifesting God’s love by signing 2000 Walkathon thank you letters for the parish school. We had a frank, funny conversation about parish life in the modern U.S. with all its multiple opportunities for miscommunication and misinterpretation whenever power is involved. And of course, it is always involved. (Released August 23)

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