The last day of 2022 brought us the death of Pope Benedict, the previous holy father before Francis. Pope Benedict was of particular affection to me. He was instrumental in the official permission of the Church for me to be ordained a priest. He gave the initial approval when he was head of the Congregation of the Faith and years later, he gave the final approval when he held the office of Pope. But more than just giving the formal approval, Pope Benedict the theologian guided me into understanding the Catholic faith. He centered upon the relationship with Christ that is necessary for anyone to understand and grow in faith. The hallmark of his writings is their understandability. He used common events for illustrations and simple language to speak about deep and mysterious subjects. This simplicity speaks volumes about his humility and love for the faithful to understand. May he rest in peace! Fr. Sid