The Shot That Shook the Church by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland (Bishop Emeritus)

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The world has been shaken in recent days by the sudden and tragic death of Charlie Kirk. Although he was not Catholic, his boldness and courage, his willingness to stand publicly against a culture of lies, and his evident desire to move toward the truth struck a chord across the nation and the world. His wife is a daughter of the Catholic Church, and his death has brought sorrow to countless souls, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.

We pray for the repose of his soul, for consolation for his wife and family, and for healing for the many who feel this loss deeply. Yet we must also recognize: this moment is more than a passing news story. It is a spiritual thunderclap.

What is most striking is this: Catholics in every corner are looking to a Protestant figure as a hero, a martyr, a voice of courage. And why? Because so many in the Catholic Church – the very Bride of Christ, which possesses the fullness of the Gospel and the grace of the Sacraments – have laid down their swords. We have become content with the status quo. Too many bishops and priests are silent before the onslaught of error. Too many of the faithful have grown weary, discouraged, and beaten down like dogs.

This should shake us to our core. The Catholic Church, which gave the world saints and martyrs who conquered kingdoms, faced lions, endured flames, and shed their blood, now stands timid, hushed, and often complicit.

The Apostle Paul cries out: “ … Rise thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead: and Christ shall enlighten thee” (Ephesians 5:14).

Remember the apostles at the Crucifixion. Christ was arrested and crucified, and they fled. They locked themselves in the upper room, paralyzed by fear. But when the Holy Ghost descended at Pentecost, they became lions. The Spirit filled their hearts with fire, and they could not remain silent.

We are at such a moment again. The Church has hidden, silenced itself, dulled its voice – while the world grows darker. And yet even in this darkness, God speaks. Could it be that this shocking event – the death of a bold Protestant voice – is meant to awaken Catholics to the fact that we have surrendered our witness?

The Spirit of God is not bound. The Spirit blows where He wills. But let us not be shamed into silence by those outside the Church outpacing us in courage.

We must also be clear: we do not canonize political figures, nor do we claim to agree with every word Charlie Kirk ever spoke or every position he ever held. Like all of us, he was a man with faults and limitations. Yet in a time when so many Catholics, even shepherds of the flock, have grown timid, his willingness to speak boldly struck a chord. His death has awakened many. The lesson here is not to exalt a man, but to ask why the Catholic Church – entrusted with the fullness of truth and the fire of the Spirit – has fallen so silent that people look elsewhere for courage.

We must remember: only the Catholic Church holds the fullness of the faith, the Real Presence of Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist, the sacraments of grace, the apostolic succession of truth. We have treasures that no earthly movement, no political voice, or Protestant leader can give.

And yet – what good are treasures buried in the ground? What good is truth if it is muzzled by cowardice?

Pope St. Pius X once warned: “In our time more than ever before, the chief strength of the wicked lies in the cowardice and weakness of good men.” These words pierce us today. We have grown too weak, too fearful, too hesitant. We excuse ourselves while the culture of death roars unchecked.

The saints of old would not understand our silence. St. Catherine of Siena declared: “Cry out with a thousand tongues. I see the world is rotten because of silence.”

My friends, I do not write to glorify any man. Salvation is in Christ alone, and His Church is the Ark of Salvation. But I do write to say this: when Catholics look outside the Church for heroes, when we see courage more evident in the world than in our pulpits, chancery offices, and pews, it is time for us to tremble. It is time to repent. It is time to ask for a new Pentecost.

We must beg the Holy Ghost to set us on fire again. We must stop hiding, stop compromising, stop watering down the Gospel. Christ died and rose to save us, and He has given us His Spirit, His Mother, His sacraments, His very Body and Blood. What excuse have we left for silence?

The apostles were once cowards. But the Spirit made them martyrs. The Spirit can do the same again, if only we yield.

And here, we must pause to say a word to Charlie himself. We thank you, brother, for your witness. Your courage to speak truth as you saw it has fired up the world and reminded countless souls what it looks like to resist the tide of lies. Although we might not have agreed with every word you ever spoke, we cannot deny the boldness of your voice. You spoke out unflinchingly for the sanctity of life in the womb, for the beauty of the traditional family, and for the truth of God’s design in the order of male and female. In an age of confusion, you dared to stand for these truths, and the world heard you.

We pray for the repose of your soul, for the consolation of your wife and family, and for the mercy of Christ to enfold you. May God, who alone knows the heart, reward every seed of truth you planted. And may your courage now serve as a spark that rouses a sleeping Church, summoning us to cast off timidity, rise to our feet, and stand once more as fearless witnesses of Jesus Christ.

For let us be clear: while voices like Charlie’s rang out, the Church too often lay silent. We, who should be the trumpet of truth, have become a whisper. Instead of proclaiming Christ crucified, we projected images of Pope Francis onto the holy façade of St. Peter’s Basilica. We honored the earth with pagan symbols as if the Creator Himself were not enough. We have laid down in the dirt and surrendered, not to Christ, but to the spirit of the age.

This is not the Bride Christ died for. This is not the faith of the martyrs.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, let us rise! Let us shake off the chains of fear and compromise. Let us reject the false gods of this age and cling to Christ alone. The hour is late, the battle is fierce, but the victory is already won in the Blood of the Lamb.

No more silence. No more surrender. The Bride of Christ must not lie in the dust while the world burns. She must stand, radiant, aflame with the Spirit, proclaiming to every nation, tongue, and people: “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Let the world know, let heaven know, and let hell tremble: the Catholic Church will not be silent. We are Christ’s, and we will not yield.

Rise, O Church! Let the fire of the Holy Ghost consume our fear, let the Precious Blood of Christ strengthen our hearts, and let the Immaculate Heart of Mary guide us into battle. The world is shaking, but Christ is our Rock. The Bride must rise, for the Bridegroom comes.

May Almighty God bless you and keep you. May He inflame your hearts with His love, guard you in the truth, and lead you ever closer to His Sacred Heart. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.