I woke up in Napa this morning, ready for the start of the 2018 Napa Institute conference. This is my third consecutive Napa Institute; this has been an incredible experience the past two years, and I expect this year to be similarly great. Temperatures expected to be the the low-to-mid 80s this week, which makes for near perfect weather. Not sure that I’ll be back next year, so will make the most of time with old and new friends.

8th Annual Napa Institute Summer Conference

At this year’s conference, we will explore the magisterium of Pope St. John Paul II in celebration of the 40th anniversary of his election to the papacy and examine the themes of faith, family, and love, 50 years after the publication of Humanae Vitae.

Napa Institute events are built on the three pillars of Community, Formation, and Liturgy. At the annual summer conference, we encourage attendees to build connections through meals with open seating, evening activities, and viewings of current Catholic movies and theatrical performances. Each day there are keynote sessions from renowned speakers that develop the theme of that day, as well as breakout sessions that examine current topics. At the heart of the conference is daily Mass, Adoration, spiritual direction, and time for prayer and reflection.

That sky…