Join St. Patrick’s Seminary, the Benedict XVI Institute, and Archbishop Cordileone on Wednesday, May 8th, to pray for and learn about the situation of persecuted Christians on mainland China and in Hong Kong.

The evening begins with Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, led by Archbishop Cordileone. Special music for the Holy Hour includes the premiere of a new composition by Frank La Rocca on a text by James Matthew Wilson, “Stanzas for the Chinese Martyrs,” commissioned by the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship. Other compositions by Diana Corliss, Kevin Allen, and Paul Jernberg will also be sung by the choir, directed by Dr. Jennifer DonelsonNowicka of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music.

The second and final event of the 2023–2024 St. Patrick’s Seminary Lecture Series follows. The lecture by William McGurn, opinion columnist for The Wall Street Journal and godfather of Jimmy Lai, is entitled “The Prison Witness of Jimmy Lai.” Jimmy Lai is the founder of the popular Hong Kong paper Apple Daily, who has now been imprisoned in solitary confinement for organizing prodemocracy protests. The lecture will be livestreamed on a different link.