The cultural upheaval of the 1960s transformed the city of Baltimore. Many Catholics moved out to the suburbs. The streets, once a playground for children, became the haunts of drug dealers and gangs.

Fr. Stafford was no stranger to suffering and violence. His reflections on his own hardships became the source of consolation to others as he served them.

It wasn’t just the city that was influenced by social trends which defined the ‘60s. It was also the Catholic Church herself.

By 1968, the sexual revolution was in full swing. Sexual mores were increasingly cast aside and even faithful Catholics adopted contraception.

Amidst this cultural upheaval, Pope Paul VI released Humanae vitae which effectively banned contraception for Catholics. Many clerics felt the Church would suffer greatly if she opposed contraception.

The witness of Father Stafford's parents and grandparents defined his response. He recalled the difficulties his parents had navigated together, especially with Dorothy’s tuberculosis. Their example of commitment and faithfulness loomed large in his heart.

Fr. Stafford understood the importance of the family as a place of self-sacrifice, not self-seeking. He supported Humanae vitae vocally, despite strong resistance from some of his brother priests.

Fr. Frank Stafford was consecrated auxiliary bishop of Baltimore. He selected as his episcopal motto: In principium erat Verbum, which is Latin for “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:15).

Applying his experience from his challenging times in Baltimore, he paid special attention to minority and impoverished communities in his new diocese too.

During this time Bishop Stafford was chairman of the USCCB Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (1984 – 1991) and co-president of the Dialogue between Roman Catholics and Lutherans (1984 – 1997).

Through the example of pastors in his childhood, Archbishop Stafford knew the difference an active, caring pastor could make through presence. He often visited parishes and encountered the lives of common laypeople.

As the crowd awaited Pope John Paul II’s arrival, a thunderstorm rolled through. Just as he arrived, a rainbow appeared...

World Youth day had an unexpectedly deep impact on the participants, and on pastoral efforts as a whole.

The experience gave clergy confidence and hope, and opened up the young people to hearing their message.

Cardinal Stafford reflected on the meaning of this event recently, saying, “World Youth Day was an experience of ‘Church’ — one, holy, Catholic, apostolic, united in love of Christ, with hundreds of thousands of others.”

For Cardinal Stafford, the beauty of Jesus Christ and His profound love is perceived best in how Jesus demonstrated His love for God the Father and for men and women. This became intensely apparent through the experience World Youth Day, through the delight of the Holy Father, the clergy, and the youth in one another.

As President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, he continued to hold the interests of everyday lay Catholics in special regard. What better posting for a priest who had focused on the laity for so much of his career?

He still remembers clearly what Pope John Paul II said to him on this occasion: “I’m giving you a responsibility that is greater in terms of numbers than any of the other offices.”

He wrote an emotional letter home to the people of Denver, asking for prayers and offering instruction:

The Apostolic Penitentiary is the office of the Vatican that deals with very grave cases of sin, sacrilege, and apostasy.

His role as head of the tribunal was a difficult job, one that, to this day, Cardinal Stafford can’t share much about.

Still, he trusts in the merciful love of Jesus Christ. Doubtless his deep experiences of personal suffering and aiding others in their own suffering strengthened him for such a difficult assignment.

He had known Pope Benedict XVI as a cardinal and knew him to be a man of intellectual power, faith, and humility.

While he did not know Pope Francis as well, he saw in him a pastoral pontiff who sought to address issues of existential importance to today’s Church.

Even having served in one of the most emotionally difficult offices of the Church, Cardinal Stafford remained faithful and joyful.

He chose to continue living in Rome. Every morning, he walked for an hour in Trastevere to talk to homeless people and marginalized members of society. During that time, he never lost his focus on the common layperson.

Cardinal Stafford likes to challenge laypeople to embrace their “Catholic Imagination,” calling common Catholics to think, embody, and wonder at their faith.

Since then, His Eminence has continued to pray, preach, and cultivate the Catholic Imagination in everyone he encounters.

Years of experience, wisdom, and deep, reflective faith are a beacon to the Archdiocese of Denver.

Cardinal Stafford encourages every Catholic to contemplate the mysteries of faith, to expand their Catholic Imagination, and most importantly, to revel in the love of God.

At 94 years old, Cardinal Stafford says he’s only beginning to understand some of the events in his life: his warm memories of youth, his early sufferings, his life of ministry.

He reflects often on World Youth Day 1993, which he has come to see as an expression of the Holy Trinity. His desire is that every Catholic comes to know more fully the Holy Trinity and to delight in it — as he has for nearly a century.