“Lord knows there are plenty of Good Fridays in our lives . . . but they will not prevail. Easter will. As we Irish claim, ‘Life is all about loving, living, and laughing, not about hating, dying, and moaning.’”

— Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, talking Sept. 14 at Fordham University in New York with television comedian Stephen Colbert about faith, humor and spirituality

“To me, every time I come in here, I just think that it’s almost like I’m serving Jesus today.”

— Major League Baseball umpire Mark Wegner, on volunteering at Our Daily Bread, a Catholic Charities of Baltimore program that serves meals to the city’s homeless

“From Rome you came to Lebanon, bringing the peace with you. We came from all over just to tell you that you are the one who is holding us together.”

— Youth singing as they awaited the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, who visited Lebanon from Sept. 14-16

“I hope that Jews and Christians, growing in respect and mutual friendship, may bear witness to the world of the values that spring from the adoration of the one God.”

— Pope Benedict XVI, in a telegram made public Sept. 20 to Chief Rabbi Riccardo di Segni of Rome to mark the Jewish high holy days of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot

“That was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.”

— Youth participating in Archdiocesan Youth Day at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis Sept. 15, via Twitter