Archbishop Richard G. Henning Column: God Bless America

From his weekly column, which is published and posted online with The Pilot Catholic newspaper, Archbishop Henning reflects on the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th. He shares how our nation has come together in times of great crisis and how one hymn, God Bless America, speaks to the need for “hope, unity, and longing for peace and goodness.”

June 29, 2026

“God Bless America”

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was covering a parish on Long Island in my home diocese. As it was for so many around the world, it was a dramatic and frightening moment. The parish was located about one hour from Manhattan, and two of the parish families lost loved ones in the attack on the Twin Towers. Many other families were awaiting news of family as the collapse of the towers had damaged infrastructure for the “landline” phones and the cell networks were overwhelmed by the traffic. With people walking out of Manhattan over the bridges and with trains and subways paralyzed, many family members only arrived home late into the night. In the locked-down parish school and around the community, the level of fear and anxiety was palpable.

It was clear that people needed a place to gather and they needed the reassurance of faith. At about 6 p.m. that evening, we started tolling the parish bell. Within the hour, the church, the yard, and the sidewalks had filled with people, and we began the celebration of Holy Mass. It was a deeply moving and meaningful moment of prayer connection. In the quiet after Holy Communion, someone started singing “God Bless America.” Hundreds of voices within and around the church took up the song. It was a heartfelt prayer and many faces streamed with tears. We did not know it at that moment, but all over the region people had gathered in their churches and many of them also spontaneously sang: “God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above … .”

Originally composed by the Jewish immigrant American Irving Berlin during the First World War (1918), the song became famous after being sung by Kate Smith in 1938 as the United States faced the threat of a second great war. In 2001, it became medicine for the soul of a wounded nation. It expressed hope, unity, and longing for peace and goodness. It was matched by deeds of solidarity and care for neighbor and friend. During and after the attacks, so many risked themselves to help others. People looked at each other and their lives differently. They appreciated the gift of life, and they wanted to help and to strengthen each other. And they implored God to bless the nation.

On July 4, 2026, we will mark 250 years since the reading out of the Declaration of Independence. I know that we are often a divided nation. I know that too many see fellow Americans as enemies or rivals. I know that some now think that America’s flaws invalidate her promise. I remember the unity and resilience of Sept. 11, 2001, and I grieve for the angry divisions of 2026.

No nation is ever perfect. For all our imperfections, this nation has a founding vision worth honoring and celebrating. That vision spoke of the fundamental dignity of every human person. Abraham Lincoln knew just how challenging it was to live that vision in concrete reality. In a moment of terrible and violent division, he reminded us of a nation “conceived in liberty” and of “unfinished work.” He summoned us to “increased devotion” to secure a “new birth of freedom” and to see that “government of the people, by the people, for the people should not perish from the earth.”

As a Catholic, I know that my true citizenship comes from heaven, yet I cannot help but love my earthly country. I love her promise, her people, and her possibility. When I see our flag, I think of that founding vision and generations of struggle and sacrifice. I think of the work yet to be done and the summons to do our part in this generation. And I pray to God for the United States of America. I pray for the healing of division, for comfort for the afflicted, and for reverence for the gift of life. I pray for the peace and prosperity of my “home sweet home.” God bless America, land that I love …