June 3, 2026 Everywhere he goes, people want to share in his joy, fun and connection. I’m not sure which platform – Facebook, YouTube, Instagram… – first introduced me to this content creator, but now I see him everywhere. While he has other types of videos, he is most famous for doing a particular type of dance – a silly freestyle dance – in public spaces, generally on sidewalks. In most circumstances, if someone asked me to dance on camera in public, I’d decline without hesitation. I have two bad hips and two left feet. I am not a dancer. But if I saw this guy out on the street, I’d do what hundreds – maybe thousands – of others have done: I’d run up to him, give him a hug and ask to dance. He often starts out dancing with one or two people and ends up with up to a dozen. So, what makes this guy so special that I would be willing to dance very badly and very publicly with him? Everyone is welcome to dance with him – all ages, races, genders, ability levels. A group may include a 20-something giant muscle man, a middle-aged businesswoman, a grandmother and three teenagers. Everyone in the group does the same opening move, and then everyone dances however they want. Every group that joins him to do the dance looks like a celebration of silliness, fun, connection and joy. I thought about that content creator as I joined the priests of our diocese for the celebration of the annual Jubilee Mass. The priests who were honored at that Mass – priests who reached 60, 50, 40 and 25 years of priesthood – have spent those years trying to reflect the kind of love and joy – Christ’s love and joy – that helps others want to join the dance. They’re not doing it by busting a move on public sidewalks for social media purposes (though Father Chris Looby does some pretty silly stuff on social media, so maybe), but they’re doing it through their ministries in parishes, outreach centers, medical facilities, emergency response agencies, mission territories, diocesan offices, homes, prisons... They’re doing it through their warm, loving presence and by sharing Christ with us as we celebrate major milestones and God’s sacraments – baptisms, marriages, anointings and funerals and everything in between. Congratulations, jubilarians. Thank you for your “yes” to God’s call and thank you for service to Him and His Church. Thank you for sharing joy, fun, connection and love that’s rooted in Christ through all those years. |
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