In 1976 a lawyer by the name of Leo Pfeffer came to Philadelphia and gave a talk in which he boasted that the Enlightenment, or what he called secular humanism, had triumphed in its culture war with the Catholic Church, its main opponent. What is more, Pfeffer was correct in his opinion. The culture of America had changed radically by this time. The only question that remained was whether the victory would be a permanent one or not. Well, we Catholics know the answer to that question, don’t we? We live in a guaranteed Church, one that is vouched for by almighty God, his Incarnate Son, and the Holy Spirit. But we do know also that there will be great trials that we shall have to face, just as our forebears in the Faith had to do. These may be long-standing and cause many to be lost to the same Faith. But God is in charge and it is certain that his holy Church will win through in the course of time.

1976年，一位名叫利奥·普费弗的律师来到费城做了一次演讲，他在演讲中吹嘘道，启蒙运动，或者他所说的世俗人文主义，在与天主教会的文化战争中取得了胜利，天主教会是其主要对手。而且，普费弗的观点是正确的。此时美国的文化已经发生了根本性的变化。剩下的唯一问题是这场胜利是否是永久性的。我们天主教徒知道这个问题的答案，不是吗？我们生活在一个有保障的教会，一个由全能的上帝，他的化身儿子和圣灵担保的教会。但我们也知道，将来我们要面对重大的试炼，正如我们的祖先在信心上所要面对的一样。这些可能是长期存在的，并导致许多人失去了相同的信仰。但神是掌管一切的，他的圣会一定会在一段时间内胜出。