Archbishop Charles Chaput, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, delivered the Forum address Tuesday in the Marriott Center. In his address, Archbishop Chaput discussed two topics: how and why we got to where we are as a nation, and what we need to do as people of faith, in mutually supportive ways, going forward.

Here are some highlights from Archbishop Chaput's talk, which can be streamed on BYUtv.org and will be archived on BYU Speeches . The Forum will be rebroadcast on Sunday, April 10, at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on BYUtv, and at 6 a.m. on KBYU Eleven TV.

On Faith and Belief

"Our task as believers, whatever our religious tradition, is to witness our love for God and for each other in the time and place God puts us in.

"Never neglect to nourish your roots and your identity as a university grounded in faith. Faith in God is the road to life. Faith in a loving God is the light that illuminates and gives meaning to human reason and to all of life. Real excellence is a quality of the soul. And to borrow a line from the Gospel of Luke, the soul of this university, and the soul of each and every one of us here today, should 'magnify the Lord.'"

Photo by BYU Photo

On Being Better People

"Every setback and failure bears the seeds of success – if we learn the right lessons from it.

"People who really believe in a loving God are always people of hope and the joy that comes with it.

"...When we finally learn to fill our hearts with something more than the noise and narcotics of the wounded societies we helped create; when we finally let our hearts rest in God as Augustine did; then – and only then -- the world will begin to change, because God will use the witness of our lives to change it."

On Being an Involved Citizen

"We need to wake each other up to see the world and our nation as they really are – the good along with the evil. We need to support each other in the work for religious freedom we share. We need to treat each other as friends, not enemies or strangers. We need to learn from each other’s successes and mistakes.

"It’s important for our own integrity and the integrity of our country to fight for our convictions in the public square.

"I believe the friendship of the LDS and Catholic communities is important. The better we know each other’s stories as religious minorities in this country, the better we can support each other in pursuing some of the vital issues we share.

"Nations change when people change. And people change through the witness of other people -- people like each of you here today. You make the future. You build it stone by stone with the choices you make.

"Go forth to serve. Serve the poor. Help the weak. Protect the unborn child. Fight for your right to love and serve God, and for others to do the same. Defend the dignity of marriage and the family, and witness their meaning and hope to others by the example of your lives."

Photo by BYU Photo



Next Devotional: Jeffery Bunker, BYU Student Academic & Advisement Services​

The next Devotional address will be held on Tuesday, April 5, at 11:05 a.m., in the Marriott Center. Jeffery Bunker, Associate Executive Director at BYU's Student Academic & Advisement Services, will give the Devotional address. His remarks will be broadcast live on BYUtv, BYUtv.org , KBYU-TV 11, Classical 89 FM, BYU Radio.