A “Faith-Filled” Death Without the Faith: Benedictine College’s Alex Lynch and the Emptiness of Conciliar Sentimentality
The EWTN News portal reports on the death of Alex Lynch, a Benedictine College senior who died of cancer on May 8, 2026. The article details how college president Stephen Minnis, chaplain Father Ryan Richardson, and 30 students traveled to Lynch’s home for a personal graduation ceremony the day before his death. Lynch is described as “faith-filled,” having “radiated the Holy Spirit,” and dying while reciting his baptismal promises. Students shaved their heads in solidarity, gathered spontaneously in the chapel to pray for him, and wore yellow pins at the official graduation. The article presents Lynch as a model of Christian living and dying, emphasizing his joy, generosity, and prayer life—including attending Mass and Eucharistic adoration. Yet beneath this veneer of Catholic sentimentality lies a profound spiritual bankruptcy: the complete absence of any mention of the sacraments that actually confer grace, the state of soul, or the supernatural destiny that alone gives meaning to death. This is not Catholic piety; it is naturalistic humanitarianism dressed in liturgical vestments.








