Robert Novak is a political commentator who has had the longest running syndicated column in America (45 years). Novak is also well known as a television personality, appearing on many popular news programs. In the last year, I saw him a few times as a guest on EWTN. He is best known, as of late, for his involvement in identifying Valerie Plame as a CIA operative in one of his columns. Also, you may have heard the announcement last month that Novak has a brain tumor. Let’s pray for his speedy recovery. Although Novak is well known for his accomplishments as a witness to history, few know of his Catholic conversion later in his life.
Novak was born Jewish but was also known to attend Christian services with friends when he was younger. As an adult, religion did not play a large role in his life until the mid-1990’s, when he took a suggestion from his wife to attended a Catholic Mass. The Priest, Father Peter Vaghi, who celebrated the Mass was a former acquaintance of Novak. Before Father Peter became a Priest, he was an attorney in Washington that was a source of information for Novak’s reporting. This connection with Father Peter led Novak to regularly attend Mass for four years. While talking with attendees at one of his speaking engagements, Novak had a conversation with a Catholic lady who enquired why he has not converted to Catholicism. She told him that life is short, but eternity is forever. After that meeting, Novak started the RCIA process. In 1998, he was baptized along with his wife into the Catholic Church. Novak attributes his conversion to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, bringing him to the one true church.