After a series of speaking appearances were canceled in recent weeks, Jesuit Fr. James Martin received a fresh offer Friday from Cardinal Blase Cupich to address his Chicago archdiocese over two nights during the coming Lenten season.

The Windy City invite caps a turbulent week where Martin defended himself — as did two bishops and multiple Catholic commentators — against far-right Catholic groups that launched online campaigns seeking the best-selling author’s removal from talks due to disapproval with his recent book on LGBT Catholics. Those efforts most notably resulted in a withdrawn invitation from Theological College at the Catholic University of America for Martin to address its upcoming alumni gathering. 

Early Friday evening, the Chicago archdiocese tweeted, and Cupich retweeted, that Martin would offer Lenten reflections at Holy Name Cathedral the evenings of March 22 and 23. 

“I’m grateful that Cardinal Cupich has invited me to speak in the Archdiocese of Chicago. He is an open, thoughtful and compassionate bishop, and has long been a friend of the Jesuits,” Martin, editor at large of America magazine, told NCR. “I look forward to speaking with the people in Chicago about Jesus, the one who is at the center of my life and at the heart of all of my ministries.”

Full story at National Catholic Reporter.