During the holy season of Advent, the Church calls our attention to the Blessed Virgin Mary and her indispensable role in the history of salvation. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, are two prominent examples of this season’s special focus on Mary, but there are many others including, of course, the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) on Dec. 25, the Feast of the Holy Family on Dec. 28 and the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God on Jan. 1.

We all know the story. We return to Bethlehem this time each year, awaiting the birth of the Christ Child. In the weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas, we read about Mary’s “yes” to become Mother of our Savior. She serves as a model of hope, faithful waiting and preparation for Jesus’ arrival. Her unequivocal response in faith is one we are called to follow each day as we live our vocations as disciples of Christ.

As in years past, Fox 59 in Indianapolis will again broadcast SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral’s 10 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass beginning at midnight.

When the archdiocese purchased a farm in the southeast corner of Indianapolis in 1947 to develop a parish, it was decided the livestock barn would be converted for use as the church. Christ would become present at Mass where animals used to shelter. What better name for the parish than Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, an homage to the Savior’s birth in a Bethlehem stable.

Queridos hermanas y hermanos en Cristo: Aunque las narraciones del nacimiento de Jesús se encuentran en los Evangelios de Mateo y Lucas, es el comienzo del Evangelio de Juan el que nos da a entender el verdadero significado de la Navidad; a saber:

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, While the narratives of Jesus’ birth are found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, it is the beginning of the Gospel of John that we are given to understand the true meaning of Christmas, namely:

The annual Indiana March for Life and associated events will take place on Jan. 22 in Indianapolis. Youths and pro-life advocates from all five of Indiana’s dioceses will participate in the event, which solemnly commemorates the date in 1973 when the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion across the country.

Fifteen members of the Sisters of St. Francis in Oldenburg celebrated significant anniversaries of their time in religious life in 2025. The anniversaries are marked by the year in which the sisters entered religious life with the Franciscans. Some who entered in February celebrated their jubilees this year in anticipation of the actual anniversary of their entering religious life.

SELLERSBURG—How does a fledgling community of women religious, with less than 10 members and founded only 14 years ago in Boston, come to live and minister at St. John Paul II Parish, nestled in Sellersburg in the hills of southern Indiana?

The birth of our Savior at Christmas is a profound mystery that is ultimately impossible for our minds to take in. How is that God, who is infinite and all-powerful, who is being itself pervading and undergirding all time and space, the source of all that was, is and ever will be, could be born as a tiny baby in a stable in a small backwater town of the Roman Empire?

“Mi alma glorifica al Señor, y mi espíritu se regocija en Dios mi Salvador.” (Lc 1:46-47)

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” (Lk 1:46-47)

Christmas arrives each year, inviting weary souls in from the cold. Like fragile sparrows trembling on bare winter branches, many live surrounded by heartbreak, disappointment and loneliness—haunted by shame, guilt or failure. One blustery day follows another, and their only companions are fellow strugglers perched on the same desolate limbs, confused and unprotected.

Although he is the doctor of the Church who goes back farthest in Church history, St. Irenaeus of Lyons is one of the most recent saints to be given this title. He is thought to have been born between the years 120 and 130 in present-day Turkey and died as a martyr in present-day Lyons, France, around 202. But he was only named a doctor of the Church in 2022 by Pope Francis. The Church celebrates his feast on June 28.

As baptized Christians, we are a people constantly on the move. We are a pilgrim people with a common destination—our heavenly home. And we have a detailed roadmap to follow on our pilgrim journey—the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis announced on Dec. 8 that it has received a grant of more than $22.5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support Catholic schools in Marion County. The grant will support Project Magi: Know Your Gifts, Grow Your Gifts, Share Your Gifts—an effort launched earlier this year to strengthen academic achievement, enhance student wellness, improve postsecondary success, and deepen faith formation for nearly 11,000 students in 29 Catholic schools across Marion County.