Este domingo 30 de noviembre es el Primer Domingo de Adviento. Durante esta temporada santa, se nos invita a comenzar el nuevo año eclesiástico con los ojos bien abiertos. Esperamos la Bendita Esperanza, Jesucristo, el Mesías tan anhelado, que vino a la Tierra por primera vez hace 2,000 años y nació de la Virgen María. Está presente entre nosotros ahora, especialmente en la Eucaristía, y volverá con gloria al final de los tiempos.

This Sunday, Nov. 30, is the first Sunday of Advent. During this holy season, we are invited to begin the new Church year with eyes wide open. We are waiting for the Blessed Hope, Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, who first came to Earth 2,000 years ago and was born of the Virgin Mary. He is present among us now, especially in the Eucharist, and he will come again in glory at the end of time.

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis has made a name for itself in the Church in the U.S. It hosts more large national Catholic events than any other diocese in the country.

Like a growing number of teenagers, Felicity Britt and Mary Cing struggle with anxiety and a fear of failure. At the same time, they were brave enough to share their struggles and fear with thousands of their peers at the National Catholic Youth Conference.

When Alana Brooks-Murphy became an aspirant for the Salesian Sisters in August, she was ready to go on whatever adventure God put before her.

Some people will question the sanity of an adult who willingly agrees to be a leader for three days or more for a group of teenagers at a national conference of 16,000 youths.

One of the challenges to the young people at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis on Nov. 20-22 involved giant, plastic, building blocks, and this intriguing question: What does the Church need and you can provide?

Getting ready to speak before more than 16,000 people in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, 18-year-old Nolan McCracken admitted he was “very nervous” and “humbled” to share what was essentially a soulful, vulnerable and unusual thank-you at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) on Nov. 20.

When Bridget Ireland of St. Joseph University Parish in Terre Haute signed up to be a chaperone for a group from that city attending the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis, she did so for practical purposes.

It’s about 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, and youths from around the country are starting to arrive at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis for the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).

Seventeen-year-old Isabelle Bedel jumped to her feet and shouted with joy, joining in the thunderous roar that resounded through Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Nov. 21 when Pope Leo XIV appeared on a huge screen from the Vatican, sharing a smile and words of encouragement, advice and love for the 16,000 youths at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).

I grew up in a large family. It was Mom and Dad and 10 of us kids. When I was little, it seemed like every other year or so, my siblings and I would get new bikes for Christmas. Perhaps, in and of itself, that was not so unusual. What was unusual (and inspiring) is what I learned about how it happened after I was an adult.

If your 2025 Advent calendar only has three pieces of chocolate remaining and December has only just begun, you should probably read this. Are you serious about getting closer to Jesus? No matter how we answer this question, this Advent season could be the “personal call from God” that we are all waiting for.

“Find keys” was a common phrase of my brother Gary, who has an intellectual and developmental disability. Growing up in a large family, there always seemed to be someone looking for their keys. He was eager to help them find their keys because that might mean going on a car ride, which he loved.

“[We need to take up] seeing and feeling with God.” What a startling sentence—to see and feel with God! I heard this a couple of weeks ago at a symposium titled “Deepening Communion in a Polarized World.” Hundreds of folks—clergy, lay and seminarians—were invited to ponder it.

“You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins” (Lk 1:76-77).

Every Catholic church, regardless of its size or location, should be a place of beauty, reverence and vibrant spirituality. This doesn’t mean that every church must be excessive in terms of its cost or its furnishings. But it does mean that everything that is done should be of good quality and excellent taste.