On Epiphany Sunday, 2023, the people of our Archdiocese received a special spiritual gift. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo restored the practice of distributing Holy Communion from the chalice to the faithful throughout the Archdiocese.

Generation Alpha, or Gen Alpha, is the young people born between 2010 and 2025. A few years ago, Mark McCrindle, a social researcher and analyst, coined this term, and it stuck. More data on this generation will come out, and how we interact with these young people may change, but these initial observations are important for our families and our parish leaders to make a note of. I have my own children who are part of this generation; thus, it is important for me to look more deeply at the general characteristics that make up Gen Alpha.

Almost 400 people attended the second annual Sacred Art Live! event on Jan. 28 at the Borski Center located at St. Mary’s Seminary. Thirteen contemporary artists brought their unique canvases from cities as far away as Philadelphia and as near as Houston’s Third Ward. Working in mediums such as oil, acrylic, charcoal, ceramic and print-making, the artists also brought inspiration and hope to the diverse crowd of attendees.

The Feb. 6 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has killed more than 35,200 and injured upward of 40,900 so far. The number of dead and injured was expected to climb further as rescue teams continued to search through the rubble of toppled buildings. Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, mourned the loss of so many lives, called for the faithful to pray for those impacted, and give generously to those in need.

Each year Ash Wednesday and its resounding invitation to let the Lord raise us up begins a very serious season, a quarantine — a 40-day observance of renewal and penance to seek the Lord Jesus and to accompany Him in His action of salvation for us, His Passion, Death and Resurrection.