One Christmas day, 15 years ago, I sat next to my wife’s grandmother, Marie Vigil, at a family gathering as my kids and their cousins tore through presents with delight and awe.  She watched her family with a smile, laughing occasionally at a child’s outburst of joy and parents’ attempt to maintain order. 

We are blessed, in our diocese, to have an abundance of ponderosa pines growing and providing wonderous beauty for all to enjoy.

The ponderosa pine, also known as the yellow pine, is one of the most widely distributed tree species in the West, growing from southern Canada into Mexico.

The Church stubbornly calls us to reclaim Advent, making it a time of profound spiritual anticipation through prayer, sacrifice, and cultural detachment to cleanse our souls and be ready to be welcomed by Jesus on both Christmas Day and Judgment Day.

“O Jesus, be Thou not a stranger/ But make my heart Thy manger.”

Not all birds fly south! Watching beautiful birds during the winter months can be very entertaining. We are fortunate, in our diocese, to have birds year-round. This time of year, as the temperatures drop, they are busy foraging for food and seeking out water. Here are a few tips to help encourage our feathered friends to stick around for a while and survive the cold weather. 

Born in 1192, St.  Juliana of Liège (or of Mont Cornillon) entered religious life as a Norbertine canoness regular. Of her, Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “She is little known but the Church is deeply indebted to her, not only because of the holiness of her life but also because, with her great fervor, she contributed to the institution of one of the most important solemn liturgies of the year: Corpus Christi.”