A Blessed and Happy New Year to you and those you love! As we begin the new year of 2022, we join with you in prayer for health and happiness. Most especially, we raise our voices in prayer for peace throughout our world, and an end to the horrible pandemic, which has cost us so much these past two years.

Pope Francis reminds us to go to the manger for inspiration as we begin the New Year: "The manger challenges us not to give up on anything or anyone. To look upon the manger means to find the strength to take our place in history without complaining or being resentful, without closing in on ourselves or seeking a means of escape, looking for shortcuts in our own interest. Looking at the manger means recognizing that the times ahead call for bold and hope-filled initiatives. Looking at the manger means seeing how God gets involved by involving us, making us part of his work, inviting us to welcome the future courageously and decisively."1