March 12, 2025 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ: With the 2025 Jubilee upon us, we’ve talked a lot about hope. What is hope? If I was asked to define or describe “hope” to someone who had never heard the word, an answer might not roll off my tongue. Even the word “hope” is somewhat complex. It can be both a noun and a verb – we can hope for nice weather, and nice weather can give us hope. As a verb, it can be to “cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true” or to “expect with confidence” or two other definitions. As a noun, it can be “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment” or “trust.” Those are just a few of the definitions suggested by Google. There were more. Our Catechism of the Catholic Church offers yet another description, “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” (#1817) Regardless of the definition, we need to look no further than our North Country Catholic for Hints of Hope. As I mentioned in the opening Mass for the Jubilee, it is in the pages of our diocesan paper that we find information about many diocesan, parish or school events that are eagerly anticipated. We read about new ministries and individuals who desire, believe and expect that God will use them to bear fruits. And we learn about how people here in the North Country are following Christ, placing trust in His grace and trying to cooperate with that grace to get themselves and those around them to eternal life with Him. We see the Holy Spirit bestowing graces and breathing life into the Church and into our friends, neighbors, fellow parishioners through the stories shared in the newspaper’s pages. Through the North Country Catholic, I communicate with Catholics around the diocese as we move forward, Pilgrims of Hope guided by a loving God, sharing the Hints of Hope we see all around us. The paper also shares local, state, national and international news, uniting us with the Church universal, and information relevant to our faith and our lives. This weekend, the annual North Country Catholic subscription campaign begins. I ask every family to subscribe to our diocesan paper. If you are a current subscriber, thank you for renewing your subscription in this week’s campaign. Why not consider obtaining a subscription as a gift for a family member? I invite those who do not currently subscribe to consider how important it is today to be an informed Catholic Christian and allow our diocesan newspaper to be a vehicle to help you and your families share our Hints of Hope. Thank you for your prayerful support. Gratefully yours in Christ,
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