Merry Christmas to all the young artists who shared their talents inthe fourth annual Catholic Times Christmas cover contest. This year,almost 500 entries were submitted to compete for the honor of being theChristmas cover of our diocesan newspaper.  This year's judges onceagain decreed a tie for first place.

Brother Allan (Norbert) Haiar, OFM, age 84, died Dec. 19 in Loretto Home at the Motherhouse of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Springfield.

Band and choir students from Our Saviour School in Jacksonville participated recently in the Illinois Music Educator's District IV Concert Festival at Western Illinois University in Macomb. Students rehearsed with guest conductors in the morning and presented an afternoon concert in Western Hall. 

It was the moment I'd been waiting for. My favorite singer was onstage, microphone in hand, ready to rock the audience.

Or was she?

It was obvious from the beginning that there was something wrong. She was tense; she refused to look at the audience, staring instead at the floor of the stage. Her voice wavered and cracked. As soon as the song was over, she ran for the darkness of backstage.

Happy New Year to our readers from the staff of Catholic Times!

The past 12 months have been tumultuous ones for our church, our nation and the world, as you can read in the annual Year-in-Review pages in this week's issue of CT.

In many ways the world looked bleak in 2008 and presents real challenges to people of good will in 2009.

The Christmas tree is out of the house, the wrappings tossed and the lights put away, but something else is stirring. Those wise enough can see it. It is the Epiphany of the Lord, a revelation of the meaning of Christmas that lingers into January and insinuates itself into the real situations of life as much as Christmas stirs our dreams of a fuller life.

One criticism often aimed at Catholic parishes is that they don't feel welcoming.

Many of my friends who occasionally attend Protestant churches with a spouse or friend report back that our Protestant sisters and brothers do a much better job of creating a welcoming environment.

There's probably a laundry list of reasons why this is so. But it's a shame, and the question is, How can we change that?

Pope Benedict XVI gave his Roman Curia officials the traditional bottle of spumante and panettone cake for Christmas, and he added a gift they can chew on for days: a seven-page speech on the Holy Spirit's presence in the church events of 2008.

Why is the feast of the Epiphany called "Little Christmas"? The dictionary refers to Epiphany as celebrated on Jan. 6, but it doesn't always fall on the same date. Explain?

I recently attended a course on Christian morality offered by our archdiocese. We were informed that the church has now adopted the Hebraic translation of the fifth commandment, "Thou shalt not murder" instead of "Thou shalt not kill." When and why did this change take place?

Daily events occuring throughout the Diocese.

Bishop Lucas' public schedule for the week of January 4.

With the assistance of Cyrus the Persian the exiled Jews return to Jerusalem and find desolation. The prophet here reminds them despite all this, they remain the "light" that shines in the darkness. The radiance of Jerusalem will draw to itself nations and peoples from across the world who see the light. Gifts fit for royalty like gold and frankincense will be brought by Gentiles who search for the light. This prophecy, of course, foretells the coming of the Messiah Jesus and the journey of the Wise Men. 

Daily Scripture readings for the week of January 4.