Below is Cardinal Justin Rigali's Christmas Letter to be communicated to the people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on December 24th and 25th. Please feel free to quote from the letter or to print it in its entirety.

Christmas 2005

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I extend to you and your families my prayerful best wishes as we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

Mary, the Mother of our Savior, pondered the great events surrounding the birth of her Son. As the Gospel tells us: "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart" [Lk 2:19]. It was with a heart, pure and holy and open to God's plan, that Mary pondered the great and wonderful things of God. She did so as a human being like ourselves, persevering in faith and trusting that the promises God made to her would be fulfilled. We remember how her cousin Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out: "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled" [Lk 1: 45].

As we ponder the birth of Jesus and its meaning for the life of the Church in Philadelphia and in our personal lives, Mary is an example for us of both faith and hope. She believed and, therefore, her heart was full of hope.

May our faith in the newborn Savior lead us this Christmas to experience new hope. Despite the problems of the world and the challenges of our lives, let us trust in Jesus. It is He who enables us to walk in the newness of life.

A blessed Christmas to you all!

Sincerely in Christ,

Cardinal Justin Rigali
Archbishop of Philadelphia

Contact
Meredith V. Wilson
Communications Specialist
215-587-3747