A Christmas Message from Bishop Conley

December 25, 2024

Merry Christmas! I want to take this moment to express my Christmas prayers and blessings to you and to your families for the Christmas season.

I am always struck by the joy that permeates all the corners of society during these blessed weeks. Joy is a direct fruit of the Holy Spirit that helps us recognize the overwhelming presence of God’s grace in our world as we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord.

Hope is another fruit that is abundantly present at this time. We see it in the care that we show our brothers and sisters. Today, the Holy Father ushered in the 2025 Jubilee Year under the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope.” In a special way, we are called to be witness of hope to a world that can seem to be, at times, on the brink of despair. The birth of the Christ-Child brings light into this darkness, and gives us reason to hope in a better tomorrow where His light conquers the darkness of sin and despair.

On behalf of the Catholic Medical Association, thank you for all that you have done to bring Christ’s joy and hope to your patients and in your efforts to bring about ethical and Christ-centered health care. It is my prayer that this Christmas season may renew the joy in your hearts and give you the continued courage to bring hope to our world. May your witness to the Birth of the Savior, draw people out of the darkness of despair and help them see that the dawn of salvation is at hand.

Sincerely your in Christ,

The Most Rev. James D. Conley D.D., S.T.L.

Episcopal Advisor