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Fr. Joseph Michael Bolling, who served for more than 30 years as pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Mobile, died Jan. 18 at the age of 81.

The Catholic Maritime Ministry of Mobile would like to thank all who participated in the Maritime Ministry’s 2024 Christmas Bag program. As a result of the generosity of multiple parishes and volunteers, the ministry delivered a record 524 Christmas bags to seafarers visiting Mobile this Christmas season. Another 68 seafarers received Stella Maris T-shirts after all the bags had been given, and most importantly, the ministry celebrated Mass onboard three vessels in December. In total, Stella Maris delivered Christmas to 33 different vessels.

On a number of occasions, I have had the pleasure of attending youth athletic competitions, whether high school games, CYO or various youth leagues. They are enjoyable times, made even more so by knowing that the players have trained and practiced hard for these games and are playing to the best of their ability.

Merry Christmas, again—or I should say, “still.” It is still Christmas until Jan.12 with the Baptism of the Lord. We spent nearly four weeks preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Our Savior. This was necessary so that we could be prepared to love Him more completely. We can give ourselves most completely when we are free from anything holding us back. I certainly find it necessary to detach myself from the things that distract me or cause me to withhold my heart from God.

The Archdiocese of Mobile will conduct inquiry/discernment sessions for men interested in entering into the permanent diaconate formation program. The sessions will be conducted in both the English and Spanish language. The inquiry/discernment sessions will consist of six inquiry-discernment sessions and one application workshop. These sessions shall be about two hours each over a six-month period, with the first session beginning Saturday, Feb. 22 at four locations.

With a mix of sadness, but also excitement for the future, St. Catherine of Siena Parish Pastor Fr. Fred Boni announced its school building will be demolished. The school closed at the end of the school year in 1986.

MOBILE – Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi and Executive Director of Development and Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Mobile Shannon D. Roh have announced that the 2025 Catholic Charities Appeal financial goal is $4.7 million and 100 percent participation! We must come together as a family of faith to support our neighbors in need with a sacrificial gift. Together we can show the compassion of Christ for the tens of thousands of people in our communities who are in need. While we are not all called to give equally, we are all called to give sacrificially. Each gift to the Catholic Charities Appeal is like a snowflake, every gift is different, but together we can cover the ministries we serve with the funds needed to share love and hope with tens of thousands in need.

Congratulations to Archdiocese of Mobile seminarian Rubén Castañeda, who received the Ministry of Lector on Jan. 12 at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Pontifical North American College at the Vatican, where he is currently studying.

About 100 years ago, a photographer named Wilson Bentley was the first to photograph snowflakes. This was not an easy thing to do with the technology of the time, but he was successful in sharing more than 5,000 pictures of snowflakes. One of the striking things about these photos is that no two snowflakes appeared to be the same. It became conventional wisdom that each snowflake is different.

Merry Christmas! Advent is over, but the Christmas Season has just begun! The weeks leading up to Christmas are extremely busy. We can get so distracted with lists and parties that it is easy to lose sight of the true meaning of the Advent and Christmas seasons. In all the hustle and bustle, as good Christian stewards, we are called to keep Christ in Christmas.

Merry Christmas! I hope and pray that you and your family enjoy this Christmas season—here are a few suggestions on how to make it holy.

JACKSON, MISS – What began as a seed planted in 2007, became a reality in 2024. Catholics from several dioceses descended upon the Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle in Jackson on Dec. 21 to celebrate the installation and blessing of a life-size bronze statue of Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA. Among those attending the celebration were Mary Ott Tremmel Davidson, the sculptor, and parishioners from several parishes in the Montgomery and Mobile areas.

Fr. Paul Halladay, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mobile, has been appointed vocation director for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, effective Jan. 22.

Fr. Frank Joseph Bolling, who had been a priest for 20 years, died Jan. 1, 2025, at the age of 94.

As many as 35 million visitors are expected in Rome in 2025. Many of them will be pilgrims for the jubilee, a holy year the church celebrates every quarter-century that began on Dec. 24 and ends Jan. 6, 2026. While numerous events are planned in Rome and at the Vatican to mark the Jubilee 2025, this Holy Year is for the whole Church and there are ways to celebrate without leaving the Archdiocese of Mobile.

This month, the ballroom of the Cathedral rectory was the site for two very special retirement celebrations of archdiocesan executive directors. Some of the central ministries of the Archdiocese of Mobile report directly to me, but most are organized into five departments: Catholic Education, Catholic Social Services, Development/Stewardship, Financial Services and Legal Services.

We are so blessed to live in a prosperous country. Many of us don’t worry about our next meal or how we are going to pay the power bill. This physical plentifulness, however, also presents a real spiritual danger for us. Being in a land of plenty can lead us to spiritual laziness.

Loneliness. The subject comes up quite often in the media, especially during the holiday season, that “most wonderful time of the year.”

Give thanks to God, bless His name” (Psalm 100:4). Thanksgiving is the one holiday where everyone across our nation, regardless of our differences, gives thanks for our many blessings. How amazing would it be if everyone lived every day of their life like it was Thanksgiving? That is precisely what a faithful Christian steward is called to do.

I played football, coached football and have also spent about a decade as a broadcaster for McGill-Toolen Catholic High School football games on Archangel Radio.