Spirit atholic C See our Special Feature pages on Advent for prayer and reflection pp 4-5
THE
THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF METUCHEN
DECEMBER 18, 2025 • VOL. 30 NO.11
Journey of Faith Pope Leo XIV began Advent with a journey to Turkey and Lebanon. It wasn’t the original plan for the visit, but popes learn, as Mary and Joseph did, that while journeys are often unexpected, they always serve as opportunities to put our hope and trust in God. In his homily for the first Sunday of Advent, offered in Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena, Pope Leo shared his hope that our Advent resolutions would ensure that “we may love God and our brothers and sisters with all our hearts in order to journey together and find ourselves one day united in the house of the Father.” See a related column on p. 10. —CNS photo courtesy Conception Abbey
INSIDE Our Faith
8
Perspectives
16
Movie Review
42
Diocesan Events
43
Coming to the Manger
Pope Francis’ teaching on the Nativity
22-23