What a marvelous way to end the year! “Five doses of good news for Catholicism amid an otherwise bleak year,” by John L. Allen Jr., in the Dec. 30 issue, made my heart swell with gratitude for my Catholic faith and my fellow Catholics.

Reading these “doses of good news” reminded me of how much good is being done that we hear little or nothing about. It was so uplifting to read about the growth of the Catholic Church and the charitable work being done in so many places. The Holy Spirit is truly at work, but often in a hidden and silent way.

I feel so sorry for those Catholics who have “fallen away,” for whatever reason, and who have become indifferent or hostile toward our Holy Father or the priesthood in general, or even toward the Church as a whole. They are missing out on the joy of being part of this beautiful body of Christ. I pray that they will come back and be blessed by renewed faith in 2023.

— Marilyn Boussaid, St. James Church, Redondo Beach