Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Repeatedly the Gospels remind us to be joyful: at the Annunciation, after the Resurrection, and when Jesus Himself shares His Gospel message with us so that His joy can also be our joy. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11). It is an astoundingly simple way of describing what happens when we encounter Christ. His joy becomes our own.

Joy is the result of God’s love for us and joy is how we can best share our Christian life with others. When we proclaim our joy, when we speak heart to heart with our neighbor about how we personally experience God’s love, that is when we as Christians are fully alive. This year I ask us all in the Diocese of Rockford to encounter Christ and “Be Joyful Disciples.”

Your donation to our 2024 Diocesan Appeal helps support the many ministries of the Diocese of Rockford that carry out the universal mission of the Church: sharing the truth of the Gospel and joyfully transforming lives from the inside out. Would you please prayerfully consider a contribution to our appeal? Your generous contribution allows us to respond to those in need, care for the souls of young and old, prepare men for the priesthood and Permanent Diaconate, and inspire the hearts of others to share Christ’s joy.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration – let our encounters with Christ be contagious as we all share the joy of the Gospel!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend David J Malloy
Bishop of Rockford