Bishop Peter

Lent is not first a season of our effort or self-improvement. It is, above all, a season of God’s mercy and action in our lives through the gift of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, this gift is never forced upon us. The Holy Spirit is freely given, but he must also be freely received.

In a culture that can confuse identity, weaken commitment and reduce love to feelings alone, the Church proclaims with confidence and compassion what Jesus Himself reveals: that marriage is not a private experiment, but a divine gift — an enduring covenant of faithful love, ordered toward communion and fruitfulness, and elevated by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament.

Photo of St. Mary's Catholic Students at All Schools Mass By Bishop Peter F. Christensen Catholic Schools Week invites our diocesan family to pause in gratitude and hope as we celebrate the life of our Catholic schools—their academic excellence, their communities of care, and their generous service. Yet this week also calls us to something deeper: to renew our commitment to the distinctly evangelical vocation of Catholic education entrusted to us as shepherds, educators, parents, and families...