Change at the Herald

I am happy to announce that Herald editorial assistant Esperanza Griffith has been chosen by Bishop Sheridan to be his new administrative assistant upon the retirement of Patty Donovan at the end of the month.

Esperanza has been with the Herald from the very beginning, when we were stuck in a temporary tight space on the second floor (where the stewardship office would eventually be built) while we waited for the Herald office to be built next to the Bishop's Office on the third floor. Esperanza quickly proved to be a worker of many talents and eager for whatever task was given her. In addition to being the "gatekeeper" of the Herald office, she soon learned our advertising, mailing and circulation software and became far more than her title said. Her versatility has allowed me more time to develop other aspects of Herald operations, and her connections with seemingly every person in the diocese has also been vital to our success. Although she will be next door, she will be missed.

I would also like to thank Patty Donovan for her help during my three years here. Patty has been with the diocese since its inception and has been invaluable in helping me contact different priests, deacons and religious. She has also typed out the bishop's calendar for us. Her retirement is well-deserved and we will keep her in our prayers.

In this time of farewells, the Herald also has a welcome back of sorts, as Becca Grove, who worked at the chancery from 2004-06, is going to help us get through the end of the summer, at which time she plans to continue her education in radiology. We are excited to have Becca back in the Catholic Pastoral Center and as part of the Herald family.

Reasons to hope in 2008?

I'd like to write my next editorial on "Reasons to Hope in 2008." Right now, global morale is at a major low... there seems to be no end in sight to the Iraq war, global terrorism is getting worse, pornography is taking hold of lives at earlier and earlier ages and causing the breakups of many marriages...

But then Pope Benedict XVI ends 2007 be releasing his second encyclical, focused on Christian hope. The lack of hope in the world, he writes, is because the world has increasingly turned away from Christ. We need to get back to what it really means to be a Christian... a person of hope.

But I'd like to be more particular than that... citing specific examples of hope, tangible examples of it. I'd like your help by seeing if you'd be kind enough to share just where in your heart you find hope these days.

Top local diocese stories of 2007

We're approaching that time when the Herald staff will pick the top 10 local stories of this year. This year, I'd like to get your input, too. It will all be considered later this month when the staff pages through the past year of issues.

First edition of CCH radio show now streaming

Due to the overwhelming cry to put The Colorado Catholic Herald's first KFEL radio show online (OK, we haven't heard a word), it is now streaming on the Herald site. The show is an interview with Bishop Sheridan on the Latin Mass motu proprio. In it, he talks about the possible effect it could have in our diocese and shares some childhood memories from his Latin Mass experiences.

Web site slacking, Cardinal Arinze audio up

Sorry for the lack of updates on the main Herald site. I was gone for two weeks on a vacation in Ireland (you'll read about one place I stayed in an upcoming Herald), and then returned to get picked for a jury on a trial that is taking up almost another two weeks. So I will try to update the site with recent stories in the next day or so.

The audio for Cardinal Arinze's fantastic talk at Holy Apostles is now streaming on the Herald site or you can click on this link. Follow the directions after clicking on the headline link. Unfortunately, since I wasn't allowed to plug into the Holy Apostles soundboard, I didn't get the Q&A afterward because he moved away from the podium and the sound quality is not strong.