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[email protected] Life Insurance • Long-Term Care Insurance Retirement Annuities • Disability Insurance Protecting Catholic families since 1882. 2 December 2016 Merry Christmas As Bishop of Bridgeport, I often find myself in the position of asking others for things—for their guidance and expertise, their financial support, their volunteer service—and always for their prayers. Each and every time I ask for help, the people of our diocese are generous and gracious beyond all expectations. Whether planning for the future of schools, working to revitalize our parishes, or launching a new program to serve others, someone always steps forward. So let me thank you in advance for the personal kindness you have shown me and for the many gifts you bestow upon the diocese each year, including at Christmas time when you give generously in so many different ways—whether volunteering in Catholic Charities soup kitchens or reaching out to others in your own parish. Christmas gives us an opportunity to re-commit to personal generosity, openness to others, and largeness of spirit. Perhaps the season even challenges us to be more generous than we’d like to be! It calls us to a conversion of heart toward others—including those we have hardened our hearts against. To give generously from the heart is a mandate of all discipleship. Every generous act makes visible and tangible the love that God has for each of us.