December 1st, 2016 Season of Advent Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, A Blessed Advent to you! We all know how busy this time of year can get as we prepare for Christmas – with holiday gatherings, shopping, travel plans, etc. Yet we can never forget that the Church gives us these four weeks of Advent as an opportunity to prepare ourselves for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Can I suggest one way you might fit some Advent preparation into your busy schedule? Spend some time on FORMED.org, if you haven’t already signed up. Thanks to a generous benefactor, all parishes in the Archdiocese of New York are currently signed up for this online platform that provides Catholic content such as movies, E-books, audio talks, Bible studies, and more! There is an Advent study, as well as a new program on the Sacrament of Confession, called Forgiven. I especially encourage you to watch this and prepare for our Archdiocesan-wide Reconciliation Monday on December 19. FORMED.org is a website that you log into with a parish access code that allows you to view all the content. This means that you can view this great Catholic material anywhere you have internet access. All you need to do is enter the access code that your parish has provided. I know most parishes put this information in their bulletin and on their website, but if you do not know your access code, please email [email protected] and include your name and home parish to receive it. Whether it is an activity at your parish or sitting down at home to watch something on FORMED.org, the season of Advent is an opportunity to receive many graces and keep our focus on what really matters. We just celebrated Thanksgiving, and it is good for us to show our gratitude to God by spending some time reflecting on His great act of love – sending us His Son to be our Savior. Faithfully in Christ, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan Archbishop of New York