Once again, it was a memorable Bright Christmas campaign! At the end of a challenging, and quite frankly, devastating year, The Tablet’s readers showed that despite the pandemic and an economic crisis, they remain truly generous. For that, we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The Bright Christmas fund received $91,882 this year. While we didn’t surpass the previous year’s amount, your donations surpassed our expectations. In a year when so many people lost loved ones, jobs, and their way of life, your donations helped many parishes and organizations throughout the diocese provide for children and families who needed it the most.

We received wonderful letters that specifically thanked the donors — our readers — for their generosity. Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, C.S.J., executive director of Hour Children, a program of prison-and community-based family services for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children, wrote:

“At this time of the year, when we reflect upon the self-emptying love of God made visible in a child, the love shared by The Tablet readers with our children and mothers inspires all of us. We are truly grateful!”

We, at The Tablet, also feel grateful and inspired by the wonderful work of Sister Tesa and so many others in the diocese — including you.