NEW YORK. The saints can sometimes seem like lofty, unrelatable figures. It’s rare to find contemporary examples of sanctity, and rarer still to find models of heroic virtue among the young.

There has been an effort in recent decades to promote the canonization of individuals from various walks of life. Yet the majority of those so recognized continue to be drawn from the clergy or the religious orders.

Here are the parish Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas schedules for parishes within the Diocese of Colorado Springs.

VATICAN CITY. For centuries a feature of holy year celebrations has been the indulgence, which the church describes as a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for their sins.

During the Holy Year 2025, which will open at the Vatican Dec. 24 and close Jan. 6, 2026, Catholics can earn a Jubilee Indulgence by passing through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica, fasting for one day of the week from “futile distractions” such as social media and working to defend human life or assist migrants and refugees.

COLORADO SPRINGS. In the past year, Catholic Charities agencies across the nation served more than 30 million meals to vulnerable people at risk of hunger — at food pantries and congregate dining settings, in summer and afterschool programs for children, and to seniors in affordable housing communities. Food and nutrition programs are often the gateway for clients to be assessed for and receive other necessary services from a Catholic Charities agency. 

VATICAN CITY. The Vatican has clarified that Catholics in the United States must still attend Mass on holy days of obligation even when they are transferred to Mondays or Saturdays, correcting a long-standing practice in the U.S. Church but causing some short-term disparities in the way the rule is applied.