Dear Brother Bishops, Dear brothers and sisters! Today, fifty years from the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, we begin with great joy the Year of Faith. I am delighted to greet all of you, particularly His Holiness Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople, and His Grace Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. A special greeting goes to the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches, and to the Presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences. ...

Dear Brothers and Sisters, His Holiness Pope Benedict the XVI has given the Catholic world an enormous gift in declaring a Year of Faith beginning October 11. This date coincides with both the 50th anniversary of the calling of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. My fervent hope is that our celebration of the Year of Faith will unite us with Catholics on every continent in proclaiming Christ “in whom we have believed.” (2 Timothy 1:12)

The Year of Faith commences on October 11, 2012, as called by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and will continue through November 24, 2013. Below, you will find the “Bucket List”, a list of Catholic activities and opportunities that will hopefully inspire us, and maybe even challenge us, to grow in our Catholic faith during this Year of Faith.

In leading us into the Year of Faith, which began October 11, Pope Benedict calls on each of us as believers to “rediscover [God’s] joy,” to “radiate [God’s] word,” and to make our Christian witness “frank and contagious.”

Vatican City, Oct 11, 2012 / 09:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI opened the Year of Faith in Rome with a call for a new evangelization rooted in an authentic interpretation of the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

There’s a lot of great ways to engage in the Year of Faith. One of them is reading. Often times, folks don’t know where to begin when it comes to what books to read. So I found a few lists from holy teachers and compiled them together for your benefit.

May 10, 2013 - When the Year of Faith was announced, Bishops across the world were encouraged to enrich their diocesan celebrations by including multiple opportunities to obtain plenary indulgences. The faithful in the Diocese of Tulsa have two such opportunities coming up on Trinity Sunday, May 26.

Washington D.C., Dec 9, 2012 / 04:05 pm (CNA).- By working to enrich their prayer lives, Catholics can grow closer to Christ and more deeply live out the Year of Faith, said the U.S. bishops' leader on matters of evangelization.

WASHINGTON—As the Catholic Church celebrates the Year of Faith, the U.S. bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth is providing resources for families, including tips for keeping Sundays holy and centered on family, prayers and devotionals for the family, and ideas for building the presence of the Church in the home.

Vatican City, Oct 12, 2012 / 10:37 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI says there is no contradiction between a desire to uphold the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church and continuously working to update how those beliefs are understood and presented to the world.

Washington D.C., Oct 9, 2012 / 12:03 pm (CNA).- The head of the U.S. bishops' catechesis and evangelization committee has called upon Catholics to draw closer to Christ by deepening their understanding of the sacraments during the Year of Faith.

Today on Register Radio, Diocese of Green Bay Bishop David Ricken spoke about ways we might participate in the Church's upcoming Year of Faith, which begins on October 11.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The dialogue between faith and science will take center stage during the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization, when a Nobel Prize-winning microbiologist addresses some 250 bishops from around the world.

Loreto, Italy, Oct 4, 2012 / 11:48 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI made a one-day pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Loreto in Italy to entrust the forthcoming Synod of Bishops and Year of Faith to the Virgin Mary.

Yeah, I know, indulgences have gotten a bad rap, thanks to past-abuse in our history, and myths do abound, but an indulgence is a good thing, and something that helps Catholics pursue active devotions and grow in understanding and piety. I’m really happy to read that the Vatican has decreed a plenary indugence for the Year of Faith: