This Christmas finds the Register hurting but hopeful. See my special message on page B4 for more on that.

Here’s the thing: Our fight for survival grew more acute in a year that saw Pope Benedict repeatedly exhorting the Catholic press.

In May he sent a special message to the Catholic Media Convention in Toronto. In October he met with a group of journalists in a private audience at the Vatican.

And in November he commented on the indispensability of the Catholic press to members of the Italian Federation of Italian Weeklies. The communications media, he said, are “called to serve the truth with courage, to help public opinion see and read reality from a Gospel viewpoint. ... Catholic newspapers not only fulfill the important task of providing information, but also perform an irreplaceable formative function” in the education of “critical and Christian consciences.”

We like to think the timing — the juxtaposition of our heightened struggles in 2010 with the Holy Father’s encouragements specifically to Catholic journalists — is a sign of God’s providence.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we renew our hope for God’s blessing on the National Catholic Register, our donors and our readers. Grace to you and peace!

God’s will be done!