The month of May and December are like dustpans (an analogy for those of you who remember and know what a dustpan is.)

It seems like that to me because these two months are a whirlwind of activity and we get frenetic in our attempt to sweep as much as we possibly can into one month before we allow the dust to settle and build again in the ensuing six months.

We are all familiar with December’s crazy schedule of Christmas duties, parties and prayer.

But, more than December, May is uniquely  crazy with its combination of activity and transitional moments with everyone trying to dust-up and clear the way for the summer months. The schools are usually wrapping up their curriculums by assigning projects, scheduling final exams and showcasing the culmination of the year’s accomplishments through chorus and band concerts, theatre presentations, student art shows and achievement award nights. In between all the academics there are the track and field games, soccer and baseball.

And let’s not forget about the graduation ceremonies that are held for everyone from preschool to college and all the parties that go along with them. In parishes, everyone gets busy preparing for first Communion and confirmation, May crownings and all the end of the year activities for parish religious ed programs and the beginning of Vacation Bible School. And just in case that wasn’t enough, there’s always Mother’s Day and Memorial Day to add to the full schedule.

However all these spring activities seem to position May as not only a dust-up month, but also one of transition. For our first communicants, there is the transition into a fuller life in the church through the Eucharist. For the confirmands, they transition into the new responsibility of being adult Catholics.  For high school students, there is preparation for graduation and all the big decisions that come with what college to attend and which course of study to pursue. For college grads it’s all about what comes next in life.

And let’s not forget about our transitional deacons and new priests who are preparing for ordination and the new life which they have been called to enter.

I like to think that in the midst of all this activity, The Observer can be your calm, happy place — your eye in the storm of activity that gives some voice and understanding to those transitions which sweep through our lives.  I offer to you that the pages of The Observer are a great receptacle for all the important milestones swept into the month of May.

In this issue I hope you make time to read about how our local church helps some of the students caught in the flurry of finals week at Northern Illinois University. That story on pages 1 and 6 gives you the student perspective, not ours, on how important parish outreach is, the impact it has and how it is appreciated.  For those that donate to the Diocesan Annual Appeal and to the Newman Catholic Student Center, the students voices should be especially powerful.

And nowhere else will you hear from cancer survivors and how important our Rockford Catholic hospital is in their transition from sickness to health. Students crowning Mary, making the transition from Catholic high school to college and students making a difference are all part of our news package you can’t get from the internet or the secular news. And speaking of big transitions, look at the list of new pastoral assignments on page 1 and 3. And all those things I have mentioned here are just in this week’s issue!

In the next few weeks, you will get to read up on the new pastors, hear from and see photos of some milestone moments in our Catholic high schools and from our new priests as they are ordained on June 4.

We like that the dust of our busy month of May all settles here. Above the din of all the activity that comes into your life, you can spend a little time with Bishop Malloy and Pope Francis (on page 2) and take a break from  all the busyness.  Let our stories and voices help assure you that God is with you in every storm of activity, every calm and every transition, happy or not.