This issue of The Observer has been mailed to every registered Catholic household in the Diocese of Rockford.
 

You get an issue of The Observer around this time every year, whether you subscribe or not, for several reasons.
 

The first reason: Each year at this time it is important that the diocesan family know where their gifts go. When Catholics participate in acts of good stewardship it is only right to inform them of how those gifts are used. It is also important to let you know the spirit in which those gifts are asked for, received and utilized. This year, the message is from the Psalms; “You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.” What a beautiful expression of thanks and gratitude. Whenever I hear this particular psalm I think about how it feels to have the Lord in my life and to regularly receive Christ in the Eucharist. In my mind, the cup is my heart and what a gift it is to have it overflow with joy. To me the only thing to do with that overflow is to share it, and of course that is what stewardship is all about — a cycle of sharing that began with our Lord.
 

The second reason: You are invited to meet the church in a common place we call your diocesan newspaper … The Observer. You get this issue as a reminder of what we do every single week. In our pages we share the stories of faith, hope, charity and joy that come from the Catholic Church. We give you news, information and inspiration to keep you engaged in the life of the church in the diocese  and the church in the world — information you can sit down with and pass on to your family and friends to read. And we provide you ways to get more through social media and the Internet in between issues.
 

If you have ever thought about subscribing to The Observer, we believe the time is definitely now.
The Rockford Diocese is preparing to turn the next page in its 104–year history as we welcome our new shepherd, Bishop-elect David J. Malloy. Our new bishop will be ordained and installed to teach and guide us on May 14.
 

On May 18, Observer subscribers will get a front row seat on what happened at that solemn and joyful event. Subscribers also will get something no one else will see — a first glimpse of who our new bishop is and where he came from through interviews and personal photos.
 

Like the theme of stewardship, our cup overflows, and we invite you to share in that abundance with us. If you don’t currently subscribe, give The Observer a try so you can be a partner in the exciting history still to be written.