As a boy growing up in his native Washington, D.C., Aloysius Schwartz dreamed of becoming a missionary priest and serving the poor.

Just as the sun rose on Jan. 22, thousands of Catholic teenagers and young adults from across the country poured into the Verizon Center to meet other pro-lifers, pray for the unborn and celebrate the joy of being alive at the 20^th annual Youth Rally & Mass for Life sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington. Many, like Kansas City high schooler Megan Holzmeister, found that the combination of prayer, song and celebration kept them wide-awake in the early morning hours. “The atmosphere is amazing,” she said. “With all the young kids, it keeps it fun and upbeat, and it’s a great a opportunity to meet people.”

Early Saturday morning, January 10, Msgr. John Macfarlane of St. Elizabeth Parish in Rockville was working in his office when he smelled smoke coming from the outside. He quickly called the fire department to quell the flames that damaged about one fourth of the parish office building. Due to the extreme cold, one firefighter was injured slipping on ice at the scene, but the fire harmed no one else. 

For Washington Capitals hockey fans, Jan. 1, 2015 will always be remembered as the day Troy Brouwer scored a goal within seconds of the final horn, winning the Winter Classic 3-2 against the Chicago Blackhawks in a rink set up on the field of Nationals Park. For Catholics, Jan. 1 is remembered as the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, which inspired St. Vincent de Paul Parish, which has a stone church just a block away from the stadium, to host a Mass before the match for Catholic game-goers.