Brothers and Sisters of the Diocese of Rapid City,

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones! The above image of the Holy Family was “created,” not by a human artist, but by what is now frequently called “AI,” that is, “Artificial Intelligence.” The term “artificial” suggests something not real, lacking in authenticity, or a substitute for “real thing.”

The use of AI to depict the Holy Family and, specifically, the “Word Made Flesh” at the center of it seems particularly jarring. For there is nothing more real and authentic as the Incarnation in the one and unrepeatable Child of Bethlehem, the Son of Mary, the Son of God. For it is through Jesus that all of reality makes sense and is made clear. As your new bishop, I pray that this season will be one where you experience Jesus Christ, God with Us, in a real, true, and life-changing way.

This happens no more fully than at Christmas Mass! Come with your family and experience the authentic, true and real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, the best Christmas gift of all time!

Sincerely in Christ,
+Bishop Scott Bullock