Our era, which we count from the birth of Jesus Christ, is approaching the year 2000. That year will be not only the milestone of a millennium, but above all the anniversary of the historical event that was the first Christmas: the birth of the Son of God to the Virgin Mary. In the light of this, Pope John Paul II has invited the Catholic Church, and indeed the whole world, to embark upon a three-year period of spiritual and moral preparation for the Great Anniversary that stands before us. The first year of this project, 1997, is dedicated to the theme of Jesus Christ - The Sacrament of Baptism. In the Encyclical "Tertio millenio adveniente" (The Approaching Third Millennium), the Holy Father writes: "Everything should be directed towards the main aim of the anniversary, the reinforcing of the faith and witness of Christians." This is an invitation for all to become better acquainted with Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of Humanity, and to fashion our present more thoroughly in the spirit of his truth and love.