Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The way our culture currently recognizes Halloween is more than scary… it is wrong. Let me attempt to clarify a few things. This week we will celebrate the Feast of All Saints, which is celebrated every November 1st. This celebration dates back to the fourth century. It was originally called the Feast of All Martyrs and it was celebrated on May 13th. The words "martyr" and "saint" originally meant basically the same thing — someone who is a witness to Christ even unto death.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our Lord has blessed St. Joan of Arc parish with some very generous parishioners who enable our parish to continue to function in wonderful ways. Specifically, your generosity has enabled our parish debt to be paid down by almost $100,000 this year… leaving us a total debt of $107,775. Our plate collection increased by $10,000 over last year and the "Debt Reduction" collection also increased by $6,000 over last year. We have seen our parish increase in the total number of parishioners but the number of families who come to Mass regularly changes dramatically depending on the time of the year. The visitors to our fish fry helped us to raise over $20,000 this year.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last week I introduced Our Lord's teaching on the Sacrament of Marriage. First and foremost, the Sacrament of Marriage is meant to be a sign of the love between God and us. Because marriage is to be a sign of love between God and us, marriage is meant to permanent throughout our lifetime. But what happens when it is not meant to be permanent? We have to look again at what Our Lord teaches us about marriage. Simply put, Jesus gave us this teaching on marriage. It is a lifelong, unbreakable union between a man and a woman. Marriage is like a mirror image of the union between God and his people which is meant to be an unbreakable union.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today Our Lord offers us His teaching on marriage. To our modern ears, the teaching from Our Lord sounds severe, even insensitive: "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery." In our current day, we find that divorce seems to be almost a normal way of dealing with conflict in a marriage. But divorce is nothing new because it was obviously around during the time Our Lord walked on the earth.

Beloved Brothers and Sisters,

We have begun the 40 Days for Life campaign across many parts of the world. During this time we unite with prayer, fasting, constant vigil and community outreach initiatives. The mission directs our hearts and minds to God in prayer to ask Him to hear us and heal us. Our peaceful and prayerful presence intersect where innocent children are viciously removed from their mother's womb, outside the abortion facility. This campaign is committed to keep a constant vigil with non-stop, round-the-clock prayer outside a single abortion facility in our community.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Lots of folks have shared with me their thoughts about Jesus and His Church. I am not sure that it matters as much what people think about Jesus or His Church. I think what matters more to Our Lord is that YOU desire to know, love and follow Him. So when asked by anyone, you can say like Peter: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our Lord is asking you a question today. I promise you that He is not having an identity crisis. Today Our Lord is asking you to respond to His most important question - “Who do you say that I am?”

In this passage for today’s Gospel, Our Lord is traveling all around with His apostles. As He encounters people along the way, He is touching their hearts and changing their lives through His teaching, healing, and working miracles.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I pray your summer was blessed and you have had a chance for some fun with family and/or friends. I find that a little rest and relaxation can really help a person to see the world and others in a better light. I want to kick off our new fiscal year with some updates on the state of our parish and our preschool.

Saint Joan of Arc Continues to Grow

As we continue to make Christ the center of our parish and the center of our hearts, we trust that we are being faithful followers of Our Lord Jesus. Our success in not measured as the world finds success. Our success is found by spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and remaining faithful to Him. It is fair to say that many folks at SJA are sharing the love of God and many parishioners are seeking to be intentional disciples.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This past March 26th, in a small town in Southern France, a terrorist in a sleeper cell activated his mission.  The terrorist killed a passenger in a car and then hijacked it.  Soon he shot at a group of police-in-training, injuring one of the officers.  He then drove to a grocery store and shouted that he was part of the Islamic State and began firing, killing the store’s butcher and a customer.

The police managed to get the terrorist to release the shoppers, except for a woman that he planned to use as a human shield for his getaway.  And in the heat of this tragic moment, something beautiful happened. 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Jesus invites us to his own supper - the Supper of the Lamb. Receiving Jesus in the Eucharistic Sacrifice is necessary for eternal life. "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."

These are strong teachings, even shocking, as Jesus indicates today. We can understand why many abandoned Him. Notice that Jesus did not say, "Come back. I only meant it symbolically." No, he asks his closest disciples, "Do you also want to leave?"

That's the question Jesus puts in front of us today: Are we ready to receive Jesus - not just spiritually, but also physically?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1Peter 4:11ff).

These words from Sacred Scripture were printed on a holy card and offered at my priesthood ordination over 22 years ago. Throughout this past year at St. Joan of Arc, these words have even more meaning now. There are so many good parishioners who sincerely love Our Lord and desire to share His love in powerful and humble ways. There so many kind and generous people in our community who live out their baptismal call to holiness in good times and in challenging times. I have been so blessed to witness inspiring acts of charity and selfless moments of giving especially when giving meant going without.

Each and every day, I have “encountered the Living Christ” through the smile and kind greeting offered by someone after Mass or at the office. But it has been particularly in the Mass that I have witnessed God’s love offered in powerful and sacrificial ways. There are some truly beautiful people who do serve one another as “good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

Pray

May a change in the U.S. Supreme Court move our nation closer to the day when every human being is protected in law and welcomed in life. Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be...

Fast

Offer a sacrifice for the intention.

Ideas for Fasting

Often, we show our love by sacrificing, by giving something up. Sacrifice, in its various forms, out of love for the Lord Jesus is a powerful action that can yield great graces. For these reasons, the bishops of the United States have encouraged Catholics to make every Friday a day of self-denial and penitential witness in memory of the Lord’s ultimate sacrifice for us.

Among the works of self-denial that the bishops have especially commended is abstinence from meat by free choice. Self-denial can also take the form of giving something up that we most enjoy, or committing ourselves to works of charity. More recently, the bishops have invited Catholics to consider fasting and abstaining from meat on Fridays out of a special concern for issues pertaining to life, marriage, and religious liberty. This is something we can all do together. Make a personal pledge to join in this very important effort.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We at St. Joan of Arc Preschool are making plans for the start of a new school year. Already the classrooms are beginning to fill up with eager students ready to learn about God and the things of God. We offer a variety of classes based on the age of your child, along with a before-care/Lunch Bunch/after-care program that extends the day from 8:00am-3:30pm for working families:

• 3-Year-olds and 2 ½-year-olds (must be potty trained) - 3-day program (Tues/Wed/Thurs) or 4-day
  program (Mon-Thurs) from 9:00am-12:00pm
• Pre-K – 4 day program (Mon-Thurs) from 9:00am-1:30pm (child must be 4 by Sept 1)
• A multi-age Friday enrichment class is available to all students on Fridays from 8:00am-12:00pm

At St. Joan of Arc Preschool, our teachers are dedicated to bringing our children closer to God. We have had a long tradition of serving the greater community by providing an excellent education for our children. We are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach (https://www.reggioalliance.org) and believe that children excel when they construct their own knowledge through investigation and play. Through the countless sacrifices of so many, these little ones are introduced to the faith thereby enabling them to “Encounter the Living Christ,” as stated in our mission: St. Joan of Arc Catholic Preschool is dedicated to providing a Christ-centered foundation for life-long learners in a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment. Please contact the school office for a personal tour or if you would like to enroll your child(ren) in the St. Joan of Arc Preschool. You can find out more information and view a virtual tour at the preschool link of www.stjoanofarc.com.