Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Pope Francis added an additional Marian day to the Roman Calendar that will occur on a fixed date every year.  It is called the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, or B. Mariæ Virginis, Ecclesiæ Matris.  The Memorial occurs on the Monday following Pentecost Sunday.

Why did Pope Francis add this the Roman Calendar? The Holy Father wishes to promote this devotion in order to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety."

My Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

As missionary disciples, we are witnesses to Jesus not only to our community, but to our brothers and sisters of tomorrow. We are tasked by God, as every generation is, to be good stewards of the gifts that God has given us for both the present and the future.

Many of us have experienced the beauty of the church in our local parishes, Catholic Schools or in the ministries of the Diocese. All of these were brought forth by the sacrifice, generosity, and love of generations before us.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Several years ago, as I hiked 125 miles along the Camino in Spain, I came across a vandalized STOP sign.  In addition to STOP, someone added complaining.  My friend,  Fr. Richard, took a picture and sent me a copy.  With this one photo, he challenged me to check my attitude.  How do I deal with things when things don’t go my way? How do I deal with hot weather, scandals and frustrating politics, along with the regular challenges of daily life?

I was reminded of this STOP sign when I read from the Book of Exodus during Lent.  It is  stunning how the Israelites complain during the exodus. As God liberates them from Egyptian bondage, they are so forgetful. Israel’s response to their deliverance is not praise and trust. Instead, they are grumbling, complaining and quarreling.  

"And so with provident pastoral sensitivity and in order to impress deeply on the souls of the faithful these precepts and teachings of the Christian faith, the Supreme Pontiff, John Paul II, moved by the consideration of the Father of Mercy, has willed that the Second Sunday of Easter be dedicated to recalling with special devotion these gifts of grace and gave this Sunday the name, "Divine Mercy Sunday" (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Decree Misericors et miserator, 5 May 2000).

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Happy Easter to all of you and a special welcome to all of our visitors! I pray as you celebrate Easter Mass with us you may come to know the peace of God in your hearts now and always. You are always welcome to come and to thank God for His many blessings most especially His Son who has risen from the dead!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Welcome to Holy Week! Today we begin the holiest week of the year for the Catholic Church. This week the Church commemorates Christ’s death and burial. Ancient writers called this the Great or Holy Week of Our Lord’s Passion. The custom of keeping the Holy Week goes all the way back to the time of the Apostles. When the early Christians spoke about Jesus to others, they started with the Passion of Our Lord. Scholars believe that the Passion of Our Lord spread before the other parts of the Gospel were even written down. The Passion of Our Lord is really the starting point for building our relationship with Jesus.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Church will be celebrating the Solemnity of St. Joseph this Monday, March 19th. St. Joseph is known as the foster father of Jesus and the husband of Mary. Besides tomorrow’s feast, he is also honored on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1.

My middle name is Joseph and I consider him to be my patron. It may be easy to forget about the humble man of God because of his few appearances throughout the Bible. But his special role in Jesus’ life can really be a great source of inspiration and strength for us. I ask for his intercession every day. I pray to him for those who need jobs, for the dying, (he is the patron of a happy death), for fathers and for purity.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The foundational call of Christians to charity is a frequent theme of the Gospels. During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on "almsgiving," which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. As one of the three pillars of Lenten practice, almsgiving is "a witness to fraternal charity" and "a work of justice pleasing to God." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2462).

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“Fasting gives birth to prophets and strengthens the powerful; fasting makes lawgivers wise. Fasting is a good safeguard for the soul, a steadfast companion for the body, a weapon for the valiant, and a gymnasium for athletes. Fasting repels temptations, anoints unto piety; it is the comrade of watchfulness and the artificer of chastity. In war it fights bravely, in peace it teaches stillness. “– St. Basil the Great

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Prayer is one of the pillars of the Lenten Season. This is why we encourage prayer disciplines specific to Lent. One of those devotions is the Stations of the Cross.

The Stations of the Cross originated in the late 4th Century when pilgrims flocked to the Holy Land to visit the places where Jesus lived and walked. Topping the list of places they visited was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Built by the Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century, it houses the empty tomb of Jesus.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Many people suffer from a troubled conscience. So what is the remedy? Can we actually ask God to give us a new heart? I have had conversations that sound a lot like this one. “I am simply confused…and scared…I do not want to go to hell, and I have worried about this and felt hopeless for long enough. Is it a Mortal Sin to… (you fill in the blank)? I have felt worthless and beat myself up over this issue for a long time now and I would just like some peace but I feel so guilty. I know God forgives me by I still feel awful.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Lenten Season begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2018. On Ash Wednesday, St. Joan of Arc parish will offer a 6:30am Mass, 8:30am Mass, a 12:00pm Liturgy of the Word and 6:00pm Mass in Spanish. Everyone who comes to Mass or the noonday Liturgy of the Word will receive ashes on their foreheads. The symbolism is powerful. The ashes are reminders that each one of us came from dust and will return to dust one day. The ashes on our foreheads are in the shape of a cross. Wearing this sign on our foreheads proclaims to others "I live for Christ".

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

People are sometimes curious about what I do all day. Fair question. People are also surprised when I tell them that among my priestly duties, not a week goes by that I don’t come in contact with multiple parishioners who have been afflicted with an addiction.