What is God’s Plan for SJA?

06-25-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am excited that we have a new group of eager parishioners for our Parish Council. One of the questions we will need to continually address as a council and as a community is: “What is God's plan for St. Joan of Arc parish? Specifically, as we look toward the 2017-2018 faith formation year, what does God want us to do?”

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The Essence of Fatherhood

06-18-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Most post-pubescent males can father a child. Fathering a child is vastly different from being a good father. So what does it take to be a good father? One this Father’s Day, I would like to address the vital role my father holds in my life and the important role of the father in the life of his family.

Of the many lessons I received from my father, his willingness to be present to our family keeps our family rooted and focused on what is essential. Running his own business could have easily consumed him and kept him away from our family. I cannot remember my dad ever missing dinner with the family. His presence wasn’t just at dinnertime. I also recall that our family was usually together on the weekends. Whether we were doing chores in the house, mowing the lawn outside or heading to the lake for some fun, it was dad, with mom at his side, leading the charge by being present.

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Diocese of Phoenix Welcomes Three New Priests

06-11-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, ordained three men to the priesthood at a special ceremony on Saturday, June 3rd, at All Saints Catholic Church.

Deacons Daniel Cruz, 31, and Timothy Seavey, 28, and Brother Anthansius Fornwalt, 32, were surrounded by hundreds of family, friends and supporters as they received Holy Orders. The average age for the Class of 2017 is 34. Since 1999, the average age of responding ordinands has decreased by approximately two months each year, from an average of 36 in 1999 to the current average age of 34.

The three men ordained for the Diocese of Phoenix are among nearly 600 others who will become Catholic priests this year throughout the United States. Four in five (75%) of these men ordained served as altar servers and about half (52 percent) report service as a lector. About seven in 10 report regularly praying the rosary (73%) and participating in Eucharistic adoration (77%) before entering the seminary.

“As priests and spiritual fathers, Fr. Cruz, Fr. Seavey and Fr. Fornwalt will continue Christ’s work of healing and redemption, bringing glad tidings to the poor, and being faithful witnesses to the Lord Jesus,” Bishop Olmsted said. “I am grateful to God for their families and others in their lives who have helped nurture their faith and their vocation to the priesthood.”

Let us continue to pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life from our parish.

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline, V.F.
Pastor

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Pentecost

06-04-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. The word ‘pentecost’ takes its name from the fact that it comes nearly fifty days after Easter. This day commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.

Pope Francis reminds us that: “The world needs men and women who are not closed in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit. Closing oneself off from the Holy Spirit means not only a lack of freedom; it is a sin. There are many ways one can close oneself off to the Holy Spirit: by selfishness for one’s own gain; by rigid legalism – seen in the attitude of the doctors of the law to whom Jesus referred as “hypocrites”; by neglect of what Jesus taught; by living the Christian life not as service to others but in the pursuit of personal interests; and in so many other ways. However, the world needs the courage, hope, faith and perseverance of Christ’s followers.”

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Taking faith into the streets…The Gift of Fortitude

05-28-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Several years ago, I was blessed to be a part of a Eucharistic Procession with nearly 10,000 people in Lourdes! I have always thought about having a Eucharistic Procession through our neighborhood streets with the parishioners of St. Joan of Arc. I wasn’t too sure about doing this at first because I preferred a quiet holy hour safely in the air-conditioned chapel as opposed to walking through streets with a monstrance with Jesus’ Eucharistic Presence under an elaborate canopy. I convinced myself that people wouldn’t understand so why do it?

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Parent’s Responsibility

05-21-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Yesterday was a busy day at St. Joan of Arc as our parish religious education children, dressed in their Sunday best, solemnly walked down the aisle of our church in order to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion. I want to congratulate them and thank all of those who prepared them over the past few years. I also thank the many people who made the liturgies so beautiful.

It is always a blessed experience for me to participate in our Confirmation/First Holy Communion Masses. Participating in these holy Masses helps me to grow and renews my relationship with Our Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit.

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The Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima The 100th Anniversary

05-14-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

May 13, 2017 is the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal.

There are so many events surrounding Our Lady of Fatima but it all began in the spring of 1916 with Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. They had their first encounter with a heavenly messenger. Writing in her memoirs, composed under obedience to the Bishop, Lucia tells of that first meeting:

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May Crowning

05-07-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This month of May is typically dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. Throughout the centuries, there has been some confusion about Mary and the role she has in our life. To be clear, Catholics believe that worship is due to God alone. So Catholics do not worship Mary. Catholics venerate Mary and in May we honor her with the May Crowing. To show our love for our Blessed Mother is appropriate because she is the Mother of God, the Mother of Our Savior.

There are many reasons to honor Our Lady in beautiful ways. She is the model of perfect love and obedience to Our Lord. We know that God preserved Mary from sin. Sacred Scripture reminds us that Mary conceived Our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. As Catholics, it makes absolute sense to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is full of grace, the Mother of God and our Mother, for her "fiat" or "yes" to God made the Incarnation possible. And without the birth of Christ, we would not have salvation.

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St Joan of Arc Parish Mission Statement

04-30-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

St. Joan of Arc Parish Mission Statement

Courageously following Christ by serving the community
through Catholic liturgy, Gospel values, charity and education.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

St. Joan of Arc Parish exists so that God’s children may develop, grow, embrace and live the faith and life of Our Lord Jesus Christ as revealed and taught by the Gospel and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

Canon 515 of the Code of Canon Law states:

“A parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful established on a stable basis within a particular church; the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan bishop.”

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Divine Mercy Sunday

04-23-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed." —Eph 2:4-5

On Divine Mercy Sunday, the focus is on the healing power of Our Lord's Mercy. Through Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, confessions, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy, we will draw special attention to God's Divine Mercy. Along with the regular Mass schedule, we will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the main church and confessions beginning at 2:00 pm. In honor of Divine Mercy there will be the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. We will conclude the octave day of Easter with Mass at 3:00pm in which we will ask for Our Lord's Divine Mercy to heal our hearts, our minds and our bodies.

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Easter and God’s Mercy

04-16-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

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!

Now we have begun the season of Easter! Last evening, at the Easter Vigil, we welcomed our newest Catholics. They stepped forward to be baptized and to be received into full communion in the Catholic Church. They received the Sacrament of Confirmation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They received the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ for the first time! They formalized their commitment to Our Lord by "turning away from sin and being faithful to the Gospel" for the rest of their lives and hopefully for all eternity.

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Holy Week

04-09-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

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.

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Life After Death Begins Now

04-02-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On this Fifth Sunday of Lent we hear about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. And today our catechumens will receive the Third Scrutiny (pre-baptismal exorcism). It contains these wonderful words: "Do not let the power of death hold them back."

There is a famous country song with the words: “Live like you were dying.” What if the doctor told you that you only had six months to live? What would you do differently?

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