While the month of May is specifically dedicated to Our Blessed Mother, almost every month the Church celebrates a special feast day in her honor. On August 15, the Church gives us the great Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. We celebrate the fact that Mary was “assumed” or physically taken up into Heaven, not only her soul, but her human body as well. Jesus ascended into Heaven on His own power with His glorified and resurrected body and took His place “at the right hand of the Father”. As the world starts to look forward to the end of summer and the coming of another harvest season, the Church wants us to remember that at the end of Mary’s earthly life, her soul was reunited with her body, and she was taken up into Heaven with this glorified body to dwell forever in new life in the Kingdom of her Son.

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 & 2 ½ year olds (must be potty trained) - 3 day program (Tues/Wed/Th) or
  4 day program (Mon-Thurs) from 9:00am-12:00pm.
• Jr. Pre K – 3 day program (Tues/Wed/Th) or 4 day program (Mon - Thurs) from 9:00am-12:00pm. Child must be 4 by 12/31.
• Pre K – 4 day program (M-Th) from 9:00am-1:30pm. Your child must be 4 by 9/1.
• A multi-age Friday Enrichment class is available to all students on Fridays from 9:00am-12:00pm.

What is Parish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration? Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is a Eucharistic devotion whereby members of a Parish (or some other entity) unite in making continuous adoration before the Most Blessed Sacrament (in most cases, exposed) throughout the twenty-four hours of the day, seven days a week.

Is Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration the only type of Eucharistic adoration apart from the Mass? No. There are several other forms. However, a most popular and grace-laden program is the full-time, permanent adoration of Our Lord exposed in a monstrance in which adorers commit themselves to at least one assigned hour each week.

Why is it necessary to have permanent exposition? People are far more appreciative of exposition and will thus be more responsible in keeping their Holy Hour with Our Lord. What more wonderful way to witness to our belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament than by faithful attendance at a weekly hour of Adoration. A prayerful, silent yet quite clear profession of faith. Never forgetting the words of Our Lord when He gave His Eucharistic discourse. "Indeed, this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son and believes in Him, shall have eternal life. Him will I raise up on the last day." (John 6:40)

What is another good reason for establishing Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration? To provide an easy, attractive and practical way of rendering God adoration, thanksgiving, reparation and petition.

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.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

My family has always enjoyed the 4th of July. It is a day when we get together as a family to enjoy quality time swimming, grilling, and watching the fireworks. Typically, Americans understand this day as a day to celebrate our Independence. The freedom we celebrate as Americans was won (and is maintained) by the sacrifice of many lives. Sadly, many have misunderstood and even abused the freedom we enjoy. I believe this abuse stems from the erroneous understanding that our freedom is a total freedom; a freedom that believes that a person does not need God.

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?”

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.

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

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.”

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?

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.

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:

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.