Happy Sunday!

As of September 15, 2025 a decree of appointment as pastor was granted by Bishop John Dolan. This is a weight of responsibility to carry out the duties of saving souls for Christ. The official Installation Mass will be on October 1st at 6:00pm on the memorial of Saint Therese of Lisieux. Our Sunday readings help us to reflect on the invitation of the Lord to live with open hearts, attentive to our faith and the needs of those around us.

Happy Sunday!

On this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we wish Pope Leo XIV a happy birthday! Our Holy Father uses a Papal Ferula, a staff with a cross. His Pontificate invites us to lift high the cross. The cross appears to symbolize defeat, death and sorrow, but because of our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ it is a sign of hope, healing and salvation.

Happy Sunday!

As you read this bulletin, my hope is that you are experiencing the crispness of autumn weather! Relief from the summer heat allows us to reflect on the constant motion of God in our lives and in our case hope for cooler weather. As I visit Denver this time of year I notice the changing leaves help invite us not to cling to what is fading but to prepare our hearts for what is eternal.

Happy Sunday and the last day of August!

One of the many virtues valued here at St. Joan of Arc is humility. In our readings from Sirach and Luke we get inspiration in humility. Sirach counsels, “My child, conduct your affairs with humility… Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God” (Sir 3:17-18).

Happy Sunday!

As we gather here for our Sunday worship of Almighty God, we notice a challenging and beautiful vision. People are gathered from every nation, language and walk of life. This is our church family of faith called to center our lives around the Euchartistic altar. Our Catholic faith has reached people from all directions and assures us they “will recline at table in the kingdom of God.”

Happy Sunday!

What is the cost of discipleship? Is it possible to ponder the prophet Jeremiah being lowered into a muddy cistern? This doesn't seem fair because he did no wrong, but spoke the truth of God entrusted to him. He remained faithful and was not abandoned in the pit. In fact, God raised another voice in the court official Ebed-melech to rescue Jeremiah before he could die.

There was a young mother in my parish community who was depressed due to financial strain. She prayed for help. One morning before Mass, she placed on the counter a zip-lock bag filled with jewelry and old coins. Smiling, she explained she had been fixing an old cabinet and found the items hidden deep within the walls of her home.

Happy Sunday!

As we journey together in the faith with a new month to the calendar year, the Word of God inspires us to something higher, to fix our eyes not on what is passing but on what is eternal. We are reminded of this through Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians 3:1-5, “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.”

Once I went to a hospice facility to celebrate Last Rites for an elderly dying man. His family had told me that he had been uncommunicative for days. At the conclusion of the ritual, we began to recite the Our Father prayer. To everyone’s surprise, his lips moved, clearly mouthing the words to the Lord’s prayer. Stripped of most of his faculties, the man could still pray those precious God-given petitions. A lifetime of prayer had planted the words even deeper than his failing consciousness.

Happy Sunday!

Our Blessed Lord visits the home of Martha and Mary in our gospel. Having mothers and grandmothers, we can picture them in this passage. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet listening to Him, while Martha is busy with the duties of hospitality. Martha has enough and complains to our Blessed Lord, asking Him to tell Mary to help her, but He replies that “Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.” Both actions are very good from Martha and Mary.

Happy Sunday!

Who is my neighbor? Can we honestly say we know our neighbor? Recently I was brave enough to introduce myself to my new neighbors across the street. I was opportunistic in the introduction because the family was outside unpacking and moving into their new home. It was a cordial encounter and now every time we leave the house we have a wave and I pray for them. If only this came easy for many people, then life would be a community of believers that know each other.

Happy Sunday!

Today you may have noticed the red priest and deacon vestments at Mass. This is because we are offering a Votive Mass dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. The feast was established while Pope Pius IX was in exile during the Italian War in 1849. This particular devotion was suggested to invoke the heavenly aid of God to end the war and bring peace in Rome. Shortly after declaring the feast, the war ended.