Happy Sunday!

This Sunday we are celebrating our patronal feast. St. Joan of Arc’s feast day is on May 30. Because she is our patron we are allowed to move it to be celebrated on the closest Sunday. However, since we have been in the Easter season and then had major feasts, this is the first Sunday available. Therefore, this Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of St. Joan of Arc. This means if you follow along with the readings in the Magnificat, Daily Roman Missal, or other book the readings won’t match. If you are looking for something to read about the life of St. Joan of Arc I recommend Mark Twain’s biography “Joan of Arc” or Regine Pernoud’s “Joan of Arc: Her Story”.

Happy Sunday!

This Sunday there is much to celebrate. The Church unites in celebrating the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus, or Corpus Christi Sunday. The weeks following the Easter Season are filled with wonderful celebrations of the mysteries of our faith. Today we reflect on the Holy Eucharist, the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Maybe you have seen the polls that say that over 50% of practicing Catholics do not believe in the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This is astounding!

Happy Trinity Sunday!

We give thanks to God for our new priests in the Diocese of Phoenix, Fr. John of the Cross, Fr. Marvin Soto, Fr. Anthony Dang, and our very own Fr. Harold Escarcega. Fr. Harold celebrated his first Mass of Thanksgiving last Sunday. It was a beautiful liturgy with the readings being sung and additional members present to help support our choir. Fr. Harold will begin his first priestly assignment in July at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. Please keep him and all the new priests in your prayers.

Hello,

If Christmas and Easter celebrate the great mysteries of Christ, then Pentecost celebrates the great mystery of the Church. Some people call Pentecost the birthday of the Church. It was that day when the Holy Spirit came upon the gathering of believers and sent the apostles out into the streets to proclaim the Good News. It was that day when the gathering of believers were gifted with the power of God to carry out the mission with which they had been charged. They became the Church, the instrument of God on earth through which he would call all people into unity and new life.

Hello,

The Ascension is the completion of the Resurrection. When Jesus rose from the dead, He rose up, and now in the Ascension He continues that action, He rises further upward. In fact, He rises all the way to the right hand of God the Father. When we see that the Ascension completes what began at the Resurrection, then it makes a bit more sense. Then also we can see its meaning and the great hope that it holds out to us. Just as Jesus rose from the dead and went up to God, so shall we who have been baptized. In the Ascension, we see the model of our own salvation, which we wait for in hope.

Happy Sunday!

Congratulations to our newly confirmed and to all those who received their First Communion. This past Friday we had our First Communion and Confirmation Mass in English and the Friday before we had it in Spanish. I am very grateful to all of our catechists who made this such a splendid year. We have such a great team of catechists and volunteers who make everything run so smoothly. I want to offer a special word of gratitude to Laura Gallant, our Coordinator of Religious Education. This was her first year in the position and she did a wonderful job supporting our families, catechists, volunteers, and all the children who received Sacraments this year. Thank you Laura!

Happy Sunday!

This Sunday we have another short yet powerful Gospel reading. Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” How profoundly simply is this new commandment that Jesus gives the disciples. “Love one another.” There are no conditions, just a blanket command to love. Jesus tells us that we are to love as he has loved us. How has he loved us? By dying for us while we were still sinners. He did not wait for us to understand everything perfectly. He died for us knowing that we would still, at times, choose sin. Likewise, we are not to wait until we have assurance that someone won’t turn against us. We are called to love one another even if we are not loved in return.

Happy Sunday! And Happy Mother’s Day!

I hope that this day is one filled with many blessings for all of the mothers in our parish. During this month of May, a month of Mary, we entrust our whole parish, but in a special way all mothers to the protection and guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Luke tells us twice in the beginning of the Gospel he wrote that Mary would ponder the events of her life in her heart. She constantly kept a contemplative spirit and would bring to the Lord everything happening concerning herself and her Son. She is an example for all Christians and in a special way mothers, who always hold their children very dear to their hearts.

Hello,

We are now in the season of Easter and will be for several weeks. Then comes the Ascension and Pentecost and then after that Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi. There are many great celebrations ahead of us this year before summer settles in. The liturgical year is just so rich. I encourage you to look ahead at your calendars and maybe plan something nice for those days. Just as at Easter, the family celebrations that go along with the liturgical celebrations add to our experience of God’s goodness to us. But for now it is Easter.

As we complete the Octave of Easter the Church invites us to dive into the great mystery of God’s unfathomable mercy. It was St. John Paul II who said, “Where, if not in the Divine Mercy, can the world find refuge and the light of hope?” We too are aware of the great storms of our society and world. There is a constant tension in the world in the midst of political instabilities, violence, hatred, and much more. And yet, it is in the Divine Mercy that we find refuge and hope. We seek protection under the great goodness of God who can take on the sinfulness of mankind and offer healing and forgiveness.

Happy Easter!

Jesus Christ is risen! A very happy Easter to each and everyone of you. This is the great solemnity that follows upon the 40 days of Lent and begins the 50 days of the Easter season. We spent 40 days preparing ourselves through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Now the Church invites us to celebrate for 50 days in the joy of the risen Lord.

Happy Palm Sunday!

Holy Week is upon as we celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend. Mass begins outside with the blessing of palms and procession into the church. The movements are important for us. We do not merely go through the motions and walk in like any other Sunday. Rather, we are among the crowd who sing “Hosanna” as Jesus entered Jerusalem the week before His Passion.

Happy Sunday!

I pray everyone has had a good week. Thanks to all of our volunteers for another wonderful Fish Fry! If you haven’t had a chance to join us yet this Lent, next Friday will be our last Fish Fry of the season. Please come on by and grab a plate of our wonderful food prepared by your fellow parishioners. It is always a wonderful time and a good chance to connect with people outside of Mass.