Happy Sunday!
Around this time of year I am often asked: Is it okay to celebrate Halloween? The short answer is yes, it is a Catholic Holy Day of obligation. The word "Halloween" comes from a combination of two words in the English language's history. The word "hallow" means "holy" while the word "e'en" represents a shortening of the word "evening." The word "hallows" means "holy ones" or "saints." Thus "Hallow-e'en" or "Hallows' Eve" refers to "The Eve of All Saints."
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In anticipation of the month of November which is dedicated to the poor souls in purgatory, a special Mass for your deceased loved ones will be offered. Available now in the narthex is the Book of the Dead. Please write the names of your loved ones to be remembered next month at the All Souls Candlelight Mass on November 2 at 6:00pm. All are invited to partake in this transcendent and beautiful offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in this particular way.
At each Mass, the priest remembers our beloved dead and asks God to grant them a place of happiness, light and peace. We apply a particular intention for living or deceased members of our family. The Church on All Souls day offers us a special maternal care that does not permit us to forget the poor souls in purgatory but rather comes to their aid through her powerful intercession.
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Do you ever have time to quiet yourself and spend time in prayer? With all the busy schedules with school, work and at home activities, so many people struggle to find time for silent prayer. The early morning before the kids wake up may be your only moment to pray before all the preparations of the day begin. Others may have a Holy Hour before the Blessed Lord in the middle of the night or during the day. Regardless of your prayer life, any moment in prayer offers us so much more than what the world has to offer us.
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The month of October finds our parish of Saint Joan of Arc very active and busy throughout the week. Everyday I thank God for the many blessings our parish offers in growing in holiness. For the past several Sundays we have been hearing about the vineyard our Blessed Lord speaks about in the Gospel of Matthew. When you look around our parish, the vineyard is where God’s people interact. This reminds me of our active parish of all ages. The first reading from Isaiah speaks of “friend” which is literally translated as “my beloved” and in Hebrew dowdi or didi.
READ MOREArizona. October is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, which is commemorated on October 7th. Pope Saint Pius V attributed this naval victory in Lepanto which saved Europe from the invasion of the Turks in the 16th century. With all the chaos in the world occurring, our Lady can help us in small victories at home. My heart is moved with gratitude when I visit families in the home and I stay for the family rosary. Please continue to pray with your families everyday and trust in the powerful intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary!
READ MOREOnce I gave my three-year-old niece a certain toy for Christmas. When she opened it, she was happy. Shortly thereafter her five-year old sister opened another present from me: the same toy, along with some play jewelry. The three-year-old cried out: “That’s not fair! Why’d she get the jewelry, too?!”READ MORE
Happy Sunday!
Praise to you O Lord for a wonderful and blessed community of Saint Joan of Arc parish. My heart is filled with gratitude with the over 40 ministries our family has to offer. Thank you to our staff and volunteers for making our Ministries Fair a success.
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This past May I led a pilgrimage to Mexico to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Toribio Romo, Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio and the area of the Mexican martyrs in Guanajuato, Guadalajara & Sahuayo. It was on May 3 when I discovered the celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated in Mexico instead of September 14.
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One of the many blessings at our parish home is the wonderful VOLUNTEERS! This week we pause for a brief moment to say THANK YOU and celebrate the service many provide behind the scenes. We are so grateful for our founding members who have given hours of time, love and energy in various ways. We at Saint Joan of Arc parish are a grateful community and want to honor you on the Feast of the Birth of Mary on September 8th with a special gathering of food and fellowship.
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One of the greatest treasures of our parish is the presence of our Eucharistic and Adorable Jesus in our Saint Katharine Drexel Chapel for us to be in His presence and pray. What a loving and generous act of our Blessed Lord to console and strengthen us in our faith. The Imitation of Christ describes: “When Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult. When He is absent all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all other comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings great consolation” (Book II Chapter 8).
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You may have noticed our beautiful flower arrangements near the altar at Mass during the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary last week. Thanks to the Little Flower Ministry of young ladies dedicating their service to the Lord with altar arrangements and preparations for the Holy Mass for beautifying our sanctuary. The flowers help us be reminded of God’s creation and beautiful skillset of his handiwork.
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When we hear about Holy days of obligation, many thoughts come to mind. Routines experience an inconvenient schedule during the week, a guilty conscience weighs heavy on us and now we have to plan to attend Mass because the Catholic Church said so. As grateful Catholic sons and daughters of the Church, we receive these Holy Days of obligation as an extension of Sunday, the Lord’s day. With their richness and beauty of how they direct our hearts and minds to contemplate the goodness of the Lord, we want to be part of those celebrations.
READ MOREHappy Feast of the Transfiguration!
The extremely hot July has passed us and we are another month closer to cooler weather which means more outdoor activities such as hiking. One of my favorite outdoor activities are hikes around the valley and northern Arizona. The feast of the Transfiguration reminds me of the ascent of a mountain. We spend time conditioning ourselves, preparing food and water to make such a climb. The focus is always the summit and we do not distract ourselves with what we have already done. In fact, one continuous step at a time allows the efforts of our climb to reach the summit.
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