All Saints vs. Halloween

10-29-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The way our culture currently recognizes Halloween is more than scary… it is wrong. Let me attempt to clarify a few things. This week we will celebrate the Feast of All Saints, which is celebrated every November 1st. This celebration dates back to the fourth century. It was originally called the Feast of All Martyrs and it was celebrated on May 13th. The words “martyr” and “saint” originally meant basically the same thing — someone who is a witness to Christ even unto death.

The early Christians usually placed the body of the martyr, someone who had been killed for the faith, in a tomb that was easily accessible. Then on the anniversary of that martyr’s death, the faithful would come and pray and celebrate the Eucharist on or near the tomb of this Christian hero or heroine. That is why many altars have a relic of a saint located in the altar. Eventually, these celebrations were held in local churches to commemorate not just one martyr, but all who had given their lives for the faith. By the fifth century, this feast of “All Saints” was held on the Friday of Easter week.

In the ninth century, Pope Gregory the IV changed the date to November 1st. In 1484 Pope Sixtus IV established November 1st as a holy day of obligation. Those Christians who endured torture for the faith, but did not die, were treated with great respect. Therefore, their local church honored those who led heroic and faithful lives as saints after their deaths.

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SJA Financial Report 2017

10-22-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our Lord has blessed St. Joan of Arc parish with some very generous parishioners who enable our parish to continue to function in wonderful ways. Specifically, your generosity has enabled our parish debt to be paid down $83,918 in one year… leaving us a debt of $206,862. Unfortunately, our plate collection and the “Save Our Parish” collections have both decreased a bit this year. The good news is that we have been able to cut back in other areas of spending so as to avoid financial loss. We have seen our parish increase in the total number of parishioners but the number of families who come to Mass regularly changes dramatically depending on the time of the year. The visitors to our fish fry helped us to profit over $20,000 from the fish fry this year.

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Planned Parenthood Closing

10-15-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

After nearly seven years of prayer, fasting, and a powerful Christian witness by Respect Life groups from several parishes coupled with the faithful presence of the Knights of Columbus every Tuesday night, the Planned Parenthood office on 32nd Street and Thunderbird has officially closed its doors. The hours of standing in the hot sun; hearing the insults of passersby; resisting the temptations to give up, all speak to the grit of the prayer warriors who fought the good fight… and won! Yes, it is only one victorious battle in the war against the unborn but it is one victory. But, as a result of this particular Planned Parenthood closing its doors, abortions will cease to be offered in our neighborhood and lives will be saved.

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The Care of the Elderly

10-08-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is a wonderful blessing to be able to serve you as your priest. I get to meet so many people from so many different walks of life. Today I want to share what a great blessing it is to have so many wonderful seniors in our parish who are so dedicated to Our Lord. Your presence blesses us all. You deserve our prayers, our respect, and our love. I am grateful for all those who have sacrificed so much to make St. Joan of Arc such an incredible place. Your dedication and desire to be a part the life of our parish is inspirational and will hopefully motivate generations to come to do their part and to make a positive difference in our world.

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Respect Life Sunday/Month

10-01-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I was blessed to travel with a priest as well as Deacon Peter and his wife to Hawaii for summer vacation. My friend was able to arrange one day for us on the Island of Molokai where St. Damien De Veuster and St. Marianne Cope ministered to lepers. Twelve people afflicted with Leprosy or Hansen’s disease who are now cured remain on the Island. If I had to guess, they prefer to be hidden from the world after being treated so harshly when diagnosed.

Normally, people refuse to touch lepers for fear that they will contract leprosy themselves. But Father Damien was different. He would hug those with leprosy and hold their hands to make them feel better and in the process restored their sense of human dignity. The lepers realized that Damien didn't care what they looked like or if they were sick. He saw them for what they truly were-Children of God.

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