Happy Mother’s Day!

On this second Sunday in May, we observe a short day to honor and pray for our mothers. I love the tradition of processing into the church with our Blessed Mother Mary and allowing our own mothers of the parish to follow her and ask for her intercession. Today is special because this is a time to give thanks to God for the gift of human life.

Happy Easter!

On May 3rd we celebrated the First Holy Communion and Confirmation Mass with so many of our children here at the parish. Many years of preparation and growing in the faith are a necessary completion of baptismal grace. “For by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.” (Catechism 1285)

Happy Easter!

Hope and pray the Easter season is going well in contemplating the Resurrection of our Lord! This Wednesday is the memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker and on this day we will have the May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary after our 8:30 am daily Mass. There will be a prayer of blessing and crowning of beautiful blossoms representing Mary's beauty and virtue. To further add to our love for mother, the Our Lady of Grace statue will be present throughout the month of May near the sanctuary.

Recently I was with my little dog Libby at a retreat center in the Arizona desert. I sat in a chair near a ravine filled with shrubs. Unbeknownst to me, Libby wandered down there and disappeared. Suddenly an animal’s wild shriek erupted from the area. Without thinking, I bolted down into the ravine fully expecting to see coyotes, javelinas, or rattlesnakes. I didn’t care. I desperately wanted to get Libby out of there, without any self-regard. Before I could face whatever danger lay hidden, my dog blissfully trotted out from an entirely different area, utterly unaware that I had (quite heroically) just placed my life on the line.

Happy Easter!

One memory from the Easter celebration as a child comes from the “new fire” of the Easter Vigil. So much precaution was taken that our local fire department was on standby. This large bonfire served its purpose by dispelling the darkness and lighting up the night. This “new fire” then becomes the source of light for the central and symbolic Paschal Candle because it represents the risen Lord in His glory. Our paschal candle will be lit throughout the Easter season until Pentecost.

Happy Palm Sunday!

As we enter into Holy Week with the solemn procession of Palm Sunday, I want to update you on the status of the beautiful artwork for our church that has been in process. In a previous update, the two large paintings of St. Joan of Arc were scheduled to be installed before Easter, and the rest of the artwork sometime soon after Easter. I need to inform you that our timeline will have to change due to some unfortunate circumstances.

A middle-aged woman sat on the couch in my parish office and recounted to me a shocking list of terrible calamities in her life: addictions, terminal illnesses, financial loss, broken relationships, and so on. She smiled as she did so. “Please forgive me,” I asked, “but you seem to be smiling as you share this.” She said, “Father John, I am totally overwhelmed. But I’m smiling because I just can’t wait to see what good things God does with this mess.” She expected God would manifest His glory when she most needed it.

Happy Lent!

This week we celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Joseph on March 19th! To further add to his honor, the entire month of March is dedicated to him. Pope Leo XIII writes: “The special motives for which St. Joseph has been proclaimed Patron of the Church, and from which the Church looks for singular benefit from his patronage and protection, are that Joseph was the spouse of Mary and that he was reputed the Father of Jesus Christ. From these sources have sprung his dignity, his holiness, his glory.” Ask for his intercession for your families, for fathers and a good model for young men to follow. Here is a prayer from Pope Leo XIII to pray with the family:

Happy Lent!

This penitential season contains so many blessings in the ordinary life of the church. Several members of our community will receive some attention and many blessings. Beginning the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays in lent you will notice the newly “Elect” receive three successive rites called “the Scrutinies.” The themes connect closely with the Gospel readings for Mass on Sunday.