Dear Brothers and Sisters,

St. Joan of Arc celebrated the sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation for over 100 of our parishioners last weekend. We congratulate them and their families. Their hard work and many sacrifices helped to make this day so special. I am grateful to all the catechists, their aides, and especially the parents for bringing so many closer to Our Lord. I also want to thank Michael and Claudia for their wonderful work.

The truth about abortion is repugnant and abhorrent. It is therefore not easy and requires courage to speak out about abortion. However, as Catholics, we must boldly speak the truth and contradict the untruths and misleading rhetoric which surrounds the issue.

Some of the myths are:

''The government should not interfere with someone's personal choice." This is neither practical, desirable or correct. If there is only one legitimate function of government, it is the protection of innocent human life and to prevent one individual victimizing another. The word "choice" might sound good, but the reality is that some "choices" are crimes and all crimes are "choices".

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. The word "Pentecost" takes its name from the fact that it comes nearly fifty days after Easter. This day commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.

Pope Francis reminds us that: "The world needs men and women who are not closed in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit. Closing oneself off from the Holy Spirit means not only a lack of freedom; it is a sin. There are many ways one can close oneself off to the Holy Spirit: by selfishness for one's own gain; by rigid legalism – seen in the attitude of the doctors of the law to whom Jesus referred as "hypocrites"; by neglect of what Jesus taught; by living the Christian life not as service to others but in the pursuit of personal interests; and in so many other ways. However, the world needs the courage, hope, faith and perseverance of Christ's followers."

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are blessed with so many families at St. Joan of Arc. I am always amazed at the incredible sacrifices I see parents make at each and every Mass to be a good parent. As I see moms and dads bring their little ones to religious education classes I am so grateful for their dedication and desire to share God's love with their children. The wonderful catechists at St. Joan of Arc are here to help you… BUT your role as your children's primary teacher is your gift to your children. YOU have the awesome privilege and blessing to form the future of the world IN GOD'S IMAGE!

On this Mother's Day 2016, we are reminded that motherhood is a calling by God and it is a gift from God to our world. Today we give thanks to God for the gift of our mothers… and we remember also our mothers who have gone before us with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace. Grant them, O Lord, we pray, a place of refreshment, light and peace.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This month of May is typically dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. Throughout the centuries, there has been some confusion about Mary and the role she has in our life. To be clear, Catholics believe that worship is due to God alone. So Catholics do not worship Mary. Catholics venerate Mary and in May we honor her with the May Crowing. To show our love for our Blessed Mother is appropriate because she is the Mother of God, the Mother of Our Savior.

There are many reasons to honor Our Lady in beautiful ways. She is the model of perfect love and obedience to Our Lord. We know that God preserved Mary from sin. Sacred Scripture reminds us that Mary conceived Our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. As Catholics, it makes absolute sense to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is full of grace, the Mother of God and our Mother, for her "fiat" or "yes" to God made the Incarnation possible. And without the birth of Christ, we would not have salvation.