Happy Feast of the Holy Family and a Happy New Year!

Many music playlists show favorite songs at the end of the year which can be broken down to how many times and hours a particular song was played. In case you were wondering, my top song played in 2023 was Ave Maria by Franz Biebl performed by Chanticleer.

Merry Christmas!

Truly this is the most wonderful time of the year. Our weather is beautiful, our hearts are prepared in various ways to meet the Lord and many of us gather to celebrate the Nativity of Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. I am blessed to have my mom and a few family members join me for Christmas here at St. Joan of Arc. As a priest and now parochial administrator, the commute to the rural towns is tough after many liturgical celebrations during the Christmas season. Turns out, I get tired once in a while.

Happy Gaudete Sunday!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” Our antiphons for this month use Philippians 4:4-5 to express the closeness of the Lord, Guadete or REJOICE!

Happy Second Sunday in Advent!

This is my favorite season and Christmas is only two weeks away! That means tamales are getting ready and on other occasions enjoying some eggnog. Many friends and family arrive from all over. Here at St. Joan of Arc we are very blessed to have so many ways to encounter our Blessed Lord with Holy Mass, adoration and fellowship.

Happy Advent!

As the people of Israel waited for generations for the promised Messiah, we too enter into a season of waiting and longing for our Savior Jesus Christ by celebrating His birth. This season, we are called to deepen and renew the desire in our hearts to be in union with Him.

Happy Solemnity of Christ the King!

Ever since we began our customary tradition here at St. Joan of Arc with a Eucharistic Procession on this Sunday of Christ the King, I have desired to continue this bold proclamation to the streets. One highlight while I was away from Saint Joan of Arc was taking our Blessed Lord into the streets of a secular campus of Arizona State University. Almost 100 years later we continue to respond to the established feast day by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism. This public university and many other universities tend to imagine a way of life which leaves God out of man’s thinking and organizes a life as if God does not exist.

Happy Sunday!

Our parish continues a beautiful and reverent tradition of proclaiming Jesus Christ is King out in the streets and I want you all to join us. Thanks to the many helping hands to make this Eucharistic Procession a success and witness to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

Happy Sunday!

For the past year you may have noticed a few good men standing guard around areas of the parish property. Those volunteer men are our very own parishioners known as the Porters of Saint Joseph. The men allow our parish family the freedom, without distraction, to focus on worshiping our God in a safe and secure manner. In the event of a security or medical incident, these men are trained to achieve positive results and maintain a spirit of the overall Church mission.

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."

Happy Sunday!

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.

Happy Sunday!

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.

Happy Sunday!

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.

Arizona. 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!