Dear Brothers and Sisters,

"We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God." St. Vincent de Paul

Our Lord gives us three essential opportunities for spiritual growth during the Lenten Season--prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In my own Lenten observance I was focusing on almsgiving this Lent when a friend reminded me that almsgiving and fasting are two sides of the same coin.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We at St. Joan of Arc Preschool are making plans for the start of a new school year. Already the classrooms are beginning to fill up with eager students ready to learn about God and the things of God.  We offer a variety of classes based on the age of your child, along with a Before Care/Lunch Bunch program that extends the day from 8AM-1:30PM for working families:

• 3 Year olds & Mini 4's (3 day program, Mon/Tues/Wed) 9am-12pm… the child must be 3 by 9/1.
• 3 Year olds & Mini 4's (4 day program, Mon - Thurs) 9am-12pm… the child must be 4 by 12/31.
• Pre-K (M-Th) 9am-1:30pm… the child must be 4 by 9/1.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“The season of Lent during this Jubilee Year should be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy. How many pages of Sacred Scripture are appreciated for mediation during the weeks of Lent to help us rediscover the merciful face of the Father!"
—Pope Francis Misericordiae Vulus, 17

As we have perhaps experienced during former Lenten seasons, Lent is a time of conversion and also a time to grow in one’s faith. This Lent, Pope Francis is urging us to put our faith into action by living out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy--helping our neighbors in body and spirit.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

"Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead." –Pope Francis

Each year we are given the chance to Share the Light of Christ. Through the annual Charity and Development Appeal, you are able to make a difference in many people's lives. Here are some ways you can make a difference:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Lent begins in a little over a week. Catholics can be asked questions about what we do during this time of preparation for Easter. Here are some possible questions and answers to help you grow in the faith.

Are parishes supposed to cover statues in their church during Lent?
Statues may be veiled beginning on the 5th Sunday of Lent and remain so through Holy Saturday. Especially in a church with a great deal of devotional areas and images, this can be a method of focusing worshippers on the central mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. The Crucifix may be unveiled after the Good Friday services.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today's readings speak about God's plan. Theologians, philosophers, teachers and grandmothers all want to know atsome point in their life: “Does God have a plan for me? Does my life matter to God? Does He really care about me?”

The good news is that you and I are not a mistake. The Church teaches us that God creates us for His glory and that every life is sacred. Every human being echoes some aspect of God and what is good, beautiful, and what is true. This happens especially when we use our God-given gifts for His Glory. Our Lord desires us to use those gifts for others and for the salvation of souls. Your presence in someone else’s life could be the thing that leads them to Our Lord and to heaven. We are made for God's glory and the salvation of souls. That's God's overall plan.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is obvious that many people in our world are suffering. People are suffering from illness, grieving the death of a loved one, loss of faith, financial hardships, loss of a job to name a few of the many sufferings that people face on a daily basis. Yet Our Lord invites us to take up our cross (or crosses of some) and to follow Him. Why? Is there any value in carrying our cross of suffering?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In today’s Gospel, we hear a strange conversation between Our Lord and John the Baptist. It is strange because John called people to repentance, to turn away from sin and turn to God. Jesus had no sins. Jesus is the Savior. Jesus doesn’t need to repent, and therefore, He has no need to be baptized. And yet, Our Lord shows up by the river and gets in line anyway. John sees him and objects, but Jesus insists on taking His place right beside the rest of the sinners.

Service − The Fourth Pillar of Parish Stewardship

In the fifth and final installment in my series on The Pillars of Parish Stewardship — the 2004 document pub-lished by the stewardship office of the Diocese of Wichita — we take an in-depth look at the fourth pillar: service.Throughout Sacred Scripture, there are numerous references to service. There is the parable of the vigilant and faithful servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, “ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12: 35-40). There is the story of the good Samaritan who was moved with compassion to help the victim of a violent robbery (Lk 10: 25-37). And there are several examples of Christ serving those around Him: feeding the multitudes, healing the sick, and even turning water into wine at a wedding banquet.

Come to Know the Lord Through Prayer

In the fourth installment in my series on The Pillars of Parish Stewardship — the 2004 document published by the stewardship office of the Diocese of Wichita — we take an in-depth look at the third pillar: prayer.

Along with the Four Pillars of Stewardship, we also make constant reference to the three Ts of stewardship, recognizing that to truly live as a stewardship people we must give God the first fruits of our Time, our Talent, and our Treasure. It is easy for us to see the concrete reality of the latter two. To give God our Talents, we must first recognize with what talents He has blessed us, and then use those talents for His greater glory. On the same token, our money is something concrete, and when we recognize it as a gift from God, we are to give a certain amount back to Him. For many of us, it is easy to understand what it means to give God our talent and our treasure. But what does it mean to give God a portion of our time? This idea is much harder to grasp, and, yet, giving to God the first fruits of our time is just as important as the other two. In fact, if we understand and implement it properly, our stewardship of time will serve as the very foundation from which our stewardship of talent and stewardship of treasure bear fruit.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father.” ~ Pope Francis.

As most of us know by now, Pope Francis convened a Holy Year of Mercy on Tuesday December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. When the Holy Father introduced the Holy Year, he encouraged us to begin by going to confession. It seems obvious that if this Holy Year is to include expressions of mercy to a world in need, it should begin with receiving God’s mercy in the Sacrament. The Pope will certainly be confessing his sins as will your pastor!In a special way, the Holy Father reached out to post-abortive men and women who often endure years, even decades, of pain and guilt over a decision that was made in an altered value system whereby they were told that what was wrong was right and vice-versa. It simply derails the lives of so many who believe that God will never forgive them. God’s mercy is greater than your greatest sin!

Dear Bothers and Sisters,

On March 13, 2015, the second anniversary of his election as the Successor of Peter, Pope Francis announced the Extraor- dinary Holy Year. This is the first Holy Year to celebrate not an anniversary of some kind, but the attribute of God the Father which is most exalted in both the Old and the New Testaments: His Mercy. Pope Francis has also given the world a theme song for the Year of Mercy. He asks that we learn and sing this hymn throughout the coming Year of Mercy during Mass.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The popular Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life, illustrates, in a beautiful way, part of God's plan for each one of us. It is also a clear example of God’s mercy.