Happy Sunday!

On July 28th until August 8th I journey for a unique, spiritual, authentically Irish pilgrimage to discover the beauty and Catholic history of this country. The cities visited will include Dublin, Galway, Glendalough and Clifden. During our pilgrimage we will have the opportunity to visit the holy sites of the Monastery in Glendalough, Knock Shrine, Holy Cross Abbey, and St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral along with the Cliffs of Moher, Kilmore Abbey, and Croagh Patrick.

Once I asked a fallen-away Catholic friend of mine what he remembered about the parish priest from his youth. He said, “He was a gentle, nice guy. Kind of vanilla. Kept to himself.” It struck me that he, perhaps like many, perceived Catholic priests as the following: lonely, harmless, and self-sufficient. As a challenge both to this perception (accurate or not) and to us priests who perhaps feel a pull in that uninspiring direction, stands the mighty image of what we see in the Gospel this Sunday.

Greetings and blessings!

This year is very important for our parish because it commemorates 45 years of our establishment as a parish and 25 years in our current church building. Lots of history of love, labor, sacrifice, and planning the foundation of our parish experienced so many faithful before us to make Saint Joan of Arc Parish what it is today.

Happy Sunday!

On the first Friday of every month, we have gathered in our Adoration Chapel to pray for priestly vocations with a holy rosary and the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We will continue this devotion on July 5th at 5:00pm and also invite high school and college age men for an evening hosted by seminarian Nathan Blanchard in Santa Maria Hall from 6:00pm-8:30pm.

Happy Sunday!

This week has a stellar lineup for all the saints celebrated this week! The Birthday of Saint John the Baptist is celebrated on June 24th, St. Cyril of Alexandria on June 27th, St. Irenaeus on June 28th, and Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th!

On this day we honor the men who faithfully lead households and I continue to be inspired by the many fathers in our parish. These men sow seeds of hope for their children, encourage forgiveness in the household, and teach in hidden ways to be a man of sacrifice that only a father knows how to do.

Happy Sunday!

After celebrating the amazing feasts after Pentecost, we adjust to ordinary time, meaning no particular aspect of the mystery of Christ is celebrated, but rather the mystery of Christ is honored in its fullness, especially on Sundays. This is the trajectory of our week and most important, our fruit and source of our faith.

In the Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity at West Point, New York, the stained-glass windows along the side walls depict various patron saints of soldiers, among them Michael the Archangel . . . and very prominently next to the archangel, Joan of Arc, the Maid of Lorraine (France) and soldier-martyr for God and country.

— From God & Country, by Fr. Michael Cerrone