40 Days for Life (September 26 to November 6)

09-30-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Daniel Cruz

Beloved Brothers and Sisters,

We have begun the 40 Days for Life campaign across many parts of the world. During this time we unite with prayer, fasting, constant vigil and community outreach initiatives. The mission directs our hearts and minds to God in prayer to ask Him to hear us and heal us. Our peaceful and prayerful presence intersect where innocent children are viciously removed from their mother's womb, outside the abortion facility. This campaign is committed to keep a constant vigil with non-stop, round-the-clock prayer outside a single abortion facility in our community.

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Who Do You Say That I Am? (Part II of II)

09-23-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Lots of folks have shared with me their thoughts about Jesus and His Church. I am not sure that it matters as much what people think about Jesus or His Church. I think what matters more to Our Lord is that YOU desire to know, love and follow Him. So when asked by anyone, you can say like Peter: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

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Who Do You Say That I Am? (part I of II)

09-16-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our Lord is asking you a question today. I promise you that He is not having an identity crisis. Today Our Lord is asking you to respond to His most important question - “Who do you say that I am?”

In this passage for today’s Gospel, Our Lord is traveling all around with His apostles. As He encounters people along the way, He is touching their hearts and changing their lives through His teaching, healing, and working miracles.

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State of St. Joan of Arc Parish - The Pastor's Report

09-09-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I pray your summer was blessed and you have had a chance for some fun with family and/or friends. I find that a little rest and relaxation can really help a person to see the world and others in a better light. I want to kick off our new fiscal year with some updates on the state of our parish and our preschool.

Saint Joan of Arc Continues to Grow

As we continue to make Christ the center of our parish and the center of our hearts, we trust that we are being faithful followers of Our Lord Jesus. Our success in not measured as the world finds success. Our success is found by spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and remaining faithful to Him. It is fair to say that many folks at SJA are sharing the love of God and many parishioners are seeking to be intentional disciples.

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To Whom Shall We Go?

09-02-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This past March 26th, in a small town in Southern France, a terrorist in a sleeper cell activated his mission.  The terrorist killed a passenger in a car and then hijacked it.  Soon he shot at a group of police-in-training, injuring one of the officers.  He then drove to a grocery store and shouted that he was part of the Islamic State and began firing, killing the store’s butcher and a customer.

The police managed to get the terrorist to release the shoppers, except for a woman that he planned to use as a human shield for his getaway.  And in the heat of this tragic moment, something beautiful happened. 

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The Supper of the Lamb

08-26-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Jesus invites us to his own supper - the Supper of the Lamb. Receiving Jesus in the Eucharistic Sacrifice is necessary for eternal life. "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."

These are strong teachings, even shocking, as Jesus indicates today. We can understand why many abandoned Him. Notice that Jesus did not say, "Come back. I only meant it symbolically." No, he asks his closest disciples, "Do you also want to leave?"

That's the question Jesus puts in front of us today: Are we ready to receive Jesus - not just spiritually, but also physically?

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Grateful

08-19-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1Peter 4:11ff).

These words from Sacred Scripture were printed on a holy card and offered at my priesthood ordination over 22 years ago. Throughout this past year at St. Joan of Arc, these words have even more meaning now. There are so many good parishioners who sincerely love Our Lord and desire to share His love in powerful and humble ways. There so many kind and generous people in our community who live out their baptismal call to holiness in good times and in challenging times. I have been so blessed to witness inspiring acts of charity and selfless moments of giving especially when giving meant going without.

Each and every day, I have “encountered the Living Christ” through the smile and kind greeting offered by someone after Mass or at the office. But it has been particularly in the Mass that I have witnessed God’s love offered in powerful and sacrificial ways. There are some truly beautiful people who do serve one another as “good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

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Call to Prayer

08-12-2018Pastor's Letter

Pray

May a change in the U.S. Supreme Court move our nation closer to the day when every human being is protected in law and welcomed in life. Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be...

Fast

Offer a sacrifice for the intention.

Ideas for Fasting

Often, we show our love by sacrificing, by giving something up. Sacrifice, in its various forms, out of love for the Lord Jesus is a powerful action that can yield great graces. For these reasons, the bishops of the United States have encouraged Catholics to make every Friday a day of self-denial and penitential witness in memory of the Lord’s ultimate sacrifice for us.

Among the works of self-denial that the bishops have especially commended is abstinence from meat by free choice. Self-denial can also take the form of giving something up that we most enjoy, or committing ourselves to works of charity. More recently, the bishops have invited Catholics to consider fasting and abstaining from meat on Fridays out of a special concern for issues pertaining to life, marriage, and religious liberty. This is something we can all do together. Make a personal pledge to join in this very important effort.

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St. Joan of Arc Preschool

08-05-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

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/after-care program that extends the day from 8:00am-3:30pm for working families:

  • 3-Year-olds and 2 ½-year-olds (must be potty trained) - 3-day program (Tues/Wed/Thurs) or 4-day
    program (Mon-Thurs) from 9:00am-12:00pm
  • Pre-K – 4 day program (Mon-Thurs) from 9:00am-1:30pm (child must be 4 by Sept 1)
  • A multi-age Friday enrichment class is available to all students on Fridays from 8:00am-12:00pm

At St. Joan of Arc Preschool, our teachers are dedicated to bringing our children closer to God. We have had a long tradition of serving the greater community by providing an excellent education for our children. We are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach (https://www.reggioalliance.org) and believe that children excel when they construct their own knowledge through investigation and play. Through the countless sacrifices of so many, these little ones are introduced to the faith thereby enabling them to “Encounter the Living Christ,” as stated in our mission: St. Joan of Arc Catholic Preschool is dedicated to providing a Christ-centered foundation for life-long learners in a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment. Please contact the school office for a personal tour or if you would like to enroll your child(ren) in the St. Joan of Arc Preschool. You can find out more information and view a virtual tour at the preschool link of www.stjoanofarc.com.

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50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae (Part III of III)

07-29-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Why does the Church say no to contraception? In Msgr. Charles Pope's article entitled: "The "Fruits" of Contraception," we are reminded that Pope Paul VI predicted in Humanae Vitae many of the problems that our culture is facing as a result of using birth control.

Pope Paul VI predicted that the divorce rate would increase as the contraception mentality becomes more acceptable. Divorce rates have continued to rise and are currently around the 40 percent range. Pope Paul VI understood that marriage would suffer because of contraception. He wrote: "Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards."(HV 17).

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50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae Part II of III

07-22-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In Trent Horn’s book entitled "Why We’re Catholic," he presents a creative view of the contraceptive thinking:

Imagine you are trying to select a wedding date and it’s right around the time your wife’s high school age cousins have a big football game. If you really want them to attend the wedding, you’ll pick the week before their game. But let’s say your budget is tight and you have no more room on your guest list. You might choose to schedule the wedding during their big game and send an invitation anyways as a sign that you still value the relationship. If they show up, it might be a bit stressful, but you’ll still be glad they came.

Now, let’s imagine you don’t want to wait a week and you absolutely don’t want the cousins to come to the wedding. In order to make sure they don’t arrive, you send them a “dis-invitation” that says, “Please don’t come to our wedding, you’re not wanted here!”

So how does the wedding story relate to NFP?

Picking the date that works best for the cousins is like being intimate on a fertile day; you’ve created optimal conditions for children to arrive. Postponing the wedding by a week is like waiting to be intimate on an infertile day. The children probably can’t arrive, but if they do that’s still great!

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50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae: Part I of III

07-15-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Is the Church wrong on contraception?

For many people, sexual pleasure is placed very high on the list of their priorities.  Since our culture has basically endorsed this sort of thinking, the Catholic Church’s teaching on contraception can seem old-fashioned or unnatural.  Many well-intentioned people argue that the Church’s teaching on being open to life not part of God’s original plan for the marital embrace (conjugal love).  It can be difficult for even faithful married Catholics to live as God intends them to live their vocation as husband and wife.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Humanae Vitae, the encyclical affirming the traditional Christian teaching on birth control. As we get closer to the anniversary (July 25th), I thought it might be good to revisit some of the challenges expressed in making this teaching of the Church a lived reality.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued his life-centered encyclical letter Humanae Vitae (Latin, "Human Life"), which reemphasized the Church’s constant teaching that it is always intrinsically wrong to use contraception to prevent new human beings from coming into existence. 

What is Contraception?

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Mass Etiquette: Part III of a III part series

07-08-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are blessed with a beautiful parish campus with many distinct areas.  The first that is of concern to you are the pews (where you pray) —a sacred space where we journey to God to receive the Eucharist.  We need to treat it that way.  Keep it clean for others—throw your nasty Kleenex’s and other trash away!  Put the books back and the kneelers up for the next Mass.  Also, the main body of the church where we celebrate Mass is not a children’s obstacle course or a train station where we visit with friends to catch up on the latest.   This is a place for prayer where silence is golden. Thankfully, we are blessed with a spacious Narthex and plaza for fellowship with members of the Body of Christ. Use this space for talking and building friendships.  I actually encourage it. 

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God Bless America!

07-01-2018Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

American Saint Frances Cabrini once said, “I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus to those who do not know Him or have forgotten Him.”  This seemed to be the conviction of all our American saints who founded hospitals, grade schools, churches, universities, leper colonies, orphanages, missionary outposts, soup kitchens and more.  In order to remind others of the goodness of God and Christ’s redeeming, so many saints, canonized or not, functioned as building blocks of our country.  Catholics, in other words, have played a huge part in American history. 

We celebrate our freedom on the Fourth of July this week!  As Catholics, we especially pray for religious liberty on this day.  Religious freedom, after all, is one of the primary reasons that people came to America, many fleeing from persecution.

The Church’s focus on religious liberty in recent years is on a general anti-religious cultural movement, rooted in secularism and relativism, which seeks to limit the role of religion in public life.  Many politicians today have defined religious freedom only in terms of the “freedom to worship’ within the walls of a church building.  But once we leave the building, we are told to hide our faith under a bushel basket.

This was certainly not the intent of our founding fathers.  They recognized the essential role of religion and the virtues that faith inspires.  Those virtues provide the foundation for the success of a peaceful society. The erosion of our faith and our moral compass is directly related to the erosion of our religious practice. 

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