Happy Sunday!

The church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th! On this day, Pope Leo XIV will impose the pallium, which is the ecclesiastical vestment worn by archbishops. It is worn around the neck of the archbishop that rests upon the chasuble. It is made of wool and is decorated with six crosses. The process of making this pallium begins on the feast of Saint Agnes on January 21st.

Happy Sunday!

Today’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ reminds us of who we carry close to our hearts. When we hear of the offering of bread and wine by Melchizedek, the traditions of the Eucharist expressed by Saint Paul and the feeding of the five thousand, together they reveal God’s fundamental role as Nourisher of Mankind.

Happy Father’s Day!

This weekend we pause for a brief moment for a debt of gratitude for fathers and honor them for their sacrificial love of the family. This is the natural ability of these men who are faithful to their wives and families. As fathers journey and lead their families in fatherhood, they are reminded to impart justice and mercy in their household.

When I was a seminarian almost 20 years ago, a bank vice president taught us etiquette classes. She said, “Gentlemen, please make sure your breath isn’t bad. Take some breath mints before you hear confessions, okay?” We nervously laughed because the proximity that makes breath noticeable (whether pleasant or not) can be a bit awkward.

When Jesus breathes on his Apostles (John 20:22), he must have been within inches of at least some of them.

Happy Ascension Sunday!

As of May 29th, it has been 40 days since our Easter Celebrations! We give thanks to God for our newly baptized sons and daughters of the church. Our parish is blessed to welcome these new members and continue to foster their faith in the parish family of Saint Joan of Arc.

The Ascension of the Lord is transferred to June 1st and will be celebrated at all the Sunday regular Mass times.

Happy Easter!

Our Easter season is almost complete and what a joyous time of the year for many of us here at St. Joan of Arc. On May 9th we had many of our students receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and First Holy Communion celebrated by Bishop Emeritus Thomas Olmsted! We are reminded of the Advocate that will come at Pentecost from this weekend’s Gospel:

Happy Sunday!

Habemus papam! We have a Pope as of May 8th and he is Leo XIV from Chicago, USA! As I was driving down the 51 the announcement was made and for the first time in my life, I was able to know and understand the announcement in its entirety and be filled with so much joy as an American pope was selected to be the Vicar of Christ and take on the Chair of Peter. Truly a remarkable gift to the entire church and world.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today we pause for a brief moment to offer our gratitude for the gift of motherhood. We are blessed here at St. Joan of Arc to have so many mothers surrounding us with a care similar to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s fitting to offer an entire month dedicated to our Blessed Mother. We have a tradition here at St. Joan of Arc that honors her on this day and we continue to place ourselves under her mantle.

I eat breakfast. If I don’t have something substantial, I’m fading by mid-morning. Breakfast is my key meal because it sets up my physical well-being for the rest of the day.

Spiritually speaking, we need sustenance to get us going. This is true for the Apostles in this Sunday’s remarkable Gospel reading. The risen Jesus makes His third appearance to them in the early morning light and calls, “Come, have breakfast” (John 21:12).

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

One of the most impactful moments of my life revolved around my first experience of Divine Mercy through praying the chaplet. The beautiful and meditative words “for the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world” resonates with those who hear this prayer. The image of the Divine Mercy helps us receive those words and offer them for our loved ones.

Christ is Risen!

“Sole Author of redeeming grace, exalted Savior of the world, O Christ, our King, grant us this day the glory of your fruitful Cross.” The Holy Saturday vespers hymn opening line captures what we anticipate in celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his death He destroyed and by his life He restored our life.

Happy Palm Sunday!

Our processional antiphon reads: “As the Lord entered the holy city, the children of the Hebrews proclaimed the resurrection of life. Waving their branches of palm, they cried: “Hosanna in the highest.” The cry of the people is Hosanna which means “save us!”. This dramatic Palm Sunday entry recognizes the fulfillment of the prophecy of an eternal kingship of David’s line.