By Your Love

01-26-2014Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

January 22nd marked the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision called, "Roe v. Wade." With this decision by our Supreme Court, all legal protection for unborn children was severely diminished if not taken away completely. Since that time, millions of girls and young women have undergone procedures that intentionally destroyed their own children. We pray for their healing and we do not judge them. Few people understand the various pressures that led them to such a decision.

While it may be tempting to judge another person for their actions, Our Lord offers us a holy option. The way a person chooses to live impacts those around them for good or for bad. When we seek holiness, others are drawn closer to God. When we choose to live in sin, our decisions can hurt those around us. Of course everyone fails to make good decisions at times. Our Lord calls us to be honest with our failings and to repent. When a person repents, that person gives himself or herself more completely to the Lord. This will move others to repent and to seek God's mercy as well. Although we are not personally responsible for the bad decisions of others, our life and our decisions - for better or worse - do affect others.

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St. Joan of Arc Preschool

01-19-2014Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

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/After Care/Lunch Bunch program that extends the day from 7AM-2:30PM for working families:

Mini 3's (T & Th) 9am-12pm… the child must turn 3 by 12/31 and is fully potty-trained prior to the first day of school.
3 Year olds (M & W & F) 9am-12pm… the child must be 3 by 9/1.
Mini 4's (T & W & Th) 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.
Pre-K (M-F) 9am-1:30pm…the child must be 4 by 9/1.

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In the Flesh

01-12-2014Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

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.

This is exactly what Our Lord does for us at every Mass. Whenever we receive Holy Communion, we are receiving God himself as our nourishment. Our Lord could not be any closer to us than He is in Holy Communion. He desires to take His place right with us!

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Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord

01-05-2014Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany. What exactly is an epiphany? Some would say that it is a sudden, profound realization of something important; a breakthrough; a deep and profound understanding of something once mysterious. The Church uses the term to describe God as being made manifest in Jesus Christ. On Christmas we focused on Jesus' humanity. On Epiphany we turn our attention to Christ's divinity. We pause here today, just like the wise men, to pay this Divine Child homage and adoration as only a true King deserves. Next week we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, a dramatic leap forward in Jesus' life when we celebrate the initiation of Jesus' public ministry.

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