The Holy Family

12-31-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Mary and Joseph did everything they could do to protect the Christ child. They had already dealt with so many hardships. The Holy Family then has to leave everything and move to a foreign country to avoid the king who wanted to kill Jesus. Jesus is just a week old and, already, there is trouble. Surely there was another way! Couldn't God have somehow just "taken care" of Herod? Why did the Holy Family have to suffer so much?

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Merry Christmas!

12-25-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Four weeks ago, we began Advent, pondering the end of the world and the last things. But Advent ends with a beginning! It is the beginning of the Kingdom of God that has been established here on earth by the one whom God has sent to us as our Messiah, Christ Jesus, the Son of God whose nativity we celebrate on this glorious day!

It goes without saying that I am exceedingly grateful for the generous stewardship of our parishioners of St. Joan of Arc. Thank you! You absolutely amaze me. It is such a joy to be your pastor and see all the good you accomplish!

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ADVENT 2017: 4th Week of Advent

12-24-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Despite many historians' attempts to link the Christmas tree to an ancient pagan practice, it is completely Christian in origin. As the story goes, St. Boniface and his companions interrupted an event where there was to be the sacrifice of a child. With his bishops’ staff (crozier) in hand, Boniface approached the pagan crowd, who had surrounded the base of the Thunder Oak, saying to his group, “Here is the Thunder Oak, and here the cross of Christ shall break the hammer of the false god, Thor.”

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Third Sunday Advent and Christmas Masses

12-17-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

My friend, Fr. Richard, recently shared with me a true story about a university-sponsored trip that he experienced as a college student. Part of the trip included a dinner with alumni at what he described as a “posh country club”. You have to understand that Fr. Richard has this amazing knack for recognizing food from a great distance away…it is sort of a special gift that he is constantly perfecting (I’m joking, sort of). As he stepped off the chartered bus, the first thing he noticed was the savory smell of steaks on a grill.

While we both enjoy our fair share of fast food, there is nothing like a home-cooked meal. Fr. Richard noticed that his mouth immediately started to water like an old hound dog. Then he remembered that it was Friday and it was Lent. And his eyes started to well up with tears. Okay, I made that last part up.

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Advent 2017 - 2nd Week of Advent

12-10-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

THE ADVENT CALENDAR

The Advent calendar or Adventhaus began in Scandanavia and Germany, especially in the regions of the Palatinate and Hesse. Its purpose is to help children become aware of the expectancy of Advent. Sometimes the Advent calendar is a picture of a house with 23 small windows and 1 large window that are opened to reveal the tiny religious symbols, icons and pictures behind them. Another variation is to construct a Jacob's Ladder that leads step by step to the day of Christ's birth. Every morning or every evening before bedtime, the child opens a window, behind which appears a star, an angel, a manger or some other picture appropriate to the Advent season. (If there are several children in the family, the privilege of opening the windows rotates from one to another.) An appropriate bible verse can serve as a caption to the picture. On the 23rd, all twenty-three small windows are open; the big window remains closed until Christmas Eve, when it is opened to reveal the Holy Child in the manger. When all the windows are opened, stand the calendar in form of a lamp or window. The light will shine through the paper, giving the little house a Christmas glow.

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Advent 2017 - 1st Week of Advent

12-03-2017Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The word Advent comes from the Latin words, advenire (to come to) & adventus (an arrival), and refers to Christ's coming into this world. The Advent season is a time of joyful expectation and preparation for Christmas, the day upon which Christ's birth is celebrated and His first coming into this world. The focus of Advent is upon the centuries of waiting and preparation by God's chosen people, which preceded the coming of the Messiah. As such, it is a time marked by expectation, hope, preparedness and penance. The later being mindful of John the Baptist's cry to prepare for the coming of the Lord with repentance (Treasury of Latin Prayers by Michael Martin).

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