Happy Sunday!
The Lord has been good to us this year. I am happy to publish our 2018-2019 Financial Report. There are many highlights from the report, thanks in no small part to the great generosity of our community. We are grateful to have received $229,000 in contributions from the Together Let Us Go Forth campaign. This allowed us to complete the campus-wide roofing project, campus-wide exterior paint project, and the Ramada renovation. We were also able to do work on the parking lot including a seal coat and re-striping. The priests were grateful that part of the project included a rectory chapel addition, interior paint in the rectory, and an A/C unit.
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This Sunday the Diocese of Phoenix celebrates Rosary Sunday. Hundreds of Catholics are gathering downtown to support this festive celebration. The rosary is a beautiful way to offer our hearts to the Heavenly Father, especially when we are at a loss for words. The rosary stands as an opportunity to live in communion with the Blessed Trinity through meditating on the life of Christ with the Blessed Mother. In the Gospel this Sunday Jesus says, "Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to Him day and night?" Even when we call out day and night and feel like our hearts do not match our words, this in itself is the perseverance in prayer that the Lord invites us to have.
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Somehow we are midway through October! The Lord is good and there are many exciting things going on here at St. Joan of Arc and in the Diocese of Phoenix. One exciting opportunity is the 2019 Catechetical Congress. On October 26 catechists and other Catholics desiring to grow in the missionary spirit are gathering downtown for a day of prayer and talks. The keynote speaker is a man named André Regnier, the founder of a missionary group called Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) and author of the book Clear and Simple: How to Have Conversations that Lead to Conversion. The cost for this day of prayer and talks is $35 (does not include lunch) until October 23 ($40 after) and you can find the link to register at dphx.org/childrens-catechesis/congress/. This is an amazing opportunity to hear one of the most effective evangelists in the Church today and grow in your missionary zeal.
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Life is in full swing here at St. Joan of Arc. Our religious education programs, youth group, choirs, and adult groups are all off to great starts. Last weekend our senior group graciously hosted donuts and coffee after the morning masses. They are a true gift to our parish, helping to build community, along with the Knights of Columbus who also regularly host donuts and coffee. Thank you so much to everyone involved!
In our Gospel this Sunday, the apostles make a modest request of the Lord, "Increase our faith." Jesus responds saying, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." Rather than considering this as a time when the Lord tells the disciples how weak their faith is, I would argue he is affirming their desire to have greater faith. It would seem that in offering this simple proposition he is telling them that as they grow in faith they will be able to do great things, but they must begin with what has been commanded. If the simple commands have not been heeded, then their faith will not be able to grow.
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