Dear Friends,

This is the Fourth Sunday of Lent, traditionally called Laetare Sunday. It received its name from the Latin, meaning “rejoice.” The Sunday is considered a day of relaxation from normal Lenten rigors; a day of hope with Easter at last within sight. The more pronounced your Lenten observances, the more this day is a welcome relief. On a larger scale, the same, of course is true about Easter itself. I hope and pray that all of you are experiencing the blessings of the Lord during this time of prayer, fasting, deprivations and almsgiving. The Holy Day of the Resurrection will, on many levels, be a time of great rejoicing for you.

Dear Friends,

We’ve all viewed Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, leaving us sorrowful and angry. While our country is restraining from military assistance, we can give financial support to aid the refugees and the people who are being left homeless and destitute.

The most secure and effective way to help the people in the Ukraine is through the Knights of Columbus and their Solidarity Fund. Our entire Ash Wednesday collection, which was over $4,000 has been forwarded to this fund. If you wish to further assist, please visit this website: www.kofc.org/secure/en/donate/ukraine.html 

Dear Friends,

Many of you may know that Fr Jerome belonged to a religious order before coming to serve in the Diocese of Phoenix over 5 years ago. He has requested to leave the order and become a permanent priest in our Diocese. One of the requirements for this process is that he serve in at least two parishes before he is accepted. With this in mind, Bishop Olmsted has asked Fr Jerome to move to All Saints Church in Mesa as the Associate Pastor (or, more formally, the Parochial Vicar). May 29 will be Fr Jerome’s last Sunday here.

Dear Friends,

In a few short days Lent begins. What is this season about? For some people it means a restricted diet (no meat on Fridays) and deprivation from some of the little pleasures like sweets or alcohol (or coffee if you are really brave). Acquiring self-mastery through these self-denials is undoubtedly a very important part of the Lenten season - but not the only one.The next six weeks can be an excellent time to do a spiritual examination (much like our yearly physical). How is our relationship with the Lord? Am I setting aside time daily to pray? Is my prayer time distracted or perfunctory? Am I entering into His presence and experiencing God speaking into my life? What is taking up my discretionary time? Does watching sports and movies leave me little time for spiritual reading or visiting with old friends and family members? What are my priorities? How about my finances? Am I generous to those in need?

Dear Friends,

Deacon James Carbajal, who is with us this weekend is a friend to many here at OLMC. He also comes to us with an important invitation. He and his associates will be showing how you can include OLMC in your estate plans.

Why would this be necessary? The Catholic attorney Mark Henry wrote Finish Well, a short book in which he shows how important it is for faithful Catholics to include their parish in their wills. He interviews a number of people to discover why they were not planning on doing so. Some said that the idea hadn’t occurred to them; others weren’t sure the parish needed the money. In one case, when a pastor found out that a well-known, active couple in the parish had planned to leave $5 million to the Boy Scouts, he was stunned to find out that they had no plans to include the parish in their estate. When he brought it up to the couple, they simply said that they were never asked.

Dear Friends,

Next Sunday, millions of Americans will be thinking about the yearly football pageant-extravaganza, but in our Diocese, there is another focus that Catholics are asked to embrace—the Charity and Development Appeal.

This annual fundraiser is our opportunity to participate in the mission of our Church in many important ways. Not only will our giving support charitable outreaches like St Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities, but essential ministries like the Crisis Pregnancy Services, Catholic schools and parishes in low-economic areas and the formation of our future priests.

Dear Friends,

Some of you may have heard that the Satanic Temple will be holding its first convention in downtown Scottsdale next month. A few parishioners have asked me what I thought should be done about it. My immediate response was to say that they should not be given any attention by Christians, because our reaction is exactly what they are looking for.

It is one thing to fall into sin and, as a result, to find yourself distant from God and your spiritual center. All of us know that feeling. But it is quite another to commit yourself to rebelling against God by aligning yourself with His (and our) archenemy, Satan. Besides being an act of pure rebellion, it is also an act fueled by a darkening of the intellect. It is Satan who disguises himself as an angel of light to deceive us into following him into rebellion against Our Father who loves us and wants only what is good for us.

Dear Friends,

A few reflections on my first Christmas as your shepherd: It was a joy to see so many people coming to worship the new-born King. At all of the Christmas Masses there was a sense of joy and gratitude that we could once again gather and celebrate. Because Christmas fell on a Saturday, it meant two weekends in succession of back-to-back Masses. That can be a challenge for the priests, but also for you and your guests. Thank you to all of you who were so faithful to the Lord’s invitation.

Dear Friends,

With this letter I wish you a blessed new year and a joyful Feast of the Epiphany. To say that these last two weekends have been eventful is an understatement. I hope that your family gatherings were joyful and full of gratitude for your many blessings.

Dear Friends,

Inviting all single Catholic men and women between the ages of 19 and 27 to consider participating in our upcoming formation programs. The men’s is entitled Viri Virtutes (Men of Virtue) and the women’s is Feminae Fide (Women of Faith).

Dear Friends,

This letter will be more of a potpourri of thoughts and invitations.

I know this coming week is a busy week in a very busy season. But I want to urge all of you to take advantage of our Advent Mission that will begin on Monday night. Many of you are familiar with the Friars and their charisms. They understand how important healing is to our merciful God.

Dear Friends, It has been almost 49 years since the U.S. Supreme Court distorted the Constitution, by-passed the authority of Congress and usurped the rights of the people by its decision in which it miraculously found a constitutional right for a woman to abort her child. This tragic decision has divided our nation, destroyed the lives of over 60 million unborn babies and has caused untold damage to the mothers and fathers (and doctors and nurses) who have collaborated with this terrible lie.

Dear Friends,

I apologize to all who did not get the notice that the healing service, scheduled for Nov 9th was canceled because I wasn’t feeling well. I just had a two-day bug, but I wasn’t feeling up to leading the event. The decision to cancel was made that Tuesday morning, so despite using all the communication methods we have, I’m sure some of you arrived at the church only to see the sign on the doors. I am sorry for the inconvenience, and I hope to reschedule the event after the holidays.