Dear Friends,

Today we celebrate the great Feast of the Divine Mercy, a title that summarizes the Nature and Mission of our Lord Jesus Christ. The specific devotion is derived from the private revelations of Jesus to St Faustina Kowalska. Born in Poland, she joined the religious order of Our Lady of Mercy and received the revelations in the 1930’s.

Dear Friends,

With the celebration the Palm Sunday we bring Lent to a close and begin Holy Week. The whole week is full of holy observances, starting with the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral on Monday night, then the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Thursday, the Stations of the Cross on Friday afternoon followed by the Good Friday Service, the blessing of the food on Holy Saturday at noon, the Easter Vigil on Saturday night and then Easter Sunday Mass. Even listing this schedule reminds me of how busy Holy Week can be. But is there another time in the year that the Church offers us such a rich array of liturgies and prayer services?

For Catholics, Holy Week is unlike any other time of the year. Through our Liturgical cycle, we follow Jesus to the Upper Room for the Last Supper, to the Praetorium and His Condemnation to death, to the Via Dolorosa and to Calvary where he gave his life, to the tomb where he is mournfully laid to rest and then ïnally to the empty tomb from which Our Lord has Risen.

On the morning of March 25th, we joined Pope Francis and millions of Catholics throughout the world in consecrating Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Many of us who were there experienced great spiritual power and joy, knowing that we were doing something efficacious to help bring peace to that troubled part of the world. One of the many titles of our Blessed Mother is “Queen of Peace.” By entrusting ourselves and others to her, we can be certain that, in the economy and time frame of the heavenly realms, she will intercede with her Son to thwart the evil intentions of those who seek to destroy the freedom of others.

The newly ordained Fr (St) John Vianney was sent to the small town of Ars, near the City of Lyon. Because of his poor academic record, his Bishop thought it prudent to relegate him to a backwater town where he could quietly exercise his priestly ministry.

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.