Dear friends,

Recently, I had a brief but meaningful encounter at the bank with a young woman behind the counter, which I wished lasted longer. Seeing my clerical collar, she struck up a lively conversation with me and asked if I was a priest. When I confirmed I was a Roman Catholic priest, she shared a story I hear often: She had received all her Sacraments—Baptism, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation—but today, she only attends Mass occasionally to accompany her grandmother.

Two weeks ago, Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the year 2026 as a Franciscan Jubilee Year, commemorating the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis. Through this Jubilee, and until January 10 of next year, the faithful can obtain the special grace of a Plenary Indulgence under the usual conditions — sacramental confession, Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope — by making a pilgrimage to any Franciscan conventual church or place of worship dedicated to St. Francis anywhere in the world. In light of this, I wish to offer a brief excerpt of a reflection on the liturgical contributions of St. Francis and the Franciscans to the Church.

Dear Parishioners,

Three weeks from now, we celebrate the OLMC Festival. Come one, come all to share together as a community of faith, called, baptized, and sent to spread the good news by our lives. "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20).

A couple of weeks ago, Pope Leo XIV convened an Extraordinary Consistory, that is, a special 2 day meeting with all the Cardinals of the world. A Cardinal has two distinct roles in the life of the Church: 1) To elect new popes, and 2) To discuss with and advise the Pope on important matters of the Church.

Dear Parishioners,

I am currently chairing an ad hoc committee that Bishop Dolan has set on the presbyterial council to write a policy on retirement for diocesan priests in the diocese of Phoenix. Part of the initiative I took was to sit down recently and speak with some retired priests whose opinions I respect, so as to gather their experiences. Allow me to share one of the pieces of feedback I got, which moved me deeply. My retired priest friend said:

Merry Christmas! Today, on the last day of the Christmas season, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, commemorating the occasion of St. John the Baptist baptizing our Lord in the Jordan River.

Dear Parishioners,

As your pastor, my goal, as I have repeatedly told you, is to help lead you to heaven, and our mission as a parish is to help everyone who walks through our doors to heaven. This continues to be a great blessing and joy for me to walk this journey of faith with you. I love you deeply, and I am grateful every day for your commitment to our parish, our school, and to one another. It is in this spirit of gratitude and love that I invite you to participate in our second Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and School Endowment Drive.

Merry Christmas! In two days, Pope Leo XIV will close the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, officially bringing to a close the 2025 Jubilee. This Jubilee has been a blessing to me, as I had the privilege and joy to take three pilgrimages to Rome during the Jubilee, passed through all four Holy Doors, attended the Funeral Mass of Pope Francis, and attended the Canonization Mass of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis. The Jubilee year called the entire church to journey (even if only spiritually) together to renew ourselves as pilgrims of hope, bearing in mind always that Hope [in Christ] does not disappoint.

Dear Friends,

We have just passed the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and we will now enjoy a little more light each day. Christmas itself is a feast of lights, isn't it? Trees are brought into homes and made radiant with brilliant lights; yards and streets are also illuminated; stores are decorated with lights. The whole world is illuminated. In other ways, too, our lives are aglow with light. Families come together and are sometimes reunited after many years; kind wishes and gift-giving strengthen bonds of love and friendship, and memories are brought back to life while new memories are born. These events of grace truly light up our lives.

Merry Christmas! Today, on this, the fourth day of the Octave of Christmas, Holy Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The family: child, mother, and father, forms the basic unit of the church and is the root through which the tree of life and salvation grows, as evidenced by the Holy Family.

Happy New Year, Dear Friends,

We have just joyfully celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I hope you all had a blessed and peaceful time with your families.

In a few days’ time, as we usher in the New Year 2026, our attention now turns to the Blessed Virgin Mary. On January 1st, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. This is a profoundly significant celebration as we begin this new year under her special title.

This year, holy Church celebrates the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, held from May to August in the year 325 in the modern-day city of İznik, Turkey. One of the main topics of discussion at the council was who Jesus is metaphysically, especially in relation to God the Father.

Dear Friends,

As we conclude the Advent season and prepare to celebrate the joyous birth of our Lord in a few days’ time, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. However, even as we enter this festive season, some of our dear ones will not be sharing that joy for various reasons. One of the reasons for some will be loneliness. This reality was brought home to me in a way that moved me to tears, through the sad story of a mother whom I came across online. I suspect some of you can relate to this story.

“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”

Today, the Church celebrates Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent. The name of this Sunday comes from the first word of the above Entrance Antiphon, sung at the start of the Mass today, which in Latin is Gaudete.

Dear Friends,

The tone of our celebration for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete, is one of rejoicing. The Entrance Antiphon resounds: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near." The first reading this Sunday presents the Prophet exalting the people to rejoice and to be glad for their God is coming to them. On that day, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy.”

The nativity scene or crèche arose out of ancient piety and the medieval theater. Christians were honoring the cave in Bethlehem where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born even before St. Helen built the Basilica of the Nativity over it around A.D. 330. Medieval mystery plays later reenacted the Nativity, but when they got out of hand, Pope Honorius suppressed them.

Dear Friends,

Recently, a close friend of mine posed a highly insightful question to me. I had just described my ministry day, which began with the profound solemnity of hearing confessions, immediately followed by the grief and hope of a funeral Mass, transitioned into the joyful celebration of a wedding Mass, and concluded with the celebratory atmosphere of a school gala.