Once I was at a meeting with representatives of various religions. On a coffee break, a man from another religion mused to me: “You know, with all our differences, all religions are really about being good people.” I lowered my cappuccino and said as warmly as I could, “That’s not what mine’s about.” His quizzical look begged for clarification. “Mine is about plunging into the life of God,” I said.
READ MOREHappy Sunday!
Congratulations to all of our graduates in the parish. I know this has been a full weekend with lots of celebrations, the culmination of lots of hard work. We offer our prayers for our new graduates as they embark on the next stage of their journeys!
READ MOREHappy Sunday!
A very happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers in our community. We are so blessed by the gift of motherhood in life. I hope it's a relaxing day filled with gratitude for all of you!
We are very excited that Vacation Bible School is quickly approaching! Each year we have about 100 children attend, with many teens helping lead the week. If you have school age children or grandchildren we hope to see them there. If you’ve ever wanted to support the youth of the parish in their journey of faith this is a great way to help.
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I hope everyone has had a great week and been able to enjoy some sunshine! I’m so glad it's May and looking forward to the warmer weather. While Sacraments have been completed for the children and adults in the parish, we continue to have a full schedule. Next weekend will be Dcn. Joseph’s last weekend in the parish. He will return on Sat, Jun 8 to celebrate the 4:30pm Mass. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. The school year is starting to wind down but that also means getting ready for 8th grade graduation. Please pray for our students as they complete their school year.
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I hope everyone has had a good week. We’ve been advertising our parish pilgrimage to Italy this coming October. I hope you’re able to join us. It’s a great opportunity to visit the tomb of our parish patron St. Francis of Assisi, as well as, see the tomb of the great St. Padre Pío di Pietrelcina.
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Spring is doing it's best to break through and it is wonderful! I hope everyone is enjoying a bit of the warmer weather. It is great seeing our newly confirmed receiving Holy Communion regularly now! What a gift to our parish and the Church!
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This weekend we welcomed Bishop Nevares to confer Confirmation and give First Communion to nearly 100 of our children and adult candidates! Thank you for keeping them all in your prayers! A special thanks to our staff and their teams for preparing everyone for their Sacraments. What a beautiful day!
READ MOREThis Sunday is the last day in the Octave of Easter. I want to offer a big thank you to all of our volunteers and staff who made Holy Week and Easter Sunday such a success! On Holy Thursday we opened Nativity and OLG for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It was great to see so many people making a pilgrimage around Flagstaff. I am especially grateful to our sacristans who helped decorate the altars. I also want to thank the Knights of Columbus and Porters of St. Joseph who were present to make sure we had a safe evening. Our choirs, ushers, and church decorators who gave a lot of their time and energy to make our liturgies beautiful, and I am especially thankful to them as well.
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He is risen! Today we celebrate the great Solemnity of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! I grow in appreciation for Easter every year. It’s something you take at face value as a child. You hear, “Jesus died and rose from the dead.” As a child you hear it and that’s it. In my adult life, having faced death more and more, I understand the finality of it. It makes the Resurrection all that much more joyful and fantastic.
READ MOREHappy Palm Sunday!
Holy Week has arrived. Today we celebrate the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem. Throughout the Gospels we hear of Jesus turning his attention to Jerusalem, that he is making his way to the holy city. Jesus continually sets his sight on Jerusalem, the City of David, not only because His Father’s dwelling is there in the Temple, but also because it is where He plans to accomplish his mission. In Jerusalem He will endure His Passion, He will suffer greatly, and He will rise. But first, we must join Him on this entry, we join Him in this procession where Hosanna is sung.
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I hope everyone had a good, safe, and restful spring break. This week on Tuesday is the Solemnity of St. Joseph. On this special feast day the Church looks to this silent patron of the universal Church. The silence is part of the wonderful mystery of St. Joseph. Throughout the Scriptures, while St. Joseph is mentioned, he is not recorded to have said anything. He is a man of discernment, prayer, attentiveness, and sincerity. Certainly, this is not an exhaustive list, but these traits stand as a model for each of us too.
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Spring Break week is here for the parish. This means that our Mexico Mission crew will be leaving today to build a home for the poor in Mexico. Please keep them in your prayers that they may have a safe journey, a fruitful week, and return in good shape Thursday! Please keep the Elect in your prayers. The Elect are catechumens who will be receiving Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil this year. Each of them have traveled a unique path and we are so glad to be welcoming them into the Church this year.
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This Sunday we celebrate the 3rd Sunday of Lent. It seems like no time at all and we’re nearly halfway through the Lenten season. I want to thank all the groups who have provided the Soup Supper on Friday and who will in the coming weeks. It is a delightful evening with good food and good company! If you’ve never joined us before I hope you can make it this year.
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