Dear Friends,

A blessed Memorial Day weekend to you. Although not formally declared a National Holiday until 1971, the custom of honoring our deceased military originated after the Civil War. It is right and fitting for all of us, who have benefited from the sacrifices made by these fallen soldiers, should honor them in gratitude for their patriotism and courage. Next weekend is Pentecost, the day on which we commemorate the Holy Spirit descending upon the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room. Like Easter - which finds its origins in the Jewish Feast of Passover, the events of Pentecost fell on the Jewish Feast of Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks. Originally intended to celebrate the harvest, this feast evolved into a celebration of the reception of the Torah, God’s Holy Word.

Dear Friends,

At the back of the Sanctuary, on the ambo side, you will notice a small wooden cabinet attached to the wall. It holds the three jars of Holy Oils that we use throughout the year in the sacraments of Baptism, Anointing of the Sick and Confirmation.

This cabinet, officially known as an Ambry (from the Latin word armarium, for closet) can be found in most Catholic Churches. In older churches it is recessed into the wall, but in most newer churches you will see one like ours, prominently displayed. Ours was built by the same company that made our ambo, matching the wood, the stain and brass accents. My “thanks” to the parishioners who donated the funds.

Dear Friends,

I want to invite you to come on Sunday (this) afternoon to listen to the beautiful classical sonatas of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary performed by Esther Witherell on violin, accompanied by harpsichord. These pieces, composed in the 16th century, will inspire you in their beauty and spiritual depth. Please, do not miss this opportunity to experience a small piece of our rich tradition of Catholic liturgical music.

Dear Friends, I want to wish all of the moms in our parish a blessed and joyful Mother’s Day. It is right and fitting that we should set aside one Sunday a year to honor all mothers for the continual sacrifice and loving care they give to their children - regardless of the children’s age. Thank you for mirroring God’s unconditional love to all of us by the way you love and care for your family. This is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Each year on this day the Church gives us the passage from John’s Gospel where Jesus declares Himself to be our Shepherd. He uses the metaphor of the shepherd to assure us of how well he knows us and his determination to provide for all of our needs. With the Good Shepherd in view, I think that the following (summarized) article, by Sr. Theresa Aletheia, is timely (published on Aleteia.org on 7/5/2016).

Dear Friends,

I am writing this letter during Easter Week, still experiencing the joy and gratitude for all that we commemorated so beautifully last week.

I trust that you are aware of our new Pastoral Council. On April 2 we gathered to pray and discern the needs of the parish and to determine which ones to tackle first. The process clearly revealed the love the council members have for their parish and their desire to see OLMC flourish. Everyone understood that we have to balance our efforts between fostering community and spiritual growth with outreach to those who need to be invited back to the Church as well as those who need to discover the Lord of Lords for the first time.

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.

Today’s readings speak of an essential quality for the Christian steward— hope. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Hope is thetheological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven andeternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises andrelying not on our own strength but on the help of the grace of the HolySpirit (CCC 1817).” In many ways, this is the very definition of astewardship way of life — focusing on eternity as we live our daily livesand relying on God to provide for our needs and satisfy our deepestlongings for meaning and happiness right now.

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.