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.

Lectio Divina means “divine reading” in Latin. It’s a meditative way of reading the Bible in which we let go of our own agendas and open ourselves to what God is trying to say to 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.

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops articulates a constructive Christian response to the challenge posed by “woke” secular ideologies and social justice movements.

“Friendship helps the young, too, to keep from error.”
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle is intent on showing how friendship is necessary in every stage and condition in life. With characteristic insight, he points to the precise need it fulfills in each.

In 1968 an influential Harvard Medical School committee introduced brain death with the oxymoronic definition “irreversible coma as a new criterion for death,” disregarding the fact that to be in a coma is not to be dead but alive. Declaring a person dead by brain death criteria is the primary means by which organs are obtained for transplantation.