Virtue Over Vice

04-25-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Of the many things I am blessed to experience, offering the Sacrament of Confession ranks near the top of the list of positive experiences. If I ever make it to heaven, I want to know how many confessions I have heard! In a parish like ours, that number is high, thanks be to God! I love helping people reconcile with God! That being said, many of us have pits in our stomachs about not being able to make progress in overcoming a particular sin that we confess over and over. They drag us down. I hear the frustration in people's voices in confession and I have experienced that in my own life.

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Divine Mercy Sunday

04-11-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed."
—Eph 2:4-5

On Divine Mercy Sunday, the focus is on the healing power of Our Lord's Mercy. Through Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Confessions, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy, we focus our attention to God's Divine Mercy.

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Easter and God's Mercy

04-04-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy Easter to you and a special welcome to you if you are visiting our wonderful parish family! It is hard to believe that it has been two years since we were able to celebrate Easter Sunday together. As we are able to come together as God’s family, I pray you may come to know the peace of God in your hearts now and always. Our Lord is our strength in good times and in bad.

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Holy Week

03-28-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Welcome to Holy Week! Today, we begin the holiest week of the year for the Catholic Church. This week, the Church commemorates Christ's death and burial. Ancient writers called this the Great or Holy Week of Our Lord's Passion. The custom of keeping the Holy Week goes all the way back to the time of the Apostles. When the early Christians spoke about Jesus to others, they started with the Passion of Our Lord. Scholars believe that the Passion of Our Lord spread before the other parts of the Gospel were even written down. The Passion of Our Lord is really the starting point for building our relationship with Jesus.

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5th Sunday of Lent

03-21-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On June 16, 2019, I was installed by Bishop Olmsted as the pastor of St. Bernadette parish. I am grateful to be part of the St. Bernadette family united in our Catholic faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and committed to one another and Our Lord in love and humble service.

For about three years now, I have witnessed firsthand the great works of the good people of our parish. Through the sacrificial love of so many people, our approximately 100 ministries serve the needs of our parishioners and people throughout northeast Scottsdale and beyond. We are truly blessed! The willingness to serve Our Lord has brought other people to be attracted to the faith and as a result our parish has grown to more than1,800 families and our school has continued to attract students from all over the valley.

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4th Sunday of Lent

03-14-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

During the year of St. Joseph, we will be celebrating the Solemnity of St. Joseph this Friday, March 19. We will celebrate the feast at the 6:30am and 8:30am Masses. My middle name is Joseph and I consider St. Joseph to be my patron. St. Joseph has always held a special place in the heart of Christians throughout the world. I ask for his intercession often. I pray to him for those who need jobs, for the dying (he is the patron of a happy death), for fathers and for purity. To combat and overcome Satan's lies, the Church needs St. Joseph!

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3rd Sunday of Lent

03-07-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

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2nd Sunday of Lent

02-28-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them." This little line from today's Gospel reminds me of the importance of silence and spending time with Our Lord.

When I discerned that I was being called by God to be a priest, I packed my bags and headed out after a few years at Arizona State University, a school with 30,000 noisy college students, in order to attend St. Meinrad Seminary with a student body of 225 that was run by Benedictine monks.

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1st Sunday of Lent

02-21-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last April, a pew study found that 25% of Americans believed that their faith was stronger due to the pandemic. I wonder if that statistic has held up after so many frustrating months of rules, precautions and isolation. Many ask, "Where is God in all of this?" We've all seen some of the grief people have carried during the COVID-19 pandemic at the loss of regular accessibility of the great Sacrament of the Eucharist. I suspect some have begun to question whether faith is as essential as they once thought.

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Charity and Development Appeal

02-14-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it . Be made clean." The message in today's Gospel reminds us to act with compassion.

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Taking Up Your Cross

02-07-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I wanted to offer some perspective for all who are enduring the death of a loved one, the pandemic, political chaos, unstable economy, family drama or job loss. Those are just a few of the possible hardships you may find yourself trying to navigate!

Our perspectives and ability to deal with our current struggles vary. A brother priest prophetically told me recently that, “This is the cross! Are you going to carry it or not?” Jesus also said that, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.’

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