Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Catholic writer Sara Park McLaughlin wrote that, “Sometimes we treat God more like a celestial Santa Claus than an omniscient, omnipotent, loving Father who knows more about us and our needs than we do. Or perhaps we treat God like the ultimate fire fighter-someone we only call when there is a big emergency and usually as a last resort.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is always appropriate to find ways to be grateful to God from Whom all blessings flow! Thanksgiving Day is one such day that even our secular culture focuses on giving thanks. How and to whom secular folk give thanks is a topic for another Pastor’s Notes. For practicing Catholics, this day most certainly includes giving thanks to God for His countless blessings in our life. To that end, we will have two morning Masses (6:30am and 8:30am) on Thanksgiving day. Holy Mass is the best way to thank God who has given us everything.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

You may have noticed the large banner in the sanctuary with the image of St. Bernadette and a list of our parishioners who have died this past year. We also have the Book of Remembrance where you are welcome to write the names of your loved ones that you would like to be remembered at Holy Mass. What you may not know is why we remember the dead in November.

Traditionally, November is the month where the Catholic Church remembers all those who have died. We celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1st. This is a very special day in the Church calendar where we honor all Saints. The Catholic Church celebrates All Souls Day on November 2nd. This day is dedicated to praying for those who have died.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

May the Peace and Mercy of Our Lord pierce your heart!

For the past several months, a team of dedicated parishioners have been working quietly behind the scenes to bring about the newest addition to our parish and school community. It all began about two years ago when man shared with me that he found our parish to be a peaceful place where people come and experience God’s mercy, love, and healing. This experience of Our Lord’s mercy touched his heart and motivated him to want to do something about it. He felt called to find a way to promote the Divine Mercy of Our Lord right here at our parish.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Retired Archbishop Charles Chaput wrote a book called, “Things Worth Dying For.” In the earliest chapters, he writes about our ability to possess even now, the same love the martyrs showed for Our Lord. This radical love is our calling and is deeply connected to our call to holiness, our call to become saints. Archbishop wrote, “The supernatural love of God in Jesus Christ that gives courage to the martyrs helps us to better understand the loves of family, friends, honor, and integrity. The power of these loves - a power so great that we can live and die to remain true to them - does not come from within.” The Archbishop asserts that it isn’t about the one who loves but rather their capacity to love someone - a mother or father for his or her child is the clearest example. Good parents will do and sacrifice everything for their children which makes many parents holy parents.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the morning of February 11, 1858, in the small town of Lourdes, nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains, a poor young girl named Bernadette Soubirous was out gathering firewood when she saw a vision of a very beautiful young Lady in a niche above a grotto called Massabielle. Over the next few weeks there were seventeen more apparitions, causing great consternation in the town. After revealing herself as Mary, the Mother of Jesus, under her title the Immaculate Conception, the Lady requested that a Chapel be built at the grotto for the faithful to visit.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. The Holy Rosary is one of the best known and most powerful of all Catholic devotions. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7th. In a shining moment for the Catholic Church, on October 7, 1571, a great victory over the brutal Turkish fleet was won by Catholic naval forces under the command of Don Juan of Austria. It was a decisive battle between "oared" ships, which featured the most powerful navy in the world, a Muslim force with between 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves as rowers.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

For those who practice the faith, who seek to grow in holiness, who have a desire to go to heaven, seeing and experiencing the presence of evil is a common occurrence. Not so unlike other times in history, evil has become much more obvious in the efforts of those who desire to murder children in the womb.

One such group that is causing so much pain and suffering is Arizona for Abortion Access. The organization claims on their website that there are “many reasons why someone may decide to have an abortion” and “every person should be able to make their own decisions” with their healthcare provider “free from government interference.” Their reckless and misguided intent to provide a choice for pregnant mothers is extreme and hurtful. Their efforts, if successful, will lead to the death of many unborn children.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we celebrate Respect Life throughout the month of October, Our Lord reminds us of the sacredness of every life. Catholics have always held and will always preach the value of human life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that: "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being” (CCC 2258). And “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (CCC 2270).

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Archbishop Thomas Murphy was a groundbreaking leader on the subject of Christian stewardship in the United States.

One of the concepts that the Archbishop promoted was that the Lord isn’t only interested in the 10% that we might be inspired to give to the Church and other charities. He said that Our Lord is also interested in the remaining 90% of our lives and resources as well--the whole of our lives for the good of His Kingdom.

This idea came to mind on Sunday, September 10th, when the Church beatified an entire family, a first in the history of the Church. The Ulma family serves as an ultimate example of stewardship as they gave all of their lives and resources to do God’s work.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I have had the great blessing to get to know Father Robert Seraph Aliunzi as a brother priest for many years. He is truly a man of God who has been called to serve in Our Lord powerful and lifegiving ways. I invited him to speak at our parish on the weekend of September 23/24 and to share with you the incredible work God has called him to do.

Fr. Aliunzi was born and raised in Uganda in conditions that few people could imagine or even survive. Our Lord and His incredible mercy protected Fr. Aliunzi’s vocation to the priesthood which eventually led him to serve in our diocese. Fr. Aliunzi has ministered to the people of God in the Diocese of Phoenix for over 18 years in different capacities. He served as the pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle in Chandler as well as the pastor of St. James for ten years.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On December 7, 1941, the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor. This attack eventually led to World War II. I have met veterans who had once been young and patriotically idealistic and had responded to Japanese aggression, altering their whole life for the good of our country. After what they had been through and what they had lost, including many of their peers, one can understand how they would not want us to forget the pain of their past and the military heroes of World War II.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

If you have had to wait for weeks or even months for a particular item you purchased or work you needed done around the house, you know first-hand the impact of not having enough people in the work force. I speak to business owners all the time who are having to reevaluate how they can meet public demand. Many businesses are having to cut hours of operation simply because they lack adequate staff. “Help Wanted” signs can be seen in many stores and restaurant windows.