Dear Parishioners,

This week, we joyfully celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. This significant feast inspires great devotion in Rome, particularly at the renowned Basilicas of Saint Peter's and Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Peter, the steadfast rock and leader of our faith, along with Paul, the fearless preacher, both guided countless souls closer to Christ and His Church. We honor these Apostles, who continue to lead and pray for us as we navigate life today. Their example, preaching, and prayers enrich the Church profoundly.

Dear Parishioners,

As Pilgrims of Hope, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) this weekend around the world. It is a day in the Church to focus on the great gift of the Eucharist and in a particular way how the Eucharist is our hope. As I ponder what that means, I think of the hope we have in the mystical union that occurs as we receive the divine gift of God in the Eucharist. Holy Communion deepens our communion with God and with one another, the Church. He dwells in us and allows us to share in His divine life.

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend is Trinity Sunday. We focus on God as a Trinity of persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The early Church struggled with the understanding and definition of the Trinity. Over time it has been clarified and defined but still remains a mystery. What I think is important is that God is a God of relationship by the very way the Trinity is revealed as three persons – one God. Each individual but one. This means we can know God as a person in three different ways. As God the Father, the one who creates, loves and continually chases after us.

Dear Parishioners, This weekend is Pentecost and the last day of the Easter Season. We have celebrated for 50 days the great mystery that Jesus suffered, died, rose, appeared to His disciples, ascended into heaven and sends the promised spirit to dwell in us. Amazing. So, why we remember, we are called to do even more than remember, and that is to live it. We live the victory. Our relationship with God is restored. Sin, death and division are conquered by love, forgiveness and unity in Him.

Dear Parishioners,

This week we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension. As Jesus ascends to heaven, He promises that He will clothe us with power from on high. This promise is fulfilled in the gift of the Holy Spirit and is much alive in our faith community. When we speak of God, it is more than a concept, teaching or an ideal; it is a real relationship with the one who creates us, teaches us, saves us, dwells with us and empowers us to live the bold Christian life in our world today. He does not leave us but rather is now with us for all time in the gift of the Church.

Dear Parishioners,

It is hard to believe it is the end of May and we are moving into the summer months of intense heat here in the desert. Like people in the North in the winter, we often spend more time indoors because of the high heat.

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend I will be celebrating Mass in Poland with 24 pilgrims. We will drive to a place where Saint John Paul II, as a young man, went to pray and reflect upon his life and service to God.

In the lush, green hills of Kalwaria Zebzydowska, we will visit the famous Calvary paths, an intertwining mesh of Churches, Chapels, and wayside shrines originally built to replicate the city of Jerusalem.

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend is known as Good Shepherd Sunday because the Gospel is always about the good shepherd. It is especially important for us this week and this year as we are in the midst of a change of shepherds with the passing of Pope Francis and the awaiting of the results of the Conclave. As I write this, the Cardinals have yet to enter into the Conclave; however, we may have a new Pope by the time it is published.

Dear Parishioners,

We continue to read the Easter encounters of the Risen Lord with His disciples in the Holy Scriptures. Jesus seeks them out, even when they have returned to their old ways of life and are not quite sure what to do as they proceed forward in life. Peter returns to fishing and is reminded of the first call when he encounters the Lord again… the Lord gives him the opportunity to profess his threefold love for Him in order to counter his threefold denial at the time of His suffering.

Dear Parishioners,

What a beautiful Holy Week, Triduum, and Easter weekend we had with overflowing crowds who came to celebrate God’s love offered to us through the gift of His Son. We baptized 17 people, had 9 people enter the Catholic Church, and confirmed all of them plus an additional 14 adults. It was an amazing night of Sacramental grace. Of course, at all the Masses, each of us renewed our own Baptismal promises—rejecting Satan and sin and affirming our Catholic faith. It was truly a joy-filled Easter day, and now we find ourselves in the 50-day celebration of Easter.

He is Risen. Alleluia, Alleluia!

Today we celebrate the great feast of all Christians… Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead, Alleluia, Alleluia. He has conquered sin, evil, and death. We live anew in Him.

We continue now, as Pilgrims of Hope, on the fifty-day journey of Easter. Our focus as a community will be on Resurrection and Hope. We remember that the tomb that holds death is now empty and He is risen, living among us. The great mystery of our faith is that He indeed lives and is with us. Not a character from the past or one we hope to meet, but one who desires a relationship with us now, in this present time. We live in Jesus—His saving power.

Dear Parishioners,

Palm Sunday is always a special day for us as Catholics. There is something about receiving palm branches, waving them high as we sing Hosanna that helps us enter into the mystery of Holy Week and Easter. “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna on high” we proclaim as a people and join in the cry of the people of long ago as Jesus made is triumphant entrance into the city of Jerusalem. He was lauded as one who would liberate and save them – they were tired and oppressed. The cry of Hosanna – means please save us. A beautiful cry for us even today – Lord, Jesus please save us!

Dear Parishioners,

We are now in the Fifth Sunday of Lent, entering into what the Church calls Passiontide. There is a noticeable change in the Church, with statues and crosses being covered. This is meant to impact our senses, reminding us that something different is happening in the life of the people of God. The following Sunday is Palm Sunday, leading into Holy Week. Passiontide shifts our focus from Lenten practices aimed at a change of heart to the saving act of Jesus on the Cross and the drama leading up to it. Reflecting on these stories helps us see the depth of God’s love for us in the gift of His Son.