This week we observe the National Catholic Schools Week (CSW) in all the Dioceses in the United States. Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the US, being observed beginning with the last Sunday in January. The celebration this year, running from January 26 to February 1, will mark the 46th anniversary of the event. The theme for the 2020 Catholic Schools Week is “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.” This theme embodies the core values found in Catholic schools across the country. Those values are to train the child academically, morally, spiritually and socially so they can become future servant leaders, faith-filled disciples and good citizens. The overall goal of the CSW is to showcase what makes Catholic schools distinctively different from other schools and to help schools connect with prospective families looking to find the right school for their children, donors, educators and other community members.

Dear Parishioners,

You may have noticed we have not made many announcements concerning our new church building campaign (Living Our Faith, Building Our Home) in the past six months. The main reason for the break was to enable us to focus on our participation in the active phase of the Diocesan Capital Campaign (Together Let Us Go Forth~ Juntos Sigamos Adelante) which ran from July to November last year. We also wanted to avoid any confusion of talking about two different campaigns simultaneously. Even so, a number of us have been working diligently, behind the scenes, keeping our building campaign on track.

Dear Parishioners,

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support, especially during my installation as Pastor of the parish last Sunday. I am very grateful. I look forward to your continued prayers and support in this new responsibility. A number of our parishioners have asked me to explain the difference between Parochial Administrator and Pastor, and what is involved in having the Via Christi Society provide the pastoral leadership to the St. Benedict community for the next ten years.

A Parochial Administrator is a Priest who is appointed by the Bishop to take care of the pastoral leadership of a parish when the office of the pastor is vacant. He holds this position on a temporary basis until a new pastor is appointed by the Bishop. The Parochial Administrator has the same rights and responsibilities as any Pastor (Canon 539 & 540, 1).

Dear Parishioners,

On behalf of the parish community, I welcome Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted to St. Benedict. He is here this weekend for my installation as Pastor during the Sunday 11:00 am Mass. I thank the Bishop for his confidence by entrusting me with the responsibility of serving the St. Benedict Parish community. I also want to thank all of our parishioners for their love, care and support throughout this past year. I continue to rely on the grace of God, your prayers, and support as I move on to the next stage of my ministry with you here at St. Benedict.

This weekend we are celebrating Epiphany. This special feast commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Baby Jesus. Epiphany simply means the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the gentile world. One common question many people ask about the celebration of Epiphany is: “If the Magi were called ‘wise men’ because they followed the star to find the child Jesus, is it okay then to believe in ‘horoscope’?” The answer is NO. Horoscope is a form of idolatry - a sin against the First Commandment: “I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) Horoscope readers need to ask themselves whether it is the stars, or God, in charge of their lives? Believing that the stars control our lives contradicts our belief that God is in charge of our lives. The Church states clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Dear Parishioners,

Christmas Thank You

We thank God and thank you all for a wonderful Christmas celebration. My special thanks to all those who participated in the Angel Giving Tree. I was speechless when I saw the outpouring of gifts and the overwhelming response of our parishioners to the needs of those around our community. I thank the Art and Environment ministry for the beautiful Christmas decorations. Also, thanks to the Choir and the Liturgy team for wonderful Liturgies during the Christmas. This Christmas was a very memorable one for me and I pray for more joyful celebrations with you all in this community.

Holy Family

Dear Parishioners,

A very big thank you to our St. John Bosco School community for the beautiful Christmas Program and the Our Lady of Guadalupe play during the week. Thanks, also, to the teachers and staff who helped organize the different Christmas events with the school this year. Wishing our SJB community a wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Year. I would also like to thank everyone who participated in our Advent Penance Service last Tuesday. The turnout was wonderful and the visiting priests appreciate your warm welcome and prayers.

In the First Reading today, we hear how God sent the prophet Isaiah to ask King Ahaz to ask for a sign from God. Why did Ahaz refuse to ask for a sign? He said, “I will not put God to the test.” He prefers to do what God wants for him, rather than to challenge God. At this time as we prepare for Christmas, suppose we have Santa play the role of God and our children play the role of King Ahaz. What do you think we would hear as their responses? Most likely requests for material gifts, right? But what about us, the adults, if God were to ask us to make a request for something this Christmas, what would you ask for? It is amazing how materialism has taken over the meaning of Christmas these days.

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. “Gaudete” is a Latin word for “rejoice.” Today, we light the rose-colored candle on our Advent Wreath, symbolic of our expression of joy on this Gaudete, or Rejoice, Sunday. We are invited to reflect on the things that make us truly joyful. What brings us joy? Is it our job, family, faith, money, good health, sports, or something else? We are also invited to go beyond identifying what makes us joyful during this Advent season, to determine how we can share our joy with those who are in need around us. The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas is a way of sharing our joy, not only with those who are in need, but also with our family and friends. I thank all those who have participated in the Angel Giving Tree. I saw many precious gifts brought in to the parish to be shared with many of our friends around our community. Thanks, also, to our parish choir for the beautiful Christmas concert this past week. We await the St. John Bosco School Christmas Program, coming up this Wednesday, December 18. These are an indication that we are truly a people of joy!

Dear Parishioners,

As we set up our Christmas decorations during this second week of Advent, Pope Francis invites Christians all over the world to be conscious of including the nativity scene in our decorations as a sign of our joyful proclamation of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. In his Apostolic Letter titled “Admirabile Signum,” Latin term meaning, “Enchanting Image” which he signed last Sunday, the Pope stated, “With this Letter, I wish to encourage the beautiful family tradition of preparing the nativity scene in the days before Christmas, but also the custom of setting it up in the workplace, in schools, hospitals, prisons and town squares. Great imagination and creativity is always shown in employing the most diverse materials to create small masterpieces of beauty. As children, we learn from our parents and grandparents to carry on this joyful tradition, which encapsulates a wealth of popular piety. It is my hope that this custom will never be lost and that, wherever it has fallen into disuse, it can be rediscovered and revived.”

Dear Parishioners,

Thank You

I thank God and would like to thank everyone for the wonderful Thanksgiving celebration during the week. I was particularly happy to see a good attendance at the Thanksgiving Mass to thank God first before our family celebrations. My special thanks to St. Vincent De Paul Society, the Knights of Columbus and all those who donated turkey and food items for our Thanksgiving outreach this year. Through your generosity, our parish community was able to put food on the table for so many families in and around our community this year. May God continue to bless you all as you willingly share your time, talents, and treasures with those in need.

Dear Parishioners,

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the Together Let Us Go Forth~Juntos Sigamos Adelante Campaign. I really appreciate your generous and sacrificial giving to support the campaign. This weekend I invite those who have not yet participated to join us in supporting the campaign by filling out a pledge card to be fulfilled over the next 5 years. We all have different reasons whether or not we choose to participate in the campaign. Personally, as a religious Priest with a Vow of Poverty, even with my meager income, plus my financial obligations to my Religious Order and my family, I have enough reasons not to participate in the campaign. However, like an African Proverb says, “No matter how short a man is, he too can see the Sun.” I chose to support the campaign because I wanted to be part of this historical moment. My participation is my way of saying “thank you” to the Diocese of Phoenix and to the St. Benedict community for the love and support I have received.

Dear Parishioners,

Over the past three months, I have visited and met with a number of families in our parish community to get to know them and to hear their concerns, questions and suggestions regarding our parish community, as well as to discuss the ongoing diocesan wide campaign, Together Let Us Go Forth ~ Juntos Sigamos Adelante. During our visits, many families shared with me their struggles and how they arrived at the decision to give sacrificial financial support to the parish weekly collection, parish building campaign and now the diocesan campaign. I thank all of the families who gave me the opportunity to visit them and those who have already participated in both the parish building and the diocesan campaign. Because of your support, you are helping us reach our goals.

Dear Parishioners,

Finally, we have come to the last week of preparation for our long-awaited Parish BBQ and Boot Scoot, coming up this Saturday, November 16. Don’t miss out on the fun! Lots of food, fellowship, silent auction items, music, dancing, entertainment and more. Invite your friends and neighbors to come join us. Remember to buy your ticket for the dinner this weekend or this week at the parish office. Much thanks to those on the Event Committee for all the planning and dedication to ensure that we have a successful celebration. I look forward with excitement to a wonderful and memorable evening on Saturday.

Together Let Us Go Forth~Juntos Sigamos Adelante

Dear Parishioners,

Welcome to the month of November. In the Church tradition, the month of November is a period dedicated for prayers for the dead. On Nov 1, the Church celebrates the Feast of All Saints when we thank God for the lives of all the dead who have made it to heaven. On Nov 2, we celebrate the Memorial of All Souls when we pray for those who have passed and are still undergoing the period of purification in Purgatory before they can be admitted into heaven. On the Church’s teaching on Purgatory, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that:

“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire” (CCC 1030 -1031).