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).

Dear Parishioners,

It is my pleasure to introduce to you the Diocesan-wide campaign: Together Let Us Go Forth ~ Juntos Sigamos Adelante. This is a historic campaign where every parish and mission in our Diocese will join together in an effort to strengthen and embolden discipleship and evangelization efforts that will impact millions today and in the future. Discipleship is a dynamic journey of becoming like Jesus and it starts with a “yes.” As we grow in our relationship with God, we evangelize and share the Gospel with our families and communities, bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ into every human situation.

Dear Parishioners,

I am pleased to present to you our Parish Annual Pastoral and Finance Reports for the fiscal years 2017/18 and 2018/19. As I stated earlier this year, I was not able to give you the Annual Report for the 2017/18 last year due to the transition of leadership and grief period we experienced. The reports presented to you this weekend are in two parts: the Pastoral Report (which covers the last fiscal year 2018/19) and the Financial Report (which covers fiscal years 2017/18 and 2018/19). Please note that the parish fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.

READ ANNUAL REPORT

Dear Parishioners,

I thank Jay Iole, Chettie Dodson, the Knights of Columbus and everyone who helped last weekend to make our Ministry Fair very successful. Special thanks also to the members of all the ministries that participated in the Fair. I was glad to see good participation and big signups in the different ministries. May God continue to bless you all for the generous giving of your time, talents and treasures that keep our parish running.

Harvest Fest

I look forward to another exciting event at the St. John Bosco Harvest Fest next weekend. I invite everyone to come and show your support for our school after the 5 pm Mass this Saturday, October 19. There will be lots of fun: a costume contest, haunted house, beer & wine garden, raffle baskets, food trucks, lip sync battle, bouncy houses, cake walk, petting zoo, pumpkins for sale and more! Please invite your family, friends and neighbors to come join us at the event.

Dear Parishioners,

The Ministry Fair weekend is here at last! We have all been working so hard, planning and preparing for this weekend through the year. I am so excited and looking forward to the fun after all the Masses this weekend. The overall goal of the Ministry Fair is not to just showcase our ministries, but to provide opportunities for everyone to get involved in the different ministries they feel called to join. Every Catholic is called to participate in building God’s Church through our services in different ministries. Everyone has different talents and something to contribute to the growth of the parish community. The Ministry Fair gives us the opportunity to know what ministries we have available and what each ministry does.

Dear Parishioners,

The Ministry Fair weekend is here at last! We have all been working so hard, planning and preparing for this weekend through the year. I am so excited and looking forward to the fun after all the Masses this weekend. The overall goal of the Ministry Fair is not to just showcase our ministries, but to provide opportunities for everyone to get involved in the different ministries they feel called to join. Every Catholic is called to participate in building God’s Church through our services in different ministries. Everyone has different talents and something to contribute to the growth of the parish community. The Ministry Fair gives us the opportunity to know what ministries we have available and what each ministry does.

Dear Parishioners,

This week we welcome the beautiful month of October. October is quite unique for several reasons. Significant within the first week, on October 4, is the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi when many people have their pets blessed. The blessing of pets on the feast day of St. Francis is not an official practice of the Church, but more of a private devotion. It originated from the biography of St. Francis, which shows that he loved animals so much that he called them brothers and sisters. There are so many stories about St. Francis’ friendship with animals. One of the most famous stories about him holds that he tamed a wolf, that used to terrorize the people of Gubbio village, by just asking it to be friendly with the people.

This year, our St. John Bosco community will observe their symbolic blessing of pets on Friday, October 4, right after the morning Mass. We will have the general blessing of pets on Saturday, October 5, at 10 am in the north parking lot. Please hold and stay with your pets. Remember to bring the cats and dogs (in particular) on a leash or be ready to separate fights.

Dear Parishioners,

The Scripture Readings today invite us to reflect on our roles as Stewards of the Lord and His Church. Many priests feel very uncomfortable preaching or talking about stewardship in the Church, mostly because it is often associated with soliciting for money. However, the Church’s teaching on stewardship means more than that. A steward is someone who is entrusted with the responsibility of managing something on behalf of the owner. Our Christian understanding of stewardship takes its root from God’s command to Adam and Eve when he said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth” (Gen 1:28).

Catechetical Sunday

This weekend, the Church celebrates Catechetical Sunday when all those who serve in Religious Education and Formation Programs are blessed and commissioned for their ministry. The theme for Catechetical Sunday this year is “Stay with Us.” We are blessed with 56 volunteer Catechists in our parish. Last week, I was so excited to see our children and Catechists when I visited the classes to welcome them back to the 2019/20 RE program. I thank all of our Catechists for responding to God’s call to serve our parish community through their ministry. Let us give them our support as they help our children and teens grow in their faith. The following Q & A from the US Bishops Conference website might help to clarify some of the questions you might have concerning Catechetical Sunday.

Welcome Back to the Religious Education Programs

I welcome our children, parents and Catechists back from summer break to the 2019/20 Religious Education Programs. Special welcome to the new families who are joining our RE programs this year. Classes will start for all grades this week. I thank our Faith Formation staff and volunteer leaders for their commitment to help our children grow in the faith. This year, we are blessed with twelve new volunteers, for a total of 56 Catechists and Core Leaders!

Happy Grandparents’ Day

I wish all grandparents in our community a Happy Grandparents’ Day and God’s blessings as we celebrate the Grandparents’ Day this weekend. One of the most exciting blessings in life is to live to see one’s grand- and great-grandchildren. The roles of grandparents are becoming increasingly crucial in our time than ever before. This is mostly because grandparents bring stability to families, especially as parents are often increasingly busy with dual career demands, education, long-hours jobs, out of town commitments, etc. Naturally, grandparents have a kind of unique connection with their grandchildren that strengthens the family bond in a special way.

Dear Parishioners,

New Liturgy Coordinator

I am pleased to announce that the parish has hired a new Liturgy Coordinator, Mr. Luis Rodriguez. Mr. Rodriguez comes with five years of experience in liturgy and music from Holy Spirit Parish in Tempe. He has also studied extensively in music and business administration, and can speak several languages. Please join me in welcoming Luis Rodriguez to our parish community!