Dear Parishioners,

Repentance is a notion we hear a great deal of during the season of Lent. While it is certainly true that repentance is one of the great hallmarks of this penitential period of the church year, it is more accurate to claim that it as a hallmark of the entire Christian life. The opening words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are; This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15) The Greek word for repent is metanoia, and is derived from two words from the same language – meta (after, with, above) and nous (mind).

Dear Parishioners,

This week, February 22nd, is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. For 46 days, we will be immersed in a season that was originally designed to prepare people for Baptism at Easter, a season which, over time, became a penitential period for all the baptized so that they might celebrate Easter with a renewed heart. Today, Lent can have a variety of meaning and purposes, depending upon individuals. What seems to be a consistent characteristic of the Lenten season is that during these weeks, Christians adopt various prayers, practices and ritual customs that are unique to this time of year hoping to change something in their lives.

Dear Parishioners,

On April 25, 2022 the Vatican Congregation of Divine Worship and the Disciple of the Sacraments, which is the body of cardinals and bishops responsible for the translation and implementation of all liturgical rites, approved a new translation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You may recall that, for several years now the church has been revising all our liturgical texts so that they would be in closer conformity to the official Latin texts from which they are translated. The actual textual changes in the “new” Rite of Penance, now called “The Order of Penance,” are minimal.

I recently decided to learn to cook. As I sit at the feet of various YouTube cooking masters, I notice how much of cooking is adding ingredients that don’t provide any more nourishment, like herbs and other seasonings. But man! They make all the difference because they make the meal delightful to eat and share. Jesus calls his disciples “salt of the world.” No one eats just salt. So, Christians are not meant to replace or do away with the world. They are meant to be agents of preservation and glorification.

Dear Faithful Parishioners,

Winter lingers on and, for some people, has over stayed its welcome. Christmas is a faded memory. Most of the holiday decorations have been stored away until next year, except for here at St. Joan of Arc Church. Lent, and certainly Easter, are far too distant to have immediate impact on our psyches. So we are left with this time of February which I have always found an awkward month for all the reasons I noted previously.

Dear Faithful Parishioners,

I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all of you for one of the most beautiful and memorable Christmas celebrations I can recall here at St. Joan of Arc Parish. I believe that our Advent initiative, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” was successful in inviting back many parishioners who, for whatever reasons, have been away from Sunday Mass. I pray that everyone will continue to join us at the Sunday liturgy which, the church calls, the source and summit of our faith.

O Jesus, Word made flesh, savior of the world, your life is for us an example of total dedication to your Father and to the work he entrusted to you. Help us to live fully our religious consecration, to spend ourselves completely in your salvific mission to the people of God.

Mary, Mother of God, obtain for us the grace of intimate union with your divine Son and in and through him with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Dear Parishioners,

Today the church keeps the great solemnity of Epiphany, derived from Greek word meaning “manifestation.” Traditionally Epiphany was celebrated on January 6, and was the 12th Day of Christmas. It is perhaps a more ancient festival than Christmas on December 25. It originated in the Eastern sections of the Christian world and commemorated the birth of Jesus, the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus and the miracle of Cana when Jesus transformed water into wine.

Dear Faithful,

On this 8th day of the Christmas Octave, the Church solemnly acclaims Mary as “Mother of God“ (Theotokos in Greek), the most exalted title ever held by a human person. This designation was given to her at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD after long, strenuous debates concerning the identity of Jesus. At this moment in history, there were those who, erroneously, believed that Jesus Christ did not share in the eternal divinity of the Godhead, but rather was adopted as God at some particular moment in time. They argued, therefore, that Mary could not rightfully be called the “Mother of God” but only the “Mother of Christ” since she did not give birth to the eternal God.

Dear Faithful,

After four full weeks of beautiful Advent, we have come to that day for which this season was preparing us – the Day of Christmas. In truth however, Christmas is much more than a single day. Like Advent, it too is a season. It begins on December 24 and continues until the feast of the Lord’s Baptism which, this year, is on January 9. Between December 24 and January 8, there is the Christmas Octave, the eight days following the 25. There is also the better known 12 Days of Christmas that conclude on January 6, the feast of the Epiphany, which was original Christmas celebration in the Eastern Church.

Dear Parishioners,

This evening on the Fourth Sunday of Advent for Christians, our Jewish brothers and sisters begin their celebration of Hanukkah. This eight day festival of light is determined by the lunar calendar and so occurs at different times each year. In 2022 Hanukkah is observed from the evening of December 18 to the evening of December 26. Although it is a relatively minor holiday according to the official list of Jewish observances, it takes on greater significance, perhaps because of its proximity to Christmas, and also perhaps, because it comes at the darkest time of the year when the natural desire for more sunlight is a universal craving, at least in the northern hemisphere.

Dear Parishioners,

I want to encourage all who are able, to be engaged in this year’s parish wide effort, which I have named - O Come All Ye Faithful. This is an effort designed to fill our church for the Christmas Masses and invite back those parishioners whom we have not seen for some time.

The method that I am proposing for this effort is outlined below.

Dear Parishioners,

In this week’s bulletin you will find the annual parish financial report for 2021-2022. Here at St. Joan of Arc, it has been our custom to provide this report in the season of Advent which begins the church’s new liturgical year. As you study this report, you will see that it reflects the consistent generosity of our parishioners who value our Catholic faith and recognize the privileged responsibility of preserving it for the generations that will follow us.