It was twelve years ago on the Feast of Divine Mercy that we gathered with Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and a large number of priests for the Solemn Mass for the Dedication of the Church and Altar. The date was April 11, 2010.

Even though we had our first Mass inside our church on Christmas Eve in 2008, we had been using our temporary wooden altar from the time when we were having Masses in the parish hall. Finally, in 2010, we had the permanent altar that you now see in the church as well as the stone baptismal font and the tabernacle.

These images capture the beauty of Easter weekend at St. Clare of Assisi Parish. We are grateful for our community and higher attendance this year. Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Concrete floor for the basement of the new activities center.

This has been a wonderful year as many more parishioners were able to return to the church for Mass. I was very glad to see more faces and catch up with their stories. We still have a weekly live stream Mass for those who need it, but we hope we will see you soon inside the church if you are healthy. We started construction on our Parish Activities Center to include offices, social hall, chapel, meeting rooms etc. We really appreciate our donors and hope you are one of them! I recently announced some priests and staff changes.

As a Catholic priest, more so, as a religious missionary priest, I was always formed and trained to be ready and willing to go anywhere and to any mission or place that the need calls or God’s Spirit leads to through the use of Major Superiors or the Bishop of the Diocese where we work.

After almost 8 years serving at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Parish, it is now time for change, time to move to another Mission. This time at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Chandler, Arizona.

Praying with Scripture can be done alone or with others. When done with others, it can be a means of sharing more deeply the faith that you attempt to live out day by day. We believe that one of the ways God is manifested to us is through the Scriptures. When we prayerfully read the Scriptures, we open our minds and hearts to the Spirit of God. We can be both challenged and affirmed by the Word of God.