Mental and Relationship Health Minister

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  11/03/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

As most of you know, Bishop Dolan has called all of us in the Diocese to greater understanding and care of mental wellness. In particular, he has asked us priests to be attentive to care of our parishioner’s mental health in addition to our care for souls.

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Protect and Love

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  10/27/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

As we get closer to Election Day on Nov. 5 it seems that we are reaching a fever pitch - in an already noisy political environment. No doubt everyone reading this has received mailed political ads, seen campaign ads on TV and social media, read news about candidates and propositions. Many probably have already voted using the mail-voting option in Arizona.

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To Know Jesus and Make Him Known

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  10/20/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

One of the first things visiting Holy Cross priests and seminarians note about our parish is how big and active we are - and they’re right! Whether it be our Sunday Masses, confessions, calls for anointing of the sick, baptisms, school enrollment, kids at religious education classes on Saturdays…. SJV is a busy corner of the Kingdom of God!

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Month of the Holy Rosary

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  10/13/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

Every October we celebrate the Month of the Holy Rosary. This was particularly important to us growing up in northwestern Ohio, in the Diocese of Toledo. There our Patroness is Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary and we grew up with great devotion to this wonderful prayer. I know most of you did too, wherever you may have grown up.

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Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 6, 2024

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  10/06/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

The first prayer I recall learning was the “Angel of God.” Way before learning how to pray the Breviary (also called the Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office) in the seminary, there I was at 4 years old praying to my Guardian Angel with Mom & Dad at bedtime. I’m sure they were praying it for me every night from the day they brought me home from the hospital… and I just sort of “picked it up” over those many nights.

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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  09/29/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

We know from Mass that just after we all pray the Our Father, and before the Sign of Peace, the priest prays:

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will.”

The people then respond, “Amen!”

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25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  09/22/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

Can you believe today is the first day of Autumn? Of course, more importantly to our faith it is the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Every week we gather on the Lord’s Day to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. Our families and ancestors have done so for thousands of years, since the beginnings of the Church, and we will do so until Jesus comes in glory at the end of the ages.

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Our Lady of Sorrows

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  09/15/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

What a joyful weekend we have (and in this case I am not talking about college football…) September 14 the Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and September 15 we celebrate Our Lady of Sorrows. I recognize that it’s strange to say we celebrate the Cross, the means of Our Savior’s death and Mary under the title of the Sorrowful Mother. You’d think these would be somber days of commemoration, like September 11 or December 7. In particular, the priests and brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross are under the special patronage of Our Lady of Sorrows, so this is quite a special day for us.

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Be Strong, Fear Not!

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  09/08/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

I heard a politician in Chile tell a story about a government official, from the capital city, going to a small town in the mountains to announce the government was going to be installing a new electrical grid there. This particular town was one of the poorest in the country and very little had changed in a hundred years. The crowd greeted the official's announcement with silence. He went on that the new system would be state-of-the-art, low-cost, and would revolutionize jobs in the area.

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Here Comes Autumn!

by Fr. David Halm, C.S.C.  |  09/01/2024  |  Pastor's Letter

It’s the end of the summer here in Arizona. (You wouldn’t know it by the temperatures…) Students are back in school, most everyone is back from vacations, the Cardinals are 0-3 in the pre-season. Yes, summer is giving way to autumn…

For the past few weeks we’ve heard special invitations and information about being baptized as an adult or receiving the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation through the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation as Adults). Please keep reading this bulletin for more information about the open-house. Ask anyone who’s gone through it over the years and you’ll hear remarkable stories of spiritual transformation or renewal and building community - in many cases lifelong friendships.

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