Last evening, Saturday Nov. 30, at sunset we began the sacred season of Advent and our new Church year. As I hear it said (more often around Jan. 1), it can mean a “new year, new you!” In our faith this is better called conversion and over the coming weeks we will hear much from the Prophet Isaiah and about the Precursor, John the Baptist. Both proclaimed the coming of the Messiah and the need for each of us to prepare ourselves - by leaving behind sin and self-seeking and looking toward the Light and Liberty our Messiah will bring.

There’s an old fable about a poor farmer who had to use an old horse to plow his fields. One afternoon, while working in the field, his horse collapsed out of exhaustion and died. All the farmer’s neighbors said “Oh how sad!” but the farmer simply said "We'll see."

One of his rich cousins heard about his predicament and sent him a new horse. All the farmer’s neighbors said “Oh how wonderful!” but the farmer said "We'll see."

Over the past few weeks many of our parishioners have been leaving pictures and mementos of our deceased loved ones on our altarcitos in the vestibule of the Church. Every time I come into the Church now I am deeply moved by these faces and memories. I also try to say a prayer, even if very briefly, that all of them may now be in heaven with God and His Angels.

Congratulations to our newly ordained permanent deacons, Deacon Bob Solis and Deacon Antonio Reynoso. As well, to their wives Sallie Solis and Araceli Reynoso and their families, congratulations from all of us, your friends and family in Christ, St. John Vianney Parish!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.