My dear friends,

In the early 1960’s the bishops of the universal Church and expert theologians gathered in Rome in what is called the Second Vatican Council. It was an important time of prayer and discernment and resulted in various important documents helping us to better understand the truth of God revealed in Jesus and who we are as His Church. In 1964 they wrote and published the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, called Lumen Gentium (Latin for “The Light of the Nations”). It says that the “divine mission, entrusted by Christ to the apostles, will last until the end of the world, since the Gospel they are to teach is for all time the source of all life for the Church. And for this reason the apostles, appointed as rulers in this society, took care to appoint successors.” (LG 20)

Could we possibly hear more comforting words than what Jesus says to the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15? "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.” Like her we go to the Lord with our needs and hopes - for ourselves, our loved ones, the whole world - and we know He hears us. In the same Gospel Jesus says “how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.” (Matthew 7:11)

Welcome back to school to our students, families and faculty in the parish grade school! Last Wednesday we opened the gates for the new academic year and are praying it will be a holy, safe, and successful year indeed. Our young people seem excited to be back in the classrooms (air-conditioned, glory be to God!), and our parents seem happy the kids are back to school…

It’s worth sharing the school’s mission statement with the entire SJV Parish community, and hope you will join me and Mr. Doug Weivoda, the principal, in prayer for our students, families, and faculty:

What a great couple of weeks we are having here at St. John Vianney! The Lord knows it's hot here, but it won't slow us down...Congratulations to our two Holy Cross Seminarians, Chris Mulholland, C.S.C. and Ben Sasin, C.S.C., who recently renewed their religious vows here and at Andre House of Hospitality. We are grateful to them for their devotion to Jesus and service to the Church and pray for them as they return to Notre Dame to begin this new year of theological study and religious life formation.

This Friday, August 4th we celebrate the feast day of our beloved patron, Saint John Mary Vianney. He is often referred to as the “Curé d’Ars”, which was his title as the parish pastor in Ars, France. He was famous, even during his earthly life, for holiness and priestly zeal. Ars itself was a tiny village (only about 230 souls) but by the end of his time there thousands of people came from all over France to go to confession with the Curé and attend the Masses he offered. He arrived in Ars at a time when the Church had been suffering the violent persecution and terror of the French Revolution for over 30 years. An entire generation had been deprived of catechesis and were apathetic in faith and religious practice. Yet, rather than give into despair this only drove Father Vianney’s zeal to win souls for Christ! We parish priests look to him as a special patron and pray to be like him.

Today’s second reading, Romans 8:26-27, says “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” At first glance that might seem a little disheartening for all of us who have been praying all our lives and think we’ve gotten pretty good at it… “What do you mean we don’t know how to pray as we ought?!”

We priests pray our breviary and its psalms five times a day as well as make time for meditation and liturgy. I know most of us in SJV Parish also make the rosary and scriptural reflection essential daily prayer. Many spend time each day or each week in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Yet, here Saint Paul writes that the Holy Spirit comes to help us human beings because, in our human weakness, we don’t know how to pray as we ought… But thanks be to God the Spirit is praying for us and with us in the profoundest way!

Just over year ago our religious order, the Congregation of Holy Cross, elected Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., as our Superior General. This was an historic election and rightly made international news because it was the first time a brother became superior general of a religious community composed of both priests and brothers. Previously only priests could be elected and each superior general since Blessed Father Basil Moreau, our holy founder, was a priest.

One of the seven sacraments we celebrate very often as priests is the Anointing of the Sick. Frequently it is in the hospital or hospice following a call from distraught family members. They are following the words of St. James in his eponymous letter:

'Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the priests of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven." (Jas. 5:14-15)

What summer it's been so far! We just wrapped up our SJV Summer Camp and we owe tremendous thank you to the many counselors and leaders who helped the boys and girls of St. John Vianney parish grow in love of Jesus and their neighbor, learn more about our Catholic Faith, make new friends, and have a lot of fun! I went to their Camp Talent Show on Friday night and it was really beautiful to see(and hear!) the joy of the Holy Spirit in these, our youngest, parishioners.

This section of the Gospel according to Matthew always encourages and strengthens me. Jesus is so clear to His apostles (and now to all of us disciples): "Fear no one..what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops... Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul..." Matthew 10:26-28

It reminds us of what our wonderful and holy father Saint John Paul II said at his installation Mass and would repeat for the rest of his life: Be Not Afraid! It became sort of a motto for him. He proclaimed it to the young people at World Youth Days, to Latin Americans and Europeans suffering under communism, to the Church in Africa enduring famines and persecution. He spoke it to couples and families going through terrible stress and the sick in their illnesses. Of course, John Paul II was just repeating what Jesus told His disciples time and again: Be not afraid!

I'm probably one of the few in the Valley of the Sun right now glad to be back in the sunshine and heat... but it's because was crazy enough to head east this week. Fr. Andrew, Fr. Brian and along with 250 other priests and brothers, attended the Holy Cross Assembly at Notre Dame in Indiana. It was mid-50 degrees, overcast, and rainy all week but the Holy Spirit kept our hearts on fire!

Every five years all Holy Cross brothers and priests serving in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America come together to pray, reflect and enjoy some fraternity. We share with each other stories from our parishes, schools and universities. As well, we pray for all those we serve including SJV! Many want to come and visit our parish. You all are rightly famous for being zealous for Christ and welcoming to visitors.

The great saint and "Pope of the Eucharist', St. Pius X, famously wrote: "Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven. There are others: innocence, but that is for little children; penance, but we are afraid of it; generous endurance of trials of life, but when they come we weep and ask to be delivered. The surest, easiest, shortest way is the Eucharist. Today we are celebrating the Body and Blood of Christ (in Latin Corpus Christi) and come hungry to receive Him who promises us eternal life! He's the only one who can save us.

Thank you so much to everyone for your messages of prayer and offers of help as I begin the pastor's ministry here at St. John Vianney Parish. I am humbled to follow in Father Paul's footsteps, and I am really grateful to him for his wisdom, example and brotherhood the past year since I arrived; also, to my brother priests Father Tom (who was also my novice-master and has been source of priestly wisdom and inspiration since 2004!), Father Andrew, and Father Brian. Please keep praying for me! My Spanish and my jokes will get better, I promise!

Since the 1200's our Catholic Church has sung the sacred hymn, called the Sequence, to the Holy Spirit at Mass on Pentecost. It begins with the Latin words, Veni Sancte Spiritus, meaning "Come Holy Spirit", and continues:

You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.