Dear St. Mary Magdalene Family,

I wish to share a brief update on some of the ongoing parish projects. I am grateful to report that an anonymous parishioner has donated sufficient funds for us to order a large St. Mary Magdalene Statue for the parish. We are now determining the best location for the statue’s placement, hopefully next to our patron’s first class relic displayed for public veneration. While St. Mary Magdalene, like all the canonized saints, has finished her earthly pilgrimage she is not dead but alive now in Christ. Thus, we can and should prayerfully call upon her intercession.

Dear St. Mary Magdalene Family,

Last week Fr. Darius, Fr. Arthur, and myself attended the annual priest convocation in Flagstaff with Bishops Dolan and Nevares and our fellow priests from the Phoenix diocese. During the convocation, one of the most important topics we reviewed was the essential need to foster a culture of vocations at the parish level to support vocational discernment. With that goal in mind, I want to encourage each parishioner, regardless of age, to offer your prayers to the Lord to send us more priests. In this way each of us can, "Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:38).

Dear St. Mary Magdalene Family,

As your new Pastor, it has been my privilege each day to become more acquainted with many of you and your families. It is encouraging to witness such a vibrant faith alive in so many of you. As Fr. Darius and I are still getting settled into the rectory we are also getting acquainted with various parish ministries, and most importantly discerning the most pressing needs of the parish which I know includes a critically needed new hall.

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

It is hard to believe that this is my last weekend with you here. This letter was a tough one to write. But I have a few parting thoughts and words of thanks I would like to share as I depart for my new assignment in Kingman. First, please know that you are and will continue to be in my prayers and I thank you for yours!

What joyous news for us as we celebrate the ultimate victory of God’s Love as sin and death are deprived of their sting and given hope by Christ’s own Death and Resurrection. Before Holy Week started, I found myself reflecting on Christ’s stalwart Will going into Jerusalem. He knew what was coming and still He went willingly, boldly, lovingly. Love sent Him to Jerusalem to die and Love motivated and emboldened Him during the events of the past week as He prays, is betrayed, suffers, dies, and finally rises from the grave!

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

Isn’t it amazing how fickle we can be sometimes? Turning to Palm Sunday and Holy Week I can’t help but find some deep resonance with the fickle nature of the crowd gathered in Jerusalem. Today they (and each of us) sing “Hosanna to the Son of David” and celebrate Jesus with loud acclaim and admiration. Yet, five days later, these same individuals (and we too in the liturgy) will then shout “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.”

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

I wanted to reflect on two ideas in today’s article. First, you may have noticed that we’ve introduced a new Mass setting for some of our liturgical chants. These are taken from the Missa Orbis Factor, a beautiful Mass setting with a penitential character fitting for the season of Lent. We’re adding a new tool to our liturgical toolbox that’s supposed to be different so that it gets our attention.

Lent starts with Ash Wednesday this week. What will you be doing to enter into the desert with Jesus this year? The tenets of Lent are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Rather than just doing it as an obligation, commit to doing something in each of those areas for the next 40 days with the goal of growing closer to Christ through the process. Here’s some ideas: