Happy Easter everyone! We give thanks this day as Christ frees us from the captivity of death. It is truly a time to rejoice, especially after our long Lenten journey. I pray that this season is a blessed one full of joy and new life in Christ for you and your families.

In his Easter homily in 2012 Pope Benedict wrote these words which powerfully summarize the great joy of this blessed day:

"Easter is the feast of the new creation. Jesus is risen and dies no more. He has opened the door to a new life, one that no longer knows illness and death. He has taken mankind up into God himself."

The central theme of Pope Saint John’s Paul II’s post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in America, is the encounter with the living Jesus Christ. As he points out, the Second Vatican Council identified a “manifold presence of Christ in the [sacred] liturgy,” and he insists that this presence should be a theme of constant preaching on the part of the Church. Liturgies are guaranteed encounters with the Living Christ because they spring from the will and power of God and not from our efforts. This manifold encounter with Jesus in the liturgy is central to the teaching, to the catechesis, and to the evangelization of Holy Mother Church.

Happy (almost) Lent! I pray that this journey for us all is fruitful and leads us closer to Christ.

I remember especially well the six years I spent in seminary formation and how this time grew my appreciation for the Lenten season. Lent was a HUGE deal in the seminary (every year seminarians joked about making "I Love Lent" t-shirts and I usually scowled at them in return). Yet, the special emphasis the seminary culture gave to the penitential nature of this season was an opportunity for my own spiritual growth and helped me to focus on the ways I often drown out the Lord in my own life. One example I remember vividly was how much noise there is in my life. From the radio, television, podcasts, and my phone, I was continuously surrounded by things and people talking at me. Lent, in its simplicity, was a chance for the Lord to speak to me. In the simple and silent character of the Lenten season, the Lord's voice grew louder. However, initially letting go of many things and comforts I enjoyed each day, I began to feel like I was being thrown around like a ship at sea without an anchor. Then, the Lord made Himself known through the silence and intentional focus that I, and the seminary community, gave to Him. I was no longer being thrown around as the Lord became my anchor and sheltered from the storm. This is where the full beauty of Lent made itself known and the Lord drew me closer to Him than I had ever been before (so much so that if they had actually made the t-shirts, I would have been the first in line!).

Dear parishioners of St. Mary Magdalene,  

First, I want to start out saying a few thank you's to the many of you whom I have met with over these past several months. This includes: Pastoral and Finance Council members, Capital Campaign Committee members, and many other individuals who have shared with me your thoughts, prayers, and desires regarding St. Mary Magdalene's "For the Glory of the Risen Lord" Capital Campaign. Your insights are greatly appreciated and have been most beneficial in continuing to guide the campaign; which is still progressing.  

Following is the prepared text from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted’s homily for Honor Your Mother and the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary Year of the Diocese of Phoenix

“Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous deeds” (Psalm 98).

These words of Psalm 98 eloquently express what is in our hearts as we initiate the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary Year of the Diocese of Phoenix. We begin a jubilee year of remembering the fidelity of Jesus throughout the past half-century, giving thanks and praise to the Lord for remaining faithful to us even when we were not. In fact, confessing our many shortcomings and sins does not diminish our gratitude to God but rather deepens our praise of Him for His fidelity. Our sins and failings of the past have this great benefit: they remind us of our absolute need for a Savior. We know, in the very marrow of our bones, that without Him we are bound to fail. But, as St. Paul never ceased to proclaim, “If Christ is for us who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31).

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of year. Everyone and everything seems so full of joy. However, what really transformed Christmas for me was something my spiritual director said to me in seminary. He encouraged me to look beyond the surface and delve into the heart of Christmas: Jesus Christ. What he encouraged me to do was to reflect and pray over what Christmas means . Through this, I was able to see how much God loves me; as He sends His son into the world for me. In other words, God's love for me is so great that He is willing to die for me so that I can be with Him for eternity. I have to say, this blew me away! I have been Catholic my entire life and it was only when I intentionally reflected and prayed upon Christmas in my 20's that I could truly see what Christmas means.

Over the past several weeks you have heard about the adjustment in our Latin Mass schedule. I wanted to take a few moments of your time and explain my reasoning behind this revision.

First, we are down one priest. Since Fr. Will and I both received new assignments in April, St. Mary Magdalene has had one less priest to help with Sunday masses. With that in mind, reducing the number of masses offered on Sundays from 6 down to 5 alleviates the burden on the priests. While he was here, Fr. Will and I were both able to offer the Mass in Latin and could alternate to cover the additional Mass offering. Now there is just me who is able to celebrate and offer the Mass in Latin.

Additionally, I have heard from a number of families within our community that have a devotion to the Latin Mass that 7pm on Sunday night is too late for families as it cuts into valuable family time together. This change, I pray, will help to accommodate the needs of these families. Thank you for your feedback.  

I have no idea where even to begin. I am overwhelmed, heartbroken, angry, but mostly disappointed. Disappointed that innocent people, and all of you had to pay the price for the atrocities of my brother priests. For that, I am sorry and I am praying for you and am also still trying to figure out “how” and “why” this happened. It is alright to be angry, hurt, sad, and whatever other emotions you are facing, I know I have done my own share of shouting and “having it out” with the Lord. But, what we should not do, what we cannot do, is to give up on our faith, or on the Church. The words from Ezekiel ring sharp and true, “I swear I am coming against these shepherds. I will claim my sheep from them and put a stop to their shepherding my sheep so that they may no longer pasture themselves. I will save my sheep so that they may no longer be food for their mouths.” God has heard the cry of His people and revealed the evil that has long been hidden, those brave men and women who came forward, have been led away from the wolves, these wicked shepherds, and they can begin to heal.

I remember the first time I experienced Eucharistic Adoration; I was in college and 21 years old. The experience was amazing and I left adoration elated at having spent that intimate time with Christ and disappointed that I, a cradle Catholic, had never experienced this before! I also remember being drawn to Adoration and spending time adoring Our Lord whenever I had the chance, specifically if it was late at night. I was never one who stayed up late in college and so getting up at 2:00am was difficult for me. But I chose that time with the Lord specifically because it disrupted my routine! Every time the alarm went off, I had a choice to make; will I get up and offer this to the Lord, or would I selfishly roll over and go back to bed?

I remember the first time I experienced Eucharistic Adoration; I was in college and 21 years old. The experience was amazing and I left adoration elated at having spent that intimate time with Christ and disappointed that I, a cradle Catholic, had never experienced this before! I also remember being drawn to Adoration and spending time adoring Our Lord whenever I had the chance, specifically if it was late at night. I was never one who stayed up late in college and so getting up at 2:00am was difficult for me. But I chose that time with the Lord specifically because it disrupted my routine! Every time the alarm went off, I had a choice to make; will I get up and offer this to the Lord, or would I selfishly roll over and go back to bed?

From flexing women on magazine covers to the success of the Wonder Woman movie, womanly empowerment is in the air, and in general, I’m a fan of that. What I’m not a fan of is the Contraception Lie. This is the lie that says that contraception is key to womanly empowerment.

Most people have no idea that decades ago, Blessed Pope Paul VI wrote a document called “Humanae Vitae”, or “Human Life” in Latin, which has been nicknamed “The Birth Control Encyclical.” He wrote it in 1968 as a response to the question: Is birth control ever a moral means of regulating births? The short answer is: No, it isn’t. This response has never been a popular one and has caused some people to accuse the Catholic Church of being “down on women.”