Dear Parishioners,

It is hard to believe it is the end of May and we are moving into the summer months of intense heat here in the desert. Like people in the North in the winter, we often spend more time indoors because of the high heat.

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend I will be celebrating Mass in Poland with 24 pilgrims. We will drive to a place where Saint John Paul II, as a young man, went to pray and reflect upon his life and service to God.

In the lush, green hills of Kalwaria Zebzydowska, we will visit the famous Calvary paths, an intertwining mesh of Churches, Chapels, and wayside shrines originally built to replicate the city of Jerusalem.

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend is known as Good Shepherd Sunday because the Gospel is always about the good shepherd. It is especially important for us this week and this year as we are in the midst of a change of shepherds with the passing of Pope Francis and the awaiting of the results of the Conclave. As I write this, the Cardinals have yet to enter into the Conclave; however, we may have a new Pope by the time it is published.

Dear Parishioners,

We continue to read the Easter encounters of the Risen Lord with His disciples in the Holy Scriptures. Jesus seeks them out, even when they have returned to their old ways of life and are not quite sure what to do as they proceed forward in life. Peter returns to fishing and is reminded of the first call when he encounters the Lord again… the Lord gives him the opportunity to profess his threefold love for Him in order to counter his threefold denial at the time of His suffering.