The Syro-Malabar Church is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. The Syro-Malabar Church is an autonomous (sui iuris) particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, including the Latin Church and the 22 other Eastern Catholic Churches, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO). The Church is headed by the Major Archbishop Mar George Cardinal Alencherry. The Syro-Malabar Synod of Bishops canonically convoked and presided over by the Major Archbishop constitutes the supreme authority of the Church.

I have been a professional minister for forty years. I spent ten years in education ministry as a campus minister and classroom teacher of religion, English, and history. Since 1991, I have worked in parishes as a DRE, liturgist, and pastoral associate. If Indiana Jones is correct (“It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.”), my ministry has taken me to New Mexico, New York, Louisiana, Colorado, Michigan, Washington, Georgia, and Arizona.

The readings today are especially apt for me to say farewell to you and to express my profound gratitude to all of you.

In the passage from Revelations 21:5, Jesus sits on the throne in heaven and says, “Behold, I make all things new.” He is assuring the disciples that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus wants them to be confident and at peace as they take up his cross for the greater glory of God. By being faithful to his commandments, his teaching and his example, we are part of a grand plan of God to renew the face of the earth. He renews us as people. He renews society. He renews the Church. This message leads us to the words of our gospel today:

There are many changes coming to our parish, and unfortunately, I will be adding another item to that list.

I will be leaving my position of Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Clare of Assisi effective May 12, 2022.

Where is your life headed? Do you feel like you are going in the right direction? We are constantly trying to better ourselves. But what do we ultimately need in our lives for fulfillment?

The Gospels show us the one thing to do that will guide us along the best and right path: following Jesus Christ.

It was twelve years ago on the Feast of Divine Mercy that we gathered with Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and a large number of priests for the Solemn Mass for the Dedication of the Church and Altar. The date was April 11, 2010.

Even though we had our first Mass inside our church on Christmas Eve in 2008, we had been using our temporary wooden altar from the time when we were having Masses in the parish hall. Finally, in 2010, we had the permanent altar that you now see in the church as well as the stone baptismal font and the tabernacle.

These images capture the beauty of Easter weekend at St. Clare of Assisi Parish. We are grateful for our community and higher attendance this year. Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Concrete floor for the basement of the new activities center.

This has been a wonderful year as many more parishioners were able to return to the church for Mass. I was very glad to see more faces and catch up with their stories. We still have a weekly live stream Mass for those who need it, but we hope we will see you soon inside the church if you are healthy. We started construction on our Parish Activities Center to include offices, social hall, chapel, meeting rooms etc. We really appreciate our donors and hope you are one of them! I recently announced some priests and staff changes.

As a Catholic priest, more so, as a religious missionary priest, I was always formed and trained to be ready and willing to go anywhere and to any mission or place that the need calls or God’s Spirit leads to through the use of Major Superiors or the Bishop of the Diocese where we work.

After almost 8 years serving at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Parish, it is now time for change, time to move to another Mission. This time at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Chandler, Arizona.

Praying with Scripture can be done alone or with others. When done with others, it can be a means of sharing more deeply the faith that you attempt to live out day by day. We believe that one of the ways God is manifested to us is through the Scriptures. When we prayerfully read the Scriptures, we open our minds and hearts to the Spirit of God. We can be both challenged and affirmed by the Word of God.

In the Gospels, Jesus commands man to deny himself and take up his cross. What does it mean to take up our own cross in our daily lives?

When we think about what our crosses are, we may assume that it could be some sort of physical or emotional burden that has been placed upon us. While these can add stress to our lives, the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that Jesus has not given us a burden that is too heavy or impossible to bear (CCC 1615).

Thank you to so many parishioners of St. Clare of Assisi. Thanks to the chairpersons, Jackie Mialki and Lorrie Holland from the Women's Guild and Don McLane, Bruce Grattan and Wayne Lorenzana from the Knights of Columbus. Thanks to all the members of the parish and ministries who volunteered their time and backs doing pickups and deliveries, setting up, pricing and selling the donated items. Thanks to all the parishioners who donated items to be sold and coming to the sale and supporting the parish.