Dear Friends,  

Our annual Fall Festival is on Saturday, October 24, beginning with the 4:30 pm Mass followed by the Festival. Everyone is invited for free food, trunk-or-treat, entertainment, games, and other activities. People are looking for safe places for their children during the Halloween season and an opportunity to enjoy the evening weather and meet new people. This Festival brings people together to enjoy the fall season. Children are welcome to wear their costumes for the 4:30 pm Mass (Sun Devil costumes are approved if your child wants to go in that direction). Hope everyone knows they are welcome that evening.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CELEBRATION - Last Sunday we celebrated the feast of St. Francis with St. Francis medals for everyone, and prayer cards of the prayer of St. Francis. We also had the blessing of the pets, thanks to our Deacons and Fr. Sebastian. We will continue our theme, MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE, as we use the prayer of St. Francis as a spiritual guide this year. 

MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES- are remembered as people who remind us that it is biblical that God’s people move. Abraham moves to a new land, Joseph in the Old Testament is sold into slavery and goes to Egypt, the Jews leave slavery in Egypt for a new land, Babylon takes the Jews into exile, the Holy Family flees to Egypt to avoid Herod killing the newborns, and early Christians spread throughout the world, living the gospel in new lands. Pope Leo continues his teaching on the treatment of those who migrate, and Cardinal McElroy of the Archdiocese of Washington D.C., spoke on this issue. I invite everyone to view and listen to his homily given on the Sunday of Migrants and Refugees. Pope Leo has set a course for our Catholic faith to remember the dignity of all people.

LAST SUNDAY’S HOMILY- The prayer of St. Francis is very challenging if we are serious about praying that prayer and striving to live its words. I ask parishioners to reflect on the phrase “where there is hatred, let me sow love”. I explain in the homily where we might see hatred and the by-product of hatred, and to reflect on how Christians, the followers of Jesus, are to bring love. What does that look like? How can we live this? Click below to listen to the homily.

St. Patrick is present at Sunnyslope High School in Central Phoenix. The ladies are part of the Sports Medicine Team that takes care of the players' health, and they do an excellent job for Sunnyslope. Angel and Matthew are two of the kickers this season, and both are really good kickers. Vikings are 3-3 this season, and we host Dobson on Thursday night. Go Vikings 🏈