St. Anne Roman Catholic Parish

Child Jesus Mission (I), Mission History

Sergio Muñoz Fita — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 11:52:00 -0700

I would have to say that the beginning would probably have been Halloween of 2012. Father Juan and I had been here in Arizona for a few months, and I remember that we were both negatively affected by seeing vampires, ghosts, witches, and skulls on the front of so many houses. We had seen this in movies, and even in Europe, this custom has spread considerably now, especially with many children "who do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23:34). What I couldn't imagine before I got here was the magnitude of this custom in the United States. Call me weird, but I don't see beauty in any manifestation of death, no matter how nice they try to make it seem. Life is celebrated, death is suffered in union with Christ and endured; life is a sign of our future immortality, death is the mark that sin has left on man and creation.

But what saddened me the most was the fact that Halloween took place on the eve of the Solemnity of All Saints. As a priest, this caused me not a little inner pain. The Holy Trinity and the Church give us this very beautiful day to celebrate the triumph of the heroes and champions of our faith, and the world opposes this celebration of light with a coven of darkness. It seemed a macabre move to me: to distract people, even those of good faith, from the heavenly and wonderful music that the saints sing in the glory of heaven and replace it with the strident cacophonies of the underworld. Sorry, but I can't "buy" that.

I am convinced that the majority of people who celebrate Halloween act without malicious intent or without knowing the background of it. The world tells us that it's "fun". That good faith or ignorance only serves to perpetuate the custom, so that people continue, year after year, putting "nice" symbols of death in their homes. And I said to myself, in the interior of my heart, “Lord, one day I will put images of you where now I see monsters. If from this country something as ugly as this has spread, then something else will also come from here, something that will be very beautiful and will give you great joy.”

Now, if death marks the end of our existence on earth (Halloween), then birth is the most extraordinary manifestation of the gift of life (Christmas). Wouldn't it be beautiful, then, to see the Child Jesus as we pass through the streets of our cities and thus conquer ground for God in the same neighborhoods where before there were signs of darkness?

I thought then that the Lord would bless these efforts and that He would find comfort in such an initiative. The first motivation was to console the Heart of Jesus. The second motivation is evangelization and the salvation of souls, and I will speak more about this in the coming weeks.

Then the memory came to me of what had happened in Spain more than 10 years ago when the government tried to secularize Christmas. The nativity scene was no longer placed in public buildings. The state banned the singing of Christian Christmas carols in schools and began saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas”. Many people reacted to these efforts to desecrate Christmas by placing images of the Child Jesus on the balconies of their homes. It was a way of rejecting this rejection of God in public life, on the part of ordinary people. It was a way of saying, “If in Spain many are ashamed of Jesus, I am not! If some want to tear God from the eyes of men, at least in my house it will not happen.” My parents have told me that this is still happening, although perhaps not on the same scale as then.

So this has been in my heart since 2012. Every October 31st the prompting to start this mission returns as if the Lord wants us to start it. Finally, last year, I asked my parents to help me find a beautiful image of Baby Jesus. They sent me several pictures that I didn't like until one day they told me, "Don Toribio —the priest of the little town where they live— has a very beautiful image of Baby Jesus in the parish." They took a photo with their phone — I was here in Arizona — and when I saw it… it was love at first sight. On October 29, 2019, on a quick trip to Spain to renew some documents, I took the photograph of the image myself at my parents' house.

I know the image will never win a Pulitzer Prize, but it has several advantages:

It is very large, so large sized copies can be made.
It is simple, and in that simplicity it reflects part of the mystery of Christmas.
The Child Jesus is precious! At least, he seems very beautiful to me, although I admit that I am biased!

So, in a nutshell, this is the "history" of the Baby Jesus Mission. May the Lord do with it as He wills, and may we cooperate with Him so that his Will is done in everything.

God bless you,
Father Sergio

Fiat Voluntas Tua

Ordination of Deacon Ivan Rojas to the Diaconate

St. Anne Administrator — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 08:21:00 -0700

Deacon Ivan Rojas was ordained on Saturday, November 7th at All Saints Parish in Mesa.

Ivan’s Installation Mass was held at St. Anne on Sunday, November 8th at 1:00pm in Spanish. Ivan has been assigned by Bishop Olmsted to St. Anne. Congratulations Deacon Ivan!

Deacon Ivan Rojas's Vocation Story

I was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia; raised in a family where the love for God was shown in serving others. One of the earliest memories I have is as a 4-year-old child taking a bowl of soup to a homeless man that was sleeping on an empty lot near our house. Another fond memory I have as a child is the love that my parents have for the Sacred Heart and for the Blessed Virgin Mary. For my parents, the meaning of serving God did not stop at serving those in need, it also meant to serve His Church. My mom always volunteered at our parish with the Church decoration. One day she heard they were looking for teenagers to help during Holy Week and she volunteered me. Very soon I became a core member of the youth ministry and from that point I got to work along many priests. That was the first time I saw the needs of those men who gave up their own families to become our spiritual fathers. I graduated from high school at the Saint Thomas Aquinas School and went to the Saint Thomas Aquinas University to pursue a degree in Electronic Engineering. At that point I had stopped working with the youth ministries; my faith was idle, and I didn’t have a relationship with God.

It wasn’t until the last year of classes at the university that a friend invited me to pray the rosary at his house. And from that day on, Mary brought me back to Her son and to His Church. The love for the Eucharist that my Dominican school chaplain had inspired in me when I was 8-year-old returned. The appreciation for the sacramental life of the Church grew a 100-fold and confession was no longer something I avoided, instead became something I would seek out regularly. With my friend and the help of others that had join us in praying the rosary every week we started feeding the homeless every Friday night. We stopped going out and instead would save that money to buy bread, cocoa, ham, etc. to feed those in need, but knowing fully that it was Jesus feeding us.

It was in that group of young adults that I met Ines, my wife. I met her in a time when I was asking God for my wife: I didn’t know who my wife was, but I was praying for her. Little by little, with Every eucharist I offered for that wife, with every day of fasting I offered for her and with every Rosary I prayed for her God brought me close to Ines. It wasn’t until Good Friday in 1994 that we found our love for each other through the Cross of Christ. Our Blessed Mother was also constantly present in our relationship, and for that reason we chose to marry on May 13, 1995. Back then we thought that we were doing that just for Her; like two giddy kids giving a nice gift to their Mother. Little did we know that She would take that very small act and become our marriage advocate and protector.

After getting married in Colombia we moved to California, relocated back to Colombia, to finally move back to the Phoenix area in 1999. Within a year God led us to S.t Anne and almost immediately became our spiritual home. By getting involved in the life of the parish, I found out that the priests here in the U.S. needed help as the priests in Colombia, only that the need is many times bigger. After a couple of years of being at St. Anne, I heard the first invitation to the Permanent Diaconate. I had no idea what a Deacon was, and honestly, I never paid too much attention to St. Stephen or St. Phillip or the other 5 chosen in Acts 6. From that invitation forth, I began learning more about the Diaconate, the person of Christ the Servant, and all the amazing Deacons that had lived throughout Church history.

In 2020, Ines, our three daughters, and I will celebrate 20 years of being at St. Anne. During all these years we have been blessed to find in St. Anne a family that has helped us grow closer to God, to His Church, and to the Sacraments. We have also found a family that truly cares for us but more importantly that prays for us. I personally thank every person that has carried me through formation with their prayers. I know that it is because of their constant and powerful intersession that God has granted me the graces to make this far.

I hope that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the intersession of the Most Venerable Virgin Mary, and the continuous prayer of my wife, my daughters, my family, and my St. Anne family, God will give me every grace I need to respond to the call to the Permanent Diaconate so as to lay down my life for His Church.

THANK YOU!

Deacon Andrew Gilliland — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 11:33:00 -0700

I hope and pray that this note finds you and your loved ones doing well.

A little more than a month ago my family’s life was forever changed when we lost our home and all it contained in a fire. Our hearts were stretched and tested in ways that we could not begin to imagine. We encountered in a very intimate way the love and mercy that can only come from our Lord Jesus Christ!

In the moments immediately following the fire the Lord provided for us by sending the help we needed most. He sent it in the mail carrier who knocked on our door to alert us to the fire and get us out of the house. He responded by sending not just one fire team, but two. He sent neighbors, friends, and family to our side as we watched our home consumed by the flames. He was with us when friends and family helped us sift through the damage for anything that might be salvaged. He provided for us a loving family who took us in sheltered and fed us. He wrapped His arms around us to sustain, comfort, console, and encourage us through your prayers and financial support!

These are just a few of many ongoing instances of how the Lord has been laboring to help us through all of this. I am sure that there are even more instances that we may never know about. These acts of love, brothers and sisters, far outweigh the losses we have experienced.
Although we have lost everything it is clear to see that we truly have what matters most, our family and our Faith. We have been overwhelmed with gratitude for what we have encountered during this time of loss because of the outpouring of prayer and support that we have received from you, our St. Anne Catholic family!

Thank you for everything that you have done to provide for our family and to help us on our journey to rebuild our home and continue our mission! There are no words that could ever fully express our gratitude for all that you have done and so we thank God each day for each one of you.

God bless you and your loved ones + Your servants in Christ,

Deacon Andrew, Jessica, Hadrien, Liam, Simon & Elizabeth Gilliland

Matthew 25:34-35

34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,

36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’

37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’

40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
_______________________________________________________________

Queridos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo:

Espero y rezo que esta nota los encuentre a ustedes y a sus queridos bien.

Hace poco más de un mes, la vida de mi familia cambió para siempre, cuando perdimos nuestra casa y todo lo que contenía en un incendio. Nuestros corazones se estiraron y probaron de maneras que no podíamos ni imaginar. Encontramos de una manera muy íntima el amor y la misericordia que solo puede venir de nuestro Señor Jesucristo!

En los momentos inmediatamente posteriores al incendio, el Señor nos brindó la ayuda que más necesitábamos. Lo envió en el cartero que llamó a nuestra puerta para alertarnos del incendio y sacarnos de la casa. Respondió enviando no solo un equipo de fuego, sino dos. Envió a vecinos, amigos y familiares a nuestro lado mientras veíamos nuestra casa consumida por las llamas. Él estaba con nosotros cuando los amigos y la familia nos ayudaron a examinar el daño en busca de cualquier cosa que pudiera salvarse. Nos proporcionó una familia amorosa que nos acogió, nos protegió y nos alimentó. Él envolvió Sus brazos alrededor de nosotros para sostenernos, consolarnos y animarnos a través de sus oraciones y apoyo financiero.

Estos son solo algunos de los muchos casos en curso de cómo el Señor ha estado trabajando para ayudarnos a superar todo esto. Estoy seguro de que hay incluso más casos de los que quizás nunca sepamos. Estos actos de amor, hermanos y hermanas, superan con creces las pérdidas que hemos experimentado.

Aunque lo hemos perdido todo, es evidente que tenemos lo más importante, nuestra familia y nuestra Fe. Nos sentimos abrumados con gratitud por lo que hemos encontrado durante este tiempo de pérdida debido a la gran cantidad de oración y apoyo que hemos recibido de ustedes, nuestra familia católica de Santa Ana!

Gracias por todo lo que han hecho para mantener a nuestra familia y ayudarnos en nuestro viaje para reconstruir nuestro hogar y continuar nuestra misión! No hay palabras que puedan expresar plenamente nuestra gratitud por todo lo que han hecho y por eso agradecemos a Dios cada día por cada uno de ustedes.

Dios los bendiga a ustedes y a sus queridos +

Tus siervos en Cristo,

Diácono Andrew, Jessica, Hadrien, Liam, Simon y Elizabeth Gilliland

Mateo 25: 34-35

34 Entonces el rey dirá a los de su derecha: Venid, bendecidos por mi Padre. Hereda el reino preparado para ti desde la fundación del mundo.

35 Porque tuve hambre y me disteis de comer, tuve sed y me disteis de beber, forastero y me acogisteis.

36 desnudo y me vestiste, enfermo y me cuidaste, en la cárcel y me visitaste "

37 Entonces los justos * le responderán y dirán: Señor, cuándo te vimos hambriento y te dimos de comer, o sediento y te dimos de beber?

38 Cuándo te vimos forastero y te recibimos, o desnudo y te vestimos?

39 Cuándo te vimos enfermo o en la cárcel y te visitamos?

40 Y el rey les responderá: "En verdad les digo que todo lo que hicieron por uno de mis hermanos más pequeños, lo hicieron por mí".

Dcn. Andrew Gilliland and His Family

St. Anne Administrator — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 09:24:00 -0700

As many of you know, on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 15, 2020, our parish administrator Dcn. Andrew and his family suffered a devastating fire that destroyed their home. Thankfully everyone stayed safe and they have been taking the steps in assessing the damage with their insurance provider as their home was a total loss to the fire.

They are grateful for all of your prayers and support during these days and have been overwhelmed by the kindness our the community.

For all those who have been wondering how they can help as the family navigates the days, weeks, and months ahead, there is now a way to use Zelle to contribute directly to the Gillilands so they can have access to extra funds to help with both their immediate and more long-term needs. Please direct any financial gift you wish to make to gillilandfirefund@gmail.com using the Zelle app or through your bank's Zelle link. There are no fees on either end and it is safe and secure.

Please note, any financial gift for the Gilliland family is not a tax deductible donation. These gifts are given directly to the Gilliland family through their personal banking.

Thank you in advance to all those who wish to reach out and help the Gilliland Family in their time of need.

To learn more about Zelle and to send a gift, click here.

Support The Gilliland Family

Gillilandfirefund@gmail.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REFLECTIONS ON OUR PARISH MOTTO

Sergio Muñoz Fita — Fri, 22 May 2020 09:30:00 -0700

This week another step towards normality has been taken with the resumption of the morning Masses that are celebrated at 7 am Monday through Saturday. The schedule is very similar to what existed here in the parish before the beginning of the coronavirus crisis.

Beginning next week, on Monday, May 25th, there will be no distribution of Holy Communion after the Holy Mass from Monday to Saturday morning. Those who wish to receive Communion on those days and, for health reasons, do not consider it prudent to participate in the Holy Mass, can always come at the end of the celebration, when Holy Communion is being distributed, and receive the Body of the Lord there.

We will continue distributing Holy Communion after the weekend Masses, although we will also make a change: Holy Communion will be distributed at all of the Sunday Masses with the exception of the Masses on Saturday at 7 pm and on Sunday at 7 pm. There will be no distribution of Holy Communion following either of these Masses.

The reason for these changes is the fact that the majority of those who wish to receive Holy Communion are now receiving it within the Mass since the public celebration of the Holy Sacrifice has been reestablished. It is also a way of giving rest to all the volunteers and staff who collaborate in the distribution of Holy Communion. I wish to thank them again, from the bottom of my heart, for their dedication, their sacrifices, and for the gift of their time over the past several weeks. You all are wonderful!

With the grace of God, on Thursdays I would like to continue, if the Lord allows, the homily series that I began in March. I have two open topics: one is the commentary on the healing of the leper that appears in the Gospel of Saint Mark, which we have not yet begun to consider. The second topic is the one that of the parish motto that summarizes in an insuperable way the goal of the Christian life: Fiat Voluntas Tua. Obviously, from now on we will go much slower, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I used to speak every day, from Monday to Saturday, now I will do so only one day of the week. In other words, in six weeks I will say what I used to say in one week. It is good that it is like that, little by little.

Fiat Voluntas Tua: Thy Will Be Done. This 4-word prayer is a gift that Jesus gave us in the recitation of the Our Father. We said that it is the heart of this prayer because it is at the center of it and because it gives life to all the other requests that are contained within it. We also said that these 4 words also appear in the Lord's prayer in Gethsemane, so they are not just words that Jesus asked us to use, but words that Jesus himself used in his personal prayer. They are the words of a son who confidently gives himself to his Father and which reveal the attitude of trust that should characterize us as the baptized, children like him and in him.

We also said that Fiat Voluntas Tua are words that we say uniting ourselves to Christ, being one with Him, uniting ourselves to the Heart of Jesus. This is true whenever we say them in faith, but it is particularly true when we say them in the Liturgy, which is the official prayer of the Church. The Lord's Prayer is solemnly recited by the Church, the Body of Christ, on three occasions every day: at Holy Mass, and in the Liturgy of the Hours at the prayer of Lauds at the beginning of the day and in the Evening Prayer. In these three moments the wonderful words of Saint Augustine become true: “The one Savior of his Body, the Lord Christ Jesus, who prays for us and in us and who is prayed to by us. He prays for us as our priest, in us as our Head; he is prayed to by us as our God. Recognize therefore our own voice in him and his voice in us. ”

Today I just want to invite you to stay with these last words of Saint Augustine: when we participate in the Liturgy of the Church, and especially when we say the words of our parish motto, "Thy Will Be Done", we make an effort to recognize Jesus' voice in ours and, at the same time, recognize our voice in the very voice of Jesus. This is expressed wonderfully in the Holy Mass: the moment immediately preceding the recitation of the Lord's Prayer is the doxology in which we say "through Him, with Him and in Him." We unite ourselves to the sacrifice of Christ and offer ourselves with Him to the Father and thus, united to Him, with Jesus, we say: "Our Father, who art in heaven, your Will be done."

May the Holy Mass teach us to always be one with Jesus and to seek like Him, in everything and always, the Will of our Father who is in heaven.

HAPPY ONE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY, JOHN PAUL II!!

Sergio Muñoz Fita — Mon, 18 May 2020 10:00:00 -0700

Dear Saint Anne Family:

One hundred years ago today, on May 18th 1920, a child was born in Poland who would forever change the history of humanity. I want to share with you a passage from a beautifully written article that was published in a newspaper in my country on April 2, 2005, the day that John Paul II, through Mary, and with great love, gave Christ his soul. I must admit that this is without a doubt, the press publication that has most moved me in my entire life. I remember reading it on that same day – I who had been ordained a priest just a few months earlier - when the world was praying for their father who was about to leave us.

This weekend I spoke in my homily of the presence of God in the soul and of the inner path that we all have to travel to join Him. Juan Manuel de Prada, the author of this article, speaks about the life of John Paul II, who was then on his deathbed, as a path towards the Lord which is always inward.

In these difficult days, and on the hundredth anniversary of his birth, may Saint John Paul II intercede for the Church, which he loved so much and for which he gave everything, even to the last breath of his life.

"YOU HAVE WON, GALILEAN!

Those final words that Julian the Apostate uttered before dying could be the motto accompanying the agony of John Paul II. I write these lines as an orphan silence settles on the world, stopping the clocks, the orbit of the planets, the coursing of blood in the veins. It is difficult to escape from the pain as the certainty of the death of Pope Wojtyla rushes at us. But that pain is mixed with a secret joy when we recount the days of a man who understood earthly existence as a journey towards intimacy with God. Perhaps the most moving teaching of this Pope, who is determined to die with his sandals on, attains today its full applicability: John Paul II has not limited himself to being God’s bureaucrat perched on his throne of infallibility. He wanted to show us that the primary mission of a Christian, of any Christian, is to identify himself with Christ, entering into his mystery, and suffering his tribulations with Him, immolating himself in the same bonfire of humanity in which God chose to make Himself present among us. Without this full identification with Christ, we can be more or less scrupulous followers of some rites or liturgies, or cultural heirs of his Gospel, but never Christians in the strict and purest sense of the word. Pope Wojtyla has taught us the true core of a Faith that ran the risk of stalling out in the fulfillment of some precepts, or, on the contrary, of surrendering to a placid and banal aggiornamento. Wojtyla's journey toward intimacy with God has been an epic saga in search of the roots of faith, a rebellion against the fear and complacency that strangle Christians.

John Paul II has discovered for us - he has reminded us, rather - that there is no true faith without personal contact with the Galilean who brought the revolution of love to the world. Through a selfless catechesis of suffering, through an apostolic passion that undermined his health, through a new mystique of prayer, through a renewed exaltation of the sacraments, John Paul II has cleared the path that leads us to a reunion with God. Perhaps in our time, hostage to hedonism, the radical subversion of this message has not come to penetrate yet (...) The need for conversion that John Paul II has preached without fear, that vigor for holiness that he wanted to infuse in us constitutes, of course, a scandal for our time, so willing to indulge in the marasmus of ease. This Pope has discovered for us - he has reminded us, rather - that the Christian commitment is a demanding, arduous and enormous expedition in pursuit of the spirit.

It is in this recovery of the spirit, in this undisguised encounter with Christ, his joy and his suffering, in which the most enduring teaching of this Papacy is encrypted and which perhaps will take decades to be fully assimilated. In the miracle of the man who returns to God and melds with Him, forgetting convenience and fears, willingly finding Him mirrored in the face of every man who suffers, the legacy of an old man who is detaching himself from his earthly envelope as I write these lines, is condensed.

An orphan silence settles on the world, stopping the clocks, the orbit of the planets, the coursing of blood in the veins. From the abysses of pain that consume us today, we can exclaim exultantly: "You have won, Galilean!"

Palm Sunday Blessings

Sergio Muñoz Fita — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 08:48:00 -0700

As you know, this Sunday we begin the most important week of the liturgical calendar and the circumstances this year make it impossible for us to celebrate as we have in the past. In the spirit of bringing Jesus closer to your families, within the limited parameters we have and in obedience to the legitimate civil and ecclesiastical authorities for whom we do not stop praying, it has occurred to me that we can do the following: on Palm Sunday, after the 7am Holy Mass from 9 am and until 9 pm, I will take the Blessed Sacrament by car to the homes of those parishioners who request this blessing through the St. Anne parish website. In respect for the 6 foot physical/social distancing imposed in the present circumstances, the blessing will take place when I am standing curbside next to the car and the family by the door of their house.

The executive order given by the Governor of the State of Arizona, on March 30, 2020 (executive order 2020/18), includes among the essential activities that are permitted those that are protected by the Constitution. Among those expressly mentioned by the Governor are the rights of speech and religion. The only restriction to these activities is respect for "appropriate physical distance".

On the other hand, the Diocese of Phoenix has asked priests to stop visiting families inside their homes in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. At the same time, it has encouraged us to seek other ways to communicate with our parishioners and express to them the closeness of the Lord in these trying times. Photographs of priests carrying the Eucharist in procession through the streets and blessing the Catholic population of their communities have been published in the Diocesan media.

Therefore, to those who want to receive a blessing with the Blessed Sacrament this Sunday, we are going to ask you to request it online through the following link:

http://stanneaz.org/blessing

I want to stress the fact that I will give the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament standing next to my car, and I ask families to remain by the door of the house to respect hygiene protocols and thus be able to perform the blessing in a way that does not compromise anyone’s health. We must practice holy obedience. It will also be a way for your pastor to see you face to face, although it will only be for a few moments because I am thinking that there will be many who will desire the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.

We will use an app so that each of the families who signs up can follow this journey with the Blessed Sacrament and receive, by email or text message, notices about the approximate time at which Jesus will be arriving. This will allow each family to plan and prepare accordingly.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. This blessing will give the families of our parish an opportunity to welcome Jesus, the Son of David, the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel, as they did in the first Holy Week in history. It would be beautiful if families who can do so would place a palm on their door or at the entrance of their homes as a way to evoke Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. These palms, along with the families, will be blessed in the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament from the street.

To the families who wish to receive the blessing, I ask them to wait for the Lord at the entrance of their houses, next to the door. Knowing the time when the Lord will arrive at your home, you can take advantage of the immediately preceding moments to pray together while awaiting the Lord. If you have young children, help them to feel excited that Jesus is going to pass by their house to bless them. You can find materials prepared by the Diocese of Phoenix specifically for this year, thinking of families that will not be able to participate in parish celebrations as usual, through the following link:

https://instantflipbook.com/flipbooks/f872d73651/?page=1/

Parents can lead these prayers and help their children understand the beauty of this Holy Week.

I cannot enter your homes and I cannot give you, as much as I would like to, Holy Communion, but I can bring the Blessed Sacrament to bless your families from the street. I am grateful to the authorities for allowing us to do this. Remember, Jesus did not need to enter the house to heal the son of the royal official (Jn 4:46-54) and the servant of the Roman centurion. (Mt 8:5-13)

I wish you all an Easter filled with many graces of conversion and new life.

May the Lord and Mary bless you,

Father Sergio

Complete My Joy

St. Anne Administrator — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 11:19:00 -0700

...and their testimony to "Complete My Joy," Bishop Olmsted's Apostolic Exhortation to husbands and wives, mothers and fathers.

Read "Complete My Joy" at https://family.dphx.org

Gilbert woman enters novitiate with Carmelite Missionaries

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 14:46:00 -0700

The Catholic Sun wrote an article about a member of our community, Sr. Isabel de la Santisima Trinidad Hernandez Guardado. She is now among the youngest novices within a religious community serving the Diocese of Phoenix. Congratulations Sr. Isabel!

Click here to read the article on The Catholic Sun.

Returning Catholics

Aurora Sarmiento — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 15:45:00 -0700

Returning Catholics is a welcoming ministry for anyone who has drifted away from the Sacraments and the full practice of the Faith. Whether it was caused by divorce, anger, resentment, isolation, apathy, rebellion, or just a lack of understanding of the Church's teachings, we are here to help someone address these issues in a loving, non-judgmental atmosphere, with no pressure, and no obligation.

Let's talk…come take another look at the beauty of the

True Faith… voice your concerns… ask your questions.

By our Baptism, we become members of one family. Come share the peace and joy of this community. Let's walk together in good times, and in bad, through laughter, and through tears. Come back…we miss you, and frankly…it's not the same without YOU!

WHAT SHOULD A LOVING CATHOLIC DO?

Remember James 5:19-20 "My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death

and will cover a multitude of sins."

Offer masses and constant prayer for this intention. Reach out to family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and everyone you meet. Often, all they need is a loving invitation from someone who cares…let that someone be YOU!

Call soon…you have nothing to lose …

but everything to gain!

Please contact Denise Lichty at (480) 507-4435 or by email.

Sister Balbina Pérez Retama, MCSTNJ from St. Anne is in The Catholic Sun

St. Anne Administrator — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 14:36:00 -0700

The Catholic Sun has written an article presenting the life and witness of Sister Balbina Pérez Retama, a member of the religious order, Carmelite Missionaries of Santa Teresa of the child Jesus, known by its acronym as MCSTNJ. You can read the article in Spanish at this location.

The Pieta at St. Anne

Sergio Muñoz Fita — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 12:14:00 -0700

Michelangelo is widely considered the greatest artistic genius that ever lived - a man whose name has become synonymous with the word masterpiece.

Michelangelo created many of his works for the Vatican, including the breathtaking frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and the incredibly beautiful Pieta. Of all his sculptures, the Pieta was the only one he ever signed - it was both the consummate expression of his artistic abilities and an embodiment of the Divine inspiration that guided his work.

In the Pieta, Michelangelo was focused on evoking the Renaissance ideal of spiritual beauty. Beauty was to him divine; one of the ways in which God communicates himself to humanity. One of the greatest sculptures ever created, it stands as a timeless icon for the Christian faith, bringing inspiration to the millions who visit St. Peter's Basilica every year.

Regarding the Pieta, Georgio Vasari, the great art historian wrote:

"It would be impossible for any craftsman or sculptor, no matter how brilliant, ever to surpass the grace or design of this work, or try to cut and polish the marble with the skill that Michelangelo displayed. It is certainly a miracle that a formless block of stone could ever have been reduced to a perfection that nature is scarcely able to create in the flesh."

Five hundred years ago Michelangelo unveiled what would come to be regarded as one of the world's great masterpieces of inspired art and perhaps the most beautiful sculpture ever created. Now, under exclusive license from the Vatican Observatory Foundation, this masterpiece has been recreated in a cast Carrera marble from a Vatican authorized mold of the original.This posthumous Pieta is a precise 1:1 casting that is faithful in every detail to Michelangelo's original.

The Mission of Atre Divine is to facilitate the placement of these sublime sculptures in settings where they can enlighten the minds and touch the lives and hearts of the faithful. We are blessed here at St. Anne Roman Catholic Parish to be one of those few settings where many will have the opportunity to experience first hand the beauty of the Pietá.

Contribute By Shopping At Fry's!

St. Anne Administrator — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 15:43:00 -0700

Fry's has a community program that benefits non-profits. If you sign up, a percentage of your purchases will be donated to St. Anne!

Go to the Fry's Community Rewards Program page on the Fry's website. It is under their Community tab.
If you have previously registered your VIP card online to receive digital coupons or other Fry's VIP perks, click on "Enroll Now" and sign into your account with your e-mail address and password.
If you're new to Fry's Food, choose "click here" to create your VIP online account. Then, from your Account Summary page, scroll down to Community Rewards, and click on "Enroll".
Enter the St. Anne Roman Catholic Parish number 72341 in the box and click "Search."
Select St. Anne Roman Catholic Parish, click "Enroll" and you're done.

Now, all you do is show your VIP card or enter your phone number like you normally do when you shop at Fry's. The amount that Fry's donates varies depending on total spent and number of organizations participating, but the last quarter averaged 1-3%.

Your participation will help support evangelization efforts at St. Anne. Thank You for helping the St. Anne community share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.