Blog & Pastor Letters

Dear Parishioners,

I greet you in the name of Jesus. This week I am impressed with the work of our parish volunteers.

The first time I arrived at our parish office, I was taken to a section of the St. Mary Center. I saw huge freezers and I began to wonder what purpose they serve in our community. I was told that they belong to Our Daily Bread, a society within our parish that prepares sandwiches for distribution to the needy in our town. I was deeply impressed. For the past three weeks, I have watched how volunteers go in there and spend hours working as a team preparing sandwiches and other goodies for the needy. This is what teamwork is all about, and what it means to live in a faith community such as ours.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship (Simon & Schuster, 1959, 1995) writes about our human relationship with God as divine Father. Bonhoeffer says vividly that God is our Father and we are his children with a special bond and an undying love. Bonhoeffer writes, " The child asks of the Father whom he knows. Thus, the essence of Christian prayer is not general adoration, but definite, concrete petition. The right way to approach God is to stretch out our hands and ask of One who we know has the heart of a Father." This passage describes what every Christian needs to do to establish that special bond with God. Prayer is that opening that makes us bond with God beyond any imagination.

Thus, the topic of prayer is wide, and no amount of discussion can cover it. However, we can pinpoint few aspects of prayer that are very important. By itself, prayer is the raising up of our hearts and minds to God through a special connection. Faith is that special connection which we need to talk to the Father, the creator of the universe. But sometimes this special connection has distractions and we find ourselves without proper focus when we set out to pray.

Dear Parishioners,

I greet you in the name of Jesus. There are a few points to relate this week.

Since the Mass is the center of our worship as Catholics, we need to participate. While the Mass is being celebrated, it is important to respond to the prayers and receive that blessing from God during our worship. By singing, we pray twice as St. Augustine said, "He who sings, prays twice."

When we are faced with many options, we tend to choose that which is beneficial to us at any given time. Choosing what is important makes us unique in our tastes and in our vision of life. This is evident in the story of Martha and Mary when Jesus entered their home. While Martha concerned herself with serving Jesus at table, Mary chose to listen to what Jesus had to say. Both chose to act differently when Jesus entered their home.

The reply of Jesus to Martha's choice is an admonition of what she needs to pay attention to at that given time. He said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." Between Mary and Martha, one of them did what was necessary when Jesus visited their house. Using our intuition to do things at the right time with the right intention makes us unique. You cannot be dancing when your house is on fire, neither can you be at peace when your loved one is sick. You need to act quickly when a challenging situation comes your way.

The parables of Jesus teach us how to live the Christian life. By reading them carefully, we can draw many lessons from them. This week's gospel is about how to inherit eternal life. By giving us the examples of how to gain eternal life, Jesus draws our attention on the best way to gain eternal life.

The scholar replied to Jesus based on what was written in the law of Moses. Every Jewish man and woman knew the law by heart; "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." The scholar decided to ask Jesus about who is a neighbor. Jesus did not give a direct answer; he rather gave a parable that answers the question. The story is about a man who fell among robbers and he was left between life and death. Three people saw him by the roadside but only one person, a Samaritan did something to save him.

Dear Parishioners,

Thanks for the welcome! Fr. Julius Kayiwa and I are happy to work in your midst both at St. Mary's Kingman and Our Lady of the Desert, Dolan Springs. We take these assignments seriously. We see these assignments as our call to duty in the Church and we remain grateful to Bishop Thomas Olmsted and his auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares for trusting us.

Since arriving here, many parishioners are asking the kind of leadership we shall offer. The leadership is that of Jesus and Mary showing us the way. As Parochial Administrator, I have taken time to read a brief history of the parish of St. Mary's. From the 1900s to the present time, many priests have worked here. The parish, therefore, has a long history in which many actors have come and gone. We are here not as actors but as priests ready to continue with the good works of our predecessors. In this way, I shall strive to lead the parish toward understanding the teachings of Jesus as exemplified by the Catholic Church. I shall strive to draw people to the Eucharist via the celebration of daily Mass.