Dear San Francisco de Asis Parishioners,

For the past couple of years I have been spiritually moved by the Companions of Christ, a community of diocesan priests in Denver, Colorado who are committed to a common life of prayer, fraternity, and a rule of life inspired by the evangelical counsels of obedience, chastity, and poverty. After consultation with Bishop Olmsted and other priests and seminarians from the diocese, we believe there is a potential calling from the Lord to establish a community like the Companions of Christ within the Diocese of Phoenix, and the bishop has given me his blessing to take a sabbatical (from January through May of 2021) to live with the Companions of Christ in Denver, so as to experience their way of life and further discern the possibility of establishing a similar community within the diocese. In addition, while living with the Companions of Christ, I have been invited by St. John Vianney Seminary to assist with the spiritual formation of seminarians for the spring semester.