Once I went to a hospice facility to celebrate Last Rites for an elderly dying man. His family had told me that he had been uncommunicative for days. At the conclusion of the ritual, we began to recite the Our Father prayer. To everyone's surprise, his lips moved, clearly mouthing the words to the Lord's prayer. Stripped of most of his faculties, the man could still pray those precious God-given petitions. A lifetime of prayer had planted the words even deeper than his failing consciousness.

Happy Sunday, brothers and sisters,

My name is Lorena Vera-Trejo, and like many of you, I came to this beautiful city of Flagstaff as a visitor, but I decided to stay. In the late 80's I felt welcomed by the kind Catholic community of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I met a great man and we were married in the beautiful chapel of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I used to be a bad neighbor. I'd get wrapped up in my life and ignore those around me. Then I found sage advice from Benjamin Franklin to this effect: to be a better neighbor, ask someone to do a favor for you. It's counterintuitive, isn't it? Tell strangers that I need their help? Yuck. I'll risk looking needy. Worse, I'll be indebted to them. But I tried it, and it works like a charm. Recently I asked my neighbor Alan for a hacksaw, and Inga for an egg. They kindly obliged, and our friendship is growing.

Peace and Blessings!

My name is Skyler Wilkie, and I am so ecstatic to step into this role as the new Youth Minister here at SFdA! I feel like I have the home field advantage, seeing as I was born and raised here in Flagstaff! I know many of you as the people who have helped me and guided me in my life with Christ.

Happy Sunday!

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the two great pillars of the Church. We do not often have the opportunity to celebrate this solemnity on a Sunday so it's a gift when this happens. In one way this day reminds us of the many ways in which God works. Through St. Peter, a fisher- man, God chooses to show his power and his desire to sustain the Church.

Happy Sunday!

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, also called Corpus Christi. It is an opportunity for each of us to pause and reflect on the mystery and beauty of the great Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Church professes that at Mass the Body and Blood of Jesus becomes truly present under the appearances of bread and wine. It is not a symbol, but a reality.

Happy Sunday!

A very Happy Father's Day to all of our fathers in the parish. As we celebrate Father's Day we also celebrate Trinity Sunday. This special solemnity invites us to turn our gaze to the Heav- enly Father who pours himself out for us and teaches us authentic love. The Church teaches us that the Father eternally begets His Son Jesus Christ.

Happy Sunday!

This coming week we have Vacation Bible School! I am grateful to Cathy Carlsen and Kath- erine Buckley for their coordination of this event. They do an amazing job coordinating their teams to put on a great week for our kids. Thank you to all of our volunteers!

The famous 20th century St. Padre Pio said once that he would wait outside the gates of heaven until the people in his life had entered. I'm not sure that I, or frankly many people I know, would say that and mean it. Yet that is precisely the kind of attitude we see in Jesus as he prays for us in the Gospel today. Having celebrated the Ascen- sion of the Lord just a few days ago, we now hear the Son of God at the Last Supper pray to his Father "that they may be brought to perfection as one" (John 17:23). What does this mean for us?

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

This weekend, our country remembers those souls who died while serving in the United States Military. We offer our prayers and gratitude for all those fallen service men and women.

Happy Fourth,

This week, our 8th graders have their graduation. I am grateful to our middle school teachers and our principal, Mr. Sorci, for all their hard work.

We also celebrate our Kindergarten Promotion this week on Thursday. As we wind down the school year, I am grateful for all of our teachers and staff. We have an incredible school staff and a great community. Please keep our children in prayer as they prepare for the next steps in their academic journey.

Happy Sunday!

Last Saturday, we had a wonderful celebration of First Communion and Confirmation with Bishop Dolan. There were 88 children and adults who received these Sacraments. I am so grateful to our catechists, volunteers, and staff who did such a great job preparing everyone and organizing the day. It was a beautiful celebration and a great witness to the way the Catholic Church is thriving here in Flagstaff.

Happy Sunday!

As I write this we are a week removed from the death of Pope Francis. It has been a time of sadness as we remember such a beloved pope. The nine days of mourning ended this past week and in an odd way our attention turns to the conclave to elect the next Successor of St. Peter.

We continue to pray for Pope Francis but also pray for the cardinals as they gather in Rome to begin the next conclave very soon. Please pray daily for the election of a new pope, that the cardinals will be docile to the Holy Spirit during this very beautiful and solemn time.