I thought it often in my first year as a mother, when I was every day discovering what this new life of parenthood looked and felt like: doing anything with kids is a hundred times harder than doing it without kids. But it’s a thousand times better. From eating dinner to going to Mass to taking a walk around the block — every single outing, even the simplest ones, had an extra level of logistical complexity.

Happy Sunday!

This year we are excited to host a “Lessons and Carols” concert during Advent to benefit the restoration of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel downtown. The concert will be on Friday, December 13. Last year it was a beautiful concert put on by the Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers. They generously volunteered their time to put on this Advent concert. “Lessons and Carols” is a Lenten tradition that alternates between hymns and readings from Scripture that culminate in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Please mark your calendar for this year’s event!

Happy Sunday!

This week I leave for my vacation and the parish pilgrimage. While I am looking forward to the Holy sites we will visit, I’m sad to miss such a great part of the autumn. Everyone will be in my prayers in a special way along the pilgrimage and especially in Assisi, the home of our patron, St. Francis. I am looking forward to returning to these holy places and offering Mass at a few of them.