Capilla Nta. Sra. de Guadalupe
Lent 2010
Dear OLPH Family,
Lent is upon us and my prayer is that you will join us for our Lenten Journey together. We live One Mind, One Heart, One Spirit by collectively entering the journey together. We all have been called today to embark upon this passage together, though our routes may different, our destination is the same. Get out your pesonal navigator GPS and program it to 777 E. Highway To Heaven. The church will be your vessel, and the priest your guide, you have nothing to lose but only faith to gain. As part of our work to evangelize and promote the Catholic Faith, we have expanded our Lenten opportunities for you at the parish. Please make sure to get an events calendar you don't want to miss the excitement the many spiritual events that can make you even a better person than you are now. Our theme for Lent 2010 is Getting Right With The Church----Getting Right With God. As Roman Catholics, Ash Wednesday marks for us a time that we boldly declare our allegiance to Christ by wearing His cross upon our foreheads. Not only is there a need for us to have a strong identity in our faith, we are required to be replenished and rejuvenated in such a way that we are no longer a walking dead people, but we are ALIVE in the Spirit of the LIVING GOD! This is really what it means to be Catholic as we strive to live boldly the Sacramental Life. Are you spiritually dead? Do you have doubt, fear, issues of trust, feelings of despair, or a lack of faith? Our Lenten Journey at OLPH will be perfect for you.
As we make our Lenten Journey together this year we will focus upon some key elements of life that are in fact important aspects for us to succeed in the faith and in keeping our Salvation on the forefront of our minds and as our most immediate priority. Many of us get caught up in helping other, waiting on others, taking care of our families, being good an responsible people. These are all fine attributes, but what makes a person more balanced is their relationship with God. In order to have a relationship with God it is important to know what it is to lead a self-reflective life. There are many people in the world who go about their business each and everyday and never have a moment to center themselves or even breathe.
Lent is a true time of discipline that allows us to revisit the aspects of our lives that need pruning. We know that a rose bush that is not pruned does not produce roses. We also know that if we are not pruned or guided or cultivated, we will not grow either. Come and journey with us for Lent so that you might know what it is that God is trying to say to you. I challenge you to stop and listen, and maybe stay for a while so that His words can really penetrate down deep into your soul to allow the conversion that is necessary to take place. As part of our Lenten Journey is is always important to take a good look into the spiritual mirror, and ask yourself if you really like what you seen. It is quite possible that the real you is hoping to emerge from the rubble of earthly existence if we only permit it to happen.
Come and learn with us the 7 truths that are identified as the Pillars of Catholic Spirituality and Life. The Sacramental Life is such a necessary part of our walk with Christ, as so many times we fink out on Him. We are a no show, or we are just going through the motions and not making any headway. The 7 Pillars of Catholic Spirituality are the golden keys for which we can be the people God has invited us to be as individuals. WE understand ourselves fully first before we can understand our spouses, children, friends, family, or other people. The honor of your presence is requested, no need to RSVP, just showing up would be nice. Hope to see you at church during Lent 2010!!!
--
May the Lord Bless You,
Fr. Michael D. Accinni Reinhardt
Pastor
Our Lady of Perpetual Help- Glendale
Dear OLPH-Glendale Family,
Here it is already the NEW YEAR! I pray that your families will all be blessed with a joyful and Holy New Year in 2010. As we begin this New Year, I want to write to you about some of the happenings around our beautiful community.
Since my arrival at OLPH on November 19, 2007, I have implemented many new changes, and also elaborated on some old ideas by simply improving upon them. It is important to realize that since our incorporation as a sole non-profit organization in July 2008, we have undergone many new required changes. These changes can be witnessed by understanding that as a pastor of a parish, I am responsible for overseeing all of the temporal resources of the parish, as well as staff, buildings, grounds, school, and capilla. To say the least, we have a very large property to maintain and many resources both human and material.
We have implemented several functions that assist us in the proper management of our parish because of new ways of conducting parish business and operations along with the mandates required from the IRS, state regulations, federal regulation, and diocesan policies. Part of these changes can be identified in the Organization Chart that was completed for the entire parish and its ministries. You are welcome to view the chart on our web site. This chart outlines for us the chain of command, and the various positions that exist in our ministries.
It has been said that you can please all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time. This saying can be used to describe us hiring a full time parish manager. Many people have struggled with the existence of the new position, and I believe in part because the concept of a parish manager is new to OLPH.
Dorothy Allen, a good friend of mine and longtime bookkeeper was here at OLPH for many years as a volunteer. Dorothy conducted the affairs of the office along with Fr. Fausto, and was driven by a whole set of policies that are no longer the case today. In the past five years, the diocese has written directives and policy that have changed the way in which a parish operates. There are higher levels of accountability, reporting, and structure. This requires us to have a full time parish manager position in order to keep the parish running smoothly. It is impossible to successfully manage a parish of this size without a full time parish manager. Our parish manager, Jackie Galbraith, brings with her much knowledge about temporal affairs, human resource management, budgeting, and general bookkeeping, and works hard to assist us in maintaining our facilities. Jackie's work has been praised greatly by diocesan auditors in our most recent audits and financial reviews.
Fr. Fausto did an excellent job with his efforts here especially over the years that he to, worked to pull a financially struggling parish into the black. Today we must realize that overall parish operations have changed, especially since we have been classified as a non-profit entity separate from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. This means for us that we strive to protect our parish, be protective stewards of our resources and strive to keep the best interest of the parish community, which includes our school and capilla, in focus. We are One Spirit: Parish, School, and Capilla. The school and capilla exist because of the parish and your support!
We have made major strides this past year to create better internal controls and transparency. You have seen more frequent financial reports in the parish bulletin. They will appear there on a quarterly basis. As pastor, I have also organized the complete body of our support councils that include Parish Council, Parish Finance Council, School Advisory Board, Home and School Booster Association, and Stewardship Development. These groups have been meeting regularly and have assisted greatly in our progress in moving through these difficult economic times.
Having a school is a huge undertaking for any parish. We must have a relationship with the parish and school community that is always positive. Please understand that the school is a direct outreach of the parish. Although the school is not an entity in and of itself, it must hold its own, be fiscally stable, and always report to the parish directly. We have moved forward a long way with the school. This is due in large part because of the hard work of Leslie Barasha as intern principal last year. Leslie had a very unique task at hand last year, as we had to contend with the issues discovered in our financial review, namely the large portions of unauthorized tuition right-offs. Those write-offs, if continued, could have closed our doors, but thanks be to God for the assistance of various key professionals, mentors, auditors, and our staff we now can see the light of day. Leslie remains on staff in one of her original roles as school counselor. She also works on a daily basis with me and the school principal as Administrative Liaison so that we never repeat these past mistakes again, and continue to keep our operations running smoothly. The school has now turned around in a wonderful new direction and is in the capable hands of our new principal, Mary Pat Waldmann.
Daniel Subia is new to us this year. Daniel comes to us from the diocese and is the Coordinator of Youth Ministry and Communications Technology. Daniel has done a great job meeting with our communications subcommittee and building our website. Daniel also works with grant writing and development. I would encourage everyone to get to know our staff, and make use of our website. There you will find all the latest happenings around OLPH-Glendale.
May the Lord Bless You,
Fr. Michael D. Accinni Reinhardt
Christmas 2009
Dear OLPH Families,
Christmastime is upon us! As we celebrate the sacredness of this Holiest of Seasons, let us contemplate more deeply the essence of our faith founded in the Incarnation of God made man in Jesus. Each Christmas we are blessed as we celebrate with family, friends, and our OLPH community. For us, the season has taken on a whole new light as we truly enter into the meaning of One Spirit. These are not just mere words, but are the crux of our action as we strive to live our Catholic faith. I have been enjoying so much of the season, as I have taken in every opportunity to commemorate the birth of our Lord. Our first ever Christmas Concert performed by our school children was a huge success under the guidance of Kathi Stalzer. Our school really shined that night as so many of our students expanded upon their musical abilities, singing as a choir and as soloists. A remarkable song was Breath of Heaven as our students worked so hard to bring us into the true spirit of the Season.
The gift of Christ’s birth causes us to dwell deep within our hearts and take a true assessment of our souls. Here at OLPH-Glendale, many of our families participated in the Sacrament of Confession. We offered a Night of Confessions in honor of Advent, and also held two sessions of confessions for our school children. It was great to see so many of our second graders come out to make their first reconciliation.
Let us allow God to speak to our souls this Christmas, so that we may respond more fully to the coming of the Lord. Our practice of our Catholic Faith is so important especially in today’s modern world. It seems that the values of Christ and His message have become disregarded. We are challenged to allow our journey through Christmas to illuminate our pathways so that we might ever live engaged in the Lord's work and promises. We celebrate the fact that God became flesh, but we really acknowledge that He comingled with us in such a way that makes us yearn for Him and leads us to salvation. How sad it is that we are so sinful, and fail to recognize His presence in His people. How sad it is that humankind must always struggle with temptations, doubt, and sin. Let us strive to live more closely by His precepts and diligently try to avoid sin at all cost. If only we would become awakened like the shepherds were as they heard the decree echoed throughout, "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to His People on Earth!" The human race is really no different today than it was in Jesus' day, we are overly concerned with being politically correct, self image, and personal gain. Sin never changes, it just manifests itself more deeply, like those before us. We are still in dire need of a Savior. Let us not be caught sleeping, but rather let us be vigilant in all things especially in regard to our redemption. Stand guard against the spiritual attacks of the Devil, and be firmly planted in the Word of God and Sacraments of the Church.
Let us keep Christ as the forefront of our minds and hearts this Christmas and always. We must never forget that most holy and silent night, when God's angels sighed with great relief as tear drops of mercy burst from heaven's gate and fell upon earth. It was that fateful night that the world stood still to awaken us before the grace of God. O come let us Adore Him, and receive the King of our longing!
A Blessed and Holy Christmas to Everyone,
Fr. Michael
Dear OLPH Family,
The month of November is now upon us. This time of year is always a good time to reflect upon God's abundant gifts in our lives. We open this month with the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls. Our Mass of Remembrance is set for the Feast of All Souls, November 2, 2009 at 7p.m. in the church. Everyone who has lost a loved one this past year are invited to join us for a candle light procession honoring the faithful departed. All are welcome to this celebration. Come join in the procession of candle light as we affirm the presence of God in our hours of darkness. As October draws to a close, those who live in the desert rejoice even more as it is clearly a sign that cooler days and chilly nights are ahead. The changing of the seasons always have an effect upon our lives, especially as November allows us a moment by recognizing our Faithfully Departed while also giving thanks to God.
We at OLPH-Glendale continue to be rejoicing in thanksgiving, as we have so much for which to be grateful. November will surely be a time of celebration, as we look back to the union we shared in our Festival of Unity. It can be said that the Festival of Unity 2009 was the most successful festival in OLPH history. It was not only successful as we aimed toward our goal, but mainly because it was an instrument of unity driven by the power of the Holy Spirit. I was amazed at all of the laughter, love, and sense of hope given to us as a community. We must never forget that we are first and foremost a people of hope.
On November 8, 2009 we will gather for an evening of fellowship and unity again as we enjoy the onstage production of Vianney. The life of St. John Vianney comes to us in a special way this year as we honor our priests. The year of the priest is a necessary promulgation coming from the heart of the Church through our Holy Father. This is such a deliberate recognition so that the Church may build up even more the presence of Christ in person through His priests.
In the United States, we hold dear to our hearts the Thanksgiving Holiday, knowing that we will feast upon all of our American favorites. The smell of fresh roasted turkey and pumpkin pie are obvious aromas that enliven our senses. Thoughts of friends, family, and faith are connected with such the experience, as we redirect our attention to things that really matter to us.
My prayer to each of our families this day is to take each moment of our lives and reflect upon God's goodness. Let us strive to be instruments of His peace, and learn to be far removed from attitudes of contempt but rather strive to live in harmony with God and one another. This is surely the sign of the sanctified life. Many blessings as we approach this season of Thanksgiving....
Happy Thanksgiving 2009,
Fr. Michael D. Accinni Reinhardt
Pastor
October 2009
Dear OLPH Glendale Family,
It is great to know that even in the desert we are beginning to experience the changes in the air. Our hot and sizzling summer days will continue to cool down, just in time for our Fall Unity Festival. Our many volunteers have been working hard these past few months in getting ready for what will be the best Fall Festival OLPH has ever seen! We are looking forward to a fun filled event all in the desire to be of One Spirit. I would like to personally invite everyone to come out and join us for a great and blessed time.
Our community members from the parish, school, and capilla have joined together to make this Festival most memorable. We have a high goal to raise $75,000 which will assist in so many aspects of our continued dedication to ministry and the act of being the hands of Christ. This is best demonstrated through the work of our parish, school, and capilla as three distinct parts of our community yet of one vision together as OLPH Glendale.
We are so proud of our school and our school children as they gather for prayer every morning. It is quite amazing to hear all of the wonderful things surrounding our faith, as the Gospel is shared with the children each day, as well as the quite popular Saint of the Day, thanks to the awesome leadership of Ms. Waldman as our new principal. Ms. Waldman's expertise has been quite impressive in empowering our school community to be the living witness of Christ by word and deed. Thank you Ms. Waldman. I am looking forward to being involved in one of our big events at Rosary Sunday. OLPH School and Families will be attending this year's Rosary Sunday as we honor our Lady and the Year of the Priest...
It is such a blessing to see the smiles upon the faces of parents and children alike as they come and go from school. Our recent Egyptian display of dioramas was quite impressive, as students made replicated structures of the ancient pyramids and tombs. Our music program is quite expansive as well, now that we have the hand of a fine instructor in Mrs. Stalzer. We are blessed with Mrs. Stalzer's love of the faith, and her desire to instill that in the lives of her students. Not one day goes by when I walk into music class and hear songs of oreos, monkeys, and crocodiles woven into the treasures of faith found in such Sacred hymns as Tantum Ergo....Bravo Mrs. Stalzer for a job well done. With the onset of a new month, October will be bringing many more opportunities to assist us to become more dedicated to our call to holiness and desire to live the faith more zealously. Since we are a parish dedicated to the Honor of our Namesake, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, we have prayerfully petitioned Our Lady to assist us in living the example of the Gospel, and strengthening our bonds to Christ through His Church. We realize that it is through Our Blessed Mother that we become nestled in her loving arms. Our school families have recommitted to the faith by adopting better habits at attending Mass on Sunday, a basic precept of living the Sacramental Life.
We have expanded so much of our offerings at OLPH-Glendale just in the past few months, as we have reorganized and restructured every aspect of our parish life. This can most be seen in our school, as this year marks a year of great progress in reaffirming our Roman Catholic Identity. The leadership of Mr. Juan Carlos Mendoza in the Religious Education Department is quite impressive as well, as our number of children in RE as topped out at 360. This is a most awesome testament to the hard work of Mr. Mendoza, Mrs. Dena Thorp, and all the catechists. I am very thankful for Mr. Tom Ruane and the Altar Server Program. We have over 100 servers assisting at various liturgies. It is an incredible undertaking, and once that reflects our love for the Church, and desire to instill in the lives of young men and women a hopeful religious vocation.
Deacon Dennis Raczkowski is also a great addition, just in his first year alone he has implemented some great catechetical opportunities from group book reviews and Bible Studies. Deacon Bob Myers is also a great asset as he and his wife Rose dedicate themselves to the promotion of Perpetual Adoration. We continue to an overwhelming response in participation in this most recent addition to our parish devotions. Please make sure to join us for First Fridays of every month to honor our Lord before the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. May the Lord continue to be present among us, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Pray For Us.
Peace,
Fr. Michael D. Accinni Reinhardt