Thank You!

by Rev. Gabriel Baltes, O.S.B.  |  07/20/2025  |  A Message from Our Pastor

Dear Parishioners,

You may recall that on the weekend June 7/8, the feast of Pentecost, I spoke at all the liturgies asking people to increase their weekly Offertory Gift if this were possible. We had incurred a significant deficit which we did not want to carry into the new fiscal year. This deficit resulted from the general inflation we are currently experiencing as a nation. I believe it is important to identify the source of the deficit to avoid creating or blaming other factors such as the capital campaign, the school or frivolous spending.

That having been stated, we must be aware that our parish buildings are aging, and like the homes in which we live, require regular ongoing maintenance. To be good stewards of these temporal blessings that enable us to be the faith community of St. Joan of Arc, it is vital that we continually invest in them and be as preventative as possible in their upkeep.

I received many favorable comments to my request along with some increased pledges and contributions. I am very grateful for this generous response, so characteristic of our parishioners. If you have not yet increased your giving, and are able to do so, I would ask that you please do so in the near future. We completed the budget project and submitted it to the Diocese for approval. We were able to decrease the deficit to a lesser amount by eliminating or altering several staff positions along with tapering some of the usual features of parish activities. I believe we did this judiciously so as not to compromise their quality. Please continue to generously support our parish so that we can maintain its vibrant character as a visible manifestation of the Body of Christ.

Reflecting on the image of the Body of Christ, I am reminded of the upcoming feast of St. Mary Magdalene this coming Tuesday, July 22. We know from the gospels that Mary Magdalene was one of the most faithful disciples of Jesus who followed him throughout his ministry of preaching, teaching and healing. It is said that Jesus cured Mary Magdalene of seven demons that afflicted her. Recall that in the ancient world, “demon” did not necessarily refer to an evil spirit or diabolical possession.

A demon could be any sort of human disorder such as a physical aliment, an emotional torment or some type of condition that was contrary to God’s original plan of order and wholeness for creation. For many centuries, and for whatever unfortunate reasons, church tradition assumed that the “demons” of Mary Magdalene were a reference to her life as a woman of ill repute. This misinterpretation has been rectified in recent years so that she is no longer identified as a prostitute but as “The Disciple to the Disciples.” This is one of the original titles ascribed to her because she was the first disciple to encounter the Risen Christ on that first Easter Sunday.

It was then, at the very entrance of his tomb, that Jesus commissioned her to announce his resurrection to the other disciples. She did this with an exuberance of love because she had personally experienced the depth and power of this divine love which transformed her into a new creation. As we honor Mary Magdalene, we are reminded of the call all of us have been given to be disciples who announce the living presence of Christ in our world. Through her intercession may we do so with the same passionate joy for which she is revered.

Fr. Gabriel O.S.B.