Posts with the category “daily-memo-from-msgr-raun”

My dear family,Hi, everyone!  I hope the New Year is going good for you. Just a few updates:YOU CAN TAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS SIGN DOWN. Many thanks to you who put up your Christmas Evangelization sign. Now is the time to take them down. Perhaps you can store it with your Christmas stuff and use it next year.UPDATE ON FATHER YOUNG: I talk to Father on a regular basis. He is making sure if slow progress ...  Read More

My dear family,Hi, everyone!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I know everyone is looking forward to a better New Year! Here are some updates on parish life.JANUARY 1st, THE FEAST OF THE MOTHER OF GOD. Of course this is normally a Holy Day of Obligation, but because of the pandemic we are dispensed (excused) from the obligation.The schedule will be:Thursday, Dec. 316 pm - Vigil MassFrida...  Read More

My dear family,Hi, everyone! A few reminders before Christmas:CHRISTMAS: Friends, this will be the Christmas Mass schedule this year:Dec. 24, Christmas Eve : 4 pm, 6 pm, 8 pmDec. 25, Christmas Day : 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm The Christmas Eve 4 pm Mass and the Christmas Day 9 am Mass will be live-streamed on our website (stanm.org). If you are not able to come to church this year, we suggest that you gath...  Read More

My dear family,Good day to you all!THE CHRISTMAS NOVENA starts tomorrow Wednesday, December 16th. We will pray the Novena at all the Masses for these nine days of prayerful preparation for Christmas. At the end of today's memo I am including the Novena prayer so that you can print it and pray it at home.In addition to the normal confession times, each night of the Novena (Dec. 16-23), there will b...  Read More

My dear family,A blessed Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe to you all!UPDATE ON FATHER YOUNG: I am happy to share with you some guardedly optimistic good news. It looks as if Father has passed the immediate crises of a heart attack he had while he was in the hospital. He is awake and more-or-less coherent.Father is suffering from a form of bone cancer. There are chemotherapy treatments that can c...  Read More

My dear family,Blessings to you all!"THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS" SMALL GROUPS START TONIGHT! To sign up just go to the parish website (stanm.org) and click on "The Purpose of Christmas" tab.Not only is this a wonderful thing in and of itself, but I think that to belong to a small group this year is really important. At lot of us are going to be suffering from loneliness and isolation this Christmas....  Read More

My dear family,Blessings to you all!WE CAN ATTEND MASS IN PERSON AGAIN ! We have just received word from the Archbishop that, in accord with the Governor's new Public Health Order, we can now allow people to attend Mass at 25% of seating capacity - which for us is 250 persons.So, as of tomorrow (Friday, December 4th), we will be able to attend Mass in person. In short, we will be "doing" Mass the ...  Read More

My dear family,Good day to you all!URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Some of you are aware that Fr. Bill Young, our retired priest in residence, has been suffering from pain the past few weeks. Well, this all came to a head on Thanksgiving, when first his right arm, and then his left, broke with no reason. He was taken to Rust Hospital, where he is currently. They operated on his right arm on Friday, putting...  Read More

My dear family,A good morning to you all ! Today, just a quick memo as we get ready for Thanksgiving:THANKSGIVING DAY:Holy Mass : 9 amthis Mass will be live-streamed and broadcast to the church parking lot at 106.5 FM.Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament : after 9 am Mass until 6 pmNo confessions or 6 pm Mass.The parish office will be closed Thursday and Friday.No doubt, this will be one of the str...  Read More

My dear family,Peace and blessing from the Lord Jesus to you all.THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE : We are right now in the middle of our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.As of a few hours ago, we stood at 330 turkeys and 280 pies. People have been extra generous with cash gifts. Our goal is to be able to assist 675 families with Thanksgiving dinner.I know that turkey and pie donations are harder right now b...  Read More

My dear family,Peace and blessing from the Lord Jesus to you all.VETERANS DAY: We give heartfelt thanks and honor to all the veterans in our parish, who have served our country and defended our liberty. God bless and reward you.I will never forget how my grandparents called today "Armistice Day", because it is the day when the First World War ended (My grandfather was a veteran of that war.) It wa...  Read More

My dear family,Peace and blessing from the Lord Jesus to you all.THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE :  I have always found it a source of joy that in-between the Thanksgiving Baskets given out through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and the Thanksgiving Dinner served by the good folk at St. Felix Pantry, no one needs go without a proper Thanksgiving dinner in Rio Rancho.This year we will also have our St. V...  Read More

My dear family,Peace and blessing from the Lord Jesus to you all.TIME CHANGE TONIGHT : Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep!THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS is tomorrow, November 1st. On this glorious feast we honor all the saints in heaven, both those who are canonized (officially declared by the Church to be in heaven), and those whose names ar...  Read More

My dear family,Peace and blessing from the Lord Jesus to you all.Well, your clergy and staff have been busy trying to figure out how to make the best of the strange situation that we are in. The big change in the past 48 hours is that the Archbishop has said that it is permissible to celebrate Mass outdoors and to distribute Holy Communion outdoors. Outdoor Mass is not really an option for us, wit...  Read More

My dear family,Peace and blessing from the Lord Jesus to you all.I am very sad to have to write this memo. I am sure that some of you are already aware of the decree that the Archbishop issued yesterday, I will share the first three paragraphs with you:"New Mexico is currently experiencing a rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases as well as increasing numbers of deaths. Combined w...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus !BENEFITS OF WORSHIPING DURING "Why, God?" HARDSHIPSWorship Means We’re Letting Go of ‘Why’Often as humans, we like feeling like we are in control. But when we go through trials and we choose to worship God, we are making a conscious decision to trust God even though we don’t understand what He’s going to do.God tells us his ways and thoughts are higher t...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus, as we prepare for the Lord's Day!BENEFITS OF WORSHIPING DURING "Why, God?" HARDSHIPSWorship Makes Us ThankfulIt’s impossible to be thankful and full of worry at the same time. Gratitude is a choice. It is us saying: yes, things are difficult right now, and this trial seems overwhelming at times, but—as I’m thinking about who God really is and how he’s he...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus !TEN - THOUSAND APOLIGIES : On Saturday I wrote a new memo to go out, but somehow the machine sent out the old one. I am so sorry! I should never be allowed around computers. I hope I get it right today!BENEFITS OF WORSHIPING DURING "Why, God?" HARDSHIPSWorship Brings Us Closer to GodA woman sat in an empty room as she waited to testify at her sister’s mu...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus !BENEFITS OF WORSHIPING DURING "Why, God?" HARDSHIPSWorship Grows Our FaithThis earth is the only place we’ll ever need faith. Like other muscles in our body, in order to grow them, we need to exercise them. When we get to heaven, we will know the answers to questions that have plagued us for years. Worshiping God reminds us of all the things God has brou...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!BENEFITS OF WORSHIPING DURING "Why, God?" HARDSHIPSWorship Grows Our FaithThis earth is the only place we’ll ever need faith. Like other muscles in our body, in order to grow them, we need to exercise them. When we get to heaven, we will know the answers to questions that have plagued us for years. Worshiping God reminds us of all the things God has broug...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus, as we prepare for the Lord's Day......BENEFITS OF WORSHIPING DURING "Why, God?" HARDSHIPSWorship Satisfies Our SoulsWhen our bodies are hungry, we get food for nourishment. Worry wears down our souls. We become weary and we lose heart. The remedy (or nourishment) for this is worship. We were made to worship. And when we worship, we can feel the cool wate...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus, as we prepare for the Lord's Day......BENEFITS OF WORSHIPING DURING "Why,God?" HARDSHIPSWhen we go through difficult seasons, one of the first things we ask is why?Why now? Why us? But simply asking God “why” isn’t always that productive. We should also be asking: what can I learn from this? Asking “what” gets our focus back where it needs to be...on our...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus, as today we celebrate the Birthday of our Blessed Mother.REASONS TO TRUST YOUR SHATTERED SOUL TO GOD'S STRENGTHGod’s Word Is Full of ExamplesThe Bible is not only full of his commitments God makes to His children, but also examples of Him following through on those commitments. In the Old Testament, prophets share about a coming King who will be unlike a...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus, as we enter the month of September !REASONS TO TRUST YOUR SHATTERED SOUL TO GOD'S STRENGTHGod’s Promises Never FailUnlike humans, God is perfect, unfailing, and has given promises to declare over your life in times (or seasons) of sorrow and hardship. In His Holy Word, God declares that He is capable, willing, and is going to supply your needs.And my God...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus, as we prepare to celebrate another Lord's Day!REASONS WE NEED EMPATHY NOW MORE THAN EVER :We’re All Impacted DifferentlyIn the early days of the pandemic, some said we’re all in the same boat. Not really. Even though we are all affected by this coronavirus crisis in some way, the way it impacts our lives varies tremendously. It's important to keep this i...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS THAT COVID SHOWS HOW DESPERATLY THE WORLD NEEDS GODLiving for the Temporary Doesn’t Cut it AnymoreAs Americans, in particular, we have put too much stock in our leaders, and our comforts and our “security” on this earth. Even as believers, we had grown comfortable until life on earth wasn’t comfortable anymore. We found ourselves at the breaking poin...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS THAT COVID SHOWS HOW DESPERATELY THE WORLD NEEDS GODOnly God Can Lead in a Mess Like ThisWell, it seems that a lot of people are angry with one government official or another nowadays!Truthfully, only God has the answers, only He can govern our hearts and our world in truth and justice. Only God can get us out of this mess or guide us through it.We’v...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS THAT COVID SHOWS HOW DESPERATLY THE WORLD NEEDS GODWe Can’t Fully Protect OurselvesThe virus is real. Whether or not you have been personally affected is not the point. Even healthy people who wash their hands regularly, wear a mask and are trying to distance themselves are still being affected.That means, as we do what we can to stay healthy, God is...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS THAT COVID SHOWS HOW DESPERATELY THE WORLD NEEDS GODOnly God Provides Assurance and SecurityMany people felt isolated during this time. Some still do. If you felt you were all alone, that can be debilitating, fearful, and depressing. But God says in His Word, “I will never fail you; I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5). Scripture assures us there...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS THAT COVID SHOWS HOW DESPERATLY THE WORLD NEEDS GODOnly God Knows Our FutureWe have learned to rely on predictions--trusting in the weather forecast, the economic forecast, the stock market trends (which always bounce back, right?), rising and dropping interest rates, political polls, even predictions of coming natural disasters like hurricanes. But ...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS THAT COVID SHOWS HOW DESPERATLY THE WORLD NEEDS GODOnly God Can Give Us the Peace We NeedWe are an anxious, fearful, and worrisome species. It’s natural for us to worry when we can’t see a clear or prosperous future. Yet, Scripture tells us “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he h...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS THAT COVID SHOWS HOW DESPERATELY THE WORLD NEEDS GODWhen we first heard of a worldwide pandemic, we saw this world beginning to come together. We were unified. We saw signs along the freeways saying “We’re all in the together.” There was a spirit of cooperation for the sake of our health and everyone else’s around us.    But unity, without the presen...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!5 Questions to Calm Your Fears as We Emerge from COVID-195. What Does the Lord Require of Me in the Meantime?Obviously, we can’t just sit around and wait for the Second Coming to happen. We have a job to do here on earth, and knowing who holds our future, we can walk by faith into tomorrow, with confidence.In the meantime, God first requires us to trust i...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!5 Questions to Calm Your Fears as We Emerge from COVID-194. What’s God’s Ultimate Plan for the Future?We know that the story ends well. And if all is not well, we have not reached the end of the story.In Revelation, we see God bringing a new heaven and earth, bringing an end to suffering, tears, and death.God’s ultimate plan for the future will, as J.R.R....  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!5 Questions to Calm Your Fears as We Emerge from COVID-192. What Does the Bible Say about Our Future?Let’s dive into some verses that talk about the future and how God plays into it.“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11This was written to ...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!5 Questions to Calm Your Fears as We Emerge from COVID-19It seems as though this year has lasted forever, and we’ve barely passed the halfway point. So much uncertainty rules our lives in the face of COVID-19. And although some countries have emerged, or are in the process of emerging from the virus, many of us remain in the thick of the pandemic.Even as ...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus! Happy Independence Day Weekend!Ways to Find Peace While Transitioning out of QuarantineGod Makes Things New“See, I am doing a new thing!Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?I am making a way in the wildernessand streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19The Israelites found themselves in a new place-literally and figuratively. Despite the prophecies ab...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!Ways to Find Peace While Transitioning out of QuarantineLament What Was LostWe all lost something in these past few months. Cancelled graduation ceremonies, job lay offs, food security, school routines, physical touch, relationships, failed health and life are among the casualties during this crisis.When expectations fail to unfold as hoped, disappointmen...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!Ways to Find Peace While Transitioning out of QuarantineDon’t Surrender to Fear“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.Its been said ...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!Ways to Find Peace While Transitioning out of QuarantineNot All Circumstances Look the Same“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12For some, these past two months brought a welcome change. Our country tends to emphasize finding joy and identity in being busy. S...  Read More