Reflecting Heaven Part 23: More Stained Glass

09-29-2021Reflecting HeavenFr. Don Kline, V.F.

“Art is meant to bring the divine to the human world, to the level of the senses, then, from the spiritual insight gained through the senses and the stirring of the emotions, to raise the human world to God, to his inexpressible kingdom of mystery, beauty, and life.’”
– Built of Living Stones §142

This week we look at six more stained glass windows that will fill the clear glass now flanking the doors on the north side of our church as well as the windows located in our confessionals.

READ MORE

Knights and Ladies of the Altar

09-26-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus Christ!

When I was growing up (and I still have a way to go), I remember being an altar boy. Serving the priest at Holy Mass is, and will always be, a very special memory for me. I remember my dad would take me to the 6:15am Mass at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral when I was in kindergarten. He was the sacristan who would set up for Mass. He also served the priest during Mass. As a six-year-old, dad would have me stand off to the side and watch.

READ MORE

Reflecting Heaven Part 22: Color and Light

09-22-2021Reflecting HeavenFr. Don Kline, V.F.

As the preparation to move back into our newly renovated church begin, I thought it would be appropriate to thank all our parishioners who have donated so generously to this project and encourage those who may still want to share their blessings through a financial gift, please prayerfully consider doing so. There is a spiritual and emotional satisfaction knowing that you are part of something that will impact others for generations in a such a meaningful way.

READ MORE

Peace in Troubled Times

09-19-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus Christ!

In John’s Gospel, Chapter 14, Jesus gives us a great gift. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

For many people, peace means the absence of conflict or trouble. While this is certainly a definition of peace, it’s not what Jesus was talking about. The peace that Jesus was talking about means rest, quiet or a stillness in your heart despite the world around us.

READ MORE

Reflecting Heaven Part 21: Fr. Pete Rossa (1964-2017)

09-15-2021Reflecting HeavenFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Born: October 23, 1964
Ordained: June 7, 2003
Assignments: Parochial vicar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Scottsdale and St. Timothy, Mesa; pastor at St. Bernadette since 2007.
Died: September 13, 2017

Fr. Pete Rossa collapsed during morning Mass on September 12 at St. Bernadette Parish in Scottsdale. Fr. Rossa died the following day. He was 52.

READ MORE

9/11 - Never Forget

09-12-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus Christ!

I had just finished offering the 6:15am Mass at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. I returned to the rectory for breakfast. When I walked into the kitchen, I heard Fr. Frank watching the news on the television in the living room. I will never forget that feeling of helplessness and fear as I watched the planes fly into the twin towers in New York. This experience would forever shape the history and the landscape of our country and our world. Life would never be the same.

READ MORE

Reflecting Heaven Part 20: Symbols of the Four Evangelists

09-08-2021Reflecting HeavenFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Traditionally, the four Gospel writers have been represented by the following symbols: St. Matthew, a pine man; St. Mark, a winged lion; St. Luke, a winged ox; and St. John, a rising eagle.

You can find these symbols first referenced by the Prophet Ezekiel (1:1-21):

In the 30th year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens opened, and I saw pine visions… As I looked, a stormwind came from the north, a huge cloud with flashing fire, from the midst of which something gleamed like electrum.

READ MORE

Labor Day

09-05-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus Christ!

You may have noticed that the current labor shortage is forcing businesses to reevaluate how they can meet public demand. Many businesses are having to cut hours of operation simply because they lack adequate staff. “Help Wanted” signs can be seen in many stores and restaurant windows.

READ MORE

Reflecting Heaven Part 19: Sacred Heart of Jesus & Immaculate Heart of Mary

09-01-2021Reflecting HeavenFr. Don Kline, V.F.

The references to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary can be found in Sacred Scripture which point to the love and compassion of Jesus and Mary. The image of the heart can be found throughout Sacred Scripture and can offer us powerful insights into the mercy, compassion, and love of God.

Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Matthew 11:25

READ MORE

Be Doers of the Word

08-29-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It has been said that Mark Twain saw overly pious Christians as being a bit phony. One of the famous stories that validates his concerns happened at a dinner party where a man cornered Twain and said, “Before I die, I am going to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. When I arrive, I will climb Mount Sinai, and from the very top I will boldly proclaim the Ten Commandments.” Twain replied, “I have a better idea. Why don’t you stay right here at home and obey them.” While the story reveals Twain’s sarcastic side, it also points to today’s readings which invite us to look at the difference between talking and doing. The letter to James reminds us that we are to “be doers of the word, not only hearers.” And Jesus turns to the prophet Isaiah in today’s gospel to make the point that “these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

READ MORE

Reflecting Heaven Part 18: One God and Three Persons

08-25-2021Reflecting HeavenFr. Don Kline, V.F.

“As on the day of our Baptism, when our whole life was entrusted to the “standard of teaching”, let us embrace the Creed of our life-giving faith. To say the Credo with faith is to enter into communion with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also with the whole Church which transmits the faith to us and in whose midst we believe: This Creed is the spiritual seal, our heart’s meditation and an ever-present guardian; it is, unquestionably, the treasure of our soul” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 197)

READ MORE

To Whom Can We Go?

08-22-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We hear in today’s Gospel: “Many of His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.” The reason: They heard His teaching and what it demands of them. Tragically, they could not accept it. The Sacred Scriptures tell us that many of Jesus’ followers walked away because they found His teaching “too difficult”. Jesus then focuses on His closest followers. Looking at Peter, Jesus asks him, “Do you also want to leave?” Peter responds “no”, but then he asks Our Lord this important question: “To whom can we go?” Peter seems to be saying, “When I look at the other possibilities, you are still the best option. Among all the choices out there, you are my first choice.”

READ MORE

Reflecting Heaven Part 17: Baldachinum of the Altar

08-18-2021Reflecting HeavenFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Baldachinum of the Altar, a dome-like canopy above our current altar, has a very long and esteemed history in church sanctuaries. These massive structures can be fashioned out of wood, stone, or metal, and are usually erected over the high altar of larger churches. The baldacchino is usually supported on four columns, though sometimes suspended by chains from the roof.

It has been suggested that the name “baldacchino” comes from Baldocco, Italian form of Bagdad where the precious cloth canopies were made as part of the structure. The same structure was previously called ciborium, from the Greek kiborion (the globular seed-pod of the lotus, used as a drinking-cup) because of the similarity of its dome top to an inverted cup.

READ MORE

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

08-15-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven. The Catholic Church teaches that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” This doctrine was dogmatically defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus, while exercising papal infallibility. But this feast has long been a belief in the Church.

READ MORE

Reflecting Heaven Part 16: The Stations of the Cross

08-11-2021Reflecting HeavenFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Each Friday during Lent, many in our parish, and around the world, gather to trace the footsteps of Jesus on his Via Dolorosa (Sorrowful Way), the Way of the Cross, or Via Crucis. I have been deeply moved and inspired at St. Bernadette over the years by all those who have prayed the Stations of the Cross.

READ MORE

Giving > Receiving

08-08-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Mother Teresa knew that it is in giving that we receive, dying that we are born to eternal life. She was called to live the words of St. Paul: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I just wanted to thank you, the extraordinarily generous stewards of our community who remained stalwart supporters of our beloved parish, even when your jobs and livelihoods could have been in pandemic jeopardy. I was so inspired by you. May God bless you for your generosity!

READ MORE

Reflecting Heaven Part 15: Notes on the St. Bernadette Sanctuary Renovation

08-04-2021Reflecting HeavenFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Litany of Loreto: This litany to the Blessed Virgin Mary was composed during the Middle Ages. The place of honor it now holds in the life of the Church is due to its faithful use at the shrine of the Holy House at Loreto. It was definitively approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587, and all other Marian litanies were suppressed, at least for public use. Since then, several Popes have added titles to the Litany, as only they may do.

READ MORE

God’s Plan for Joyful Marriage - To Have, To Hold, To Honor

08-01-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This past week was designated Natural Family Planning Awareness Week because it was fifty-three years ago on this day that Pope Saint Paul VI issued his encyclical Humanae Vitae (On Human Life). In this papal letter, Paul VI provided instruction on the responsible transmission of human life, describing the nature of married love as designed by God and echoing the Church’s unchanging teaching on the immorality of contraceptive behavior.

READ MORE