I would like to wish all mothers a very Happy Mother’s Day. On this day we celebrate the unconditional love of mothers to their children and children’s love for their mothers. Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made for us. Thank you for the gift of life. We also give thanks to God and celebrate with those in our community who have given birth this year. And we pray for and mourn with those who have lost a child. We give thanks for those who also are foster moms, mentor moms and spiritual moms. All mothers have tremendous impact on their children. It is said, “if you educate a man, you educate one individual and if you educate a woman, you educate a whole family” We will never be able to repay our mothers in the same measure, for all the sacrificial love that they have given us. On this Mothers’ Day as we honor and pray for our earthly mothers, let us also be reminded of our heavenly Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the supreme model for all mothers and we pray for her intercession and motherly care for all of us.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Msgr. Peter Dai Bui

Make sure to visit the Donut Rangers Sunday morning

and treat Mom on her special day!

This Weekend May 7-8 is

Capital Improvement Fund Weekend

No Gift is Ever Too Small!

While on earth, the Virgin Mary’s ministry was completely dedicated to reflecting the love, joy, and peace that comes from following her son, and that motherly care doesn’t stop now that she has been assumed into heaven. Many saints have spoken about our Blessed Mother’s ability to guide her children to her son, and Marian apparitions are one of the most intimate ways Mary helps us to find the Lord, meeting them both in heaven. Marian apparitions are another beautiful way Mary connects us to her Son, Jesus Christ.

Over the centuries, Mary has come to humanity under hundreds of titles; some represent places, while others represent her motherly attributes. These titles tell us a lot about who she is and what she longs to do for us, her beloved children: Star of the Sea, Mater Amabilis (Loving Mother), Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, The Ark of Noah, Mother of Mercy.

As she is the mother of the whole Church, we see over the course of history how she desires to communicate with her children, always at our Lord’s direction. She has appeared in nearly every corner of the globe. With three most famous Marian apparitions - Guadalupe, Lourdes and Fatima - Our Blessed Mother intervened in the most crucial moments of history, when mankind needed most her motherly solicitude: Islamic expansion, challenges of conversions in New World, and the threat of Communism.

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Each family attending Msgr. Peter's May 10th presentation will receive a framed copy of Our Lady image as shown below. One per family in attendance.

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As we enter the world of holy icons, we must remember how they exist to draw us into the contemplation of divine beauty. They are doors into eternity, into the heavenly kingdom, and not simply beautiful pieces of art. The veneration of holy icons safeguards and proclaims our faith in the Incarnation and in the intrinsic goodness of all material creation. The icons belong to worship and exist exclusively in the atmosphere of prayer and liturgy. The icons also serve as a point of unity between the Eastern and Western Churches and belong to our common patrimony. Icons have been venerated and continue to be venerated in all the Rites of the Catholic Church.

We will be looking at the history of the veneration of icons – from the first Christian catacombs into the decrees of the 7th Ecumenical Council and three Iconoclastic Periods in which icons were discarded, defaced, and destroyed by those who did not properly understand and venerate them. Next, we will look at examples of more contemporary icons in the Roman Catholic tradition and how we are to properly venerate, care for, and promote the veneration of holy icons.

If St. Jerome’s statement “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” is true, then it is equally true for us to affirm that “ignorance of the Holy Icons is ignorance of Christ” because, as we will discuss, the icons are to be venerated with the same relative veneration as is shown the Cross and the Book of the Gospels. Icons do with color what Scripture does with words.

Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast

Sunday, May 15th

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Let us pray to Saint Dymphna - Patroness of those suffering for nervous and mental afflictions.

Be Not Afraid to reach out to someone and talk. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) will help! https://www.nami.org/help

Reluctant Sheep

Sheep get an awfully bad rap, linguistically. Some are quick to label people as “sheep” if we think they haven’t sufficiently questioned authority or if they’re too willing to go along with someone else’s plan. We say someone has “the wool over their eyes” if they aren’t willing to see what we think is very obvious. “A wolf in sheep’s clothing” is what we call someone looking to take advantage of those too gullible to identify a real threat.

Taking all this into account and considering how often we are referred to as sheep in Scripture, you’ve really got to wonder if God trying to tell us something about ourselves.

If you look at the phraseology associated with sheep, it’s no wonder that nobody wants to be one. Sheep are innocent. Sheep can’t protect themselves. They’re vulnerable and easily misled.

We want to see ourselves as the opposite of all that. We like to think we’re shrewd, with plenty of common sense. We want to believe that we don’t have to rely on anybody for anything. We would sooner identify with the wolf than with the sheep — at least the wolf can take care of himself.

We do this because we often resist the need to rest in the greatness of God. Like a child walking to school alone for the first time (forgetting his mom is following watchfully in the car), we want to think we can handle it all by ourselves.

The truth is that God is trying to tell us something by comparing us to sheep: You don’t have to do this on your own.

Every time I look at an obstacle and think that there is no way around it, I am forgetting that I have a shepherd who knows the location of the gate.

— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS

©LPi

The Word on Fire Institute Announces:

The Making of a Catholic Priest | Official Trailer

How does a man come to realize that God has called him to the priesthood? In this upcoming film from Word on Fire, Fr. Stephen Gadberry presents his life’s journey to the priesthood. From his Arkansas upbringing, to his military experience, through his vocational ascent, Fr. Gadberry shares his trials, tragedy, and ultimate joy, answering Christ’s call to engage the culture and spread the Gospel message. The feature-length film premieres here on YouTube on Tuesday, May 24th! Subscribe to the channel so that you don't miss out: https://wordonfire.institute/youtube.

St. John Paul II called it "a great treasure of the Catholic faith" and encouraged all Christians to visit Jesus regularly in the Blessed Sacrament as "we are all called to abide in the presence of God."

Think of it! Our Lord Jesus Christ could calm the winds and the waves with a rebuke (Mk 5:35-41). He could turn a meal for one into one for 5000 (Mt 14:13-23). He could heal people of their physical afflictions with just a touch (Lk:12-14). This very same God of such power and majesty makes Himself present and readily available in countless altars and tabernacles in churches around the world to be with each one of us, indeed to be with you!

Approach Christ with humility, contrition and love. Make your heart a vessel into which He can pour his grace. Unite your troubled heart with His Sacred Heart and ask Him for the wisdom and graces you need in difficult situations.

Treat Him as you would one of your closest friends, with love and respect. Feel free to tell Him whatever pleases or troubles you. You can pray whatever prayers you would like, such as the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, etc. Spend time reading and meditating on the Scriptures. It might help to bring a notebook to jot down some thoughts. The renowned Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and St. John Paul II both did this. Bishop Sheen prepared his homilies in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament because, as he put it, "the most brilliant ideas come from meeting God face to face."

Do not feel like you're wasting time with our Lord if you haven't said numerous prayers. Just give him your sincere love and devotion. St. Jean-Marie Vianney, the Cure' of Ars, once asked one of his parishioners who spent hours in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, "My good father, what do you say to our Lord in those long visits you pay Him every day?" "I say nothing to Him," was the man's moving reply; "I look at Him and He looks at me."

"Jesus could have limited his presence only to the celebration of Mass but no! He wanted to make a permanent dwelling among us. Night and day he awaits us and offers himself to us at all times." ~ St. John Bosco

Did you miss the Holy Spirit Divine Mercy Mass on April 24th, or attend and what to hear a segment from our Music Ministry? This just in from our Director of Sacred Music, Bernadette Smith - enjoy!

If you can't always make it to Mass, or sometimes leave without getting a bulletin, you can always be the early bird that gets the bulletin if you go online.

Go ahead, read it today!

https://www.holyspirit-tempe-az.org/bulletins

https://parishesonline.com/find/holy-spirit-roman-catholic-parish

LECTURE & FILM SERIES RESOURCES

READ
2022 Lecture & Film Series Schedule
Suggested List of Books to Read From Fr. James Mattaliano

VIEW
Bernadette, Julie & Tim Smith discuss the lives of 4 Irish Saints
Celtic Concert Video
Celtic Concert Photos submitted by David Garcia

LISTEN
Lenten Mission 2022 Evening 1 of 3 presented by Fr. James Mattaliano 3/9/22
Lenten Mission 2022 Evening 2 of 3 presented by Fr. James Mattaliano 3/10/22
Lenten Mission 2022 Evening 3 of 3 presented by Fr. James Mattaliano 3/11/22

The Papacy presented by Fr. Patrick Behling 2/22/22

Through Faith Direct you can make all of your contributions to Church of the Holy Spirit via auto payment from your checking account or credit card just as you may do now with other monthly payments. This is a great way to simplify your giving and it’s the most cost-effective, environmentally-friendly way for us to receive your gifts.

Be a Sustaining Member of Church of the Holy Spirit
Set up recurring gifts today. Thank you for your generosity and suppor.

https://membership.faithdirect.net/AZ535

Connect with Myra Pangan at the parish office for more info on eGiving and/or alternate methods 480-838-7474 x107 mpangan@holyspirit-tempe-az.org

Did you know Holy Spirit can benefit from your grocery shopping at Fry's?

At no cost to you, Fry’s donates annually to participating organizations based on your percentage of spending. It is an easy one-time setup in the Fry's app in the Rewards Section by selecting Community Rewards and choosing Holy Spirit Parish. For more information visit Fry's online HERE and link your Fry's shopper card today!

Through AmazonSmile, you can help raise money for Church of the Holy Spirit just by shopping! All you have to do is go to smile.amazon.com instead of the normal Amazon site, choose "Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Parish Tempe" as your charitable organization, and start shopping! 0.5% of the price of eligible items will be donated to Holy Spirit.

This link will take you directly to AmazonSmile in support of Holy Spirit: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/35-2350488 Bookmark it for future needs!