Blog & Pastor Letters

Dear Parishioners,

I greet you in the name of Jesus. This week I am impressed with the work of our parish volunteers.

The first time I arrived at our parish office, I was taken to a section of the St. Mary Center. I saw huge freezers and I began to wonder what purpose they serve in our community. I was told that they belong to Our Daily Bread, a society within our parish that prepares sandwiches for distribution to the needy in our town. I was deeply impressed. For the past three weeks, I have watched how volunteers go in there and spend hours working as a team preparing sandwiches and other goodies for the needy. This is what teamwork is all about, and what it means to live in a faith community such as ours.

Dear Parishioners,

I greet you in the name of Jesus. There are a few points to relate this week.

Since the Mass is the center of our worship as Catholics, we need to participate. While the Mass is being celebrated, it is important to respond to the prayers and receive that blessing from God during our worship. By singing, we pray twice as St. Augustine said, "He who sings, prays twice."

Dear Parishioners,

Thanks for the welcome! Fr. Julius Kayiwa and I are happy to work in your midst both at St. Mary's Kingman and Our Lady of the Desert, Dolan Springs. We take these assignments seriously. We see these assignments as our call to duty in the Church and we remain grateful to Bishop Thomas Olmsted and his auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares for trusting us.

Since arriving here, many parishioners are asking the kind of leadership we shall offer. The leadership is that of Jesus and Mary showing us the way. As Parochial Administrator, I have taken time to read a brief history of the parish of St. Mary's. From the 1900s to the present time, many priests have worked here. The parish, therefore, has a long history in which many actors have come and gone. We are here not as actors but as priests ready to continue with the good works of our predecessors. In this way, I shall strive to lead the parish toward understanding the teachings of Jesus as exemplified by the Catholic Church. I shall strive to draw people to the Eucharist via the celebration of daily Mass.