Happy New Year!

12-27-2020From Fr. FambriniFr. Robert Fambrini, SJ

Dear Beloved in Christ:

It is hard to imagine that there is anyone out there who is not happy to see 2020 come to an end. To say the least, it has been challenging as we have all searched for some sense of normal. And yet we as people of faith have also experienced that God has been at work even at these most difficult of times. Several months ago, Cardinal Tobin of Newark described what we are going through these days as an apocalypse, not in the sense of death and destruction, but rather one of revelation. I have grappled with this question for months: what is God telling us through all of this? Entering a new year as we are called to remain alert and prepared, I believe that, in the person of a vulnerable human-God, we will be told. Meanwhile, mask up, live in hope of a vaccine and help build a better world.

Happy New Year!

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Meet Susie Garlick Our SFX School Counselor

12-20-2020From Susie GarlickSusie Garlick

Although this is only my second year as the school counselor at SFX, it has been a part of my life for many years. My mom, aunt, and uncles all graduated from SFX in the late 1950s, I graduated from SFX in 1985, and two of my three children graduated from SFX. I often find myself looking around campus with nostalgia. Although the campus looks different today, it is where my family and I grew up. We have childhood memories, friends that we still keep in touch with, and values that have lasted a lifetime. The biggest blessing is that I get to experience it all over again through a different lens. I get to experience it as the school counselor.

Married for over twenty-five years to my husband Mike, we are raising our three children Ryan (21), Macy (18), and Kenzie (15). Whether parenting my children or counseling the ones at SFX, my hope is that the values and sense of community that has been instilled in me since I was a young child at SFX will always be at the core of what I teach and how I live.

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4th Sunday of Advent

12-20-2020From Fr. Tom GriffinFr. Tom Griffin, SJ

Dear Friends,

Christmas is coming quickly! During this very busy time, its fine to be concerned about getting those last few gifts, but I hope that we’re all taking time to prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus at Christmas. That would be the gift that would make Jesus most happy!

In Luke’s gospel today, the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her that she was chosen by God to bear His son. Not surprisingly, she was shocked and ‘greatly troubled’ by this news! She was a young, unmarried and ‘ordinary’ woman. Yet, she had deep faith! She asked a question, the angel reassured her and she responded by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant…May your word to me be fulfilled.” Mary’s faith and trust in God allowed her to accept His plan for her.

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Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday

12-13-2020From Fr. WanserFr. George Wanser, S.J.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Pray without ceasing. (1 Thess 5:16). Today is Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. After centuries of oppression by the Egyptians, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and now the Romans, the people of Judah were awaiting the Messiah. Today’s readings point to hope and expectation that the coming of the Messiah is near. John the Baptist, or as Fr. Sauer has nicknamed him, 'Jack the Dipper', advises us that ‘One is coming after me whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie’ (Jn 1: 27).

Just as the world today is awaiting the imminent arrival of vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic, so we must take precautions and prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus into our hearts every day, - especially at Christmas.

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Meet Andy Arvayo

12-13-2020From Andy ArvayoAndy Arvayo

Hello, I am Andres Arvayo, most people call me Andy (Andres is Andrew in Spanish). I was born in Chandler Arizona on Easter Sunday. I attended private school in Chandler at St. Mary-Basha Elementary school then on to Seton High School for two years, graduating from Gilbert High School in 1992. My hobbies include camping, baking, anything hot rod/muscle car related and especially anything ASU! Go Devils! I don’t know what specifically has called me to St. Francis Xavier Church, but usually I am sent to be a source of calm and understanding as it pertains to my field. Be blessed everyone.

~Andy

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Advent Reflection

12-06-2020From Fr. TeodoroFr. George Teodoro, SJ

“In the desert, prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight his paths.”

The second week of Advent focuses on faith – the belief in the God who saves. Time and again, God has delivered his people through their desert wanderings and into the promised land.

Today, we too are in a desert of loneliness and division, isolated from one another not only by pandemic, but by economic disparities and cultural differences. Though we desperately long for unity, it is difficult to see a way forward.

So this Advent season, we turn once again to God, and ask him to make straight our paths and to guide us through the desert to a promised land. We must have faith that the God who guided Abraham and Sarah, who watched over Moses and David, and who sheltered Mary and Joseph, is still there to watch over our pathways and guide us safely home.

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