Thank You to Jennifer Sentz
On behalf of the parish community, I thank Jennifer Sentz for her wonderful leadership, commitment, and support for our parish community as Coordinator of Stewardship and Development through the past fiscal year. We created her position in July of last year with the goal of strengthening our operational finances and funding for our Church construction. After many prayers, reflections and re-evaluation of the needs of our parish and school community, I determined that we needed to re-strategize by reorganizing our parish office. Unfortunately, the process required the closing of Jennifer’s position. Her last day at work was Wednesday, July 20th. The reorganization may involve down-sizing of the position or creating a new position similar to it. We will review the process during our Finance Council meeting on Monday, July 25 and finalize the reorganization within the week.
This was a very difficult decision for me to make, but as pastor I sometimes have to make such difficult decisions for the overall best interest of our parish and school community. I met with Jennifer yesterday to thank her for the wonderful job she did through the fiscal year and also to inform her to feel free to apply should we post a job opening after the reorganization. I look forward to continuing serving with her in the other ministries of which she is involved as a volunteer. Please keep Jennifer and her family in your prayers.
Farewell to Bishop Thomas Olmsted
This evening, the clergy of the Diocese of Phoenix will be praying the Evening Prayer (Solemn Vespers) with Bishop Olmsted and bid him farewell at a reception following the prayer. It is a very emotional time for many of us in the Diocese. My personal first encounter with Bishop Olmsted was back in October 2007 when I took a group of my parishioners at Infant Jesus of Prague Parish in Kearny, AZ on a bus trip to the Arizona Rosary Sunday. I remembered listening to him share about his personal devotion to the Blessed Mother and praying the Rosary beginning from his childhood. After listening to his reflection that night, I said to myself, “This is a holy man.” I then followed his writings and public statements until I had the opportunity to move to the Diocese to serve as Chaplain of the Benedictine University, Mesa in 2015.
Under Bishop Olmsted’s leadership, the Diocese of Phoenix has grown to be about the fastest growing Diocese in the United States with increased vocations, Mass attendance, and building of new Catholic schools and parishes. I feel blessed to have served with Bishop Olmsted over the past seven years and to be part of the growing Church here in Arizona. Bishop will celebrate his last official Mass in the Diocese at the televised 9am this Sunday, July 24th at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. (It can be viewed live on AZTV Channel 7, YouTube and Facebook.) I pray that God will continue to bless him with good health of mind and body as he moves on to his retirement.