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St. Andrew the Apostle Friday Flash | May 27th, 2022

Friday Flash

May 27, 2022

FAREWELL MESSAGE

As I prepare to leave St. Andrew the Apostle as your pastor in a few days to come, I do so with mixed emotions. This is because having served in this parish for the last six and half years, I have grown to love you, my parishioners, more and more. During this period, I have baptized numerous babies and adults, confirmed others, wedded many more, and sadly also buried many of our family members. I also had the opportunity to console the bereaved, anoint the sick and counsel the brokenhearted. All these things will leave me with treasured memories which will be impossible for me to forget.

As I mentioned at the first announcement, it was a decision I made after a long prayer to change my status from religious to becoming a priest of the diocese of Phoenix. Was this a difficult decision for me to make? I want to point out that this decision was not easy; it took years of discernment and prayers before I finally made it. However, what I can say is that I am at peace with this decision. I am also at peace with my new assignment by the bishop to my new diocesan parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, because I consider it as an expression of God’s will. I always believed that obedience to a lawful authority is obedience to God.

My new assignment to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is as a Parochial Vicar, which is basically an assistant to the pastor. During this time, I will have the opportunity to know and love my new community and make the necessary adjustments while awaiting the process of my incardination take its course.

When I came to St. Andrews as pastor, I repeatedly reminded you my parishioners that my job as I saw it, was to lead all of you to heaven. To what extend I have succeeded in doing this, I leave that to God to judge. But regardless, the most reliable and impeccable vehicle to achieve this lofty goal according to me, has always been through the Eucharist. That is why during my tenure, the first strategic goal of my five-year parish pastoral plan was FOCUS ON THE EUCHARIST. The first phase of this goal was achieved by moving the tabernacle which was not easily visible in our main Church to the prominent center of the Sanctuary where it is located currently. This slowly began to bring more reverence to the Eucharist in the tabernacle and in the entire Church than ever before. Then we slowly introduced more and more adoration opportunities in the course of the week and some seasonal weekends. We are now in the process of creating a perpetual adoration chapel. There may be other positive achievements realized during my tenure as pastor such as bringing the community spiritually closer to each other, creating the stewardship Council which is also responsible for this periodic wonderful newsletter etc. But the focus on the Eucharist is by far my most significant achievement.

St. Andrew, as I soon leave you for my new assignment this being my last weekend with you, I ask for forgiveness from those of you who I might have unknowingly hurt through some of my decisions as pastor. Know that on my part, I leave you with nothing but clean a heart and abundant love. My last word to you is to always be the friendliest and welcoming parish in the valley which I have always proclaimed you to be (if not, OLMC might outdo you in the very near future!!!). In order to be able to maintain this and soar even higher, I implore you to continue with the devotion and reverence we have built towards the Eucharist over the years. Let the Eucharist continue to be the center of who you are at St. Andrew thereby making the FOCUS ON THE EUCHARIST as your perpetual goal in all that you do here at our parish. And please, love and support your new pastor and his brothers, Fr. Edward and Fr. Nicholas Koro AJ. They are very good priests.

St. Andrew, I love you.

-Fr. Robert

Our Faith Formation team has developed a Parent Life 2022-2023 survey to better understand our parents and hopefully gain insight as to how we can best support our families during this incredible time of life.

The deadline for this survey will close on Sunday, June 5th at 5:00 p.m.

The link for the Parent Life Survey HERE

For any questions, please contact the RE department at re@standrewchandler.com

Reminder:

We will be continuing our weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays 9am through Saturdays 4:45pm In the Chapel.

Have you moved? Changed your phone number?

Please contact Mary at Finance@standrewchandler.com
To update your information

Mass Times

Monday - Saturday | 8:30am

Wednesday | 6:30pm

Saturday | 5:00pm

Sunday | 7:00am, 10:00am, 2:00pm

Daily Mass on Tuesday and Thursday, as well as Sunday Masses at 10:00am and 2:00pm are also streamed on Facebook

We are in great need of your continued support. Please consider making a gift to support continued ministry at Saint Andrew the Apostle. Please visit Faith Direct: https://membership.faithdirect.net/AZ973 or click the banner above.

Thank you for your Generosity!

3450 W. Ray Rd. Chandler, AZ 85226 | 480-899-1990 church@standrewchandler.com