When we are young and impatient, everything seems to take too much time. Only as we grow up, we learn that good things often take time to come to fruition or maturity as people say about fine wine or aged cheese. Often life’s circumstances or our own personal maturing require patient waiting, planning and forbearance. We also learn that real love, professionalism in a career, success as a spouse or parent or a friend doesn’t happen by magic or wishful thinking but with courage, self-discipline and perseverance. So the point is that, at times, waiting is exactly what we must do. 

Advent is one of those times in our lives when the Waiting is quite possibly the most valuable and life changing thing we can do. During Advent, we spend one short month opening our minds and hearts to the call of the prophets and of Our Lord to change direction or rather to let our life direction be changed for us. We are challenged to look at ourselves honestly, free of illusion and dissimulation. In the first weeks of Advent, we wait for the final coming of the Lord in glory and for the transformation that event will bring about in ourselves and in our world. It is a type of waiting that listens, meditates and savors gifts and blessings but is also aware of our incompleteness, dependency and need for conversion. Advent is a time for growth in self-knowledge and a time for re-commitment to core values and spiritual disciplines. Prayer, scripture, works of charity and mercy make this waiting time fruitful and the opposite of wasting time. 

“Good things are worth waiting for”! The Advent season in its final weeks is a time of preparation for our remembrance of the Birth of the Lord, His Blessed Nativity. We have a period of quiet moments to remember the story of those miraculous events that forever changed history and humanity. In the midst of all of the “Happy Holiday Hype” and the rush on malls, Christians are challenged to be counter-cultural and focused on the future and on our miraculous salvation history. We wait with expectant, hope and with the vision that has sustained us for thousands of years, the realization of the Peaceable Kingdom. 

We wait, God re-creates. Advent comes and then is quietly fulfilled. Come Lord Jesus! 

This year I have been struck by how our secular and overly materialistic culture seems bent upon undermining the importance and observance of Thanksgiving.  It is never mentioned in the newspapers or on television.  Probably because it is not an opportunity to sell more than turkeys and pumpkin pies, the machinery of advertising and its creation of false wants ignores our most profound national Day of Gratefulness and Thanksgiving.  For weeks already stores are jammed with Christmas stuff in an effort to grab our gift giving intentions and cash as quickly as possible.  It does not seem possible that so many stores are having so many “Christmas sales”, at the same time, in a desperate attempt to outsell one another. I expect to see Santa Claus, sleigh and reindeers at the mall tomorrow.  

 For me this all is indicative of a loss of national memory and civic and cultural cohesiveness.  It seems that we are heading full speed toward a self-created amnesia that forgets about the blessings of our country, the blessings of religious freedom and the blessings of inter-cultural sharing and understanding.  For we who are believers in Divine Providence and the spiritual significance of a country intended to be great, generous and God-fearing, Thanksgiving must never be forgotten or eclipsed.  We do so at our peril.

 At the First Thanksgiving, the focus of attention was on the fact that fifty-three members of the original one hundred or so Pilgrims were still alive by the grace of God and the assistance of the Native Americans living near them. Their survival was a grace to be celebrated by a festive meal. It was both an opportunity for fellowship and new friendships and also a validation of God’s blessing upon their “Holy Experiment”. Our Thanksgiving Meal today is a memorial  and a celebration of hope in all that can be accomplished with God’s help. 

The original Pilgrims were fervent and radical in their faith.  They were upset with the abuses of the established faiths of their day especially with the materialism and secularism (they would not have used these words) that were rampant and, for them, distorted true faith and worship. Their faith was single minded in its emphasis upon a saving relationship with Jesus Christ lived out with an austerity and passion. They believed in the Bible as a sufficient guide for life and a Book of judgment upon the sinner. Although they valued independence of thinking and freedom from spiritual or civil coercion, they formed a close knit community and conceived an agreement governing their life together under God that is known to us as the Mayflower Compact. Their saving grace through faith, their one Savior, Jesus Christ and their unique way of life kept them alive in a most hostile and inhospitable “New World” William Bradford in his Journal described their faith well:  

The Pilgrims safe arrival at Cape Cod aboard the Mayflower:

“Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed ye God of heaven, who had brought them over ye vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all ye perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on ye firm and stable earth, their proper element. What could not sustain them but ye spirit of God and His grace? May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto ye Lord, and he heard their voice, and looked on their adversity…”

What can we learn from the Pilgrim adventurers and seekers? For them, nothing was a coincidence.  It was a manifestation of God’s providence, justice and mercy. Their relationship to Christ their only King was uncompromising .For us today, things do not appear to be so clear.  The interpretations that we give to power, right, prerogative and national purpose are not so enlightened with the uncompromising Pilgrim vision of faith and trust in God. We struggle to keep the role of faith alive and significant in the world of politics and compromise within a complicated and interdependent world community. The Pilgrims, however removed in time and situation from us, still would always counsel prayer, dependency upon God, gratefulness for faith and courage in the following of conscience. This is their relevancy and witness for us.

 We have many reasons to give thanks to God during our family Thanksgivings, but none is more important than to say Thank You for Christ Our King.  He is God’s self gift, incarnate, forever changing history and giving us true freedom. We are united in this with the Pilgrims as we continue our sacred journey in faith today.        

             Msgr. Michael D. McGraw

On November 28, we celebrate Thanksgiving and have the opportunity to connect with family and to remember our blessings. I believe that at the heart of all prayer and worship is the spiritual emotion and intention of GRATEFULNESS. We express our thanks, our total dependence upon God and our desire to love and serve God in all things. Thanksgiving ties us into the blessings of our past formative history, the purposes and struggles of our Pilgrim ancestors and the generosity of the Native Americans who welcomed them. Each year when we enjoy a festive meal together, we are challenged to live up to our national dreams and ideals and to grow in love as the families of this “ONE GREAT NATION UNDER GOD’’. 

Every parish seems to have one big social and development event that brings parishioners together for fun times and to assist with parish needs.  Here at Saint Joan of Arc, each year we celebrate each year our GALA and AUCTION that benefits programs at both our parish and school. This year our 60th Diamond Anniversary is the event theme and there will be delicious food, entertainment and dancing and, of course, the opportunity to bid for this Christmas on silent and live auction items. All proceeds from this event will provide necessary resources for programs in our parish and our school.

Since the GALA and AUCTION is our only parish-wide development event, it is very important that we support it by purchasing event tickets and major prize chances (Trip to Ireland and Diamond Jewelry Cross). Parishioners can also support the event by creating gift baskets for the silent auction, special prizes such as vacation home stays and the purchase of diamond, platinum, gold or ruby special tables for the event. Our GALA and AUCTION is truly a labor of love on the part of hundreds of volunteers who give of their creativity and hard work.  PLEASE PLAN TO BE A PART OF A GREAT, FUN TIME AT OUR GALA AND AUCTION.        

Msgr. Michael D. McGraw

For over sixty years parishioners have worshiped and made Our Lord present in Boca Raton.  That is quite an accomplishment to say the least. We have gathered in a jelly factory, a temporary church, a first Church on our present campus and in a beautiful new Church dedicated in 1988. In all of these places we have celebrated the Mass and Our Lord has made Himself present to nurture us with divine grace and help us to grow in holiness.  Our presence in the greater Boca Raton community has made a difference because we have lived our faith and given testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Our community life has celebrated with alive and joyful parties and other social gatherings and we have reached out with compassion and charity to many through our SJA Care Ministry.  The triad of worship, community, and charity unite us strongly with the apostolic church whose faith we inherited and have passed on. Our parish commitment to the education of our children has been remarkable through our parish elementary school and religious education program. We have always cherished our children and have taught them by word and example. 

Today we celebrate our Diamond Anniversary as a grace filled large family of faith.  We are an inclusive community with representation of over thirty different heritages and the concomitant richness of all these faith traditions. At this time we gather with great joy to remember the heroism of our great patron Saint Joan of Arc.  With her help, may we live out our faith with her courage and benefit our community with the virtues of our witnessing under her battle insignia “God’s Will Be Done”.

May Saint Joan of Arc be our inspiration and our hope for an even greater future in the next sixty years.        

Msgr. Michael D. McGraw

Thank you to everyone who has helped to make our 60th Anniversary a year of celebrations and fundraising to renew our church building and faith community for future generations, our Anniversary celebration continues with our celebratory Mass on Sunday, November 10th at the 10:45am Mass.  It is actually occurring the day before our actual anniversary of formally becoming a parish in 1959.  All the priests will be present, along with our guest speaker, Fr. Michael Driscoll, who has many fond memories of our parish going back to some of its earliest days.  All are invited to join us for this special Mass, as well as for a special reception in the Mercy Center immediately following! Through this event, and in the immediate future we can help insure the future ministry of this outstanding parish for many years to come!        

Msgr. Michael D. McGraw

During early November, we celebrate with great joy All of the Saints (November 1) who have graced the church over the centuries with their courage and witness.  They are all of the Unnamed Saints that have used the gifts and graces of God to accomplish great holiness and spiritual maturity.  Some of this august group may have even been our own family members who left us a marvelous legacy of virtue and good works.  We know that not all saints can be officially recognized by the church but we are equally sure that they look over us and support us by their prayers. We are in safe hands and carried through trials by the army of All Saints.

We also remember all of our Beloved Dead during early November when we commemorate the Feast of All Souls (November 2 – Vigil Mass November 1). Here too we remember family members who have passed over into eternal life and now rest in the Lord. We remember all that they taught us and how much their love helped us grow and accomplish good works.  This year on Friday, November 1st at Saint Joan of Arc, we will hold a beautiful and heartfelt Vigil Mass honoring all of our loved ones who have died. Pictures of those who have died during the year are prominently placed on the sanctuary steps and we are surrounded by their holy presence. 
As we reverently read their names we light candles to remind us how their example lights our way and illuminates our world. There is perhaps no other liturgy that so perfectly captures the grief and the joy of our faith as does All Souls.  Together we mourn and together we rejoice in their passage into eternal life and their ongoing presence as our comforters and heroes.

May All Saints Day inspire us and may All Souls Day remind us of the mercy and saving grace of God. We are also to remember and honor the dead by keeping their stories and accomplishments alive in the quality of our Christian life.                                                                                                                                                           

– Msgr. Michael D. McGraw

As Catholics we support a “seamless garment” of respect life activities that serve to protect human life from conception through natural death. In our Biblical life ethic, no human being is ever disposable or to be abused. Under Catholic auspices many pro-life organizations exist to foster the dignity and worth of human life. They address needs of hunger, poverty, war, incarceration, housing and unjust wages. All are intertwined and require coordinated attention. Other most important concerns are our opposition to abortion and euthanasia.

The Birthline/Lifeline Pregnancy Care Program promotes the sanctity of life and offers pregnancy care services at its pregnancy care center locations. Services are offered free of charge to all clients who meet basic criteria. At the pregnancy care centers, women coping with an unplanned pregnancy can access compassionate counseling regarding adoption, alternatives to pregnancy terminations and more. Below are some of the services provided in their three Pregnancy Care Centers:

• Free ultrasounds and pregnancy testing
• Prenatal care referrals
• Pro-life education
• Fertility Awareness Education
• Abortion alternative counseling
• Adoption referrals
• Parenting Classes
• 24-Hour Support Hotline for clients: 561-278-0880
• Material assistance (Assistance may include maternity clothes, baby apparel and layettes. When available, car seats, strollers, cribs,
baby food, formula and diapers are provided.

Clients are provided with contact information and necessary documentation for Medicaid/medical coverage, referrals and other available services within the county and/or Catholic Charities

You can support this program by contributing next weekend at SJA’s Annual Mission Coop Appeal: Weekend of October 26 & 27.

-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw

On this Saturday, October 12, we will be welcoming Bishop Barbarito to our parish to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with 108 youth of our parish. This a great day of celebration and accomplishment as they commit themselves to a new identity and a new responsibility in our family of faith. It is a also a day of special joy for their parents, grandparents and friends. Confirmation parties will abound and this is appropriate because Confirmation now seals the effects of Baptism and completes, along with the Holy Eucharist, their full initiation into the Catholic Faith.

In the early Church the Sacrament of Confirmation was celebrated as a second anointing of the newly baptized that was administered shortly after the Baptism.  This was to show how important it is for the Holy Spirit to “seal” or “ratify” by presence and power the spiritual transformation.  Gradually as Confirmation became separated in time from Baptism, our understanding of the effects of the sacrament began to emphasize, gifts of virtues, strength and courage (a soldier of Christ) and a more responsible role in the church family.  It is prepared for by a retreat, ministry volunteer activities and faith formation classes. The candidate makes a conscious and intentional choice to “choose Christ” and His ways as the guiding vision and goal for life.  In many respects it requires a separation from some of the values and goals of worldly thinking and a “putting on of the mind of Christ Jesus”

I would like to thank all of the parents, sponsors, teachers and role models for our Confirmation candidates.  Christianity is not so much a philosophy of life as it is a way of life that requires flesh and blood examples and mentors.  Our youth in particular are assisted by the example of faithful witnesses attesting to the fact that Christ is alive and working powerful miracles among us. Confirmation and its new way of life is our answer to meaninglessness and the “culture of materialism and superficiality”. The Holy Spirit is the giver of new and powerful gifts that when accepted transform the world and fill it with life.

Msgr. Michael D. McGraw

Recently I had the opportunity to represent our parishioners in a visit to Nassau, Bahamas. The generous gift of $27,000 from our disaster relief collection was much appreciated by the Diocese disaster relief efforts and the Archbishop Patrick Pinder. There remains much work to be done in the disaster relief phase of response with thousands of people displaced from Abaco Island and parts of Grand Bahama Island. Whole neighborhoods were destroyed and most people lost everything they owned. Many people have relocated to Nassau and are living in tent communities. The basic necessities of food, water, clothing, tents, transportation are gradually being assisted. The future re-building phase of the disaster response is really only in the planning stage and there remain many unknowns. For example, how many people will want to return and start their lives over? How many will emigrate elsewhere? What infrastructure, jobs, social arrangements will be able to be re-established?

Thankfully the world community as well as the United States Catholic community is responding generously in support of the victims.The Archbishop told me how appreciative he was that the first responder to the disaster was the United States with a ship filled with necessities.

I am so in awe of the courage, hard work and imagination of the Bahamian people. Were there could have been only despair and paralysis there has in fact been incredible energy and enthusiasm for a new life. Please continue to pray for our Bahamian neighbors. They are so close to us geographically, may they be even closer to us in our compassion and Christian community. 

Msgr. Michael D. McGraw

Next Sunday, October 6, after the twelve-fifteen Mass, you are invited to Mercy Center and our Sports Arena to celebrate the Eleventh Annual International Festival.  This is an afternoon of fun, great food, song, dance and fellowship as we celebrate the wonderful diversity that characterizes our parish family.  Each year we have more countries and more delicious food than the last year and we constantly marvel at the different “special dishes” of each national heritage. 

        Msgr. Michael D. McGraw