SAINT MARY MAGDALENESAINT MARY MAGDALENESAINT MARY MAGDALENE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 2654 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert, AZ 85295 - Phone (480)279-6737 FAX: (480)279-6786

Meet Jesus - Know Jesus - Experience Jesus

Vidi DominumVidi DominumVidi Dominum

January 12, 2020 - The Baptism of The Lord

God’s Footprints in Our World by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted

Making the World More Beautiful: A Review of ‘Mrs. Rumphius’ by Colleen Mitchell

Parish Office Hours Monday - Thursday: 9:00 am - Noon & 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Friday: 9:00 am - Noon.

Sunday Masses Times Saturday (Vigil) 4:30 pm Sunday 7:30 am 9:30 am 11:30 am 4:30 pm*

Latin Mass (Novus Ordo) *4:30pm, First Sunday of Every Month

Daily Mass Schedule Monday - Saturday 8:00 am

Communal Prayer (in the Church) Chanted Lauds (Morning Prayer) Tuesdays at 7:15am Rosary & Divine Mercy, prayed after 8:00am daily Mass

Perpetual Adoration The Blessed Sacrament is exposed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except during morning weekday Masses. A key card is required for access after parish office hours. Join us in the chapel for: Holy Hour for Life: Thursdays at 5:30pm Holy Hour for Priests: 1st Sunday of each month at 3:00pm

Confessions Monday - Friday 8:45 am - 9:15 am Saturday 8:45 am - 11:15 am

Clergy Fr. Chris Axline, Pastor: pastor@smarymag.org Fr. Edward Gilbert, Parochial Vicar: vicar@smarymag.org

Deacons Craig Hintze, Kevin Knapp, Rick Nevins, Jerry O’Toole, and Larry St. Onge (winter visitor): Call Parish Office

From Your Finance Counsel

Collections (Includes contributions made via Faith Direct) General Fund: $23,056.31; Capital Campaign: $22,872.20

Upcoming Special Collections: January 19: Gospel of Life Appeal

Staff Directory Athena Mota de Alcantara, Family Life Coordinator athena@smarymag.org, ext. 217

Claire Halbur, Director of Sacred Music claire@smarymag.org, ext. 209

Clare Shakal, Sacred Music Assistant smmsacredmusic@gmail.com

Jackie Sullivan, Administrative Assistant admin@smarymag.org

Jake Stanley, Director of Youth Evangelization jake@smarymag.org, ext. 211

John Lowery, Nullity Minister nullity@smarymag.org

Kristi Hillier, Family Catechesis Registrar familyformation@smarymag.org, ext. 207

Lauren McParlane, Coordinator of Middle School Evangelization edge@smarymag.org, ext. 214

Lita Martinez, Director of Parish Evangelization lita@smarymag.org, ext. 210

Maria Stoey, Coordinator of High School Evangelization gs24@smarymag.org, ext. 218

Mary Molina, Assistant to the Director of Family Catechesis mary@smarymag.org, ext. 207

Roger Molieri, Coordinator of Sacred Liturgy liturgy@smarymag.org, ext. 205

Shari Stenborg, Director of Finance shari@smarymag.org, ext. 206

Tom Perna, Director of Family Catechesis tom@smarymag.org, ext. 203

Trisha Engel, Director of Pastoral Care pastoralcare@smarymag.org, ext. 201 or 215

St. Mary Magdalene is a Roman Catholic Parish that witnesses the love of Jesus Christ through evangelization, catechesis and the celebration of the Sacraments.

On the Cover: The Baptism of Christ by Maarten van Heemskerck, between 1532 and 1540, via Wikimedia Commons{{PD-US}}

Bulletin Submissions: All submissions for events, articles, art, or other content must be made by Wednesday, a week-and-a-half prior to any given Sunday via smarymag.org/bulletin-announcement-request. We

reserve the right to edit, include or not include your submission. Questions? Contact Lita@smarymag.org. 2

Need Help?

New to St. Mary Magdalene? We are looking forward to meeting you! Please visit the Parish Office or smarymag.org/about-parishregistration to formally register as a parishioner.

Emergency Anointing of the Sick: Use only for emergencies - 480-678-3353

Pastoral Care to the Sick: Our Pastoral Care Ministry vol-unteers visit and bring Holy Communion to those who are sick, hospitalized or homebound. Please call the parish of-fice or email pastoralcare@smarymag.org to arrange a visit.

Catholic Counseling: If you are looking for help in the area of mental health, marriage counseling, pornography and other addictions, etc., call the Parish Office for recommen-dations of counselors that can offer guidance and therapy from a Catholic perspective.

Annulments: Contact John Lowery: nullity@smarymag.org

Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Saint Mary Magdalene Con-ference Serving the needy of our community. Call 480-209-9483 for assistance. A Donation Box is located in the west wall of the narthex.

Letter Requests: When requesting letters of permission for Baptism or Confirmation sponsors or copies of replacement Sacrament Certificates, please allow for a FIVE business day turn around. Requests may be submitted to the Parish Office.

Offering Masses: If you’d like to offer a Special Intention Mass (living) or In Remembrance Mass (deceased), please come by the parish office. There is a stipend ($10). We are now scheduling Masses for January 2021.

Family Record Updates: If you have a change of address, phone, email, addition of children or if you are moving out of the parish please call the parish office or contact admin@smarymag.org to have your records updated.

Parish Library For access to our selection of theological and spiritual titles, email your first and last name, email address, and phone number to tom@smarymag.org. Find and check out any book in our online catalogue and pick it up in the parish office during office hours!

Adoration The following hours are in need of

Weekly Adorers: SUNDAY 10:00AM & NOON; MON 2:00PM; TUES 12:00AM; THURS 12:00AM; SAT NOON There are currently other hours with only one scheduled adorer. Ideally, we would have at least 3-4 people committed to pray in our Adoration Chapel for every hour of the week. Visit smm.weadorehim.com to sign up or login. Contact Roger at Liturgy@smarymag.org with questions.

4. God’s Footprints in Our World In this first article in a series, Bishop Olmsted introduces us to the tran-scendental qualities that belong most perfectly to God, but that we can catch and create glimpses of in the world.

6. Making the World More Beautiful Colleen Mitchell of the blog “Lit by the Tree” reviews a children's book that has a message for baptized Christians of all ages.

8. Parish Programs / Parish Life Communities

9. Upcoming Events

Readings for the Week Monday: 1 Sm 1:1-8; Ps 116:12-19; Mk 1:14-20 Tuesday: 1 Sm 1:9-20; 1 Sm 2:1, 4-8abcd; Mk 1:21-28 Wednesday: 1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20; Ps 40:2, 5, 7-10; Mk 1:29-39 Thursday: 1 Sm 4:1-11; Ps 44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25; Mk 1:40-45 Friday: 1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a; Ps 89:16-19; Mk 2:1-12 Saturday: 1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1a; Ps 21:2-7; Mk 2:13-17 Sunday: Is 49:3, 5-6; Ps 40:2, 4, 7-10; 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34 This Week’s Saints, Special Observances & Mass Intentions Sunday -The Baptism of The Lord; 7:30 + Michael Flynn; 9:30 Pro Populo; 11:30 SI Greg Brown; 4:30 + Virginia Medoza Monday - St. Hilary; 8:00 + Jessica Weldon Tuesday - 8:00am + For the Holy Souls in Purgatory Wednesday - 8:00 + Prudence Saavedra Thursday - 8:00 SI Skora Family Friday - St. Anthony; 8:00 + Edward Finch Saturday - 8:00 SI For all Clergy who have assisted our parish; 4:30 SI Ellis Family

PRAY FOR US…

We extend Our Prayers and Sympathy to the family and friends of Guy Caruso and Christy Davis, who have recently passed away. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.

What’s Inside

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This article is first in a series… The human heart is a unique reality; it can never be empty. It will always de-sire and seek after truth, goodness and beauty. Every person in every age and place, whether they believed in God or not, has always strived for, and chosen what they thought was true, good and beautiful. In philosophical traditions going back to Plato and in Catholic tradition as well, Truth, Goodness and Beauty, are called the Transcendentals. They not only “transcend” or exist independently from material things, but when we pay attention and try to detect them in the physical world, our heart and mind can be drawn upwards to God. The Tran-scendentals give us glimpses into what is spiritual. They signal to us that there is something much more beyond our-selves. Think of a moment when a per-

son is attentively listening to beauti-ful music. From a natural point of

view, music is seen as just vibrations in the air reaching our ears and stimulat-ing our senses. But how is it that music has the power to profoundly touch the hearts of listeners? Man’s deepest longing By creating us in His image and like-ness, God has placed in our heart a desire for perfection and total fulfill-ment. We will never be satisfied with a little truth, a little goodness and a little beauty. We will always desire — even yearn for — truth, goodness and beauty without limits. Our mind wants not just some truth, but the whole truth; our will wants not just some good, but the whole good; and our heart wants not just some beauty but the whole beauty. The reality, however, is that we live in a fallen world where we will never encounter perfect truth, goodness or beauty except through the help of God’s grace. Soon-to-be Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen explained this spiritual longing

for the Eternal as follows: “The human heart is not shaped like a valentine heart, perfect and regular in contour; it is slightly irregular in shape as if a small piece of it were missing out of its side… It may very well mean that when God created each human heart, He kept a small sample of it in heaven, and sent the rest of it into the world of time, where it would each day learn the lesson that it could never be really happy, that it could never be really wholly in love, that it could never be really whole-hearted until it rested with the Risen Christ in an eternal Easter, until it went back to the Timeless to recover the sample which God had kept for it from all eter-nity” (“Manifestations of Christ”). Transcendentals: Patches of ‘Godlight’ In desiring these things, man is really desiring God because He is all of these: Truth, Goodness and Beauty. In long-ing to possess Truth, Goodness and

God’s Footprints in Our World by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted

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Photo via flickr.com/photos/levanrami/40478921433 (Public Domain)

Beauty, we are seeking God because they are found in God as absolutes. God doesn’t have these attributes; He is Truth, Goodness and Beauty. So, whenever we encounter Goodness, e.g. the innocent smile of a child, we see something which points to the essence of God Himself. The same is true with Beauty; the sight of a beautiful sunset also points to God. He is not just beau-tiful, He is Beauty. All that is beautiful reflects Him in some way. Similarly, all that is true points to God. C.S. Lewis compares the truth, goodness and beauty that we experience on earth to “patches of Godlight” here in the “Shadowlands.” The Transcendentals are intrinsically intertwined; where there is truth, there is also beauty and goodness. Hence, the Catechism says: “The practice of goodness is accompanied by sponta-neous spiritual joy and moral beauty. Likewise, truth carries with it the joy and splendor of spiritual beauty. Truth is beautiful in itself” (2500). In fact, Truth, Goodness and Beauty are one in the Person of Jesus Christ. Recall the Gospel scene where Pilate ques-tions Jesus about truth, Pilate asks: “What is truth?” without realizing that “Truth” is literally staring him in the face. Jesus also revealed to Pilate the “goodness” of His Kingdom, a King-dom not of earthly power and violence, but of transcendent peace and love (Jn 18:36-38). Even Christ’s disposition un-der the weight of terrible suffering is “beautiful” to behold; not one of anger or fear, but of self-possession, strength and confidence in the Father. Jesus is the very incarnation of Truth, Good-ness and Beauty. Therefore, when we seek “patches” of these in the here and now, we are really seeking Christ Him-self. If He is the end towards which we strive, then He is also the means by which we attain it. All that is true, good and beautiful have their source in Christ and lead us to Him. Pope St. John Paul II wrote: “It is Jesus

that you seek when you dream of hap-piness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so at-tracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle” (Homily August 19, 2000).

A Pathway for Life’s Choices In today’s relativistic culture, Transcen-dentals are minimized and under-mined. A deceitful shift in focus has taken place: now, the true, good and beautiful are centered not on God but on self. As a consequence, the truth becomes what we make of it: “You have your truth and I have mine.” Ob-jective beauty is treated like it doesn’t exist; it’s simply a matter of personal opinion: “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”. Intrinsic goodness, too, is denied; the good is only “what is the best choice for me”. Now, more than ever, we must guard against compromising the Transcen-dentals. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in an address to the U.S. Bishops in 2012 warned: “When a culture at-tempts to suppress the dimension of ultimate mystery, and to close the doors to transcendent truth, it inevita-bly becomes impoverished and falls prey, as the late Pope John Paul II so clearly saw, to reductionist and totali-tarian readings of the human person and the nature of society.” Living in such a secularist society, the danger exists of accustoming ourselves to chase after things that are less true, good and beautiful. Even if our heart is made for Truth, Goodness and Beauty, we can fall into the danger of accom-modating ourselves to the false, the

evil and the ugly. No one chooses what he thinks is bad. Nevertheless, we can find ourselves seeking only an appar-ent good. Bad choices can be made due to a faulty understanding of real values. The story of the sin of Adam and Eve illustrates how this happened: “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food,” (goodness) “and pleasing to the eye,” (beauty) “and was also de-sirable for gaining wisdom,” (truth) “she took some and ate it” (Gn 3:6). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “all creatures bear resem-blance to God, most especially man, created in the image and likeness of God. The manifold perfections of crea-tures — their truth, their goodness, their beauty all reflect the infinite per-fection of God” (41). Here we are of-fered a very valuable lesson: Through the Transcendentals, we are given the incredible opportunity to have a glimpse of God here on earth. In the next issues of The Catholic Sun, we will explore, in turn, Truth, Good-ness and Beauty, and the path they provide for making our life choices. Let us walk together the path that finds its fulfillment in Christ. © The Catholic Sun. Reprinted with Permission. Visit www.catholicsun.org to subscribe to the paper version and to view more digital articles.

The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted is the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix. He was installed as the fourth bishop of Phoenix on Dec. 20, 2003, and is the

spiritual leader of the diocese's Catholics.

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“All that is beautiful reflects God in some way.” - Bishop Olmsted

Suggested Grade Level: Kindergarten -2nd Grade Review and Thoughts

“You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” This was the advice given to the main character, Alice, by her very wise grandfather. Alice was just a little girl with big dreams, but she took his ad-vice to heart and made it the third goal she hoped to achieve in her life-time. But she wasn’t sure exactly how she would do that. When she grew up she traveled and experienced marvelous sites, adven-tures, and friendships. She lived hap-pily by the sea. “She

was almost happy.” It took Alice a

long time to discover how to accom-plish her third goal – the challenge given to her by her grandfather. As an old woman living by the sea Al-ice saw that the little garden next to her house had scattered its seeds to new and surprising locations. She saw the beauty and it renewed her effort to spread this beauty. She began to scatter handfuls of seeds wherever she walked. The next spring exploded with lupine beauty. The promise to her grandfather was accomplished. She had made the world more beautiful. Alice did not stop there. She passed the wisdom she had learned from her grandfather to her niece. Everyone has a choice as to what they will do to make the world more beautiful. The book tells the story of what Alice dis-covered and poses the same question

to the reader at the end of the story. This book has always been one of my favorites. Its simple and beautiful mes-sage to make a difference in the world speaks to my heart. An obvious theme to discuss after reading the book would be the envi-ronment, an important issue in today’s world. Miss Rumphius shows how na-ture can be cared for and improved to make the world a better place. Chil-dren are very open and excited when they realize they can make a difference and brainstorming about how to pro-tect the environment would be a good start. There is so much more that can be gleaned from this gentle story, how-ever. Children should understand that our baptism calls us to do the very

Making the World More Beautiful: A Review of ‘Mrs. Rumphius’ by Colleen Mitchell, of Lit by the Tree

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via pixabay.com

thing that Alice’s grandfather chal-lenged her to do, and making a differ-ence in this world is an everyday choice. Our children should be en-couraged to serve one another and at this level it can be very simple acts of personal sacrifice - helping a friend pick up a spilled box of crayons or playing with someone who is alone. A parent can encourage this holy attitude by: affirming a child’s actions that show an effort to serve; recognizing a person who does something to make the world better and discussing their actions; and looking for characters in stories who make the world a better place with their lives. It’s a constant lesson that needs to be reinforced of-ten, but one that will grow as our chil-dren understand they have the power of God within them to make the world more beautiful. This book was included in a list 21 Pic-ture Books About Strong Girls I sus-pect it was chosen because Miss Rumphius independently set goals for herself and accomplished them with-out needing others to fulfill her dreams. I look at her a bit differ-ently. She was a woman who made good decisions for her life and yet in the end was “almost” happy. When she began to expand her decisions to include the world she becomes the strong woman of grace she was meant to be. An interesting side note: This book was dedicated “To Saint Nicholas, pa-tron of children, sailors, and maidens.” Further Activities and Discussion

• Express the beauty of nature. Paint a picture of a lupine (pictured on the opposite page). Dip a fingertip into paint and press onto a stem to build the lupine flower. Continue until the flower is complete.

• Discover the new life held within each seed. Dissect a lima bean seed. Soak a lima bean until the seed coat is wrinkled. Pull the seed

coat off. Gently pull the two halves of the seed apart. Carefully exam-ine the small plant inside using a magnifying glass.

• Observe the growth of a seedling. Plant a lima bean seed and keep a journal of its growth. Illustrate, measure, and record that informa-tion in the journal every day for two weeks.

• Read about a saint. Try St. Francis of Assisi, the saint who loved all nature because it is God’s creation. You can also try St. Therese of Lisieux, the saint who performed small works with great love.

Catholic Resources Read and reflect on the following para-graphs from the Catechism of the Catholic Church… “To human beings God even gives the power of freely sharing in his provi-dence by entrusting them with the re-sponsibility of "subduing" the earth and having dominion over it. God thus enables men to be intelligent and free causes in order to complete the work of creation, to perfect its harmony for their own good and that of their

neighbors. Though often unconscious collaborators with God's will, they can also enter deliberately into the divine plan by their actions, their prayers and their sufferings. They then fully be-come "God's fellow workers" and co-workers for his kingdom.” (307) “Incorporated into the Church by Bap-tism, the faithful have received the sac-ramental character that consecrates them for Christian religious worship. The baptismal seal enables and com-mits Christians to serve God by a vital participation in the holy liturgy of the Church and to exercise their baptismal priesthood by the witness of holy lives and practical charity.” (1273)

Colleen Mitchell (left) and her daugh-ter Beth Ruggiero, both taught for the Diocese of Phoenix. Together they review literature for all ages, provide a Catholic

perspective, and include Catholic activities, lessons, and discussions to go along with the books on their blog Lit by the Tree. You can read more at litbythetree.com.

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Parish Ministries

Parish Life Communities

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Liturgical Ministries: Altar Servers, Lectors, Ushers, Greeters and Eucharistic Ministers, Adoration Volun-teers are wanted - this is a great way to serve the Lord in the most important functions of the Church

Contact: liturgy@smarymag.org

Porta Fidei - Adult Faith Formation Opportunities such as Parish Missions, Speaker Series’ & Bible/Book Studies. Learn more about your faith and grow in your understanding of the Catholic Church & its teachings

Contact: tom@smarymag.org; lita@smarymag.org

GS24 - High School Youth Group & Sacrament Prep. Meets Sun nights + activities throughout the year. Text GS24 to the number 84576 for text updates! Check out our weekly Vlog on Youtube at “SMM YM”

Contact: gs24@smarymag.org, jake@smarymag.org

Edge - Middle School (6th-8th grade) Youth Group & Sacrament Prep. Meets Thurs nights + activities throughout the year

Contact: edge@smarymag.org, jake@smarymag.org

Pastoral Care: Volunteers are needed to bring Communion to the sick and homebound. This Ministry also coordinates Anointing of the Sick, Funerals, and other end of life needs

Contact: pastoralcare@smarymag.org

Marriage & Family Life - Coordinates Ministries involving Engaged and Married Couples, Parents with Young Children and Weddings

Contact: athena@smarymag.org

Family Catechesis - Religious Education for Children (pre-school - 5th grade) & their parents & Sacrament Prepa-ration Classes meet at the parish on Tues & Wed nights. Lil’ Lambs (preschool) meets Wed & Thurs morning

Contacts: familyformation@smarymag.org

Infant Baptism - Coordinates all Infant Baptisms and Baptism Preparation. Must be registered with the Parish for 3 months prior to baptism. Please visit our website for more information and to register your child for baptism.

Nullity - Ministry for those seeking Annulments Contact: nullity@smarymag.org

Safe Environment - Coordinates Training Opportunities and Obligations for all volunteers Contact: shari@smarymag.org

Music Ministry: Liturgical choirs for adults & children, strengthening vocal ability & contributing to the beauty of the sacred liturgy, according to the rich tradition of sacred music as understood and shown forth by the mind of the Church

Contact: claire@smarymag.org

Men’s Fellowship: Fraternity & Prayer David Hillier: SMM.MensFellowship@gmail.com or 480-331-4133

Knights of Columbus: Fraternity, Service & Outreach Paul Teeple: ptteeple@gmail.com

St. Vincent de Paul: Service & Outreach to the Poor smmsvdpmembers@gmail.com

Women's Fellowship group guided by Scripture: Kathy Lucas: 480-241-3986; nofish49@yahoo.com | magiswomen.com

Veterans Outreach: Fellowship, Prayer & Support Contact TBD

Parents With Young Children: Community & Prayer pwyc.smm@gmail.com

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: Community/Fellowship Phyllis Naujokaitis: naujop@aol.com; 480-838-4183

Adopt a Seminarian: Service & Support for Vocations smmadoptasemarian@gmail.com

Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts: Vincent Andreshak: Troop522GilbertAz@gmail.com

Benedictine Oblates: Spirituality Frank Young: 480-219-1505

World Wide Marriage Encounter Gene & Maggie Tokraks: tokraks@cox.net

Prayer & Witness for Life Debra Abel: respectlifesmarymag@gmail.com

RCIA & Adult Confirmation: Formation for adults inter-ested in learning more about the Catholic faith, preparation for adults interested in becoming Catholic, and/or Catholic adults desiring Confirmation and/or First Communion.

Contact: lita@smarymag.org

Text smarymag to 84576 OR visit flocknote.com/smarymag for text and /or e-mail updates from the parish,

and any groups or ministries with a below!

Financial Peace University: Total Money Makeover Juan Paredes: juan.paredes7508@gmail.com

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Coffee & Donuts Sunday! Coffee & Donuts Sunday is 3rd Sunday of every month! January 19th is sponsored by the Pastoral Council. Coffee and donuts will be provided after every morning Mass in the breezeway between the

church and the office. The Parish Office will also be open after morning Masses that day.

Grief Recovery Program Everyone experiences loss in life and many of us struggle to cope with it. An 8-week program in Grief Recovery Method will meet Thursday mornings, beginning January 16th. Contact Trisha@smarymag.org or program facilitator Bobi Martinez at 480-726-7773 to sign up. Info: www.griefrecoverymethod.com.

Adult Faith Formation All adults are welcome to join us in the hall for these opportuni-ties to learn more about our faith and meet other parishioners...

Family Catechesis Parent Sessions: Motherhood in the Modern Age with Gina Iker| Jan 14th (Tues) and Jan 15th (Weds) at two times: 5:00pm-6:00pm and 6:30pm-7:30pm

Trivia Night: Time’s Running Out! St. Mary Magdalene’s 3rd annual Trivia Night is Friday, Febru-ary 21st! $200 per table of 8 adults (21+). That’s $25 per per-son. See the Events/Bulletin page on the Parish Website to register: smarymag.org/event. Limited spots remain!

Top Golf for Teens! Looking for a fun event for the whole family? Register today for the annual Topgolf for Teens Fundraiser. Sunday, April 26th, 6:00pm-9:00pm. Join the whole parish for 3 hours of golf, a buf-fet dinner, and raffle prizes. Proceeds support our middle and high school youth ministries. Early-bird pricing is $50/ticket until February 23rd. Register on the Parish Website.

The whole parish is being provided FREE access to FORMED On Demand. Dis-

cover thousands of studies, movies, talks, and e-books from over 40 of the best Catholic content producers including the Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, Catholic Answers, EWTN, St. Paul Center, Marian Press, Knights of Columbus, FOCUS, and many more. To log in, visit formed.org, click sign up or sign in, select our parish, enter your email address, check that email account for the link to enter, and you're in! No password re-quired. Login is now through email. You can also download the app on your smart phone.

Help us Beautify the Church For a donation of $10, you can help us to make sure that our sanctuary looks beautiful for Mass. Your donations will be used to purchase floral arrangements appropriate for the liturgical sea-son. This is a beautiful way to commemorate a birthday or anni-versary, or to honor a loved one that has passed away. Make your

donation in the Parish Office or on Faith Direct - Memo: “Flowers.” A book will be located in the narthex for you to list the intentions for the floral arrangements that you make possible.

Capital Campaign Fundraisers

Link your Fry’s Card to St. Mary Magdalene Go to Frysfood.com, log into your account, navi-gate to your account summary and find the section for Community Rewards. Click ‘add’ if this is your

first time using Community Rewards (or edit to change your se-lection). In the search box, enter St. Mary Mag and click Search. Our Organization’s number is QK226 (the old number was 29655 and still works – you just can’t search for it). Select and click Enroll. Then use your Fry’s Card when you shop and a 1% of all purchases will be donated to St. Mary Magdalene!

Sign up for Amazon Smile for St. Mary Magdalene Go to smile.amazon.com. On your first visit; you will be prompted to choose an organiza-tion. Choose St. Mary Magdalene Roman

Catholic Parish Gilbert. Always log on to Amazon using smile.amazon.com before purchasing (this is key). Amazon will donate 5% of all purchases to St. Mary Magdalene every time you shop!

Youth Evangelization

GS24 (High School) 1.12 Spring Kickoff @ Stratum Laser Tag 1:00-5:00pm. RSVP here: https://form.jotform.com/193636950619166

EDGE (6th-8th grade) Thursdays, 6:30-8pm in the hall. Join us for a powerful weekend of friendship and encounter with God on the Spring Retreat, February 28-March 1st in Prescott! Claim your spot today at smarymag.org/education-edge.

Parish Life Communities

Respect Life Initiatives Holy Hour for Life is sponsored by Family Life Ministry this Thursday. Adoration and Rosary for the unborn is e very Thurs-day from 5:30 - 6:30pm in the St. Michael Adoration Chapel. Prayers are led by Parish Life Communities and Ministries. Com-munity prayer begins at 6:00pm. All are welcome to join us in this powerful hour for life!

Life Runners is the world’s largest Pro-Life running/walking team with chapters all over the world, including one here in Gil-bert, AZ. Our mission is to pray, fundraise, and run/walk as a Team until we Cross the finish line that ends abortion...All in Christ for Pro-Life! Visit liferunners.org for more information.

Magis Women Join Magis Women for Lost & Found in the Desert: A Spiritual Survival Course. Studying spiritual truths as you would a desert survival course, you will deepen your relationship with Jesus. $30 includes the workbook and 8 faith-building lessons and meetings. Registration at magiswomen.com. You can also register on Open-ing Night, January 13th, 7:00pm - 9:00pm in the church, with special guest, Fr. Chris!

Worldwide Marriage Encounter “...he saw the Spirit of the Lord descending like a dove and

Upcoming Events

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coming upon him.” Invite the Holy Spirit to enrich your marriage by taking part in a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend, Jan 25th-26th in Phoenix or Mar 21st-22nd in Tucson. To apply online, and for more weekend dates visit www.wwmearizona.com.

For more upcoming events at St. Mary Magdalene, visit smarymag.org/event

Connect With Us! Text smarymag to the number 84576 OR visit flocknote.com/smarymag to receive text and/or email updates from the groups & ministries that you care about. Bonus: you’ll get a weekly inspirational

text from your pastor! Questions? Contact Lita@smarymag.org. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church

Parish Website: www.smarymag.org

Around the Diocese

Arizona for Life March & Rally Join us Saturday, January 18th in downtown Phoenix for this life-affirming event, featuring speakers such as Bishop Olmsted and Abby Johnson, of the movie Unplanned. Reserve your seat on our Chartered Bus by emailing respectlifesmarymag@gmail.com and donating through Faith Direct or at the Parish Office: $10 per seat, $20 per family, or make a larger donation to offset our costs. On Faith Direct - Select "Make a One Time Gift". Enter Respect Life Bus - # Seats in the notes section. For more information about the event, visit https://azliferally.org/faqs/.

Mass for Unborn Children Come and worship with Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted as we pray for the protection of the most innocent among us, their mothers, fathers and families. A special blessing for expecting mothers and fathers will close the Mass. January 19th, 9:00am, at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix.

Blessed is She Gatherings: January 20th Every third Monday of the month, join women from all over the Valley of Phoenix for prayer, a teaching, and small group discus-sion. Every evening is 7:00pm - 8:30pm, and you are more than welcome to invite and bring a friend (or 3!). Open to women of all ages, 18+. For more info, visit: blessedisshe.net.

Sex Trafficking Awareness Month Presentation Join us for an important presentation to raise awareness and edu-cate ourselves about the myths and realities of this difficult topic.

Parents, especially, have an opportunity to learn about the warn-ing signs and preventative measures that can be implemented to keep your children safe. Thursday, January 16th, 6:30pm at St. Patrick’s in Scottsdale. For more information, visit: stpatcc.org/resources/parish-bulletins/

DACA: What's at Stake and Catholic Responses Take the opportunity to look at changes in our society and talk with other Catholics about new ways to protect the vulnerable. DACA recipients, who arrived in the US when they were chil-dren, have been approved by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to remain in this country, and to work; at least temporar-ily. But this might change. What is the Catholic response? Come to this event, listen to the people who are affected by DACA, and imagine if it were your family. What would you need? What would you hope for? Where would you go? Saturday, January 18th at Holy Cross Parish in Mesa. Info: (602) 354-2125 or sr.maryangela@dphx.org.

Classical Hybrid Homeschool Education Does the opportunity to homeschool while also allowing your children to experience a structured classroom environment appeal to you? Are you looking for classical education and Catholic for-mation for your children? Do you desire to belong to a commu-nity that will support you in the education and formation of your children? Come find out about Regina Caeli Academy at an In-formation Session on Friday, February 21st, 7:00pm - 9:00pm at McQueen Park Activity Center - 510 N. Horne St.Gilbert, AZ 85233. Children are welcome! RSVP to Jennifer Steineke 480-516-4707 or jensteineke@q.com.

For more information, and for other events happening around the Diocese, visit: dphx.org/events/

TV Mass All those who are sick or homebound, and unable to attend Mass, can watch a live broadcast of the Mass at 9:00am, Sunday morn-ings from Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral on KAZT-TV (AZ-TV7, Cable 13) Followed by the show “Catholics Matter.”

Catholic Radio: 1310 AM Tune in to Relevant Radio from your car or computer, or download the app to listen with your smart phone! Visit relevan-tradio.com for the schedule of shows, including The Patrick Ma-drid Show and an interactive Family Rosary. Visit dphx.org/catholic-media for local shows like The Bishop’s Hour; Saturdays at 9:00am.

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