Dear friends,

On Wednesday, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Peter Baldacchino to our diocese. With great joy we welcome him to our diocese and to our community.
I had to opportunity to travel thru parts of Mexico last weekend. I visited three states and several beautiful and magic towns. Jalisco, Guanajuato, and Queretaro are some town that are distinguished as "magical towns"  because of their particular characteristics. All of these are beautiful places that I recommend you visit one day.

Estimados Amigos,
Con alegria quiero darle la bienvenida a nuestro obispo Peter Baldaccino. El miercoloes, el Papa Francisco anuncio quien seria  el Pastor que seguiria guiando nuestra iglesia en la diocesis de Las Cruces. Como se han de haber dado cuenta, el domingo pasado no esutuve en la parraoquia y parte de esta semana estuve visitando algunos lugares en Mexico. Me ome algun tiempo libre para despejar mi mente despues de haber terminado con confirmaciones, primeras comuniones, y con mis clases. Asi que decidii visitar algunos estados en Mexico (Queretaro, Guanajuato Y Jalisco). En estos estados hay pueblos que son llamados "Pueblos Magicos" por sus caracteristicas unicas que tuenen. Son muy pintorescos, relajantes y llenos de historia. Ojala y algin dia puedan visitar nuestro pais.

Fr. Alex Urena

​

​Dear friends,
On Monday, April 29th, we heard Bishop Kicanas say "N. be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit". We were blessed to have 74
(53 youth and 21 adults) members of our community receive the sacrament of Confirmation. During the celebration, we all prayed that God send his Holy Spirit upon all the candidates and be their protector and guide. We asked God to give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, to fill them with spirit and wonder of awe in God's presence.
I am grateful to Sharon Kolosseus and Patti Carrasco for their guidance, love, and support they showed their confirmation students. We are blessed to have them on our team. As they continue to plant seeds of holiness in our youth, young adults  or adults in our community, may the Lord continue to bless them and bless us through him.

This weekend, our St.Albert Newman Parish community was blessed to witness the First Communions of 58 of our youth. What a special day for out little ones to receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ for the first time. This is a moment for us all to rejoice with them and encourage them to continue pursuing their dreams and to include God in their lives. I am thankful for Dr. Enedina Vazquez's leadership as well as all the catechist's who helped  grow our children's faith this past year. May God continue to bless you all.

Estimados Amigos,

El Lunes, 29 de Abril, 74 personas de nuestra cominundad fueron confirmados por el obispo Gerald Kicanas. Fue un dia en alegria per ellos, sus familias, y para todas nosotros como iglesia. 53 jovenes, 21 adultos que estan comprometidos con su fe para seguir la direccion del Espiritu Santo. Todas oramos por ellos para que Dios mandara su Santo Espirtu sobre ellos para ser sus ayudantes y guias. Pedimos por el Espirtu de sabiduria y entiendiemiento, y el espiritu de consejo y fortaleza, el espiritu de cienca y piedad, que los llenara de temor de Dios en su presencia.
Este fin de semana tabienn es un fin the semana lleno con gozo para nuestra cominudad ya que 58 ninos and ninas estan reciebiendo su Primera Comuninon. Nos alegramos con ellos, y que han estado aprendiendo sobre la fe, y la importancia de tener a Dios en sus vidas. Que dios los siga bendieciendo para que  perserveren en la vida y son hombres y mujeres de bien un dia.

Fr. Alex Urena

Hello friends,

Peace be with you! First of all I want to  give thanks to God for another year of life. On Wednesday, April 24th I had a birthday and I am so grateful to all of you for showing your care and love to me. Thank you to all of you  that were able to attend the tardeada. Saturday evening. What a beautiful evening we had to celebrate as a community of faith and enjoy fellowship.

"Peace be with you", Jesus says to his post-resurrection disciples. "Peace be with you." he says to each one of us today. Peace is his gift to you and me. Peace is the legacy he leaves with us now that he is risen, now that he is victorious, now that he reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in eternal glory, as we remain on earth following in faith your Risen Lord, "Peace be with you."

Are you at peace today? This is not to ask, "Are you complacent, are you numb, are you turned out, sleepwalking, disengaged? It is rather to ask, "Are you at peace, in balance, in touch with your Risen Lord?  His victory is our victory. It is not so much that we have picked a winner, but that  a winner- an eternal winner, the Jesus of glory - has picked us. Therefore, BE AT PEACE. Let nothing disturb you. "Peace be with you." Peace was defined by St. Thomas Aquinas as  "the tranquility of right order."  Are you tranquil today?

Estimados amigos,

"La paz este con ustedes." Quiero tomarme este tiempo para agradeceerle primeramente a Dios por un ano mas de vida. Este sabado me toco festejarlo con algunos de ustedes aqui en la parroquia. Gracias por acompanarme a celebrar el don de la vida. 

"La paz este con ustedes." Este es el saludo que les da Jesus resucitado a sus discipulos. Y este el el sadudo que nos da a cada uno de nosotros. Su paz es el regalo que not ofrece. Su pa es el legado que el nos deja ahora que esta resucitado, ahora que esta victorioso, ahora que reina en la unidad y gloria del Padre y del Espiritu Santo. Que esa paz que el Senor nos ofrece permanezca siempre con todos nosotros.

​Fr. Alex Urena

My dear friends,

What wonderful news: Jesus is Risen! Alleluia, Alleluia! “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” Easter is the great celebration of victory of life over death. The practical conclusion to be drawn from our collective reflections on the Paschal Mystery
the mystery of Christ’s death and Resurrection, the mystery of the Christian passage to life through death is this: “Death’s not what we’re moving toward; it is what we’re coming from!” Those are the words of Fr. Clarence Rivers, a priest composer of liturgical music and a pioneer many years ago in bringing African American Catholic culture to bear on contemporary liturgical celebration. “Death’s not what we’re moving toward; it is what we’re coming from!” The death and Resurrection of Jesus once and forever freed the entire human race from the grip of death. Death can never hold you because you have died with Christ who has been raised from the dead. This is what we celebrate in the sacrament of baptism when you are plunged into the death of Jesus so that, with Jesus you can rise and walk in newness of life. Once you are baptized, you’ve been raised with Him. Easter celebrates his Resurrection and yours. His has happened. Yours will come. Both are intertwined in the sacrament of baptism. St. Paul put it this way in his letter to the Romans (6:34): “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” We too might live a new life. “Death’s not what we’re moving toward; it is what we’re coming from.”


Estimados amigos,

esús a Resucitado, Aleluya, Aleluya! Quiero desearles unas felices Pascuas a todos ustedes. Esta es la celebración en donde conmemoramos la victoria triunfante de Jesús sobre la muerte. La muerte ya no tiene la ultima palabra, ahora somas parte de esta victoria de Jesús. Recordemos que cuando fuimos bautizados, también fuimos bautizados en la muerte y Resurrección de Jesucristo. Con el morimos al pecado y resucitamos a una vida nueva de gracias. Esa es nuestra fe: esperamos gozar de la vida eterna que Jesús nos ha ofrecido con él. Así que alegrémonos como dice el salmo de este domingo: “E ste es el dı́a del triunfo del Señ or. Aleluya.” Que esta alegrı́a de celebrar el triunfo de Jesú s sobre la muerte nos ayude a acercarnos y a con&iar mas plenamente en él. Hagamos de esta Pascua un tiempo de gozo y paz interior donde dejemos que la presencia de Dios reine.


Fr. Alex Urena

My dear friends

What wonderful news: Jesus is Risen! Alleluia, Alleluia “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” Easter is the great celebration of victory of life over death. The practical conclusion to be drawn from our collective reflections on the Paschal Mystery - the mystery of Christ’s death and Resurrection, the mystery of the Christian passage to life through death is this: “Death’s not what we’re moving toward; it is what we’re coming from!” Those are the words of Fr. Clarence Rivers, a priest composer of liturgical music and a pioneer many years ago in bringing African American Catholic culture to bear on contemporary liturgical celebration. “Death’s not what we’re moving toward; it is what we’re coming from!” The death and Resurrection of Jesus once and forever freed the entire human race from the grip of death. Death can never hold you because you have died with Christ who has been raised from the dead. This is what we celebrate in the sacrament of baptism when you are plunged into the death of Jesus so that, with Jesus you can rise and walk in newness of life. Once you are baptized, you’ve been raised with Him. Easter celebrates his Resurrection and yours. His has happened. Yours will come. Both are intertwined in the sacrament of baptism. St. Paul put it this way in his letter to the Romans (6:34): “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” We too might live a new life. “Death’s not what we’re moving toward; it is what we’re coming from.” 

Estimados amigos,


Jesús a Resucitado, Aleluya, Aleluya! Quiero desearles unas felices Pascuas a todos ustedes. Esta es la celebración en donde conmemoramos la victoria triunfante de Jesús sobre la muerte. La muerte ya no tiene la ultima palabra, ahora somas parte de esta victoria de Jesús. Recordemos que cuando fuimos bautizados, también fuimos bautizados en la muerte y Resurrección de Jesucristo. Con el morimos al pecado y resucitamos a una vida nueva de gracias. Esa es nuestra fe: esperamos gozar de la vida eterna que Jesús nos ha ofrecido con él. Así que alegrémonos como dice el salmo de este domingo: “Este es el dı́a del triunfo del Señ or. Aleluya.” Que esta alegrı́a de celebrar el triunfo de Jesú s sobre la muerte nos ayude a acercarnos y a coniar mas plenamente en él. Hagamos de esta Pascua un tiempo de gozo y paz interior donde dejemos que la presencia de Dios reine.

Fr. Alex

Hello friends,

One afternoon the parish priest (maybe Fr. Alex) was getting ready to hear confessions. As he entered the confessional room, which had a divider in it, he found a man already in the room waiting for him. The man told the parish priest, “It’s been 45 years since I’ve been to confession. I am impressed how things have changed. The room is well lit, it’s nice easy chair to sit in, a bottle of scotch, some nice cigars. It wasn’t that way the last time I went.” The parish priest said, “yes, it is rather comfortable, but where you are sitting is my side of the confessional room.” I thought I might say something about confession today. The sacrament referred to as “confession” is also called the sacrament of penance or reconciliation. I thought the topic might be appropriate because of today’s gospel where Jesus, as he had done many times in the gospels, demonstrates God’s merciful love. Jesus did not come to condemn but to save. And that’s the purpose of confession or reconciliation. In the old days, which some of you remember, the priest often thought his job was to scold the penitent. Many people never came back because of that. If you -ind this in your life, I tell you, get up and leave. Go to someone else who sees their role as that of Christ who offers freedom from guilt and shame and a sense of God’s peace. Imagine how this woman in the gospel was changed by her encounter with Christ.

Estimados amigos,

El evangelio de hoy nos habla sobre el sacramento de la confesió n o reconciliació n. Este es uno de los siete sacramentos que tenemos en la Iglesia. A través de este sacramento, uno experimenta el amor de Dios y su misericordia. Jesú s, el Hijo de Dios, no vino a condenar sino a salvarnos. Y este es el propó sito del sacramento de la confesió n. Tal vez algunos de ustedes se acuerden que en tiempo pasado, algunos curas aprovechaban este sacramento para regañ ar a la gente. Me imagino que mucha gente nunca mas volvió a recibir este sacramento porque la triste experiencia que tuvieron con ciertos curas. La verdad es que hay veces que es necesario que alguien nos haga ver nuestros errores, pero esto tiene que ser de una manera en la que se exprese la ternura y el amor de Dios. En el evangelio de hoy no escuchamos a Jesú s reganando a la mujer pecadora, sino mas bien extendiéndole el perdó n y el amor de Dios. 

​ Fr. Alex Urena

Hello friends,

I am writing to you from Costa Rica.  I chose a beautiful place to refresh and re energize and I continue to think and pray for you.The people of Costa Rica have a logo that says: "Pura Vida". 

There are two abiding and important religious questions, both significant but one more important than the other, that we tend to confuse in their order of importance. The first on e is "What is God like?" This is a theological question of enormous importance, and exploration into God, and important question to be investigated reverently in prayer and systematically in study and reflection. The second important question is "What must I do?" "How should behave?" This is a question of moral theology, of religious ethics, a question of moral right and wrong.

Most of us tend to put the second question first, and to leave the explanation into God for others who are more powerful, more intellectual and more faithful. We want to make sure we live within our moral boundaries which are to do the right thing, do good and avoid evil. 

Today's Gospel story of the Prodigal Son tells us a lot about what God is like. Some would call it the story of the Prodigal Father because it presents for our consideration a wonderfully generous, warm, forgiving, understanding father who runs out and literally trips over himself in his hurry to gather up an errant son in a forgiving embrace. Jesus is painting a portrait in his story, a portrait of his Father. Jesus is telling us here what God is really like.

Estimados amigos,

Saludos desde Costa Rica. Me tome la libertad de descansar unos cuantos dias y visitar el mundo. Este es un pais muy hermoso y su gente muy amigable. Aqui tienen un dicho que todo mundo usa: "Pura Vida" y "mae" Pura vida ese un dicho para referise a que todo esta bien o correcto. El otro "mae" es un seudonimon que quiere decir: "hombre" "tu", etc. En general ha sido una bonita experienca.

Ahora permitanme escribirles un poco sobre la historia del Hijo Prodigo. Algunos se refieren a esta historia como las histroia del Padre amoraso, del Padre que perdona. En realidad hay muchas maneras de como analizar esta historia. Pero no cabe duda de que una de esas interepretaciones es el amor de Padre hacia su hijo se ha descarriado de camino. El Padre no lo duda en salir a recibirlo con los brazos abiertos y abrazarlo como lo que es, su hijo. Esta es una manera de explicar el amor tan grande que tiene Dios por nosotros. Ojala sepamos regresar a retomar ese amor que Dios tiene por ti y por mi cada vez que le fallemos.

​Fr. Alex Urena

Hello friends,

Las week I had the opportunity to visit one of our seminarians, Patrick Montgomery. He is finishing his third year of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, Texas. Patrick passed the seminary evaluation and is looking forward to be ordained a transitional deacon on June 7,2019 at Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was a short but fruitful visit. In the next few weeks, I will be visiting Dcn. Gino in Chicago as he prepares to be ordained a priest in our diocese. We have another three seminarians at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio: Franky Rios, Alfredo Jaras and William Contreras. Franky and Alfredo are finishing their philosophical studies. Bishop Gerald would like them to apply to Mundelein seminary in Chicago.

On a different note, I want to thank Fr. Tom McCarthy for his time, talent and teaching. Thank you to all of you for attending our Lenten mission. I hope we all have a better understanding of "What does it mean to be Catholic today?"

Estimados amigos,

La semana pasada estuve visitando uno de nuestros seminaristas, Patrick Montgomery. El esta cursando el tercer ano de Teologia en el seminario de Santa Maria en Houton, Texas. Estuve con el por dos dias y atendi su evaluacion final de este ano. Le fue muy bien. Ahora estamos ahciendo panes para su ordenacion a la ordern del diaconado transitorio que esta pllaneada para Junio 7, 2019. Tenemos otro diacono transitiorio, Gino Wilcox que sera ordernado sacerdote en Mayon 24, 2019. Tenemos tres seminaristas en San Antonio: Franky, Alfredo, Y William. Los primeros dos estan por graduarse de la filosofia. El obispo Gerald quiere que ellos continuen sus estudios en el seminario de Mundelein en Chicago. Asi que sigamos orando por mas vacaciones.

Fr. Alex Urena