Pastor’s Message

Peace be with you,

This is Father Emilio Chapa, your pastor.  On behalf of our parish Priests and Deacons, I want to share some words with you.  First, I would like you to know that we are continuing to keep each of you in our prayers.  I can only imagine the many emotions we must have all been experiencing over these last several days as we adjusted to the realities of these times.  Since we temporarily do not have public Masses, tentatively until April 6^th, we are learning to cope without receiving the Holy Eucharist and instead focusing ourselves on receiving Spiritual Communion.  Respectful of the many difficult changes that have taken place, it has brought great joy and relief to be able to have our priests celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation this past Saturday as well as being able to Celebrate Masses live on Video and on Yuma’s Catholic Radio Station 92.5 FM.  We also continue to receive food donations for Saint Vincent de Paul so that their food pantry will be able to support those in need.  Confessions are now by appointment only and if you wish to make an appointment you may call 928-782-1875 during office hours.  Daily Mass is on our parish website www.stfrancisyuma.com or our Facebook page, Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Yuma.  There are so many things for us to be hopeful for in the midst of this crisis but at the same time, I realize many are struggling as they feel the effects of this virus.  I ask you to join me in prayer as we pray for those who have been affected by the virus as well as an end to this pandemic.

In addition to our perpetual communal prayer, our parish of Saint Francis of Assisi is also in need for all our parishioners to come together to continue to support your parish.  We have always depended on the generosity of you, the stewards of Saint Francis as you share each week during our offertory, just to make ends meet.  We are looking at the many different ways we can reduce expenses, but our parish will always have obligations to meet such as Utilities, Housing and Food for our priests, as well as other business expenses that do not simply go away on account of our not having public Mass.  Without our weekly Mass offertory, I foresee challenges we may face in the coming weeks, but I have tremendous faith in God and faith in you, the community of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish.  That is why I am asking you to please continue to support our parish through regular tithing.  I ask that you go to our website www.stfrancisyuma.com and click the Donate link to setup either a one-time donation and return weekly, or preferably setup a recurring donation so that you will know you are doing your part each week to assist in our carrying out the Mission of Christ.  You may also request your bank to send a check to the parish at an interval of your choosing.  For those who still make their offering through envelope, we continue to graciously accept your donations by mail, (see address above), or you may drop it off in the mail drop at our Religious Education office, adjacent to our Parish Office, Monday-Friday from 9AM to 5:30PM.  We will leave envelopes at the drop off for you to use if you do not already have one.

Please understand that I do not take this appeal lightly as I realize the effects of this situation are far-reaching.  I realize this may not be possible for those who are out of work at this time, though you can help by continuing to keep us in your prayers as we will continue to pray for you. Our commitment to keeping God at the forefront of all our decisions is as Christ Himself taught us through the Greatest Commandment.  “We shall Love God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength, and we shall Love our neighbor as ourselves.”  In this time, we must heed this commandment to a greater extent as we are the caretakers of His Kingdom.  We are the stewards of our parish.  Through the strength of Christ, we carry our crosses and help others to carry theirs.

Please continue to follow our Facebook page and check our website for updates to the services we will continue to offer during this time.

May God abundantly bless you and protect you and your loved ones, and please know of my prayers for all.

Sincerely in Christ through Mary,

Fr Emilio Chapa, Pastor

St. Francis of Assisi Parish