All Saints in Ganado Arizona and Saint Annes in Klagetoh ARizona serving the Navajo
The two tiny Navajo parishes of All Saints in Ganado, Arizona and St. Anne in Klagetoh, Arizona are pretty much smack in the middle of the Navajo Nation. For over 40 years Franciscan Brother Paul O’Brien has ministered to people in this impoverished area as well as those living near Our Lady of the Rosary in nearby Greasewood. Brother Paul is joined in ministry by Director of Religious Education Sister Monica Dubois, a Dominican Sister who has been stationed at St. Anne for over 24 years and by Brothers of the Sacred Heart Charles Schilling and David Landry. Together they strive to continue the church’s service to the poor through outreach programs, evangelization and catechesis, and summer Bible schools. Many of these programs have been curtailed for the past two and a half difficult years by tribal restrictions in response to pandemic.
It was only last September that regularly Sunday Masses were once again offered in the area, with Franciscan priests commuting on Saturday afternoons to celebrate the Sunday vigil. Summer Bible schools, much loved by the people, had to be canceled for three straight years. However, a grant from Black and Indian Missions facilitated the purchase of materials, including catechetical activity workbooks, religious articles, and devotional prayer books such as Word Among Us and Living Faith, that were shared with families in the area. These materials were delivered to families to ensure that their spiritual needs and nourishment were not forgotten. Please continue to pray for our communities and for the many dedicated religious and lay volunteers who serve them.
