FREQUENTLY

ASKED QUESTIONS

PARISH BOUNDARIES & TITHING

The eastern boundary runs from the corner of Avondale Boulevard & McDowell, due north to Northern Avenue to the White Tank Mountains in Verrado and between Northern and McDowell.
Registered or not, Catholic or not, every soul in those boundaries is the responsibility of our Pastor. That's a lot of souls!
You and your family also become our pastor’s responsibility for as long as you're active in the parish.
It means you're attending Masses and being a part of our community. This applies to everyone registered, whether you are or are not within the boundaries. With almost 8,000 families, you can imagine how difficult that may be to track.
Primarily through the collection basket (in-person or digitally through PushPay).
Sure, tithing is super important for all churches to survive, but you can give without putting your name on it. The parish-giving envelopes or online giving have two purposes, one is the obvious one; to be able to provide you with a tax document for charitable giving every year. The other is to track active parishioner attendance.
Tithing is the act of donating or offering one-tenth of one's income usually for the support of a local church. The word "tithe" means "a tenth part". The practice is based on the biblical principle of giving God the "first fruits" as a sign of trust and obedience. In the Old Testament, Abraham and Jacob are depicted offering tithes to God in Genesis 14 and 28.
Unlike businesses, which sell a product or service, or government services like schools, which are given tax dollars, Catholic parishes function 100% off of the charity of her members.
First of all, thank you! That just means we won’t be able to give you tax documentation on your tithing. But whether you're tithing or not, you can keep dropping your empty envelope in the basket. Or even just a paper with your name and address on it. This shows your active participation.
Positive! We are responsible for giving you opportunities to see, know, love, and serve our God. Tithing is not a tax. You'll never receive a letter or call demanding that you give more or saying you didn't give enough. What you tithe is between you and the Lord, charity can never be forced; or it ceases to be charity.
Well, first of all, we care about you, and your souls are the pastor’s responsibility. It also helps us to know where to allocate our resources as Masses continue to fill up. But mostly, for Sacramental purposes!
For example, if your niece from Florida asks you to be her sponsor for Confirmation and she needs a letter stating that you are in good standing at your parish (having your sacraments and being an active member), then this is actually the only way we can do that (and it’s way easier than having to get copies of all of your documents and sending them all over the country).
Make sure you're registered. Make sure the info we have is right. Tithe with giving envelopes (or PushPay), or drop a notecard with your name and address in the basket at Mass. If you are going to move or switch parishes, please let the office know.
This will help you stay an active, registered member of our community!

COMMUNICATION & FLOCKNOTE

It's a site/app/tool used to help churches communicate with their flocks with a smarter way to text message and email. Flocknote churches can reach all their members at a moment’s notice, resulting in a more connected church.
Our Digital Evangelization Ministry sends out weekly messages to the parish as a whole. That includes a weekly update with what's going on at the parish and a video message from the pastor.
Beyond that, every parish ministry can schedule meetings with their volunteers, remind their members about upcoming events, and more.
The cool thing is that you really don't. Once you've signed up (or been signed up through a ministry), you're in and you should get all the Aquinas news you've ever wanted!
HOWEVER, there's more! If you'd like, you can sign in to Flocknote with the email or cell connected to your account and you can join or leave groups, adjust preferences, see any messages sent to any group you’re in.
Yes! And you can see messages you may’ve missed in groups you’re a part of…not to mention adjust your preferences (like getting emails as texts or vice versa).
Logging in is easy! You can go to stacc.Flocknote.com and follow the steps here.
It only needs your name and either a cellphone number or email (but both are preferred). That's it!
Each Flocknote member needs to have a different cell phone or email attached. Spouses that, say, share an email, won't be able to both use it for Flocknote. What they CAN do is Spouse "A" can have the shared email and their cell phone and Spouse "B" can just have their different cell phone and no email. Spouse "B" will get text AND email updates to their cell (email messages are sent as a link which they can read via their phone's browser).
When you're leaving a comment, there's a checkbox to make it private. If you do that, only the note sender and any admins will see your message.
Unfortunately, Flocknote doesn't transfer documents in comments (I'm sure their servers would explode after a day). For those, you'll have to send them via email directly to the recipient (or drop it off all old school in The DOC).
Super easy! Just reply "STOP" to any message from that group and you'll be automatically removed.
Sign in to your Flocknote group and sign back into that group OR, if it's a hidden group, reach out to that ministry leader and he or she can re-invite you.
Actually, that's one of my favorite things about Flocknote! Log into your account and on the left side of the screen you'll see all the groups you're a part of. Click on that group and you'll see a list of every text and email that has been sent out. Helps a ton when you're moving a mile-a-minute and can't remember if what you saw was this week or two months ago!

ELEMENTARY & TEEN SACRAMENT PREP

Parents are to be registered active members of the parish. You can register by going to the parish office.
Children 3rd Grade and up who desire to become Catholic and need baptism receive Faith Formation through the Order of Christian Initiation of Children (OCIC) process. We have classes for children who are not baptized. When registering for classes we will ask what sacraments your child has received and based off of you answer we will help you find the appropriate class for your child.
We have classes for all ages. When registering for classes we will ask what sacraments your child has received and based off of you answer we will give you the class appropriate for your child.
If a child has been baptized but not in the Catholic Church, contact the Faith Formation Office. In some cases the child may need to make a "Profession of Faith," which is simply a statement that the child believes in the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Students must be at least 7 years of age or older, in 2nd Grade or later, be baptized, and prepared for the sacrament.
Students must be in the 3rd Grade or older, be baptized, and received first reconciliation, and complete preparatory classes. A sponsor and Saint name is also required. A Confirmation packet will be given out with information and forms.
Students must be in the 3rd grade or older, be baptized, and receive reconciliation, and complete preparatory classes.
This is typically received alongside Confirmation as the Diocese of Phoenix is a Restored Order Diocese.
Because the Diocese of Phoenix confers sacraments in the “Restored Order,” Confirmation and First Communion are both given in 3rd grade. Reconciliation, Confirmation & First Communion classes are also provided for children in older grades who still need the sacrament(s).
In the early church the sacrament of Confirmation was given before Eucharist. Over the years the tradition changed for Conformation to be given later on when the child was older. Very simply the restored order of the sacraments is simply going back to the early church. Go here for more info.
Request a letter from the previous parish/formation program stating the classes that were taken and if the child is prepared to receive which sacraments.
A copy of the child’s baptismal certificate is required for all children receiving any sacrament.
If your child is not yet baptized, then a copy of their birth certificate is needed.
In a few circumstances, custody agreements may have an impact on a child receiving sacraments. If there is any custody agreement, please indicate on the registration form and we will work with you.
Yes. Catholics are obligated to go to Sunday Mass (or a Saturday Vigil Mass) and all Holy Days of Obligation. Therefore, it is expected that all children in preparation for full initiation into the Church are regularly attending Mass.
To be well prepared for sacraments and for continuity in learning it is very important for the child to be present.
Please speak directly to your catechist for their attendance policy and to take care of excused absenses.
Retreats during sacrament years are mandatory.
Parents and Catechist both are to discern the readiness of a child to receive sacraments. If there is a concern of a child’s readiness parents and the Formation Office will together further discern the best option for the child (either another way/resource for the parent to prepare the child and cultivate readiness or having the child wait till another year).
* Preparation for the Confirmation includes sponsor paperwork, Saint name form, retreat, partnership hours, and an end-of-year review. If any of this information or attendance at events are missing sacraments may be deferred to another year.
At this time we do not have child care.
We recognize that uncontrollable circumstances happen. You need to reach out to your child’s catechist and they will work with you to make sure they don’t fall behind.

SACRAMENT Forms / Paperwork

First of all, welcome home!
For infants, we need a copy of their birth certificate and signed/sealed forms for at least one valid Godparent.

For children in third grade or older, teens, or adults, we need a copy of their birth certificate and signed/sealed forms for at least one valid Godparent, a valid Sponsor form (if different than Godparents), and a finished Saint Form.
If the candidate is already baptized Catholic, we need a copy of their baptismal certificate and signed/sealed forms for at least one valid Sponsor form, and a finished Saint Form.
No problem! We can help you determine if their baptism was valid in the Faith, and if so, may just need a Profession of Faith. If not, we can help get you properly registered in OCI, which preps for baptism as well as the other Sacraments of Initiation.
Any practicing Catholic, 16 years old or older, may be eligible to be a Godparent or Sponsor (see the next question for more detail).

Many people feel pressured to have a certain family member be the godparent or sponsor. But remember, the main reason to have a godparent or sponsor is to be a spiritual role model for the candidate here on earth. They should be active in their faith, attending Mass weekly, with a real relationship with our Lord. They should be committed to praying for and guiding their candidate.
Great question! An active, practicing Catholic is someone who adheres to all the Church teaches. They have:
- received all of their Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, First Holy Communion)
- if married, they’re married in the Catholic Church
- if single, they are living a life of chastity (not cohabitating with a girlfriend or boyfriend)
- actively attending Holy Mass on Sundays and holy Days of Obligation
- Follow the precepts of the Church (CCC 2041-2043)
First of all, congratulations! It’s a big deal to ask someone to spiritually care for another…so make it special! Think of how extravagant prom-posals are now…and that’s just for a single night of dancing with friends! The Godparent or Sponsor should be there for the rest of their candidate’s life!
Once they’ve said yes, get them the proper form (which can be found at the bottom of this page) which they will fill out and then have their parish sign and seal the form and turn it in to the office!
If they don’t have a parish, they need to register for one! Every home is within a parish’s boundaries (see FAQ above re: Boundaries and Tithing) and that should be their default parish. They may also register at another parish if they prefer another one. Typically, three months at a parish allows them to sign off on sponsor forms as one of their active parishioners.
They will need a copy of the godparent / sponsors’ baptismal, confirmation, communion, and marriage certificates for their records.
Typically, this is just because the Godparent / Sponsor aren’t showing to be active or the parish doesn’t have their Sacramental Records. Mostly that can be resolved by speaking to their office.
A minority of parishes don’t sign these forms due to staffing or other concerns. If that’s their case, they may submit the form to our office along with a COPY of their baptismal, first communion, confirmation, and marriage certificate (if they’re married).
First of all, congratulations! What an honor!
For your certificates…it’s Potentially very easy! You’ll need to contact your church of baptism. The Catholic Church is in every country of every continent in the world. And over the last 2000 years has gotten pretty good at tracking the faithful’s sacraments! So, if everything is done properly, you should be able to get a newly issued baptismal certificate with notations on the back listing every other Sacrament you’ve received (even if it was at other parishes). If you have a complete certificate like that, that’s all you need!
Sometimes bad things happen…a church closes down and loses its documents, or a fire destroys some boxes. This is rare, but does happen! If so, please talk to your parish office about how you can provide affidavits from witnesses or evidence so that your Sacraments can be properly recorded.