Thank you and may God Bless You!
January 2016
Holy Name of Jesus
Information for Visitors to Las Vegas
Contrary to the imagery that Las Vegas may project and has for over 50 years, the city offers many other services than "entertainment". Clicking "underlined" titles will lead you to a listing of our Roman Catholic Churches throughout the county and surrounding areas: The Guardian Angel Cathedral where there is daily confession and the Shrine of the Holy Redeemer are located on the strip. The Perpetual Adoration Chapel is open 24/7 and is located at St. Bridget's Catholic Church, lower strip area. The TLM and LATIN MASS are also offered. For those visiting the downtown area near the government offices, they will find St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, Las Vegas first Catholic Church. The original site in Las Vegas of Our Lady's first apparition in Las Vegas was when Ivan (one of the Medjugorje seers) visited and was at the St. Joseph Chapel, then the actual Church at Holy Family Catholic Church. Holy Family has a very interesting history - started services in parishioners homes, then graduated to Sunday Masses in a "saloon" and then finally the Church was built. Partial funding for the Sanctuary was made possible by the late Bing Crosby and his family who heard about Holy Family's plight, and they wanted to help. The only time Bing Crosby and his family entertained in Las Vegas was the fundraiser for Holy Family, and they put on a spectacular show! In addition, the Diocese offers Masses in Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese [a "must see" - beautiful Shrine to Our Lady of LaVang, formerly the convent of the Discalced Carmelites, Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, located on Pearl Street, Las Vegas 89121, which is just minutes from Holy Family Catholic Church]. Throughout the valley, many Masses are offered in Spanish.
Visit the rural areas, which are less than one hour's drive to Mesquite, Pahrump, Overton, Laughlin to name a few, where you will find our Catholic faith being lived out in the nearby Church communities. One may wish to "hop over" to our neighbors in California, Arizona and Utah, which are just a couple of hours away. Nevada really is wonderfully, centrally located to many beautiful locations.
Truly, we are blessed to offer multitude places of prayer for your convenience. Further, we have Catholic schools, Catholic hospitals, Parish Catholic Gift Shops, Marian prayer groups and Catholic organizations such as St. Therese Center, and many others. We thank God for these many graces!
May we suggest a "pilgrimage" while visiting to include Henderson, Boulder City (homes of Hoover Dam and St. Jude's Ranch for Children), and others nearby. Some of the world's most beautiful scenic drives are just minutes from Las Vegas such as Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead National Park, Mount Charleston, Valley of Fire State Park, etc. and hiking trails are plentiful and one of the best kept secrets in the United States.
As Las Vegas has grown in such proportion, we, too, are experiencing a shortage of priests and we ask only to be remembered in your prayers and for continued prayers for an increase in vocations and religious life.
Enjoy your stay in Las Vegas. Thank you and may God bless you!
Mass Times/Travelers: By calling 1 (800) MASS TIMES - provides nationwide information on Roman Catholic Church locations, Mass times, devotions, and confessions.
Moapa River Indian Reservation: Moapa Band of Paiute Indians occupy 71,000 acres north of Las Vegas.
Nevada State Museum and Historical Society: Depicts 10,000 years of regional history. 702-486-5205
Las Vegas Museum of Natural History: Highlights regional natural history, wildlife and art. 702-384-3466
Zoological-Botanical Park: 4-acre zoo featuring many desert plant and animals. 702-648-5995
Photo Credit: Scott Robertson
View of Lower Boulder Dam, Nevada
Review Journal, Opinion Page, August 26, 2001. WHERE I STAND Column.
by Bishop Joseph A. Pepe, Diocese of Las Vegas
Some years ago on a Sunday afternoon, I was in the parish offices when I received a call from a nearby hospital requesting that I come to baptize and confirm a newborn infant near death.
After administering the sacraments to this little baby, I went in to see the parents. I was quite apprehensive and I understood the pain and sense of confusion that the parents were experiencing at this time. However, when the mother, who was not a Catholic, spoke, she said, "I believe that my little Mary was born so that she could receive the sacraments of baptism and confirmation and so enter into heaven as a full Christian." I was quite startled by her affirmation of faith. Eventually, this young woman entered into the Catholic Church and was given the gift of two healthy children.
On that day and moment the mother said those words concerning her daughter, I was given a deep insight that faith makes us understand the incomprehensible. Faith is always a gift given to us to gain understanding in our life, to gain encouragement for the many challenges that we meet on our life journey and goal toward God. Finally, faith offers us, through understanding, an understanding of the hope for eternal life promised by the Lord, Jesus.
One of the most exciting things that I have experienced as I begin my role as Bishop and Shepherd of the Catholic Church of Southern Nevada is the depth of faith that I see in the people here, particularly in the Catholic communities. They show a depth of understanding that gives vitality and meaning to their daily life. Both in their worship and in their outreach ministries, these Catholic people show that faith is something vibrant, something that can be put into action and something that can change the community and the world around them.
Several parishes that I have visited so far have obviously different attitudes and different experiences of life as a community and as individuals. However, they are centered in their belief and trust in God, their belief in the power of the Lord Jesus in their celebration at Mass to bring about a sense of forgiveness of sin and an experience of new freedom in the Holy Spirit of Christ.
If I am fearful of the challenges that a growing Church demands of a bishop at this time and place in Nevada, I certainly feel through my own faith and the faith of the people in the various parishes of the Diocese of Las Vegas a strong sense of support, encouragement and prayer which will sustain us during these early years of the new millennium.
This past weekend I visited with a group of youth and young adults from a number of parishes in the Diocese of Las Vegas. What came through, as young as they were, was the depth of faith which gave them the opportunity to leave and risk their own comfortable surroundings and friends to enter into sharing, dialogue and growth with a greater group of young people. Their faith was evident in their warmth, their deep desire to learn and their willingness to take on the challenge of leadership for the future of the Church in Southern Nevada.
Faith then is a powerful gift given by God to us to understand the mystery of our life, to comprehend our world and to change the world and bring the light and hope of the living gospel, which is Jesus Christ, to the world.
Most Reverend Joseph A. Pepe, Bishop of Las Vegas
2012-2013 Angels Award Non-Profit of the year
Link to "Faith is gift from God" by Bishop Joseph A. Pepe, Diocese of Las Vegas