Watch this video with Father Edson Elizarraras to hear about how he brought the Eucharist to his parishioners by driving around his neighborhood with a monstrance on the back of a pickup truck.

Submitted by: Mary Montano

Father Edson responded to the pandemic by bringing Christ to the forefront. He held daily masses at noon and reached hundreds of parishioners beyond Marana, Arizona through social media. Father Edson also held "drive by" confessions weekly to meet the needs of his parishioners, especially the elderly who were restricted from attending Mass. On one very special occasion, Father went into his community exposing the Blessed Sacrament. Many lined the streets in adoration. Father Edson remained a strong and steady messenger of God's promise and in every interaction promoted faith and prayer to confront the paralyzing fear many of us had and continue to be challenged with. Father's famous line, "Don't forget to smile, God loves us!" brought comfort to many and has become his mantra and words of comfort to many of us.

Father Edson's conviction for Jesus' Word flows from his mouth. He is so prepared all the time to evangelize those that come in contact with him. His teachings, his personal touch of bringing relevancy to God's Word and our daily lives, especially now, have turned us to scripture and deepened our faith.

Father Edson has done so much in his young tenure. In his four years of priesthood, he has brought many youth to Jesus. Children and youth connect with him in a very special way. He has a way of being "cool and fun" and helping children learn about their faith. It's awesome to watch. Equally as important is his drive and passion for the Lord. He was just recently named pastor of his parish and he has smoothly implemented changes--adjusting schedules, building structures, forming strong partnerships and investing so much in his community to bring Jesus the very best!