Pastor’s Letter: April 23, 2023

Pastor’s Letter: April 23, 2023

21 Apr 2023 | Posted by: chadmin

The April 23 bulletin is available online.

Dear friend,

We had a nice Divine Mercy celebration last Sunday. We exposed the Eucharist at 3 pm for a Holy Hour in which the Divine Mercy Chaplet was prayed. Several priests joined us for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The message of Divine Mercy is a reminder of the depth of love in the Heart of Jesus and the invitation for us to trust in His Merciful love. I hope you had the time to join us for the celebration and ask the Lord for the gift of Easter healing.

This Tuesday, our 8^th Graders will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Louis Tylka. This is a truly beautiful celebration, one the students have been preparing for years. Confirmation is the sealing of the Gift of the Holy Spirit in the soul of the confirmed. The gift of the Spirit first given at Baptism is strengthened in the believer to help guide through the blessings and challenges of life. The whole Sacramental system is based on the reality that we all need help to live in communion with God. Each Sacrament, especially the repeatable Sacraments of Eucharist and Confession, help the Christian think and act through life in a Christ-like manner. Each of the Confirmands picked a Saint from Church tradition to be Confirmed in the name-of. This not only helps us have a friend in heaven, but helps us envision living a saintly life ourselves. Please join me in praying for the students as they receive this great gift. Special thanks to Ms. Katie Bogner and Mr. Brian Hennessey for preparing the students intellectually and spiritually to present themselves for the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

Next Saturday, our 2^nd grade children will receive First Holy Communion. This time of preparation is always one of joy for the kids. While they might not understand the depth of our Theology of the Eucharist, they understand the existence of God and God’s desire to be close to them. Jesus celebrated the Eucharist as the New and Eternal Covenant, meaning the Eucharist is Jesus’ chosen way to remain close to humanity. The gift of Communion is a reminder of our church membership, our belief in the teachings of the Church, and of our spiritual union with each other as Church. Please join me in praying for our 2^nd graders as they prepare for the great gift of the Eucharist.

God bless,

Father David