From the Pastor's Pen - May 7

WOW ! What a week it was. The week ending last Sunday--A true Easter week. We observed Easter’s 2nd Sunday and Thomas’ proclamation “My Lord and My God!”, and celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday’s special opportunities for prayer. We continued with Confirmation Monday night. 34 of our youth reaffirmed their Baptism, and professed their readiness to live as adult Catholics. Saturday was 1st Communion, with students from our school, PSR, and a family home with a special catechist. The children so obviously expressed their faith in Jesus’ presence in the Eucharistic bread and wine. Whole families are renewed by these celebrations each year; and the children’s strong faith challenges the rest of us and calls us to life.

That week we also had a large dinner for the Garage Sale volunteers. We again had a strong group of about eighty people, including families and teens. This event will come up quickly now—please be alert with ways to volunteer and help. This week was the episcopal ordination of Bishop-Elect Mark Rivituso, who came for our Confirmation. Bishop Rivituso is exceedingly warm and expressive of his intention for all to be alive in Christ. He will be an asset to the Archdiocese for years to come. I’ll be back Wednesday after a few post-Easter days away. Let’s continue in joy the rest of the 50 days of Easter. One of our 1st Communicants attended 7 a.m. Mass the next day, Sunday, with his grandma. I called out his name at the end of Mass, and he was delighted: “I had all the attention in church!”