Wednesday, April 21, 2004
DEAR PARISHIONERS AND VISITORS

As we continue our fifty-day celebration of Easter, we would like to acknowledge and thank all of the people who work so hard to make Holy Week and the whole fifty days of Easter the high point of our liturgical year. First and foremost, we thank our Christian Initiation team, Val Roses, Carol Parkus, Joe Sandall and Art Melton, who so faithfully walk the journey of conversion with catechumens and candidates. Our special thanks to Carol Parkus and her dedicated environment committees. As a team, they spend countless hours planning, executing and maintaining the church environment during this most holy season. In addition, we thank all of you who so kindly donated lilies and ferns in honor of your loved ones. Many thanks to Keith Paulson-Thorp and all of the music ministers who provide us with the very beautiful and inspiring music. Thanks also to Bob and Claudia Chyla and their wonderful altar servers who carry out their ministry with such grace. We are most grateful to all of our ushers who welcome and assist everyone so cordially; and to our lectors and eucharistic ministers who are truly word and sacrament for us. Thanks too to Andrew Gafvert, our pastoral assistant, Michael Petrini, office assistant, and Elias Dorado, our ever-faithful custodian. Finally, we can hardly thank enough our sacristan, Joan Curran and her assistant, Corado Reginatto for the numerous hours they put in. Our liturgies are glorious because of all of you! Let us continue to celebrate with gusto these great fifty days of rejoicing! Easter blessings!

Love,
Fr. Richard and Pat
Saturday, April 03, 2004
DEAR PARISHIONERS
On Tuesday, at seven o’clock, the parish family will celebrate the Communal Rite of Reconciliation. Of course the Rite does concern itself with the confession of sins. But one’s sinfulness is not always the same as one’s sins. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a sacrament of healing. Leonard Foley, O.F.M. wrote: “The most natural thing for a reconciled sinner to do is to be happy about the mercy of God. This is not like leaving a courtroom where one was barely acquitted and perhaps subjected to humiliation. Rather it is the celebration of the family, especially the reunited members. No longer does it matter what I was or what I did. Shame and scandal are forgotten. Joy comes from what I am; loved to life by God.”

The Sacred Triduum is the name for the single liturgy that begins on Holy Thursday evening and concludes on Holy Saturday night. These three days are a mystery in themselves, an entering into a time outside of time. I would encourage everyone to enter into the entire celebration of the Triduum.

We will be hosts to many guests over the holydays, and we will also be host as a parish. God is good in giving us the chance to show hospitality. I pray we welcome them, and Easter, filled with joy in the risen Christ.

Easter Blessings,
Fr. Richard, O.F.M.