To My Spiritual Family of Holy Redeemer and St. Anthony, Resurrection Blessings: Happy Easter everyone! Jesus is Risen! He is risen indeed! If it were not for Easter morning, the long penitential season of Lent would be pointless. If the Lord Jesus had not risen from the tomb, his death on the cross would have simply been a tragic and horrible ending. But Jesus did rise! He is alive! Christ has forever destroyed the power of death. He has opened up to us a path to eternal life. As the Church encouraged us to fast and pray during Lent, Holy Mother Church now encourages us to feast and to celebrate during the eight days of the Easter Octave. Enjoy! Bask in the light of the Paschal Candle! Lift up your alleluias with exuberant praise. As the scriptures triumphantly announce: “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting (1 Cor 15:55, Hos 13:14)?” Pastoral Council Thanks: A number of Pastoral Council stalwarts recently concluded their terms: Larry Miller, Jack Werner, Jack Cashmere, and Tom Yucha. The time on the Council these men spent represents a lot of years and a lot of service to our parish. The two Jacks and Tom could have stepped away when I arrived here in 2019, but they graciously volunteered to remain in their leadership roles to make my transition easier. I am grateful for their generous service. I thank them for their time and energy. The Finance Council is also experiencing a “changing of the guard.” Jerry Nuhfer was the latest member to wrap up his time on the Council. In these uncertain times of parish restructuring, it is a blessing to have both the Parish Council and the Finance Council to advise, to encourage, and to help me in my role as pastor. Incidentally, we still need a few new members to serve on the Pastoral Council. If the Holy Spirit is tugging you in this direction, please talk with Fr. Steve or one of the current members. New terms begin in May. Stay tuned, as well, for an upcoming introduction to our new Pastoral Council president! Tithing Our Blessings: Our parish tithe for April will be designated for the National Catholic Youth Ministry Council. This is a group dedicated to the well-being and spiritual growth of our Catholic young people, and it is the group that hosts the national NCYC youth gatherings that our high school kids so often participate in. You may recall that a good number of our teens travelled to Los Angeles last November to attend NCYC. This year, our students will be travelling to Indianapolis. As always, thank you for your generosity to the weekend collection basket from which these monthly tithes come. Divine Mercy Devotions: I share with many of you a love of the Divine Mercy devotion. Next Sunday – Divine Mercy Sunday – I invite you to join me for prayer, adoration, confessions, and song. Beginning at 2:00 pm at Holy Redeemer, we will celebrate a Divine Mercy Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions will be heard during that time, as well. Then at 3:00 pm – the hour of Mercy – we will chant the Chaplet and receive the Eucharistic Benediction. During the visions she received from our Lord, St. Faustina Kowalska, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, was told that the time of judgment would arrive, but that now is the time of mercy. O that we would avail ourselves of the Lord’s Mercy! Please be with us for these devotions. Mary, Mother of the Holy Redeemer – Pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pray for us! St. Anthony – Pray for us! St. Joseph – Pray for us! Fr. Steve