Dear Parishioners:
“He is not here, for he has risen as he said," proclaims The Gospel of Saint Matthew. We continue to celebrate Easter and rejoice at the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Easter is a season, not just one Sunday! Following Easter Sunday, the Season of Easter lasts fifty days until the great Solemnity of Pentecost on May 23rd. So let us continue to celebrate the Resurrection. Christ is Risen. Alleluia! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia, Alleluia!
As we joyfully resound the Alleluia of Easter, let us take the opportunity to give thanks for the many blessings and graces of this holy season. We thank Almighty God for the blessings bestowed upon us, our families, and our Parish. Indeed, God is good and generous in bestowing upon us His choicest blessings! Let us give thanks, and let our hearts be grateful!
We give thanks for a holy and fruitful Lenten Season at OLM. Our two Daily Lenten Masses were well attended, as were the Stations of the Cross on Fridays. We saw a terrific turnout for our Lenten Mission. Our confessionals were also very busy throughout the Lenten Season and beyond! All-Day Confessions saw an incredible turnout of people experiencing God's mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession!
A fruitful Lent always makes for a joyful Easter! So we give thanks for the joy of this Easter Season! We are grateful for all those who work to make it lively and glorious. We give thanks to so many who make OLM a wonderful place to worship and praise God, especially for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.
Our good Franciscan Apostolic Sisters, Sister Lourdes, Sister Emma, and Sister Soledad, are so helpful, holy, and joyful, and we give them thanks for all they do for our Parish and school. They not only greet everyone coming to Mass, but they also help decorate, clean, organize and prepare everything for Mass and Holy week!
We thank Cecilia Franzone, who is so instrumental in ensuring our Church is beautifully decorated for every occasion and season. We thank her for her dedication and hard work. The music at OLM is always beautiful, and we are thankful for our very talented Music Director and Organist, Henri St. Louis. He and the musicians who help us with the proper praise and worship of God at Mass do an outstanding job. They bring glory and majesty to our solemn worship, and we are grateful.
Our Altar Servers are a dedicated group who always serve Holy Mass and Holy Week services with great reverence and solemnity. We also thank our outstanding Lectors who proclaim God's Word so superbly and reverently. We thank all these good people and many more for the terrific job they do and the excellent service they provide our Parish.
We must thank Paul Anderson and the OLM maintenance team for their hard work and dedication to the Parish. Their cleaning, sanitizing, setting up, and taking down everything for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter is due our gratitude. They keep the grounds beautiful and their work is always top-notch. Let us thank them all for their work for our Parish.
I certainly wish to thank Fr. Barrow for his tremendous dedication and hard work for the Parish and school. His commitment to priestly ministry is zealous and enthusiastic every day. But especially over the Lent and Holy Week season, he works incredibly hard organizing, preparing, and ensuring everything is ready and done with dedication, devotion, and reverence.
We also give thanks to God for the dozen new members of our Parish, and Church baptized, confirmed, and received at the Easter Vigil. They are a sign of hope and new life for our Church. We offer them heartfelt congratulations and a warm welcome to our parish family. Keep them in your prayers that they may continue to flourish in the faith!
Easter Sunday was a joyful and glorious day! Seeing so many people return to Mass was truly inspiring as we celebrated our Lord's Resurrection together in Church. As we enter into better weather and vaccines continue, let us hope and pray more come back to Mass on Sundays! We join St. Augustine in proclaiming: "We are Easter people, and alleluia is our song!" Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless
Fr. Healey