Dear Friends,
What wonderful Holy Week and Easter celebrations we had!!! My deepest thanks to all of you who shared in preparing and carrying out those celebrations. The rituals were great celebrations of faith – expressing our deep love for Christ by walking with him through his suffering and death to the resurrection. And, through our yearly remembering of them our own relationship with God is deepened. Congratulations to those who joined the church and were confirmed at the Easter Vigil and to our young members who were baptized at the Easter celebrations.
Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. This year, as we celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy, Divine Mercy Sunday takes on special significance. To help you pray the Jubilee of Mercy we are offering you a book to help your reflections on mercy. The books are at the doorways this weekend. Please take one of the books home with you and/or share it with your friends. The book is a compilation of reflections on mercy from different religious leaders and authors. I am sure you will find good spiritual growth through your reading and praying with this book. Take and read!
The purchase agreement with Catholic Charities to buy the Christ Child Building was completed on Friday. Starting this week will begin planning the process of cleaning and rehabbing the building for our use. We will need your help when different sections of the building are ready to be worked on. Keep an eye on the bulletin for details!
The Spaghetti Dinner work is underway. The dinner is the 17th of April. Helpers are still needed and appreciated – especially the day of the dinner. Many hands make the work easier for everyone. Please offer some time, meet new parishioners, enjoy working together and raise some needed funds for the parish. If you have any questions, please call the parish office.
I am moving forward with the October pilgrimage to Sicily and Rome. There was enough interest to make the trip possible. Full itineraries and registration forms are posted near the doors of the church. Final decisions on the trip need to be made by mid-June. Between now and then, you can dream about a trip to Rome and Sicily during the Jubilee Year.
The story about the parish’s efforts to restore the old cathedral bells which appeared in the Omaha World-Herald has been picked up by newspapers in other parts of Nebraska and as far away as Minot North Dakota. The blessing of this news story is that we have received donations from throughout the Midwest to help us restore the bells. The work on the bells should begin in June.
Peace,
Father Damian