Christ Is Risen!

We spent six weeks of Lent getting ready for Easter and then seven weeks of the Easter Season celebrating the mystery of the Risen Christ. It is a joyous celebration. Easter Joy. It is a hope-filled celebration. It is a life-giving celebration. It begins on Easter Sunday and continues for 50 days. 

This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.

May you experience in your life the JOY of Easter. Let the JOY of the Resurrection mingle with your tears, your concerns, your pain so that in your life you may know Easter JOY.

May you experience in your life the HOPE of Easter. Let the HOPE of the Resurrection mingle with your despair, your doubts, your questions so that in your life you may know Easter Hope. The same power that resurrected Jesus from the dead can happen to you and touch your life with Easter Hope and Easter Joy. And, not just at Easter. God is risen every day of the year, not just one day. Every day you can experience Easter Hope and Easter Joy.

As we celebrate Easter, I’d like to thank the many people who have shared their time, talent, and treasure with us to make our Holy Week beautiful and rich. Thanks to all those who sacrificed to make our Holy Week as prayerful, enjoyable, and inviting as it has always been. I thank Fr John Slobig and Fr Bill Fournier who assisted with Holy Week ceremonies, our deacons who are always ready to serve, and our extra ordinary ministers of communion. To our dedicated parish staff, the environment ladies who decorated our church, our choir who brought life to our Triduum celebration, the Knights of Columbus, the CDA, Seton Ladies, the altar servers, the Sacristans, our Lectors, our ministers of hospitality, and to all of our parishioners who worked behind the curtains, we say - Thank you. 

May God bless and reward you for your service. 

As we rejoice in the resurrection of Christ, may we also remember the suffering and injustice that continues to exist in our world. Let us pray for peace and reconciliation, and may we work together to build a more just and compassionate world. 

May this Easter be a time of profound spiritual renewal, a time when we can deepen our relationship with God and with one another. May we continue to live as people touched by the resurrection, proclaiming "Christ is risen!"

He is risen indeed!

With heartfelt blessings on this Easter Sunday and beyond, I remain, 

Your priest and friend,

Fr Williams Abba