Happy Easter! Alleluia! Alleluia! We’re in the middle of the great octave (eight days) of Easter that runs from Easter Sunday until this weekend, the second Sunday of Easter, or as it is otherwise known, Divine Mercy Sunday. It’s a day dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion that focuses on the mercy of God the Father through His Son, Jesus.
St. Faustina, a 20th-century Polish nun, promoted the devotion in her life and
St. Pope John Paul II also had a great devotion to it and authorized the first celebration of a particular Divine Mercy Sunday in 2001.
•
To mark Divine Mercy Sunday we will livestream a service at 3 p.m. on Sunday from the church. There will be a reading of Scripture and a reflection on the Divine Mercy as it relates to the Eucharist. We’ll have a time of quiet reflection and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and then we’ll recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet and close with Benediction. I invite you to join us for this time of prayer in thanksgiving for the gift of the Divine Mercy to the Church.
You’ve undoubtedly seen the image of the Divine Mercy, and perhaps have one in your home. If not, we’ve got one on our website at
www.ctrcc.com/faithathome that you are encouraged to print and display, perhaps with some surrounding candles, to create a prayer space when you join us for the chaplet on Sunday afternoon. There’s also a blank one to print for kids to color. Tag us in your social media posts with
#weareCtR and
#CtRDivineMercySunday for all to see.
• Of course, prior to the Divine Mercy holy hour at 3 p.m. we invite you to join us for
Mass livestreamed at 9 a.m. on Sunday. Thank you to all who watched along with us last week for the many services of the Triduum. We had great feedback from so many of you on our Facebook and YouTube pages. I know it wasn’t what we had planned for Easter, but I hope nonetheless that you were able to pray virtually. We definitely felt your presence!
• Thanks as well to all who
donated via Faith Direct or PayPal, or who mailed in or dropped off your offertory envelope. We greatly appreciate your support in these difficult times. As you undoubtedly can surmise, this has greatly impacted our budget for the year. Our parish staff all took a reduction of pay beginning this pay period and so I’m grateful for their sacrifice for they are making for the good of the whole community. We will continue to tighten our belt and limit our spending, but the day-to-day operations (and bills) do not stop even while we are distant from one another. To the extent you can assist us, I humbly ask for your continued support.
• Next week will be bittersweet around here as it would normally be the week that leads up to our
Spring Festival. The parish is always hopping at that time, and I’ll miss the hustle and bustle this year of the tents being erected in the parking lot, the smell of barbecue smoking, and the general frenzy that precedes that great event for our parish.
Though we’ll miss it this year we are making plans to host a
“Virtual Spring Festival” next Sunday, April 26. Our team is working behind the scenes to pull together a few fun activities that we can do from a distance, so stay tuned. We’ll have more information throughout all of next week and then make plans to join us online next Sunday afternoon. Though we’ll be apart physically, let’s plan to come together virtually to celebrate all things CtR. It'll make for a fun time together!
• Many of you have asked for more opportunities for bible studies during this pandemic, and we’re putting together a package of information with instructions on how you can join in on those. Stay tuned for that coming early next week. In addition, we’ll be beginning a
weekly livestreamed Holy Hour and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament next Wednesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. Each week it will feature different music and be led by a rotation of ministries from the parish. First up next week will be our
Youth Ministry team.
• For those looking ahead, registration for Religious Education 2020-21 (Pre-K 3 through 6th grade) will open online on Friday, May 1 at
www.ctrcc.com/re. No decisions have been made yet for summer activities such as Vacation Bible School and Catholic Faith Camp, but we will keep everyone updated as we make such decisions. For our families whose children are part of the Spring 2020 Sacrament Preparation cohort, Session 2 (to be done virtually) will be sent to you in the coming days.
• Lastly, Happy Birthday to
Fr. Vincent! Our always joyful parochial vicar turns 33 today. May God bless him in his priestly service to our community!
St. Bernadette, patron saint of bodily illness, whose feast day is today, pray for us!