Bulletin Column for Easter - April 1

Dear friends in Christ,

“Alleluia! Alleluia!” That double “Alleluia” is a hallmark of today’s great celebration of Easter. Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, has risen from the dead! The stone has been rolled away and the empty tomb lets all know without a shadow of doubt that death has been overcome. The appearance of the Risen Christ to the disciples brings to fulfillment what had been foretold of Him in all of the Scriptures. The Messiah had to first suffer and die but he will rise again on the third day. Today is that day, and so we raise our voices in glory to God and to Christ the Redeemer, our Savior and King!

On behalf of the staff of CtR and all of our wonderful volunteers and ministry leaders I wish you and your family a blessed and holy Easter. I pray that this day of resurrection will bring you great joy and hope. Christ our Savior is risen and that gives us who bear the name Christian renewed promise that God is with His people. The new life that Jesus has given us is our great inheritance as well. If we believe in Christ Jesus, confess His glorious name, and bear witness to that name in our lives then we too have the hope of everlasting life. May God be praised both now and forever!

I want to especially welcome our visitors today, those who may be spending the holiday with family and friends in the area and those who are joining us for the first time (or the first time in a long time). Please know that you are most welcomed at CtR today and every day. I hope you will consider making our parish your permanent home. If you have been away from the practice of the faith for a period of time perhaps today will be just the thing you are looking for to bring you back to an active faith life. We at CtR are ready to help you in that regard. If you have questions about the Church or how you go about becoming a member, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any member of our staff. Our contact numbers and e-mail addresses can be found in the bulletin or on our parish website at www.ctrcc.com. Thank you for being with us today and please know that our doors are open every day to welcome you.

I know that the crowds at today’s Easter Masses are large, but I pray that we are able to make room for everyone. I want to especially thank our great team of volunteers, ushers, greeters, servers, sacristans and Eucharistic ministers. They all went above and beyond the call of duty to make the liturgies flow effortlessly, doing double-duty in the church and Parish Hall. Thank you one and all. My special thanks to Deacon Jeff Willard, Ofelia Carrasco, and Deanna Negrete from our Liturgy Office, and Bridget Wenk, Christine Marté, Joe Russell, Mark Dolce and our wonderful adult and youth choirs from our Music Department. The church is also beautifully decorated for the Easter season (and it was as well last week for Passion Sunday despite the dearth of palms) and that is made possible by Patty Arnett and the great Art and Environment team. All of us owe these people our sincere thanks for the time and energy they put in to making our Easter celebrations so special.

Undoubtedly, what makes Easter such a special time in the life of the Church (besides the obvious of celebrating Christ’s resurrection) are our newest members who were received into the Church on Holy Saturday night at the Easter Vigil by baptism, confirmation and Holy Eucharist. This year we welcomed 20 new Christians on that great night and we pledge to continue to journey with them during the next 50 days of the Easter season. May we together grow in knowledge and love of Christ. We prayed for them during Lent, but remember as well to continue to pray for our neophytes, as they are now known, during the Easter season and make them feel at home in the Church. They are now one with us in the Lord!

Next Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday, and at the 9 a.m. Mass we will receive 20 more people into full communion with the Church (those who were baptized in another Christian denomination and who are now joining the Catholic Church through a Profession of Faith, confirmation and Eucharist). What a great sign of growth and vitality of our parish all of these new members offer us! If you know of someone who is interested in joining the Catholic Church just like these people did, please contact Julie Cook, who shepherds this wonderful ministry known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

Also on Divine Mercy Sunday next week we’ll be reciting the beautiful Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3 p.m. in the church. I highly encourage you to set time aside on this day to reflect upon the mercy of God and join us in celebrating this great feast. Again, our website has further details on how you can celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.

Our offices are closed tomorrow, Monday, April 2, but then we get right back to work this week with plans for our upcoming 33rd annual Spring Festival. Believe it or not, in only four weeks it is Festival weekend, April 28-29! Don’t forget to check the website for more information and to sign up online to help. We are in need of volunteers and booth chairpersons for the many rides and games. Please plan to give a few hours of your time to help at the Festival. It’s a great way to be part of the community. The Festival booth will be open starting next weekend after all Masses for you to buy your raffle tickets for a new Honda of your choice that will be given away, as well as discounted game and ride tickets, and barbecue dinner tickets. The always popular Spring Festival T-shirts will be available as well starting next week, so join us in helping to make this the biggest and best Festival ever. 

The pastoral staff of CtR joins me in wishing you and your family a blessed and holy Easter. May Christ the Redeemer, who is risen from the dead this Easter Sunday, be with you and your family forever!

Peace, 
Fr. Sean