Weekly Letter: April 27, 2025 Bulletin

Dear friends in Christ,

     Happy Easter! Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Easter continues for 50 glorious days so let us celebrate with hearts and minds renewed in the Risen Christ. This Sunday, the 2nd Sunday of Easter, is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, a day dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion that focuses on the mercy of God the Father through His Son, Jesus.

     To commemorate the day, we will have a service at 3 p.m. today in the church. Deacon Jay Gause and our Divine Mercy Cenacle Prayer Group will lead a reflection on the devotion, and there will be a time of reading from Scripture, quiet reflection and Adoration of Blessed Sacrament, and then a recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. All are invited to join us for this time of prayer in thanksgiving for the gift of the Divine Mercy to the Church.

     We also welcome 26 of our brothers and sisters into the Catholic faith today at the 9 a.m. Mass as they make their Profession of Faith, are confirmed and receive Holy Eucharist. They join the 19 others that were baptized at the Easter Vigil (and one more who was confirmed). My thanks to our wonderful OCIA team that has prepared these 46 new Catholics over the past year (and more in some instances). Do you have a family member or friend interested in learning more about our Catholic faith? Invite them to “come and see” what the Church is all about. My thanks to Julie Cook, Director of OCIA and all the OCIA team for walking the walk with those who join our church.

     Next weekend is our 40th annual Spring Festival, May 3-4. Please see the special pages elsewhere in the bulletin with all the pertinent information. There’s too much information to share here, but we’ve got everything you need to know there, so please familiarize yourself with it so you’ll be ready to have a great time next week. One quick reminder that there is no 5 p.m. Sunday evening Mass next week on May 4. Make plans now to join us for what is shaping up as a milestone event as we celebrate 40 years of this great community event. It all takes place on our back parking lot (which will be closed beginning tonight through all of next week and until Tuesday the following week), and I look forward to seeing you here!

     Of course, the big news of this past week is the death of our beloved Pope Francis. Even though he had been ill in recent weeks, I was still a bit shocked to learn of his passing early on Easter Monday morning. He made a very moving appearance the day before to greet the faithful in St. Peter’s Square and offer the traditional Easter Sunday blessing. Though frail, it was inspiring to see him, and then a few hours later the Lord called him home. Perhaps it was only fitting that it took place in this Easter season of new life and the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In our great sorrow, we take comfort and hope in the consolation of our God.

     By the time you read this, the funeral Mass will have taken place, and now the Church enters into nine days of mourning (known as the novemdiales in Latin) and remembering him to almighty God at Mass. Let us pray for the repose of his soul (and all our faithfully departed), and thank God for the gift of his 12 years of Petrine ministry. I know like for so many of you, he continually inspired me by his faithful witness and advocacy for all of God’s children, especially the poor and those on the margins of society. My admiration and love of him knew no bounds, and his untiring spirit challenged me daily to live my Christian faith all the more ardently. What a gift he was to the Church and to the world! We thank God for calling him to lead the universal Church, and trust him now to his eternal mercy.

     Following the days of mourning, the attention of the Church will turn to his successor. Please pray for Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, who is in Rome and will participate in the consistory. Though he is the retired archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal DiNardo is under the age of 80, and thus will be among those who, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will elect the next pope, just as he participated in the consistory in 2013 when Francis was chosen. It is a great honor, but also grave responsibility for Cardinal DiNardo and other voting members of the consistory, and he has asked for our prayers.

     There will be much written and spoken about who the next pope will be in the coming weeks, or however long it takes in the consistory. My advice? Read or listen to it as you please, but believe nothing. There’s an old saying in Rome that whoever goes into the conclave as pope, comes out still a Cardinal! Only God knows, and so let’s trust the Holy Spirit to lead the Church, both now and in the future. Our work is to pray and to trust in the Lord!

     Lastly, with Lent over now, we are wrapping up our 2025 Lenten Almsgiving initiative with the Catholic Extension Society to assist St. Joan of Arc Church in Weslaco in the Diocese of Brownsville with the construction of a new rectory for its priests. Thank you to the hundreds upon hundreds of you who have already contributed, and if you’d like to join them, the online portal will be open through the end of the business day this coming Wednesday, April 30. We’ll have the final tally for you in a couple of weeks, but I’ve already heard from Fr. Jorge Gomez, who visited us at the beginning of Lent, and he expressed his sincere thanks and gratitude for our support for the people of St. Joan. I join him in thanking you for your beautiful Lenten sacrifice and witness.

Peace, Fr. Sean