News - April 2018 RSS Feed

Dear friends in Christ,
Welcome to our 33rd annual CtR Spring Festival weekend! If you are reading this on Saturday night or any time on Sunday, I hope you will make plans to stop by the Festival and enjoy everything that it has to offer. And I do mean everything. We’ve got plenty of space to spread out and a few new rides and games this year. The food booths and auction tent are back in the usual spots, but take time to wander around the grounds to see all there is to offer.

Dear friends in Christ,
By this time next week our 33rd annual CtR Spring Festival will be in full-swing. Those of you who have been previously know well what a great weekend it is – truly a community event. And if you’ve never been before then you are in for a real treat! Our chairpersons Mike and Camille Havelka and their dedicated core committee of volunteers have been hard at work preparing for a great weekend. Let’s review some important information that you will want to keep handy.

Kaitlin Rinker has sensed her baptismal call since she was child during her second open heart surgery. In spite of all of hardships, Rinker held her faith close to her heart and believes that her faith is what has seen her through all of it. With her stepmother as her champion, Rinker was able to go through her faith formation with CtR Youth Ministry and be baptized at the Easter Vigil.

Brittny Smith discovered that she wanted to know God more through her late husband, Justin. After the tragedy of his passing, Brittny relied on her family, Justin's family and the Rite of Christian Initiation team at Christ the Redeemer for support and love. Through the mercy of others, Brittny was able to come to the waters of baptism during the Easter Vigil and will continue walking in faith as she guides her daughter to live like Christ.

Dear friends in Christ,
On this 3rd Sunday of Easter we hear today from St. Luke a continuation of the Road to Emmaus story from the day of the resurrection. You will recall how Jesus walked alongside the two disciples as they were leaving Jerusalem. They were heartbroken and fearful, not knowing where to turn, when the Lord appeared to them and opened the Scriptures. They recognized who it was when He broke bread with them.

Cielo Topper has had the desire to teach and be with others since she was a child in Monterrey, Mexico. She responded to the call with humility and began telling simple children’s stories to help kids in her community learn valuable life lessons.

Dear friends in Christ,
Happy Easter! Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Our celebration of Easter continues for 50 glorious days so let us continue to praise God with hearts and minds renewed in the Risen Christ.

While in formation for the Permanent Diaconate, Greg Hall had an incredibly unexpected experience while in a drive through at a McDonald’s restaurant in Chile. At the age of 46, Greg’s subtle kindness and awareness of serving a homeless man requesting to get something to eat allowed him to have an encounter of a lifetime – one that still brings him to tears.

Nicole Driscoll tells the story of how she found hope in spite of the loneliness she felt in her single life. Encounters with Christ in her loneliness led her to a deeper understanding of God’s mystery, creativity and providence.