Posted on April 19, 2025 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear brothers and sisters,
Happy Easter Sunday! Today, we rejoice in the profound significance of this day. Jesus, our Lord, has risen from the dead, a proclamation that resounds in the Church throughout the world. This good news, like a new flame, was kindled on the Holy Night of the Vigil, a night when the world faced crucial challenges. Despite these trials, the resurrection of our Lord brings us hope and joy.
Today, we joyfully proclaim that He is the Lord of our life; He is ‘the resurrection and the life’ of the world (Jn 11:25). It is Easter, a time of ‘passage,’ because, in Jesus, the decisive passage of humanity was made: from death to life, from sin to grace, from fear to trust, from desolation to communion. In Him, the Lord of time and history, I would like to say to all of you, with overflowing joy in my heart: Happy Easter! May the Church and the world rejoice because today, our hope no longer crashes against the wall of death; the Lord has opened a bridge to life for us. (Pope Francis, Easter Message 2023).
As a parish, I want to invite you to let this Easter celebration be reflected in our commitment to faith and in the growth of our love for the Risen Lord and the Church, made concrete in our love for the parish. It is important to reflect on our baptismal commitment, which should be reflected in active participation in parish ministries as lectors, extraordinary ministers of communion, and ushers. We must rise with the Lord, begin energizing our parish more, and make our ministries flourish again.
Changing the subject slightly, next Saturday, the 26th, our bishop will confer the order of the transitional diaconate on seven seminarians. Diaconal ordination is the preliminary step to receiving the order to the priesthood. One is a parish member, and many of you already know Teko Teko Agbo. I invite you to join him on this special day. The ordination Mass will be at 11:00 a.m. in the cathedral, and at 2:00 p.m., we will have a reception in Hannan Hall. The office has already sent out information for those who wish to participate by bringing a dish or drinks to share. Deacon Teko will preach his first Mass on Sunday, the 27th, “Divine Mercy Sunday,” at 10:00 a.m. in English and 1:30 p.m. in Spanish.
Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all our volunteers, ushers, lectors, extraordinary ministers, sacristans, altar servers, and musicians, as well as the Knights of Columbus, who, in communion with some members of the staff, have made a great effort to ensure that the liturgy of these special days of Holy Week was beautiful, organized, and with great dignity. Your dedication and hard work have not gone unnoticed. Please know that behind every liturgical act, there is a lot of work and organization; many have worked hard to ensure this is carried out with order and decorum. Dear volunteers and staff members, thank you so much for your help. You are very important to me and hold a special place in my heart.
Happy Easter!
Fr. Alex
