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“Christ is already in that place of peace, which is all in all. He is on the right hand of God. He is hidden in the brightness of the radiance which issues from the everlasting throne. He is in the very abyss of peace, where there is no voice of tumult or distress, but a deep stillness–stillness, that greatest and most awful of all goods which we can fancy; that most perfect of joys, the utter profound, ineffable tranquility of the Divine Essence. He has entered into His rest. That is our home; here we are on a pilgrimage, and Christ calls us to His many mansions which He has prepared.”

~Cardinal John Henry Newman

May Devotions, consisting of the Rosary & Benediction, will take place on April 30th, May 7th, 14th, and 21st at 6:30pm.

Please come, bring the family to honor Our Blessed Mother; pray for peace and for your personal needs and the needs of others.

Also, join us for May Crowning on May 25th, 2pm in the upper church!

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“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God…and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary.”

~Pope Saint Pius X

Prayers also for God’s grace on those who will be receiving the sacrament of Confirmation on May 6th, 3pm. A heart-felt Thank You to the dedicated teachers involved in their training and preparation!

Dear Parishioners,

During the season of Lent we entered into the mystery of Christ’s suffering and death. Through prayer, fasting, and alms giving we resisted the same temptations that Satan put before Jesus during his forty days in the desert. With the help of God’s grace we did our best to become better people; more loving, more patient, more forgiving, less greedy, less jealous, and more like Jesus in dealing with others. While we may have fallen short on our journey to Easter, we would do well to remember that Jesus fell three times under the weight of his cross. He needed a complete stranger to help him carry it, needed Veronica to wash his face, and relied on Joseph of Arimathea for a place to be buried. Jesus entered into all of human limitations and became exposed in every way to the world. All this he endured as an act of sublime love for each one of us. The power of this love, which no tomb could contain, or death extinguish, is what we celebrate on Easter Sunday, and on every Sunday.

The life of every Christian proclaims this love to the world. We live in the hope of the resurrection, as we look forward to the life of the world to come. Like his disciples, who locked themselves in the upper room, we have heard the voice of Jesus, breaking through the walls of our fear and doubts, saying to us “Peace be with you.” Jesus told Peter that the gates of Hell and the jaws of death would not prevail against his church. We will die and rise to love many times through out our lifetime. There will, however, come a day when we will pass through the gate of death for the last time, and hear Jesus say to us, enter into the kingdom prepared for you since the beginning of time, “for I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.” May Christ, the morning star, rising from the grave, fill you with his light, and peace this Easter season.

~Fr. Gagné

Listen as Fr. Gagné shares a message on the prophet Jonah, repentance and spiritual freedom through forgiveness.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will take place during this hour. Two Priests will be available for individual confessions.

“You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness.  You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness.  You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you.  I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more.  You touched me, and I burned for your peace”. ~St. Augustine (Confessions)

Visit “Lenten Reflections” for a daily reading & reflection as we journey together through Lent

Each year the Church invites us to journey into the wilderness with Jesus. Through prayer and reflection on the daily readings of the Mass, our journey will lead us into the wilderness of our souls.

In the shadows and solitude of our hearts, we will confront our demons and, like Jesus, put the devil to flight. With the help of Jesus and of our brothers and sisters, we will be able to focus more on God’s love and mercy than on our sins and guilt. Like Peter, who returned to his Lord weeping bitterly, we are called to turn away from sin and be faithful to the words of Jesus. We are called to live in the hope that God’s plan will redeem sinners by his all-inclusive love of friend and enemy alike. Courage to begin our journey comes not from feeling heroic, but from believing in the way of God.

~Rev. Roger C. Gagné

To view trailers, visit:  www.catholicismseries.com

“For the first time, in breathtaking and high-definition cinematography, the truth, goodness, and beauty of Catholicism are illustrated in a multimedia experience. Journey with Fr. Robert Barron to more than 50 locations throughout 16 countries. Be illuminated by the spiritual and artistic treasures of this global culture that claims more than one billion of the earth’s people.

From the sacred lands of Israel to the beating heart of Uganda, from the glorious shrines of Europe to the streets of Mexico, Kolkata, and New York City, the mysteries of CATHOLICISM are revealed.  Learn what Catholics believe and why.  Discover the full meaning of the faith.

Mike Leonard, a veteran NBC Today show correspondent and acclaimed filmmaker, is the Executive Producer of this groundbreaking production

Ten hours.  Ten episodes.  One Film Series.”

The season of Lent invites us to journey with Jesus into the desert. In this wasteland of shadows and demons Jesus invites us to go with him to be alone and vulnerable. There we are confronted with our need for power, our desire for pleasure and our decisions to act irresponsibly. The devil, who is the master of deceit, has used these principles to take our souls one breath and one moment at a time.

With Jesus we allow ourselves to be tempted by the devil. We learn from Jesus that God is the source of power: “Him alone shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” He tells us that pleasure does not come from bread alone, “but from every word that comes from the mouth of God.” And when the devil tempts him to act irresponsibly, Jesus tells him, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

With the help of Jesus and the community of believers, we will be able to leave our safe and predictable lives and focus more on God’s love and mercy than on our sins and guilt. We journey in the belief that God has a plan to save the world by his all-inclusive love of friend and enemy alike.

The prophet Simeon reminds us that this journey will be a struggle when he says to Mary, “This child is destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel.”  The one who allowed himself to fall and rise three times on the way to his crucifixion has removed the guilt of our failures and given us the strength to rise again and again.

When we are willing to rise from our failures and from the regions of our spent emotions, we will dare to hope that change is possible. When we refuse to confine ourselves, and others to the tomb of despair, then we will realize that nothing is beyond the power of God’s love.

There will always be the temptation to pull back, to avoid the pain and suffering of others. But like Veronica, we will not be afraid to step from the crowd to wipe the face of Jesus or not be afraid to act with compassion.

And like Peter, we will make bold promises that our hearts cannot keep. We will feel the shame of our many betrayals and weep bitterly. We will cry hosanna in one breath and in another breath cry away with him crucify him.

Our journey will lead us to Jerusalem until we realize that the only way we will leave the city is through the agony of crucifixion. We will deny, betray, and run away until at last we are alone on Holy Saturday. All we can do is rest against the huge rock that blocks the entrance of the tomb that holds the body of Jesus. We wonder how our journey could have brought us to this dead end. We have nowhere to go, and so we stay here mourning and weeping while the soldiers guarding the tomb eye us suspiciously. We sit numbly outside the tomb of the one we have followed.

None of the Gospels give us an account of the actual Resurrection. We are told only that the tomb is empty and that a woman named Mary sees Jesus in the garden. Only Mary, from whom Jesus had driven out seven demons, actually encounters him. Like Mary, we are weeping, so overwhelmed by our grief that we cannot immediately see that the stone has been rolled back, that the tomb is empty, and that the soldiers have gone. But our journey, like Mary’s, has led us through tears and struggles beyond the tomb of Jesus to the dawn of a new day.

The sun is now rising and we are filled with exhilaration as we remember all the things that have happened in these past forty days. There have been days of challenge and days of miracles and transfigurations that have sustained us on this long journey. Together with the disciples on the road to Emmaus and the millions who have journeyed in faith since that first Easter morning, we hear the words of Jesus: “How slow you are to believe. Did not the Messiah first have to suffer in order to enter into his Glory?” and like those disciples we say: “Did not our hearts burn within us as he spoke to us?” and like them we recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

It is through our long journey through cold darkness and empty desolation that we have found a deeper communion, and in the end, our beginning.

~Rev. Roger C. Gagne