Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Happy Easter to all of you and a special welcome to all of our visitors! I pray as you celebrate Easter Mass with us, you may come to know the peace of God in your hearts now and always. You are always welcome to come and to thank God for His many blessings most especially His Son who has risen from the dead and offers forgiveness from our sins! I find that people who are struggling with anxiety, depression, and loneliness is often related to a broken relationship with God. That relationship can be healed and restored with God’s mercy.

If you find yourself living with a mortal (deadly) sin, come an experience the freedom and healing that can only be found in Our Lord and experience His mercy in the Sacrament of Confession. His mercy endures forever. If you are wanting to know more about how to make a good confession, please take a look at these wonderful videos to help understand the importance of making a good confession: www.saintbernadette.com/first-reconciliation. There is also an examination of conscience on bottom of that page. Just click the word “documents” on the bottom of that same page.

Now we have begun the season of Easter! Last evening, at the Easter Vigil, we welcomed our newest Catholics. The Elect stepped forward to be received into full communion in the Catholic Church. They received the Sacrament of Baptism to wash away the stain of original sin. They were Confirmation and received the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They received the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ for the first time in Holy Communion! They formalized their commitment to Our Lord by "turning away from sin and being faithful to the Gospel" for the rest of their lives and hopefully for all eternity. We give thanks to God for these amazing men and women who heard God calling them into the Church.

In the next few weeks, we will be baptizing more babies as well as preparing for our young people to receive their sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation on May 18th with the Most Reverend Eduardo Nevares, Auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix.

Everything we experience as Catholics at Easter proclaims to us the joy of our faith in the Risen Lord! Christ has conquered death on the cross by rising from the dead on this glorious day! Our personal deaths and those of our loved ones have been conquered, too, through our Baptismal commitment to Jesus.

May God's blessings overflow in your life this Easter! May your heart be filled with all the joys of the Risen Christ in our midst! May the fifty-day celebration of Easter deepen your relationship with Our Risen Lord!

I want to invite you to come next weekend to the great Divine Mercy devotion beginning at 2:00PM as we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with Our Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions will also be offered during this time. We will begin Mass at 3pm in the church. Please come and pray with us to close the octave of Easter!

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline V.F.
Pastor

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