Dear Parish Family,

Happy Easter! After 40 days of fasting and prayer, we now get to rejoice in the 50 days of Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Let the reality of that sink in - Easter is not just a day, but a whole season! 

We welcome all who will celebrate Easter Mass with us this weekend and invite you to continue to celebrate Mass with us, or wherever your home parish is if you're a visitor, every Sunday of Easter and after. There's no greater gift than to belong to a parish family that worships and serves the Lord together! If you've been experiencing that tug on your heart to come back to Mass, take the leap and commit to prioritizing Sunday as a day for you and your family to come to Church together.

As a matter of fact, I will even issue this Easter challenge based on where you're at with the practice of the faith. Keep this bulletin if you're ready for one or more of these steps, or perhaps share it and invite a friend or family member to join you with this challenge:

• Commit to coming to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day through next Easter. 

• Get involved in some area of parish life, whether it's faith formation or service. If you don't know where to start, just ask! Call the parish office, check out the website, or talk with me. There's something for everyone!

• Pray with the Sunday Scriptures on the usccb.org website earlier in the week so you're more prepared when you hear the readings at Mass. 

• Journal a few lines each week about your spiritual journey and progress. You'd be surprised how fruitful this practice can be when we look back to note how the Lord is speaking to us over time through the Scriptures and helping us grow.

• Reach out to one of your priests or deacons to talk if you feel the Spirit moving in your life, or on the contrary, if you feel stuck spiritually. Sometimes a conversation like this can give us what we need to move forward well. 

• Consider giving financially to your parish to support the ministries that bring Christ's life to you and others. If you're not contributing and worried about making an investment in your Church, consider what you could give each week and hold onto it for the year. If getting involved in Church this year has done nothing to help you grow spiritually, keep your money. But if your involvement has made a difference in your life, then let the Lord be generous through you. You're part of Christ's mission.

So that's the challenge. I admit it's a bit unfair as I am convinced through my personal experience and the experiences that others share with me that when we approach participation in parish life and Mass with a living faith, we will always grow. But isn't that the point? Who would not want this grace of spiritual and moral growth for themselves, their families, and their communities to have strong parishes and Churches where the faith and presence of our risen Lord is felt by all?

Many people who have returned to the Church mention that it is often a friend or family member encouraging and inviting them that helped them come back to a regular practice of the faith. Moreover, I also hear about many people who try all sorts of different approaches to better themselves without success using various spiritualities, new age and self-help practices, medications, or substituting worship with sports or exercise. What's needed is a strong relationship with Christ, and through Christ strong relationships with others. There is no replacement for this in our lives. 

I think of the Gospel encounter of the women suffering from hemorrhages for 12 years who "suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse" (Mark 5:26). It was only her encounter with Jesus that finally healed her of these afflictions. Again, take the challenge and plunge into parish life this year. It is worth the sacrifice. You won't regret it!

Remember that there is no daily Mass on Easter Monday at St. Mary's, and the Parish Office is closed that day as well. May you and your family have a blessed Easter season!

I am yours in Christ,

Fr. Scott Goodfellow