From Father George's Desk: Easter Sunday 4/20/2025

Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia!  Our Lenten spring of preparation has come to an end and now our Church resounds with the joyous Easter proclamation, “He is truly risen, as he said, alleluia!”  Easter is a feast of indescribable joy and hope; by our baptism we are called to share in Christ’s victory over the grave. Our created world is reawakening from the long, dark winter while we who are on pilgrimage in this created world celebrate our birth into the glorious light of new life in Christ. May the glory of this Easter Day fill your hearts with joy today and always!

Welcome and congratulations our six newest parishioners who complete their journey to the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil.  Our Elect—Lisa Butz, Taryn Emery, and Adelynn Knight—and our candidates—Sean O’Barto, Jennifer Weinman, and Faryn Wolff—have been faithfully preparing for thi’s day since last summer.  Big thanks to Deacon Mike and the entire OCIA and OCIC teams—catechists and sponsors—who have been so generous with their time and sharing the journey with our newly initiated.

Welcome to all of our guests today, especially those who have “returned home” to celebrate Easter with family and friends.  Welcome back to our parishioners we don’t see too often; you are part of our parish family and your presence makes us more complete.  We would love to see you more often!

The days of this week constitute the Easter Octave or, as many Eastern Rite Catholics and Orthodox Christians know it, Bright Week.  Having completed the solemn journey of Lent, the Church is filled with joy as we celebrate our Lord’s triumph over the grave.  So full is our joy that it cannot be contained in just one day; therefore, we celebrate this entire week as though it were one great day of rejoicing. While they are not obligatory, consider making an extra effort to attend daily Mass this week to continue our glorious Easter celebration.

Our 2025 Diocesan Lenten Appeal keeps rolling along...

¨ As of the April 7 report from the diocese, Holy Family is most of the way to its diocesan target!  Once we pass it, everything we collect for the remainder of this year’s appeal will be returned to the parish, assessment-free so that we can get to work on our parish project: addressing the two leaks in the stonework on the façade of the church.

¨ St. John is just over a quarter of the way to its parish goal. Remember that our parish share this year is going to be used to refurbish the crucifix in the church.

¨ Thanks to everyone who has already made a pledge or a gift to this year’s appeal. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

¨ The weekly graphic in the bulletin each week will keep you updated on our progress at both parishes. 

¨ Please prayerfully consider your pledge or gift to this year’s DLA in the coming days.  You may return your pledge or gift by mail, in person during office hours, drop it in the collection basket, or online.

And finally—an Easter Sunday tradition in this column over the years and through my various assignments—from Father George’s vast warehouse of useless knowledge...a little Easter date trivia: after a rather early celebration last year, this Easter may seem to many of us to be “late”.  But this is actually the third time in the last 22 years that Easter has fallen on April 20 (2003, 2014, and 2025).  Since adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1583, Easter Sunday has fallen on this date two or three times each century; however, in the 21st century, it will happen a total of five times but only the youngest of us will be around for those other two observances in 2087 and 2098.  So, why does the date of Easter seem so random?  In Western Christianity, Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (it’s actually a little more complicated than that but this is a good rule of thumb).  Because a solar month consists of 30 or 31 days but the lunar month is about 29 and half days long, Easter Sunday can fall anywhere from March 22 through April 25. And just for the record, Easter Sunday 2026 will fall on April 5.