Second Week of Easter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. The Feast of Divine Mercy, celebrated on the Octave of Easter (the Sunday after Easter Sunday), is a relatively new addition to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar. Celebrating the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ, as revealed by Christ Himself to Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, this feast was extended to the entire Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000, the day that he canonized Saint Faustina.

During his life, Pope John Paul II had actively promoted the message of St. Faustina. In his 1980 encyclical on God’s mercy, Rich in Mercy, Pope John Paul II developed a scriptural and doctrinal basis for our faith in the mercy of God. In linking the revealed truth about God’s mercy to the Sunday after Easter, The Holy Father illumined the fact that the liturgy already proclaimed the divine mercy. Pope John Paul II goes to says that “The truth has been embedded for two millennia in the worship of the Church: The law of faith is the law of prayer.”

On this Divine Mercy Sunday we see that Christ is alive and shares that risen life with each one of us. Now is our time to encounter the risen Jesus in new ways so that we can continue throughout our lives to be that risen presence for the good of others. People see the risen Christ in our everyday acts of kindness, sensitivity, generosity, patience forgiveness and mercy

During the eight Sundays of Easter the first readings are selected from the Acts of the Apostles and deals with the Easter Faith of the early Christian community. Theses selections from the Acts of the Apostles record how those first Christians received the spirit of Jesus and carried the mission of Christ forward. These writings help us move forward with our mission to show love and mercy to the world in light of the risen Christ.

As we continue our Easter celebration, please join us for a wonderful evening of celebration with the Easter Cantata which will be held on This afternoon at 5:00 pm. Come Touch the Robe by Pepper Choplin et al , will be performed by our own Music Ministry Choir and directed by our Director of Liturgy and Music, Pamella Pitman. Musicians from all over the Archdiocese will be part of the presentation. Please come to the concert and support the music program here at STHY.

It helps us relive the events that unfolded in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, but it also places them in the flow of God’s dramatic, eternal story of redemption.  In the process, it engages our mind, heart, and imagination with a story that is simple, yet profound. Please come to the concert and support the music program here at STHY.

It’s not too early to begin thinking about our upcoming STHY 2016 Parish Spring Festival, which will take place eight weeks from this weekend on May 22. This year marks fourth time in over 20 years in which we have has a Spring Festival for our parish. It’s no secret that what makes the bazaar such an awesome event for our parish and community is the great number of people who volunteer their time and talent. Your help is especially needed to staff a shift or two in one of our many booths, rides and games. The help and support of everyone in the parish, both young and old, is most needed. It’s a great way to give back to the life of the community. I highly encourage you to make your commitment to helping our parish at the Spring Festival. Booth chairpersons and volunteers are especially needed. Let’s see if we can get all the spots filled early this year. We’ve got more than enough parishioners that if everyone who comes to the Festival were to volunteer for a shift or two; we could easily take care of all our needs. Join us for a great way to be part of STHY biggest and most fun event of the year.

Look for more Spring Festival 2016 news in the next few weeks. If you have not picked up your Spring Festival raffle tickets, they are available from members of our Spring Festival Committee members after Mass or pick them up from our parish office.  You may return Spring Festival tickets to an ushers at Mass or return them to the parish office.  Mark your calendar now for May 22. We look forward to seeing you here!

Finally, I want to thank everyone for your thoughtful response to our request for a pledge to our parish capital campaign. I am grateful to you for what I know is a meaningful and genuine concern for Our Parish. As your pastor, it is tremendously moving to me to hear such a great response from so many of our parish family. Together, great things can be accomplished. Thank you for answering the call to support our Church; please continue to pray for the success of our effort.

God Bless,

Fr. Reginald Samuels