Dear Parishioners,
Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter, or the Sunday of Divine Mercy. The church teaches that St. Faustina, a 20th-century Polish nun, recorded revelations that she received from Jesus who, as she wrote in her diary, desired that “a Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls.” The readings tell the story of God’s abundant mercy and love for us. We ask for the grace to more clearly respond to these great signs and wonders of mercy and love that God continues to bestow on us and our world.
We have received information from our Dean, Father Tom Molini, about services taking place in our deanery. (I’m sure that the Saint Louis Review has more information either in this week’s edition or even next Friday’s edition.) However, in the West County Deanery we have the following information:
Divine Mercy at Holy Infant: Confessions 1:30 – 3:00 P.M.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 2:15 P.M., followed by prayers of the Holy Rosary Novena and the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Divine Mercy Chaplet and Litany 3:00 P.M., followed by Benediction and Mass at 3:15 P.M.
Divine Mercy at Incarnate Word:
Mass at 12:15, followed by exposition and confessions from 1:30-3:00 P.M. Divine mercy chaplet will be sung at 2:30 P.M. and benediction will follow. All services completed by 3:00 P.M. The annual novena to the Divine Mercy began on Good Friday and I hope many of you are participating in it. The require- ment for Confession during the Novena means any time before, during, or after (within a week before or after) the Novena. I hope that you have already accomplished that in preparation for a worthy reception of Holy Communion on Easter Sunday.
The “Easter Duty” still is “on the books.” Simply put it means worthily receiving Holy Communion once from the First Sunday of Lent through Trinity Sunday (this year on Sunday, June 16th, which is also Father’s Day this year). If you must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to worthily receiving Holy Communion during the Easter Season, then “annual confession” is required. We had many opportunities to receive that Sacrament during Lent and we have that Sacrament each Saturday afternoon from 3:30 to 4:30 P.M. and other times by appointment. Try to receive that Sacrament often! It is a great source of grace and shouldn’t be forgotten!
Next weekend we will celebrate the Third Sunday of Easter. As in any new counter-movement, early Christians made their case regarding Christ’s identity and redemptive work under perilous conditions and the possibility of persecution. Their faith and commitment were expressed at enor- mous risk. This is still true for Christians in some places and situations, but not for most of us. Next weekend’s readings challenge us who are not personally endangered: How compelling is our personal faith commitment? (Please remember we will celebrate First Holy Communion next Sunday at 2:00 P.M. Congratulations to all of our First Communicants!)
Sincere Congratulations to the six new members of the Church either baptized or received into the Church on Holy Saturday, confirmed, and made their First Holy Communion. The new mem- bers are: Robert (Robby) Campbell; Alexander (Alex) Cass, Brendan Fuqua, Cameron Fuqua, William (Bill) Kost, Jr., and Donald (Skip) Moreland. We congratulation them, their sponsors, their families, and Deacon Carl Sommer, who heads up our RCIA process. May God bless you all and keep you close to Him all the days of your lives!
Construction: Construction on our new elevator, with the addition of a new “elevator tower” and lobby, “Phases I and II,” began on Wednesday, April 24th. All of the asbestos abatement was finished on Good Friday, April 19th, with some minor clean up being done on Monday, April 22nd. On Monday there was a meeting with the architects, the General Contractors, the electrical contractor, a representative from the Archdiocese, Ray Alonzo, chairman of our Building Committee, and me regarding the schedule for the building. Construction actually begins with some demolition work of things that are going to be taken down as the building is reconfigured. The second biggest expense (after the elevator itself) is the new Fire Alarm system, which is being required by both the City of Creve Coeur and the Creve Coeur Fire Protection District. (The current one is, as mentioned by some, “an antique,” and MUST be replaced soon, anyhow!) Work should begin on the Fire Alarm soon after school is completed next month. We have been assured that there will be access for MUCH of the construction, NOT ALL, to the SOUTH en- trance of the Church, by the cemetery. When not available, and we will let you know in advance, we are asking our handicapped parishioners to use the entrance on the northeast corner of the building, which already has an ADA handicapped ramp. There will be a dumpster near the south entrance of the church. All workers in the building will have the appropriate youth protection training, and certification, as re- quired by the Archdiocese, since there are so many children around the parish. The General Contractor has our Mass schedule and will be informed as to when there will be funerals, to avoid excess noise for
times of worship. Because of the time to construct our elevator (you just can’t go to Walmart or Menard’s or any building supply company to get one), the entire project will not be finished until October. BUT the fire alarm and most of the work will be completed by August 15th, the First Day of School for 2019-2020.
I have been doing my best in keeping you informed as to what is happening and please be assured that I will continue to do so. It will take some patience on ALL of our parts, but the results should be out- standing! If you have questions, please ask, and if I don’t have the answer, I will find out! Thank you.
Rosary for School Community: The Rosary is still being prayed each Wednesday morning at
7:40 A.M. for the school, students, faculty, staff, parents, etc. Special prayers now for our new principal, Mrs. Tammi Rohman. So please try to stop by and spend 15 minutes praying for the
Saint Monica School community. Thank you!
May God bless you and may you have a very happy and holy Easter Season.
In the Risen Lord Jesus,
Father Joe Weber