Happy Easter, again!
Today we hear the boast of the apostle Thomas, “I will not believe!” Thomas prefigures all the clever fools who would follow in subsequent centuries—men who boast of their intelligence and cynicism, men who “think rather than blindly trust,” men who “think for themselves,” all the while ignoring the evidence before them, the compulsion of the truth.
Thomas, however, repents. When the Lord appears again among them to offer Thomas the evidence he sought, Thomas realizes his offense. He acclaims Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” Let him be an example for all of us, called to turn from our doubt to belief and trust.
Please give thanks for and/or to those who helped us celebrate the holy days:
Ÿ musicians and choirs for the extra Easter work;
Ÿ those who decorated the churches for the holy days;
Ÿ RCIA teams who led adult catechumens and candidates to baptism, confirmation, and 1st Communion at the Easter Vigil;
Ÿ worshipers who made way for others in the parking lots and in the pews;
altar servers and their parents for the extra hours, and all the emcees, ushers, readers, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion for filling the additional assignments;
Ÿ those who adored the Lord in our churches or on the 7-church pilgrimage;
Ÿ the parishes’ staff for completing several behind-the-scenes tasks.
On Holy Thursday, our churches welcomed buses and convoys from many other parishes. Thank you for extending your hospitality to all!
Brother Casey Cole, OFM, is a Franciscan deacon and something of a celebrity speaker, especially via the internet. He visits RocKenRo in real life May 10-11, with an appearance at Holy Trinity’s “Connect Night,” and then in an unusual event, a “spiritual walk,” on May 11 in McKees Rocks, starting and ending at the church of St. Mary, Help of Christians, of St. John of God Parish. More details will be available in this and the next bulletin, and on the website www.RocKenRoCatholics.org .
Hundreds of volunteers keep our RocKenRo parishes operating. Thank you! Just this past holy week, we needed our liturgical ministers (altar servers & parents, ushers, readers, hospitality crews, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and especially our choirs and musicians), church decorators, fish fry laborers (cooks, cleaners, servers, clerks, etc.), money counters, catechists and catechetical aides, adorers for Holy Thursday, and more. If you’re not a volunteer, please consider becoming one. Check with your parish office about meeting the “Safe Environment” requirements, and we’ll go from there.
—Fr. Dave
