A Letter from Fr. Paul - April 21, 2019

Thank you to all those who made nominations for parish leadership. Ron Skelton has accepted another term as Trustee. I thank him for all his service to our community. Ten parishioners were nominated for the Pastoral Council. They are being invited to a discernment session on May 1, when four members will be chosen. Please keep this process in your prayers.

A comment in our recent parish survey was “we don’t get much information about religious education.” Our two leaders (Samantha El-Azem for K-5 and Sarah Daszczuk for middle and high school) created a web page (triparishfaithformation.org) last year year where all the information can be found (the web address is regularly shared in our bulletin and easily accessible from the parish website). We are transitioning to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for K through 5th grades, a Montessori-based religious education program. A critical part of this program is an “atrium,” a dedicated space for the children to encounter God. This coming Sunday, April 28, from 11:30 to 1:30 at Christ King, there will be an opportunity for you to see the first of multiple atriums. Please note the information in this bulletin and take advantage of this opportunity to understand this wonderful opportunity that is being given to our children.

I thank all who worked so hard to make our Holy Week and Easter celebrations so special, especially Kathy Wellenstein, our Liturgy and Music Director. May God bless you for all your efforts.

Those of us who live where there is a harsh winter have such an appreciation of spring, when the weather gets warmer, the snow melts, and finally flowers begin to sprout up as the trees gain leaves. What a perfect analogy that experience is for the Resurrection: the cold dark night has been conquered by the Rising Son! Happy Easter!

As I reflected on the scriptures these last days, I was struck by the non-violent and humble behavior of Jesus: He put an end to the violent reaction of His disciples at His arrest; He healed the man (an opponent) whose ear had been cut off; He stood humbly before Pilate; He shifted the focus of the weeping women from His own suffering to them and their families; He ministered to the thief at His side as He was dying; and, finally, He asked His Father to forgive those who were torturing Him. What an example of non-violence!

The message is clear: those who wish to live as did Jesus must be non-violent and forgiving, must be building up rather than tearing down. This is a message that our society needs to hear more than ever and we need to announce it by how we live.

As we celebrate this feast, let us renew our resolve to grow in our ability to live as Jesus did: humbly and non-violently. And let us support each other’s efforts with prayer.

-- Paul James Portland, SDS