I hope you all celebrated a wonderful Easter last Sunday with your loved ones, and are enjoying the Maple Festival this week! We still have 6 more weeks of Easter remaining until the conclusion of Pentecost, so there's plenty of time to rejoice in the gift of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead and our redemption in Him.

Divine Mercy Sunday
Today we celebrate the Resurrection in a very special way with Divine Mercy Sunday, the eighth day of the Easter season. The 'eighth day' is an important date in the cycle of liturgical time. Much like we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries on a regularly recurring basis (every 365 days), our Church celebrates the Resurrection every eight days on Sunday, which is why our Church speaks of an obligation to come to Mass on Sundays and Vigils (could you imagine missing the birthday or anniversary of the person whom you love most and who loves you most? Unthinkable!).

There are 51 'Octaves of Easter' (or let's call them 'mini-Easters'), and one BIG Easter (Easter Sunday) each year. Today's feast of Divine Mercy is the first 'Octave' (or the 'eighth day') after Easter Sunday, which holds special graces of pardon from sin for those who have gone to confession in the past few weeks (anytime in Lent) and who receive communion in the state of grace, trusting in the mercy of Jesus. If you haven't been to confession for many months or years, I encourage you to do so this Easter season so that you receive the fullness of His Divine Mercy!

Prayers for Confirmandi
Please say a special prayer for our confirmandi as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Monday at St. Mary Parish. Bishop Malesic will celebrate the Sacrament for them. We are blessed to have him with us! Our confirmandi are eager to receive this Sacrament of Initiation. I am proud of them and excited to see how the Lord's Spirit will work through them in our midst. Thank you to their parents, sponsors, and catechists who formed them for this day, and who will continue to witness to Christ's Spirit in their lives.

Listening Session Fourth Theme: Participation
I am eager to continue sharing with you the fruits of our November Listening Sessions. This week we reflect on the fourth and final main theme that was highlighted, Participation, with its sub-themes of collaboration, leadership, and outreach. The number in parentheses corresponds to the number of times that particular sub-theme was mentioned in parishioner comments.

• Collaboration: The people of St. Patrick voiced the need and the benefit of working together with leadership, with one another, and with those beyond their own parish to accomplish good things for building up the kingdom of God. (13)
• Leadership: The vitality and energy of the pastor is desired to inspire in parishioners a fresh vibrancy and enthusiasm for activity! (10)
• Outreach: When people recognize the gifts they have received from God, they cannot help but grow in their desire to gift themselves to others. (15)

We are at our best when we are not in isolation but rather are engaged in social interactions: encouraging one another, helping those in need, and working together to better ourselves and the world around us. While recognizing this need to share ourselves and knowing each of us to be made in the image of God, we find that parish life provides the greatest opportunity to live out this vocation of self-donation for the good of the world. Not only does giving ourselves away benefit others, but we also thrive in the very act of giving. During the Second Vatican Council, the Church recognized this human need and its incredible outcome when it stated, “through his dealings with others, through reciprocal duties, and through fraternal dialogue [man] develops all his gifts and is able to rise to his destiny” (Gaudium et Spes, 1963).

The results of the November Listening Sessions show evidence of the finding of humanity’s desire to give of themselves and to work with one another in building up God’s kingdom. In fact, a great deal of enthusiasm was expressed in working alongside the pastor, supporting his efforts, and increasing involvement in parish ministries as well as reaching out into the community to be of service to those in need.

I encourage you pray with these themes, and visit https://stpatrickthompson.org/participation to read through the individual comments expressed at the listening session.