Pastor's Weekly Message
second sunday of easter, 12 April 2026
My Beloved Fellow Saints-in-the-Making,
Greetings in Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord and Savior and the Fount of Mercy!
ALLELUIA! JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!
What a glorious day in our liturgical year! It is the Second Sunday of Easter in the Octave of Easter (the 8 days including and following Easter Sunday), which makes it the culmination of one long uninterrupted Easter Day, thereby giving us a hint of the unending Day of Eternity with the Father, Our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit!
Also, this Sunday marks the Feast of Divine Mercy, a Feast which Jesus Himself desired to be instituted and celebrated the Sunday after Easter. Let us remember, my very Dear Friends in Christ, that whenever Jesus appears to His disciples in the Gospels, He bears His Sacred Wounds to them. And they rejoice in seeing the Lord. Moreover, whenever Jesus appears to anyone since His Resurrection, including in our modern era, He bears His Sacred Wounds. They are the indelible mark of His Mercy, of the unfathomable depths of His Merciful Love. He will bear them throughout eternity as a sign of what Our Lord mercifully endured for our salvation. They are the visible sign of His Love.
Therefore you and I may have every confidence to fly into the open arms of Our Lord’s Mercy, even though we might have committed the worst of sins. Our Lord’s Mercy is endless, and He wills our salvation. Let us not be afraid to seek His Mercy and to say unceasingly: Jesus, I trust in You.
On another note: Due to the deadlines for parish bulletin submissions to the publisher before and after holy days like Easter, I write this Pastor’s Notes on Wednesday April 1 (No, that is not an April Fool’s joke). But I mention it, because last evening at the Chrism Mass, when the Bishop blessed the Oils for us in our parish’s Sacraments this year, He gave us some wonderfully good news, pertaining to James Kimmel, the first summer Seminarian our parish had hosted. The Bishop officially announced that James Kimmel will be ordained a Deacon on Saturday, May 9 at 11AM at the Church of the Holy Cross in Dover. This is James’ first step to becoming ordained as a Priest in 2027. Everyone is welcome to come to the Ordination Mass. Please join me in praying for James and in giving thanks to God for providing us with an exceptional gentleman with a servant’s heart for our Diocese. God be praised!
Know of my prayers for you and yours throughout this Easter Season.
ALLELUIA! JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!
God love you! I do.
Fr. Lewis