Happy Easter to All!

Easter Message from Father John: Saint Paul is most emphatic in teaching that all Christian faith stands or falls on the objective truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 15). Easter celebrates the fact that Christ who died on the cross and was sealed in the tomb rose from the dead. The resurrection validates who Jesus is (the divine Son of God) and the reality of our eternal redemption - sin, Satan, and death are defeated and we can look forward to eternal life in heaven. Since Jesus is risen we can know him personally in this life. He longs to enter each of our lives. As He says in the Book of Revelation (chapter 30:20), “I stand at the door and knock”. Easter is that special time of year when we are again invited, encouraged, and urged to begin or renew a serious and committed relationship with the Lord and to nourish and strengthen that relationship with prayer and worship, study of our faith, and loving and compassionate service of those in need. Christianity, then, is not a philosophy of life but the way to enter loving friendship with God through Jesus Christ.  It is a way of life to be lived. It is a vocation or call to bring the love of Christ and the Word of God to others. If you are baptized and confirmed, God has given you this responsibility and mission. Where do we receive the power and grace to do this? It is the Mass or the Eucharist that is the “source and summit” of our Christian life. As we are faithful to the weekly celebration of the Eucharist, we are continually formed by the Word of God, nourished by the true Body and Blood of Christ, and joined together in a community of prayer and worship to offer thanksgiving to God. Did you know that one of the first things Jesus did after rising from the dead was to celebrate Mass?  Read Luke 24:13 and following. The risen Jesus becomes present to two disciples who were very discouraged.  He opens to them the meaning of the scriptures.  He gathers with them around a table and they recognize Him in the “breaking of bread”. The two disciples are renewed in faith and are able to proclaim the truth of the resurrection. This is what Jesus does for us at every Mass. He becomes present as we gather. He opens our minds and hearts to the meaning of the scripture for our lives. He becomes intensely present as the bread and wine are changed into His Body and Blood. He is our food in Holy Communion. If we but give ourselves to God each week at Mass, we are strengthened in our faith as we continue and one day complete our earthly journey and are welcomed into God’s eternal Kingdom. I wish each of you and your loved ones a very happy and holy Easter Season. I ask you to make Jesus Christ and the weekly celebration of the Eucharist the very center of your lives.                Father John

Click the picture to the left to watch a video replay of the Ordination Mass.

People Kneel in Prayer and Song while Notre Dame de Paris is in Flames.

Click the picture to watch!                                                                        

What is the "New Evangelization"?

     Ste. Anne Chapel

The chapel of Ste. Anne Church is open each day for quiet prayer and reflection from 8:00a.m. until 5:00p.m.  (On Saturdays the chapel closes after the 4:00p.m. Mass.)  Enter through the courtyard on Jefferson Avenue.  Come and spend time in prayer with Jesus.         

VIDEO OF THE MONTH   

Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?   

Watch it on the Formed Website  - Instructions Below

If Christ has not been raised, said the Apostle Paul, then Christian Faith is in vain. The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is not an incidental or minor aspect of Christianity. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity is certainly false.

Skeptics have long tried to show that there was no Resurrection. Today, there has been a resurgence of attacks on this central truth of Christianity. Some people claim that the followers of Jesus fabricated the Resurrection. Others argue that the disciples hallucinated or had a “vision” of their dead master, which they confused with a truly risen Jesus. Others still suggest that the Resurrection was a myth or that the Apostles may have seen a spirit or witnessed a “spiritual resurrection” that had nothing to do with an empty tomb and the transformation of Jesus’s dead body. Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? carefully scrutinizes the historical evidence. Rather than accept Christian belief blindly, top scholars, and biblical historians critically examine alternative explanations. In the end, they show why it is a matter of sound reason as well as faith to affirm what the early Church proclaimed: Jesus is risen.

A fascinating, fast-paced, exciting exploration of Jesus’s fate, Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? shows how Jesus’s Resurrection has consequences for every one of us.

Featuring: Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J., Johnnette Benkovic, Craig Blomberg, Ph.D., Craig Evans, Ph.D., Tim Gray, Ph.D., Gary Habermas, Ph.D., Edward Sri, Ph.D., Roy Schoeman, Father Ronald Tacelli, S.J., Ben Witherington III, Ph.D.

AUDIO OF THE MONTH 

The Necessity of Divine Mercy 

Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, reveals the urgency to live and share the powerful message of Divine Mercy. He explains the basics of the Divine Mercy feast, image, novena, chaplet, and hour of mercy, and how to incorporate them into your spiritual life. Discover God’s transformative message of Divine Mercy.