Sunday Liturgy
Saturday: 5:00 pm
Sunday: 11:00 am
Mission Statement
We are a welcoming Christian community called to embrace and respect the uniqueness of each individual as we join together in our faith and worship. Our ongoing mission is to engage our youth, promote renewal, out reach, evangelization and ecumenical cooperation.
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Monday, April 28th – 9:00 am Joseph Kane
Tuesday, April 29th – 9:00 am Veniene Regenbogan
Wednesday, April 30th – 9:00 am No Mass
Wednesday, April 30th – 7:00 pm Confirmation – Holy Redeemer
Thursday, May 1st – 9:00 am Patsy Conway
Friday, May 2nd – 9:00 am First Friday – Patricia Gionet
Saturday, May 3rd – 5:00 pm Joanne & Ernest LeBlanc
Sunday, May 4th – 11:00 am Roy H. Lord
Weekly Reflections (Homily) from Msgr. Sheehan (Updated April 25, 2025)
SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
Dear friends;
We are a week away from Easter… we are in the octave of Easter… our celebrations are still familiar to us… the new light, the Easter water… the new life of Baptism… the first invitation to the table of the newly baptized…
The Church continues its celebration… it deepens the meaning of resurrection… it highlights what resurrection brings… it focuses on what Jesus the risen Lord offers…
The risen Lord offers… peace, forgiveness, the Spirit… communion, community…
The risen Lord offers something to one man… a sign as to what he wants to offer all of us… faith in the midst of doubt…
What a community the Church is… men and women – who are children of God… trying to love God and obeying his commandments… and the commandment of Jesus is quite simple: “A new commandment I give you: -- “love one another as I have loved you…”…”this is my commandment.” (John 15)
The disciples would remember his word of commandment… but the action of Jesus would be more fresh… more recent…
To love as he loves… would mean… laying down one’s life… giving oneself completely… even unto death… they would remembers his word – “That there was no greater love than laying down one’s life for one’s friends…” the example of which would be fresh in their minds… they knew that he had done it…
And the one who had done it… stood among them… alive… and they were in fear… they were in doubt… and they were anxious… and they were uncertain…
So the first thing he said to this little frightened band – was – “Peace be with you.”
How they needed peace!... and how we need peace!... we pray at every Mass, “give us your peace”… “Grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom…” “Grant us peace in our day… protect us from all anxiety…”
Then he gave them the Spirit… the Spirit of power, and strength… to overcome, not to go under, never to be defeated… ever… yet a gentle Spirit, a humble spirit… but above all… a Spirit of forgiveness…
“A forgiving heart, create in me O Lord”… in a world where there is so much hatred, and hostility, and vengeance… meanness and stubbornness… He gave them power to be forgivers… and to lead others to forgiveness.
We pray for forgiveness… it is enshrined in his prayer… his very own prayer… that he taught…: “forgive us our trespasses…” …another prayer that we say at every Mass… “look not on our sins…” …“free us from all our sins”…
Then he singled out one man… a man who is so much like us… a doubter… a weak man in faith… a man who struggles with his beliefs….but he takes them seriously… he cannot cavalierly believe… he can’t go with the crowd… just to go with the crowd… he must follow his doubts… his questioning… he is a searcher…
He is an honest man… he was being like Peter… he was being like Zaccheus… they stand out… they’re not wishy-washy… they know how to defend themselves and their behaviour…
It took a week for Jesus to come back… everything was the same… the doors were locked… but this time… the man who couldn’t yet come to belief was there…
And Jesus spoke to him… and invited him… “place your finger here… reach out your hand…”
And Thomas the doubter… moved from doubt to belief… at the sight and word of the Lord…
It was one more raising of those invited with Jesus… Peter, the coward… proclaimed with boldness… Mary of Magdala, woman of ill repute, outcast, became the Apostle with the message of salvation – announcing, that He was risen… sent by the Lord…
And Thomas, the one weak in faith, is raised to be the first proclaimer of the great Christological statement of the early Church – regarding Jesus the Christ… so much so… that still on the lips of the faithful… centuries later when the host is raised… we still hear… uttered in praise and thanksgiving… the words first uttered by Thomas… “My Lord and My God.”
All was being transformed… all was being changed… not only had something happened to Jesus… something was happening to them… and something is still happening with us… his Church… the community of believers… reborn again in Him – the risen Lord.
AMEN.