March 31, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy Easter! Thank you for joining us on this special day! The traditional greeting of Christians during this season is “Christ has risen!” followed by “He has truly risen!” Today we celebrate the greatest Feast for us as Christians when we remember that God loved us so much that not only was he born at Christmas, but more importantly he died and rose again. He has conquered death, once for all, giving us the promise of eternal life. He has filled us with his never-ending love, joy and hope. At the Easter Vigil we heard, “This is the night, when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld. Our birth would have been no gain, had we not been redeemed. O wonder of your humble care for us! O love, O charity beyond all telling, to ransom a slave you gave away your Son! O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! … The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.”

If you don’t find yourself filled with this love, joy and hope throughout the year, I invite you to take advantage of the many opportunities for prayer, study of Scripture, and formation to receive the sacraments so you can feel His love more deeply. The more we live united with the Lord, regularly attending Mass, receiving His forgiveness in the sacrament of penance/confession, we find that the challenges of this world do not rob us of our joy or peace. I hope that you consider allowing Jesus to fill you with His love through the ministries listed in this bulletin.

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer

March 31, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy Easter! Thank you for joining us on this special day! The traditional greeting of Christians during this season is “Christ has risen!” followed by “He has truly risen!” Today we celebrate the greatest Feast for us as Christians when we remember that God loved us so much that not only was he born at Christmas, but more importantly he died and rose again. He has conquered death, once for all, giving us the promise of eternal life. He has filled us with his never-ending love, joy and hope. At the Easter Vigil we heard, “This is the night, when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld. Our birth would have been no gain, had we not been redeemed. O wonder of your humble care for us! O love, O charity beyond all telling, to ransom a slave you gave away your Son! O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! … The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.”

If you don’t find yourself filled with this love, joy and hope throughout the year, I invite you to take advantage of the many opportunities for prayer, study of Scripture, and formation to receive the sacraments so you can feel His love more deeply. The more we live united with the Lord, regularly attending Mass, receiving His forgiveness in the sacrament of penance/confession, we find that the challenges of this world do not rob us of our joy or peace. I hope that you consider allowing Jesus to fill you with His love through the ministries listed in this bulletin.

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer

March 24, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we begin Holy Week, I invite you to fully enter into this time by attending our liturgies so that the Lord may fill you with the many blessings waiting for those who journey with Him. This weekend we celebrate the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and then quickly find the rejoicing of the crowds turning somber as we hear of the Lord’s passion, crying out in the Psalm, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.”

Thursday evening, we are allowed to be present at the Last Supper when the Lord gives us the great gift of His very Body and Blood. After the Last Supper, he asked the Apostles to “stay awake and pray” as He experienced the agony in the Garden. The Apostles fell asleep, but we are invited to remain with Jesus in prayer offering a small consolation to Him who has so frequently consoled us.

On Friday, we stand at the foot of the Cross with the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John. The Lord freely chooses to suffer and die so that He can pay the punishment for our sins. I encourage you not to work or go to school that day. Not playing video games or binging Netflix, but to quietly and reflectively stand at the foot of the cross and experience the sadness, helplessness and despair of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she watches her son brutally killed.

Holy Saturday we have the greatest Mass of the Year. Moving from the darkness of Friday’s death, led by the light of the paschal candle (just as God guided the Israelites by a pillar of fire to the promised land) into the Church to hear the good news of the Resurrection. Filled with Easter joy we see the fruits of the resurrection’s promise of eternal life manifested in those who will be baptized that night.

I look forward to seeing you throughout this week.

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer