In the Gospel of John today, we encounter Mary of Magdala going to the tomb of Jesus, finding it empty, and then running to tell the disciples. So eager was her desire to be in the presence of Christ’s dead body once again that she broke away from the group of holy women and arrived on her own before even the rising sun had shed its light upon her. Peter and an unidentified disciple, almost certainly John, get to the tomb. Peter goes in and sees that the body is not there. There is no comment about the faith of Peter. The other disciple, probably John, goes in and the Gospel says this: Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
As with the disciples, this faith must become our own and it must become so powerful that we act out our declaration: Christ is risen! We know from the Scriptures that faith may not take away all our defects or even keep us from all sin, but it does show us the path on which we are to walk: complete trust in the Lord Jesus and a faithful following of His teachings. Christ is risen! Let us proclaim and act towards each other and the world in a way that leads our neighbors and families toward Him into the Kingdom.
PASTORAL PLAN In July of 2021, The Pastoral Council, The Finance Council and the Parish Staff met to discuss putting together a pastoral plan for the parish to help us to give Glory to God, not only now, but for years to come. A Planning Committee was established with the following members: Fr. Mike Ackerman, Fr. Jim Chepponis, Santino Buzzi, Denise DeCapria, Linda Hippert, Colleen Pauley, Nancy Rees, Joe Schuck, Julie Seavy, Jil Tauch, and Dale Porter. Seminarian John and I are also present at the meetings. We are now at the point when we are seeking parishioner input. This will occur in three ways: 1.) a parish wide survey described below; 2.) meetings with the parish ministries and organizations; 3.) Town Hall listening sessions. After we have everyone’s input a plan will be developed to help make our parish more vibrant and a way for the Faithful to deepen their relationship with the Lord.
Resurrection Parish will be participating in a parish survey about discipleship conducted by the Catholic Leadership Institute! The survey will also be used to guide the Pastoral Plan for Resurrection Parish. We need your help!
Please help us by participating in a 10-15 minute survey online. The survey can be accessed through an online link from Sunday, April 17th through Sunday, May 8th and will ask you to reflect on your own spiritual growth and enable you to provide feedback on our parish’s efforts to help you grow. All responses will be confidential, and the parish will only receive information about the community as whole. The online link is available beginning April 17th at https://portal.catholicleaders.org/d/yccyay. You may also scan this QR code to go directly to the survey:
We are trying to get the highest response rate possible. This information will be invaluable to Bishop Mark, the staff, parish leaders and our various ministries as we plan and strive to be the best disciples and Resurrection Parish we can be. We will receive the results this spring/summer at which time we will share what we have learned with the entire parish.
If you prefer a paper copy, you may pick one up after daily and Sunday Masses. They will be in the vestibules or in both Parish offices. To submit the completed paper survey, please drop off in the Parish office or to an usher at weekend masses. To make special arrangements for getting a paper copy, please contact Colleen Pauley at 412-833-0031. Thank you for helping with this important project!