April 18, 2004
Oh What a Week!
Cleaning
Up
Most parishioners don’t get to see the behind the scenes preparations
for our Holy Week Celebrations. But it’s sort of like a party
at your house -- you look all over the place to see where you last left
the punch bowl or the large coffee pot, etc. (stuff you don’t
use every day). We realized that we had put a lot of stuff away last
year so “safely” that we spent hours looking for it this
year. And the AFTER-EASTER time also looks like your house after a party
-- lots of things need to be packed away and reorganized.
So...would you like to help us out behind the scenes? Why not come over
with your family or friends to help out on our church
re-organizing day on Friday, April 23rd from 4pm on.
At
College?
At St. Brigid’s we like to stay in touch through
e-mail “letters from home.”
Once a person has an e-mail address at school (or if he/she uses a personal
address), please let us know what it is so we can include them when
we write.
Here's a handy college link so you
can send this info online.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
April 11: Easter Life!
April 4: Palms & Passion
March 28: Plenty Good Room
March 21: More Passion
March 14: Reconciliation
March 7: A sequel from Mel?
Feb 29: Come to
Life!
Feb 22:
An Adventure to Life
Feb15: A rose
by another name?
Feb 8: If at first...
Feb 1: Our Patron Saint
Jan 25:A View From Inside
Jan 18: Our School
Jan 11: Baptism with Fire
Colums from 2003
Columns from 2002
We
just came out of a Holy Week that leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind
that Jesus us alive and our parish is alive! More people than ever participated
in the celebrations of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter
Vigil and the Masses on Easter Sunday. The sense of unity and peace could
be felt -- even in the midst of all that was troubling us that week...Iraq...people
who were very ill....people who died that week....our own personal struggles.
So I want to say “thank you”
to all who made music, who decorated, who cleaned, who prepared the prayers,
who planted the flowers, who carried crosses, who read readings and gave
witness talks, who ushered and greeted, who served at the altar, who served
communion, who came to practices, who folded and printed booklets, who
took photos or worked our new video system, who made costumes, who bought
supplies, who donated things we needed, who gave of their talent, who
gave of their time, who made holy fire and holy smoke, who ironed and
nailed, and swept and who gave us cause to be full of laughter and full
of tears.
We also rejoice in the eight who
were joined to us through the Easter Sacraments at the vigil. Welcome
Nancy, Serge, Alexander, Joan, Jean, Stacy, Guererro and Alexandra. Your
willingness to join our Catholic Church community was inspiring to all
of us.
But Easter and our initiation sacraments
aren’t over. This Monday, Bishop John Dunne will be here to confirm
240 of our young people. Then over the next month, we’ll be celebrating
first communion with so many of our families. Suggestion: If you notice
that folks up your block have a communion or confirmation sign (or balloons,
etc.) in front of their house, why not drop off a little note saying that
you congratulate them for celebrating this new beginning in their life?
Tell them that you are praying for them.
Let’s keep the celebration
of God’s new life going for these next 50 days! St Brigid’s
a place where people can “come to life!”
You are Person
