He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

Apr 5

Letter from the Pastor
Second Sunday of Easter Sunday of Divine Mercy
April 7, 2024

He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

Around 5 PM on Holy Thursday afternoon, as I was preparing myself for the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, I received a phone call from Joe Hummel, the chair of our Facilities Committee. Joe very calmly told me that the engineers who are reviewing the integrity of our 7 buildings reported that the structural beam below the doors that are between the nave and the front lobby of the Brant Beach church is compromised and strongly suggest that we close off the last three pews of the church. The week prior we closed off the balcony, at their suggestion, to decrease any additional weight on the beam. The engineers did say that the possibility of something happening was minimal but they suggested that we err on the side of caution. Joe and I agreed. We also learned that the beam under what was the stage in the Church hall is also compromised. The Facilities Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 3rd, was after this letter was submitted. I will share the updates in next weekend’s bulletin.

Despite that news I did go on to preside at the 7:30 PM Mass of the Lord’s Supper and begin the three fold celebration of the Church’s Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. This unified celebration spanning three days emphasizes that this is the apex of our liturgical celebrations. Our celebration of the Resurrection is rooted in the Passover meal, which includes the washing of the feet, and the crucifixion. The comments I heard from parishioners as well as the pastoral staff support my own opinion that our Triduum and Easter Sunday Masses were incredibly moving, prayerful, inspiring, and simply put, beautiful. These rituals are quite unique with specific details that can be easily missed, forgotten, or overlooked. I don’t think we missed one! I offer my thanks to the many people who made it all happen but I must first offer my deep and sincere thanks to Michele Beck, our Director of Liturgy and Music. The beauty of these liturgies, and all of our liturgies, is because of the great amount of time and effort Michele dedicates to St. Francis Parish and our liturgical life. We all owe her our thanks and gratitude for all that she does for us. Thank you Michele. In your very own and special way you are a great evangelist.

My deep thanks is also offered to Tina Kelsall. She was the Master of Ceremonies during our Triduum and was always ready to aid and assist Michele throughout all of the preparations. Tina, also continues to create such a magnificent space in our church (es) to set the atmosphere that allows all of us to enter into good worship from the moment we walk into the building. She demonstrated her great talent when she had to recreate something different almost every day last week. Tina’s dedication of her time and talent is so greatly appreciated. Thank you Tina.

Thank you to both our Adult Choir and our Youth Choir. Your musicality was not only beautiful but it helped lead all of us into a deeper sense of prayer during these Easter celebrations. To all of our cantors and the different soloist woven throughout all of our liturgies you were all spectacular. Thank you all!

Thank you also to Neil Brown, our incredible organist. It is always a pleasure to listen to you play! Thank you Ray Bohn, our fascinating instrumentalist. I am not sure what instrument Ray does NOT play but he plays them all so well! We are blessed to have the both of you share your love of music with us every week. Thank you also to Andrew Wright on percussion, Dolores Dillon, on viola, and Ann Kirby, on oboe. Your addition to our music ensemble added even more depth to the wonderful and “joyful noise unto the Lord.” [Ps .98] Thank you!

Thank you to Owen and Liam Trombly, Cooper and Jeremiah Powell, Aaron Carpinteyro, Matt Ominski, and Tommy Rears who served our Triduum and or Easter Masses. All of you added to the beauty and prayerfulness of our liturgies. Thank you all!!

Thank you to all of our Eucharistic Ministers, Coordinators, Transfers, Lectors, and Ushers. Thank you to our “extras” who also helped during our services, Don Essig, Javier Carpinteyro, Pat Denney, and Andrew Beck. Thanks also to our online coordinator, Johnathan Beck. And thanks to Ellen Lang and Bill Malone who set up the Sunrise Mass on the 3rd Street beach. We are many part, but we are all one body. [1 Corinthians 12:20] We could not have done it without any of you. Thank you! Thank you!

Thank you to my brothers, Andrew, Scott, John, and Kevin, and to our Sr. Pat, Deacon Bob Cunningham, Judith Clayton, and Amy Marks for all of your continued support, prayerfulness, and leadership.

Finally, thank you to all of you for your great faith, your spirit of good will, and your desire to want to know and love Jesus even more. He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

May God bless all of us with the grace of renewal in the life that has no end.