In our secular culture we celebrate holidays in advance or only on the day itself, but as soon as the holiday passes we move on to other things. The Church takes quite a different approach. We prepare for major feasts in a subdued fashion, but then the celebration of the feast itself is prolonged over a period of time. The more important the feast, the longer the celebration. Thus Easter, our most important observance, is celebrated for 50 days, longer than any other feast in the calendar. The Great Fifty Days, as it is sometimes called, is observed as a single feast, although it is punctuated by specific celebrations that stretch from Easter Sunday through Pentecost Sunday.

During the Easter season the Church places before us Scriptures which talk about the new life of the Risen Lord that we experience in the sacraments of Christian Initiation. Just as Lent is initiatory in character, so is the Easter season as well. The RCIA terms this time the Period of Post-Baptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy. During this time those who received Easter sacraments are to be instructed on the deeper meaning of what they received at the Easter Vigil.  Although the catechesis is ostensibly directed to the newly initiated, in fact this is an annual “refresher course” for the entire assembly regarding the meaning of their life as baptized disciples of the Risen One.

The Easter season is also a most fitting time for the conferral of Sacraments of Initiation on those who are already baptized into the Catholic church as infants. We congratulate the children who will received their First Holy Communion this Saturday at 10:00am and pray that they may always have a deep abiding appreciation of this holy sacra-ment.

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be administered by the Most Rev. Michael G. Woost, Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland, at 7:00pm on Thursday, May 18th. We extend our prayerful best wishes that they may put to good use the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit they will re-ceive.  It is important that we keep in our prayers those who receive these sacraments as well as those who are assisting our young people by preparing them. May the good example we give to these young men and women be the inspiration for them to live fully the life of faith they are entering more deeply through the sacraments they are receiving.

I received some alarming news from the PRO-Life Movement. It seems that those who are looking to promote abortion are seeking passage of legislation that would permit abortion for all 9 months of a pregnancy for any reason on demand, as well as eliminate all require-ments for parental consent for minors.

Proponents for this legislation are gathering signatures at places where parents are known to gather such as sports venues, libraries, supermarkets & other places to get this legislation on the floor to be voted on & signed into law. ON BEHALF OF THE UNBORN CHILDREN AND YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS THAT ARE AT STAKE, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN THESE PETITIONS!! As Catholic Christians we have an obligation to protect human life from conception to natural death. Just because we don’t see the child doesn’t mean he or she in not a person. They are made in God’s im-age and likeness and therefore deserve our respect and care.  Please keep this in mind and pray for the safeguarding of all human life.