Fifth Sunday of Easter

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, it’s hard to believe that we are celebrating the
5th Sunday of Easter and this is the final weekend in the
month of April. It is also hard to live by Jesus’ new commandment:
LOVE ONE ANOTHER. In a world that seems
to be marked more and more by intolerance and suspicion,
following this command can seem to be extraordinarily difficult.
Let us continue to pray to our loving God to inspire our
hearts with a deep abiding love for everyone in the world.

Today marks the end of our Faith Formation year 2012-2013.
I would like to thank the following for volunteering their time
to form our children in the Faith: Jo Hartzell (K), Tina, Mary
and Michelle Burns (1), Jane, Connor and Michael Mondock
(2), Marie, Joe, Joseph and Michael Nemetz (3), Kathie
Brown and Amber Raimondo (4), Jeannie Savisky (5), Sylvia
Madill (6), Jennifer Selesky and Dawn Tedrow (7-12),
McGee Wills, Terri Bailey, Karen/Tim Iverson (Sunday
Morning Children’s Liturgy of the Word) and the Coordinator
of Faith Formation, John Zombar. Thank You All, for a Job
Well Done!!

The month of May begins on Wednesday the feast of Saint
Joseph the Worker. That day is also my parents, Jim and
Margaret Berkey, 65th Wedding Anniversary. Unfortunately
they are not able to attend Mass here at Holy Cross, so I ask
you to join with me in praying for them and all who are celebrating
Wedding Anniversaries at this time of the year.
Friday is the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles. It is
on this day that all priests from the Diocese of Greensburg
have a mandatory meeting with Bishop Brandt. Please pray
for us!

The First Growing in Your Catholic Faith session this past
Monday went well. There were 17 of us who discussed the
Papal Document, Peace on Earth. Please make plans to
attend the May session, The Four Faces of Jesus, on Monday,
May 20. Live in Love, Grow in Faith!

This week’s psalm response, I will praise your name forever,
my King and my God, reminds us to take time each
day to praise the Lord!

LET’S GO PENS!

Fr. Bill
Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time….

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd
Sunday. The image of Jesus the Good Shepherd reminds us
just how much we are loved by the Lord. It is also a day to pray for
priestly and religious vocations, as we celebrate World Day of
Prayer for Vocations. The Church of Greensburg will be blessed
with 3 new priests on June 1, 2013: Tyler Bandura, Matthew
Morelli and Daniel Ulishney. Pray for them and for all people discerning
God’s call in their lives.

Monday is Earth Day. Folksinger Tom Paxton wrote these lyrics
for the first Earth Day 43 years ago. “Whose garden was this? / It
must have been lovely. / Did it have flowers? / I’ve seen pictures of
flowers, / And I’d love to have smelled one. / Ah! Tell me again, I
need to know: / The forest had trees, the meadows were green, /
The oceans were blue and birds really flew, / Can you swear that
was true?” Do these times and names, made popular by John Denver,
sound merely nostalgic? So the words sound simplistic? Sentimental?
Old-fashioned? On the contrary, they are as urgent as
“love one another.” “love your neighbor as yourself,” and “follow
me.”

Thursday is the Feast of Saint Mark. He is the author of the earliest
and shortest gospel account in the Bible. Like him, may we find
new ways to proclaim the good news and share Jesus’ story with
others.

In the wake of this week’s bombing at the finish line at the Boston
Marathon, the city’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley OFM shared the following
words: “ in the midst of the darkness of this tragedy we turn
to the light of Jesus Christ , the light that was evident in the lives of
people who immediately turned to help those in need. We stand in
solidarity in our commitment to witness the greater power of good
in our society and to work together for healing.” This growing
culture of violence in our world and even in our country calls for
both wise security measures by government officials and an examination
by all of us to see what we can personally do to enhance
peace and respect for one another in our world. Our Lady of
Mercy, Pray for us.  This week’s psalm response, We are God’s people, the sheep of
God’s flock, reminds us who and whose we are.

LET’S GO PENS!

Fr. Bill
Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time….

Third Sunday of Easter

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, Saint Therese of Lisieux once said “I just wonder
what I am to do when Easter Day dawns and I’m not able to sing
‘Alleluia’ because I really don’t feel the joy of Easter. Oh, for sure
in some ways I’m glad that Lent is over and that the season of
spring has arrived; I am not always, however, in an Alleluia frame
of mind or heart at this time of the year. For that’s what it’s all
about, isn’t it? I want to feel the joy of Easter and sing ‘Alleluia.’
I really want to mean that with all my heart.”

As we journey through the 3rd week of Easter we ask ourselves if
we still have Easter Joy? Easter is a long season with a very important
message. As we listen to today’s Gospel we speculate why
153 fish? Some say that 153 as the number of known fish species
while others think it was the number of counties known to exist.
So, one way to look at today’s celebration is to see it as an invitation
to spread the Good News to the whole known world. This is
part of our mission to evangelize.

Spring is beginning to take full bloom. One of the most beautiful
flowering trees is the Dogwood Tree. The legend of the Dogwood
Tree is this: In Jesus’ time, the dogwood grew to a stately size and
a lovely hue. Twas strong and firm its branches interwoven For the
cross of Christ its timers were chosen. See the distress at this use
of their wood. Christ made a promise which still holds good:
“Never again shall the dogwood grow Large enough to be used so.
Slender and twisted it shall be with blossoms like the cross for all
to see. As blood stains the petals marked in the brown the blossom’s
center wears a thorny crown. All who see it will remember
ME. Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree. Cherished and
protected, this tree shall be a reminder to all of my agony. Author
Unknown. So, when you see the Dogwood Tree bloom this spring
take a good look and be thankful for the Cross that Set us Free!

A special Thank You to All who have given to the DLA. As you
can see in today's bulletin we are inching closer to our goal. God
Bless You!

This week’s psalm response, I will praise you Lord, for you
have rescued me, reminds us that the Lord will change our mourning
into dancing!

LET’S GO PENS!

Fr. Bill
Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time….

The Second Sunday of Easter

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, HAPPY EASTER! Our Easter celebration continues
today and for the six more weeks as we unpack the
meaning of Jesus Christ’s resurrection in our lives today.
Thomas had to see to believe. What do you believe about the
Resurrection? We are to believe that God is here! “Do not
be afraid” is a common opening line when the divine makes
an appearance in scripture. From that face we can infer that
the humans who come face to face with glory are usually
scared half to death! However, God’s visitations are not intended
to cause fear. Rather they reveal an important truth:
that God is, was, and always will be with us. Bolstered by
that knowledge, we may accept whatever hard task presents
itself with courage and the joy of knowing we are not alone.

Monday April 8 is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the
Lord, and Mary has a messenger for you! Mary’s response to
the startling news announced by God’s messenger Gabriel is
a very human one – a mix of awe and shock. It’s a safe bet
that that was not the outcome she imagined for herself as she
grew up and became engaged to Joseph. Yet, despite what
surely was fear and apprehension, Mary chose to say “yes” to
God’s invitation. Mary can be your inspiration for also participating
in God’s work in the world even when fear holds
you back and doubt threatens to paralyze you. Just as Gabriel
came to Mary, Mary comes to you with the message that with
a simple “thou will be done”. You, too, can bring healing,
hope and peace into the world.

On May 5 our Parish will celebrate First Holy Communion
with 29 of our young people. Please keep them in prayer during
this final month of preparation. You can find a list of
their names on the message boards in church.
This week’s psalm response, Give thanks to the Lord,
whose love endures forever, reminds us to be grateful for
God’s love and mercy.

LET’S GO PENS!

Fr. Bill
Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time….

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, HAPPY EASTER! May the faith and hope given on
that first Easter morning strengthen, uplift and inspire our daily
lives that we may truly live the meaning of Resurrection!

A study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that
79 percent of Americans believe in miracles. This belief spans generations;
young people are just as likely to believe in miracles as
older Americans. How hard would it have been for the disciples to
believe in the resurrection of Jesus? They saw his miraculous powers
firsthand. But Saint John tells us that the disciples did not yet
understand that Jesus had to rise from the dead. The news from
Mary Magdalene came as a shock. The empty tomb was soon confirmed
by Peter and the other disciple. The resurrection is a mystery
we must grasp personally. Without Easter faith, we would not
be with the community today proclaiming, “ALLELUIA!”
A special THANKS to those who participated in the many Lenten
activities. I hope your Lenten journey was a life fulfilling experience.
Special THANKS to all who helped build the garden for
Holy Thursday and decorate the church for Easter, GOD BLESS
YOU ALL!

Congratulations to those who celebrated the Sacraments of Initiation
at the Easter Vigil: Nyla and Geone Barlow, Crystal and
Sebastian Colinear, Christianna and Christopher Deaner, Abigail
and Zachary Farlow, Enrico and Helen Mucci and Janine Peterson.
God Bless You!

Monday we begin the month of April. The word April means “to
open.” This is the time of year that leaf and flower buds open, a
time of transformation. The day is now longer than the night. Even
if the nights are still chilly, the daytime sun is strong and growing
stronger. The earth itself seems to take part in the Passover of the
Lord. Think Spring and Let’s Go Bucs

“We are Easter People and Alleluia is our song” (St. Augustine).
Let us pray and live this week’s psalm response, This is the day
that the Lord has made, Alleluia! With great joy!

LET’S GO PENS!
Fr. Bill

Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time….