Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last week, we celebrated Easter Sunday. For the first time in two years, it felt like a normal celebration of Easter. We did not have to reserve spots for people to attend Mass. We were able to open our doors and welcome all who wanted to celebrate and worship the Easter Mysteries. It was a great sight to see.

Additionally, so many people in our community made it a special celebration contributing to the beautiful liturgies. I would like to thank some people for all their hard work. 

Environment Committee: Thank you for your long hours and generous sharing of your gifts. In a few short days, this group made our space ready for Holy Thursday, tore everything down for Good Friday, then came back to make the sanctuary ready for Easter. I speak for everyone, well done, and we appreciate you!

Community Commission: One of the things that I want St. Pius X to be known for is that we know how to have a party.  Community Commission knows how to throw one. Thank you for the wonderful reception provided for our new Catholics after the Easter Vigil. It was a late night, but it was complete with a great party!

Please don’t stop the Music: We are spoiled here at St. Pius X with a wonderful choir and Director of Music, Meghan Schaut.  From the Genesis reading to the communion reflection hymn “In the Breaking of the Bread,” the music continually lifted our hearts and minds to God’s wonder and beauty through our prayer and worship. We are so blessed!

Rosemary and the RCIA Team: All year this group has prepared our new Catholics for full initiation into the Church. The smiles, the joy, and the emotionally uplifting moments for these new Catholics during the Easter Vigil not only show how much this moment meant to them, it shows how much they’ve been formed and loved by Rosemary and the RCIA Team. Thank you all for teaching and handing on the faith to these wonderful people. 

Cheryl and Deacon Peter: The liturgy is complicated; especially when there are a lot of moving parts. I want to thank Cheryl for the countless hours and meticulous planning she put in to make these liturgies go without worry. As a priest, and celebrant of these liturgies, I can rest easy knowing that Cheryl is in the background to make sure that the small details won’t be missed. I also greatly appreciate Deacon Peter. It is a true gift for our parish to have him with us and to assist in the extra sacraments being celebrated throughout these weeks of Easter. Thank you both!

Jane and Monica: These two are wonderful. They both came in at extra times throughout last week and even on Good Friday to make things happen. Both have a gift for detail. Whether its Facebook posts, worship aides, or making sure we have a plan for the bread or rice bowls, both Jane and Monica have stepped up and helped tremendously. I am grateful for their extra efforts!

Kim and Bill: As I was departing a little after midnight following the Easter Vigil, there were Kim and Bill…vacuuming the church, cleaning the bathrooms, and preparing our space for the next morning. These few days are demanding, as there are several liturgies in a short amount of time. We want our parish to be clean and ready for the next Mass and Kim and Bill do a great job.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list.  There are many in this parish who served and made all these celebrations possible: the entire St. Pius X staff, the sacristans, lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and servers to name a few.  All this to say, Thank you!  Let us continue to celebrate Easter these next several weeks, grateful for our parish community and living into the Joy of the Resurrection. 

In Christ’s love and friendship,

Fr. Stephen