Dear Parishioners and Friends in Christ,
Happy Easter to you all in this most joyful season of Christ’s victory over sin and death!
Together, let us express our gratitude to all those who assisted in making our Lenten, Holy Week, and Easter Liturgies so meaningful and beautiful. Thanks, especially, to our Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Greeters, Collectors, Music Ministers, Sacristan/Servers, the fellowship members who transported the flowers to the upper church, and the team of volunteers who decorated so beautifully and reverently the worship spaces. A special word of thanks to the Faith Formation teachers and students for leading the Children’s Way of the Cross, and for assembling the Easter gift bags for the children of the parish. The simple dinner of soup and bread, provided by the Maki Family to those who attended the Children’s Way of the Cross, reminded us of our Lenten sacrifice to God’s poor children.
Most of all, I thank you, the parish community of St. Joseph, as well as those visitors who join us frequently and support our good efforts here in Lincoln. Your active participation and increased attendance during the Lenten Masses, Stations of the Cross, the Triduum, and Easter Sunday Masses was truly inspiring! I was particularly pleased to see a 20% increase in attendance this year for the Triduum and Easter Masses, and so many of our children and young people accompanying their parents to all the liturgies.
May this Easter Season fill you with abundant joy, renewed hope, and a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. May we all experience the Peace of the Risen Lord Jesus in our relationships with God, with one another, and in our own hearts. “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!”
With prayerful best wishes,
Fr. John Mahoney