Bulletin for the Week of April 12, 2009

Mission Intention for April
That the Lord may bless farmers with abundant harvest and bring to the attention of richer populations the plight of hunger in the world.
CAMP GUGGENHEIM AND SPORTS CAMP: Brochures and application forms for Camp Guggenheim and SportsCamp are available at the entrance to the church or online at www.CatholicCamps.org or call 315-393-2920 ext. 411.
THANKS: I am most appreciative to all parishioners who assisted in a variety of ways in making the Liturgy and prayers of Holy Week and Easter memorable for their spirituality, and transition from Lent to Easter, and those who contributed for the Easter flowers.
HOLY WATER AND HOME BLESSING FOR EASTER: The Easter water blessed at the Easter Vigil service is available to you to bring home in small bottles you will find near the Holy Water container. Gather your family together and use this Easter water to sprinkle each room of your home after praying the following prayer: Lord, we rejoice in the victory of your Son over death: by rising from the tomb to new life he gives us new hope and promise. Bless all the members of this household and surround them with your protection, that they may find comfort and peace in Jesus Christ, the paschal lamb, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN
EASTER SUNDAY: Today, we celebrate the most glorious day of the church, the resurrection of Jesus Christ as he had promised. Take a few minutes today to think of that morning mentioned in today's Gospel reading from John. It is quiet and dark, shortly before the first few rays of the sun are visible. The sealed tomb is no longer sealed, the massive stone having been rolled away from the entrance despite the presence of a guard. Peter and John, who ran from Jesus at his arrest, now run to find him again. Seeing his burial cloths removed, they believe. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that in his dying and resurrection, Jesus has opened heaven to all who would believe in him with unwavering faith. All too often, we hold the pains and sins of our lives like a stone, placed firmly in front of our minds and our hearts so that we cannot see the love of Christ which lives in us. Even though we've put the stone there, we cannot remove it by ourselves. At some point, we need only to ask the one who removed the stone 2,000 years ago, and he will move ours as well.
WANTED: SETON CATHOLIC CENTRAL is looking for families willing to host international students for the 2009-2010 school year. Applicants are asked to introduce our American culture to a teenager from abroad. Each participating family will receive a stipend of $550 per month per child. More information is available by contacting Mrs. Lynn Gilbert, the Director of International Students, at 518.561.4031 for an application.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: During this Easter season I encourage all of you to discover ever more fully in the Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ’s sacrificial love.(Pope Benedict XVI, April 20, 2007). Eucharistic Adoration is held throughout the year every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 6 am to 9 pm at St. John’s Church Adoration Chapel, downstairs. Everyone is invited to spend some quiet time with Jesus anytime during these hours. For more information about spending a special hour with Jesus weekly, or becoming a substitute, please call 561-5083 or email us at Sjohnsadoration@aol.com
MARRIAGE TIP: The first duty of love is to listen. Can you accurately repeat anything your spouse said earlier today?. Find more Marriage Rx at:www.foryourmarriage.org
BISHOP CUNNINGHAM EASTER MESSAGE
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead . To our contemporary ears, these words of St. Paul sound basic, obvious, even commonplace. But in this passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we have the world’s oldest written account of the Resurrection. So it was that, for the people of Corinth, these words were not basic or obvious but new, exciting, and life-changing. They were words of hope.
This year our world in general and the Diocese of Ogdensburg in particular need hope. During the Year of St. Paul we have faced many challenges—many crosses. We have experienced sickness, death, and depression. The challenges of the fiscal crisis have affected both international agencies and family dinner tables. And none of us is able to say that we are unaffected by experiences of sin. In short, we have known the Cross. So we turn to our faith—faith that whenever I am weak, then I am strong; faith that the cross is not the end; faith that through Christ we are offered new life. This Easter we discover what the Corinthians learned so many years ago: that in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. May the eternal newness of the Gospel and the hope that comes from the cross, death, and resurrection of our Lord fill you and all those you love with joy and peace this Easter.
Cordially yours in Christ,
Alleluia! He is Risen!