Dear Parishioners,

As you know by now, our Holy Father Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday. We pray for his soul during this time and we can also pray for the cardinals and the whole church during this time of Sede Vacante (empty chair, as in, no pope). Pope Francis’s funeral will be a worldwide event. At the time of this writing. it is scheduled for 10 AM Saturday (26th) Rome time which is 7 hours ahead of us. Many world leaders and dignitaries will come together to be a part of the funeral Mass. It is often a time when people who would normally not see eye to eye are able to put aside their differences and be together in one location. I certainly pray that we will see this. By the time you read this, it will likely have happened. The cardinals are meeting as we speak to discuss the important matters of state and what is needed regarding the current Church. They will take some time to gather and discuss before moving into conclave. I would encourage you to pray for our next pope. Whoever he is, it is a big job. It is always a difficult job, but it seems there are some extra challenges currently. There is a bit of a financial crisis in the Vatican finances. There are many important appointments in our own country that will need to be filled in the next few years. These and much more will fall to the new vicar of Christ to put in order.

We have our first communion Mass this Sunday at the 10:30 AM Mass. I want to congratulate our first communicants. It is very exciting to have you join us for the first time at the Eucharistic Altar. Our Lord will continue to nourish you as long as you continue to come to receive him. This is a reminder to all of us, that we need to give the Lord a chance to nourish us spiritually. Each week, we are invited to return to the altar of the Lord to receive him in the Eucharist. This is an important part of our lives as Catholic Christians.

We are also celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday this weekend. We are reminded of our Lord’s desire to share his mercy with all those who are far from the Lord. Jesus told Sr. Faustina to share his desire to offer his mercy to sinners. On this solemnity of Divine Mercy, we are given a special chance to receive a renewal of our baptismal graces. There are many people in today’s culture who are despairing. They aren’t happy, and they feel anxious about their future. I would encourage all such to come to Jesus and ask for him to renew their hope. In this season of Easter, we can come to Jesus with our desires, our fears, and our brokenness. We can ask Jesus to help us and heal us.

Next Saturday at 11 am at SJ we will be celebrating confirmation. Please continue to pray for our confirmation students as they take this important step of being confirmed in the faith. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are offered to those who are confirmed. We who already have been confirmed have access to the gifts. Do we recognize that the Lord will offer us the gifts we need to carry out his work? I have certainly seen this in my own life as a priest. So often, I feel unequal to the task. I don’t know what I should do or how the problems facing the parishes I serve will be resolved. However, I am learning to trust that God will provide a way forward. It often takes longer than I would have liked for this to become clear, but God is faithful in taking care of the real needs that are present.

We are just a few weeks away from our SJ Gala, the SJ school reunion and the ground breaking. I hope you can attend these events and celebrate together the future, the past and the present. I am very grateful for all who have been working behind the scenes to bring these events to fruition.

You may have heard of coming changes in priest assignments. There seems to be announcements being made. Our cluster remains the same. However, Crosslake and Emily will now be clustered with Nisswa, Pequot and Pine River. Fr. Tony will be the pastor of all five churches, with Fr. Tim Lange as an assistant. This is where Dcn. Phil will be assigned once he is ordained to the priesthood. Fr. Scott in Brainerd will become the full-time vocation director. Fr. Jacob Toma who is currently at the Cathedral in Duluth will be taking Fr. Scott’s place at St. Francis, All Saints and St. Thomas in Brainerd/Baxter. Fr. Francis is a seasoned priest who has come from Ghana to help out in the Brainerd area. If you attend Masses there you may see him from time to time. He will be helping in various ways over there. There may be other moves announced but that is what I am aware of.

In Christ,

Fr. Eli