J e s u s,
I Trust in You.
SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
All who believed were together and had all things in
common. (Acts 2)
God has given us a new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter)
After eight days Jesus came and stood among them. (John 20)
We trace our roots as parish
and faith communities to Easter
night when Jesus “breathed” his
spirit of peace and
reconciliation upon his
frightened disciples,
transforming them into the new
Church.
The “peace” that Christ gives his new Church is not a
passive sense of good feeling or the mere absence of
conflict. Christ’s peace is hard work: the peace of the Easter
Christ is to honor one another as children of the same Father
in heaven; the peace of the Easter Christ seeks to build
bridges and find solutions rather than assigning blame or
extracting punishment; the peace of Christ is centered in
relationships that are just, ethical and moral.
The “peace” that the Risen Christ breathes into us at Easter
shows us a way out of those tombs in which we bury
ourselves; the forgiveness he extends enables us to get
beyond the facades we create and the rationalizations we
devise to justify them. Jesus’ entrusting to the disciples the
work of forgiveness is what it means to be the church: to
accept one another, to affirm one another, to support one
another as God has done for us in the Risen Christ. What
brought the apostles and first Christians together as a
community – unity of heart, missionary witness, prayer,
reconciliation and healing – no less powerfully binds us to
one another as the Church of today.
While today’s Gospel has been ready by the Church as
Jesus’ instituting the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the whole
Christian community possesses the power to “forgive” and
“retain,” and the grace to “bind” and “loosen.” The Risen
Christ gives to every one of us the “power,” the “authority,”
the grace to forgive and to bind one another in love.
All of us, at one time or another, experience the doubt and
skepticism of Thomas: While we have heard the good news
of Jesus’ empty tomb, all of our fears, problems and sorrows
prevent us from realizing it in our own lives. In raising his
beloved Son from the dead, God also raises our spirits to the
realization of the totality and limitlessness of his love for us.
We all have scars from our own Good Fridays that remain
long after our own experiences of resurrection. Our “nail
marks” remind us that all pain and grief, all ridicule and
suffering are transformed into healing and peace in the love
of God we experience from others and that we extend them.
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK . . .
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.
Please be assured of our continued prayers for all of you in
these challenging times. In the case of any emergency do not
hesitate to contact the parish office as we check our email
and messages regularly. Should you require assistance,
Divine Mercy Message - ABC
A - Ask for His Mercy
B - Be merciful
C - Completely trust in Jesus
This week, the Sanctuary Lamp burns in
memory of:
+ CARMELA & ANTONIO CENTRITTO
The Sanctuary Lamp burns to remind us of Christ’s
presence in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
If you wish to sponsor the sanctuary lamp for one
week, the stipend is $35.00
Mass Intentions
 April 21 - April 26, 2020
As we gather, let us remember and pray for . . .
st
Tues. ~ ………………………………………. Apr. 21
+ Trudy & Anna Zutt
(by Joyce & Eddie Fabbro)
+ Ursula & Pietro Elia
(by Connie & Louis Elia)
Wed. ~ ……………………………………… Apr. 22nd
+ Bernadette Driscoll (by Sharon Driscoll)
Thurs. ~ ……………………………………… Apr. 23rd
+ Alf Landin (by Nancy Winslow)
Fri. ~ ……………………………………… Apr. 24th
+ Matteo Mancini (by the Family)
……………………………………… Apr. 25th
Sat. ~ + Giuseppe Marrese
(by Maria Marrese & Family)
Sun. ~ ……………………………………… Apr. 26th
+ Fernando Liorti (by Scarpetta Family)
For the People of St. Helen Parish
please contact the parish.
Many of you have been inquiring about where or how you
can send in your offerings to the parish. While our primary
concern is your spiritual and physical well-being, the
offertory gifts are very important for the parish as we
continue to incur our regular expenses. Please be safe and
stay home - the church is closed. We have been receiving
some weekly offerings through the mail and a few by those
who are on preauthorized monthly payment - thank you.
We are now set up for online e-transfers. If you would
like to use this convenient method through your bank please
follow these instructions (some banks charge a fee):
Go online and log into your bank account. Select Interac e-
transfer and select a recipient – the first time you will have
to add recipient by putting in donations@sthelenscatholic.ca
(after the first time it will then stay on your list of recipients).
Input amount to send and complete the transaction. Note in
the memo area what your donation is for; Sunday Offertory
(SO), Facility Maintenance (FM) and Building Fund (BF).
Example - SO $20 One transaction can be made for all
three if you wish. Such a notation could look like this: SO
$xx, FM $xx, BF $xx. If your transaction does not work the
first time, please try the next day as the Diocese can only
receive a set amount of donations in a 24 hour period. If you
have any questions please email or call the office.