Anyone reading this has survived Lent. Congratulations! Hopefully we have done more than survive. Hopefully we have done more than prove that we could do without something or stick to some prayer ritual or some charitable work for forty days (with Sundays excluded). Hopefully we have grown into a better person, less attached to comforts and conveniences and more attached to God’s reign. Attendance at our Lenten Bible Study and Evenings of Faith held steady, and clearly more people were attending Sunday Mass and daily Mass too. Now we are in the Easter Season. Just as we are called to do penance for the forty days of Lent; so we are now called to celebrate the fifty days of Easter.

There are a number of parish events coming up during the next couple of months—some of them just round the corner. This weekend the Lectors are hosting Hospitality Sunday in the Parish Hall following the 9:00 and 10:30 Mass. It is nice to see this first Monday of the month tradition get new life Hang around and meet somebody new!

The following Saturday April 13, we have an event planned for couples married at Assumption or who completed their marriage preparation at Assumption. The morning’s gathering is focused on couples who were married during the past five years; but we are inviting all couples who were married at Assumption to a noon Mass and brunch. Our Renew My Church theme is “Welcoming, Accompanying, Sending.” This is an attempt at “accompanying.” All of the couples who marry at Assumption participate in a marriage preparation program; but we have no formal outreach to these couples after their wedding. Some express a desire to get back to regular church attendance after their wedding, but never get around to taking the first step. So, this is an effort to invite them back to church, to offer them spiritual support and encouragement, and in some case, to give them a chance to celebrate their wedding, since some of them were married under strict COVID restrictions. We sent out a formal “evite” to the morning session, but for the Mass and brunch, just call the parish office this week and let us know that you are coming. We will invite you to renew your vows at the Mass. Whether it has been ten years, thirty years or fifty years since your wedding, there is a real grace in renewing your marriage covenant.

The following Saturday evening, April 20 from 6:00 to 8:00pm, we are having a Pasta Party in the Parish Hall. Our friends at Stefani Catering (who cooked the Italian Dinner in our kitchen in the days of yore) are providing trays of lasagna, Gene and Georgetti’s is providing salad, and Gonella Bread is providing (You guessed it!) bread. Come for the 5:00 Mass and then come for dinner. Buy your tickets on Give Central or by calling the parish office.

On Pentecost Sunday, May 19, which marks the end of the Easter season, the ice cream social returns in the Garden. Based on the philosophical principle that it is never too early in the day to eat ice cream, we will start serving after the 9:00 Mass and continue after the 10;30 and 12:15 Masses. Since May is traditionally Mary’s month, we will also slip in a crowning of the outdoor statue of Mary.

Beyond the Easter season, our Events Committee is planning an indoor/outdoor picnic for the Parish Feast Day on August 18. Hopefully this event will grab the essence of the Homecoming Picnics that we had under the tent on Illinois Street up to 2019. People still ask about this event, but it simply became cost prohibitive and too difficult to obtain permission to close Illinois Street for the afternoon. This event will take place on our own property. And looking further ahead, the Italian Dinner is slated for November 7. It will take place at Coco Pazo at Hubbard and Franklin this year. The restaurant will close for the evening and the entire 150 seat restaurant will be ours.

Celebrating Easter, of course, is not just about socializing. More important, it is about letting other people see the change in you. Jesus should not be the only one showing signs of new life at Easter. Just as people close to us know our sins and failures, so they ought to see the new life starting to sprout from our Lenten practices. The new life we show and the joy that we exhibit in serving the Lord is the best advertising there is for our faith community.

                                                      Fr. Joe