St. Paul the Apostle Church
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 Rev. Matthew H. Frisoni
Our
Pastor's Messages THE EASTER DUTY
Question: What is the "Easter duty?" I asked this last week as a quiz in the bulletin. Answer: The Easter duty is the obligation to receive holy communion during the Easter Season. The Church obliges us to receive holy communion at least once each year. The Easter Season lasts fifty days. The first day is Easter Sunday. The fiftieth day of the Easter Season is Pentecost. In the United States of America, we enjoy a special indult from the Apostolic See about the Easter duty. We can fulfill our duty anytime between the First Sunday of Lent through Trinity Sunday. (This year, Trinity Sunday is Sunday, June 15, 2025.) Think of the precepts of the Church as an invitation from the LORD. The Easter duty draws us into the heart of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. The LORD invites us to share a common union with him. You may now have a question that comes to mind: what if it is impossible to get to church to fulfill my Easter duty? The Church excuses those for whom it is impossible to fulfill their Easter duty. There is an ancient maxim in Church law: Nemo potest ad impossibile obligari. The translation is, "No one is bound to the impossible." OUR STRATEGIC MISSION LISTENING SESSIONS I also shared last week that our communities will engage in the process requested by our Bishop. Later this month, all priests from our diocese will gather with Bishop Scharfenberger. We will listen more about "returning and realigning toward Christ's mission." As I will be listening to our Bishop at this meeting, I also wish to listen to you. I am sometimes asked, "Are we going to close?" Even worse, "Are they going to close?" First, all parishes are one Catholic family together in Christ Jesus. Second, no person has the answer today on which parishes will merge. This is why we must listen to each other's thoughts today. The Bishop has asked all priests to reflect on one question to prepare for our May meeting. I share this question with you from his communication for our reflection. "Is this fulfilling the mission in the best way possible and, if not, what needs to change?" The "this" in the above sentence is for us to contemplate. I invite you again to attend one of four possible listening sessions in our parishes. Regardless of the parish you call home, you can join us for any session. Three sessions are live, and one is an online video conference via zoom link. To join us online, please call or write to Gail or Kim, our secretaries. They will share with you by e-mail the ultra-long link for our online video session on Monday, June 16 at 6:30PM. Here are the other three in-person sessions: Thursday, June 5 -- 1:30-3:30PM at Mt. Carmel Parish Center Monday, June 9 -- 6:30-8:30PM at St. Paul the Apostle Parish Center Tuesday, July 1 -- 1:30-3:30PM at St. Adalbert Parish Center Please join us -- I'm all ears! God's peace, Fr. Frisoni |
