Dear Friends in Christ,
The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Happy Easter to all of the faithful of Our Lady of Hope parish! To our visitors, welcome to our spiritual home! It is an immense joy to celebrate the triumph of Jesus Christ over sin and death. Pope Benedict XVI said in a homily on the Easter Vigil, 2006, “Thus we can sing full of joy, together with the Church, in the words of the Exsultet: ‘Sing, choirs of angels … rejoice, O earth!’ The Resurrection is a cosmic event, which includes heaven and earth and links them together. In the words of the Exsultet once again, we can proclaim: ‘Christ … who came back from the dead and shed his peaceful light on all mankind, your Son who lives and reigns forever and ever.’ Amen!” Our sanctuary is awash with the fragrance of flowers which reminds us of the sweet smell of our prayers and devotion before the Risen Savior. We no longer need fear sin and death, for if we immerse ourselves in Jesus Christ, we can conquer the awful horror of death and can be released from our sinfulness. I wish you and yours every blessing during this blessed season. There is so much death and destruction in the world at this time; we are reminded that life is a gift and that it can be snatched away at any time. This blessed time of the year gives meaning to death. Jesus has made a passage that we can travel to see our Father in heaven if we live a life in Christ and if we are faithful sons and daughters to the faith. We welcome any guests to our parish and pray that you find the peace and joy of the Risen Lord here at Our Lady of Hope Parish. These doors are opened wide to you which represent the openness of the mercy of God. To the beloved community of Saint Jude: Feliz Pascua por los más queridos amigos! Les deseo a ustedes y a sus familias el gozo de Jesucristo, resucitado de entre los muertos. Están en mi corazón durante estos días benditos. ¡Que Nuestra Señora, la Santisima Virgin los proteja! To our dear Filipinos, I say Maligayang Pasko ng Pagkabuhay! Polish friends allow me to say Wesołego Alleluja! To the Portoguese: ¡Feliz Páscoa! To the Irish: Cásca sona! Beloved Italians: Buona Pasqua! I wish all our friends from Nigeria: Ezi Ista! To the faithful from Croatia: Sretan Uskrs! Faithful Germans: Frohe Ostern! Happy Easter to all our Friends!
God bless you,
Father Szolack