From the Pastor April 5/6

Easter Week is Earth Week 

Easter is about celebrating new life, and it is fitting that this year, the week after Easter will coincide with Earth Week. Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, a day dedicated to recognizing efforts to protect our planet from ecological destruction. Pope Francis’ first encyclical, Laudato si, addressed the need for all Christians to care for the environment and do everything we can to support God’s creation. 

In Psalm 1:3, the psalmist says of the faithful one. “He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers.” Planting a tree is a sign of great hope. We plant them with the confidence they will live and grow and become things of beauty and life long after we have died. Since Holy Year 2025’s theme is our call to be Pilgrims of Hope, planting a tree is very appropriate. 

Every Catholic needs to take action to help our environment in even small ways. Small things like planting trees and picking up trash help. Holy Redeemer is participating in two local initiatives. We are joining with Chatham Friends of Trees to distribute a limited number of seedlings. They are tree varieties well-suited to our climate and will thrive in our soil. If you would like a seedling, a sign-up sheet is available at the welcome desk.

Parishioners are also planning to join the Chatham Conservation Fund on Saturday, April 26, at either 9:00 or 11:00 a.m. to pick up litter and winter debris from CCF properties around town. Last year, Holy Redeemer recruited the largest number of people for this effort. Let’s do it again this year. Sign up at the welcome desk today. 

Easter Welcome

There are numerous opportunities to contribute to making Holy Redeemer a welcoming church this Easter. On the welcome desks, we have Sign Up Sheets for Welcome Ministers in our parking lot and at the doors of the church. There are opportunities to be ushers in church. If you can smile, and everyone can do that, you are qualified to be part of our hospitality team. Sign up today. Take a few Easter Mass invitations with you to use to welcome unchurched family, friends, and neighbors to 

We also need twelve people to have their feet washed as one of the Mandatum on Holy Thursday evening at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00 pm. Don’t be shy, volunteer. 

Living A Spiritual Lent

There is one full week before Holy Week, so Lent is moving on. There is still time to make Lent spiritually fulfilling. Attending our 8:00 a.m. daily Mass is a Lenten practice for many during this season. Please consider making attendance a part of your Lenten observance. Maybe it will become your practice all year long. The Stations of the Cross, followed by the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, are recited every Friday afternoon at 4:30. Each week, a different parish ministry leads us in a unique setting of the Stations. Members of the Woman’s Club will lead the Stations this week using “Mary’s Way of the Cross.” A simple soup supper will follow in the Parish Center. There is no charge for the meal. Come pray and share fellowship with other parishioners. 

Receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation should be part of our Lenten efforts. Fr. Sullivan is setting aside extra time to be in the Reconciliation Room at the back of the church. In addition to the usual Saturday afternoon time frame of 3:00–3:45 pm, he will be there on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30-4:30 pm. Later in Lent, we will schedule a Reconciliation Service. 

Filling Your Lenten Folders

Parishioners received a Lenten Letter before the season began. It included our annual Lenten Folder. Parishioners are encouraged to use the folder as a Lenten almsgiving activity. Please put aside 25c each day for a total of $10 throughout Lent. We will donate proceeds from the folders to the Cape Cod Foster Closet. The Closet is a charity that provides clothing and other essentials to foster parents welcoming a child from state custody into their home. Providing a home for a foster child is a very generous gesture from these people, and we need to support them. 

Beginning next week, boxes will be available at the welcome desks for you to deposit your folders. Please convert the quarters into paper currency or a check to facilitate the counting of the proceeds. 

Business Manager Opening

Howard Whelden, our parish Business Manager, is retiring after eight years on June 30. We are looking for someone with Managerial Accounting experience to replace him. That person should be proficient with QuickBooks, Microsoft Office Suite, and Adobe and be willing to gain proficiency with several other systems the parish uses. The job is part-time, twenty-five hours a week. Interested individuals should submit their resumes to the Parish Office. Call the office at 508-945-0677.

Lower/Outer Cape Young Adult Group Forming

A Young Catholic Adult Group for those aged 19-35 is being formed in the Lower/Outer Cape Area to socialize, play, and pray together. If you are interested in joining, please contact Colin Murphy at YACapeCod@gmail.com

Start Evangelizing for Easter

It isn’t too early to start planning your Easter evangelization efforts. Like we did at Christmas, today we will offer parishioners invitations with our Easter Mass Schedule printed on them. Share them with family, friends, and neighbors you know don’t regularly attend church. We often feel reluctant to invite people to church because we fear they will reject the idea. A recent survey found that 60% of unchurched people say they would attend church on Easter if invited by a friend, family member, or acquaintance. A personal invitation to church is very powerful. 

Parish Photographer Wanted

Do you enjoy photography? Holy Redeemer is looking for parish photographers to take pictures of parish events and happenings to put on our parish website. If you are interested, please call the parish office at 508-945-0677.