…”The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” On this Divine Mercy Sunday, the promise of the Gospel is the gift of peace. Jesus entered into the room and brought them peace. It’s the same offer and promise that Jesus gives to us today and always. He wants to be with us…enter more fully into our lives….and bring us the gift of peace. The mercy of God is that Christ is always with us. How comforting to know that Christ walks into our lives – where we are at – and brings us God’s presence and peace. In the joy of these Easter days, how can you open the room of your heart and home more fully to the presence and peace of the Lord.

…Many thanks to all who worked so hard and gave so freely to help our parish community celebrate the joy of Easter. The liturgies and services of Holy Week and Easter were beautiful and inspiring. We were blessed with great participation…lots of people….and a great spirit of hope and joy in the Church. Praise be God. At the Easter Vigil we welcomed 34 new members into the family of God and our community. Our community is alive and filled with God’s spirit. Special thanks to Matt Fodor, Helen Lanzarotta, Max Menkhaus, along with all of our liturgical ministers for their great efforts. Thanks, too, to Nick Castro and Chris Gibson along with the maintenance staff and B/G team for all their help and efforts (all the time) and especially at Easter. We are so blessed!

…Many thanks for your generous gift to the Lord and our community this Easter. Your goodness allows us to continue the care and compassion of Christ – to bring God’s mercy – to our community and those in need. Thank you so much. May you know the outpouring of God’s grace and thanks!

…One of many expressions of your goodness is the way our parish community was able to take care of 90 families this Easter. You/we provided them with Easter food, along with necessary staples for the next few weeks. Thanks also to the outpouring of candy that made it possible for our Knights of Columbus to provide baskets for children in our community. Praise be God.

…One of the best parts of Holy Week was the commissioning of new Server MC’s. These are Mass servers who demonstrate their faithful service at the Table of the Lord. Congratulations to: Aiden Fitzgerald, Emily Stibley, Maeve McGinnis, Julian Balassy, Kaitlyn Stibley, Danny Covert, Ashli Snider, Ryan Osowski and Bridget Stratman. We are blessed with so many of our younger members who are so generous and dedicated to serving the Lord at weekend Masses. Special thanks to John Ham for his extraordinary efforts during Holy Week and Easter. John has a servant’s heart for the Lord.

…This past week I had the blessing of receiving the “Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award” for the National Catholic Education Association. It was a humble blessing to ‘pick up’ this award on behalf of our school community. Many, many thanks to Mrs. Cinadr, Mr. Dziedzicki, and Mrs. Mitchell for their leadership for SAS and LAPS. Special thanks to our dedicated faculty and staff who are working to create a GREAT school for all of our students. We are striving to be Everything for Every Student – Every Day. God bless our faculty and staff of SAS and LAPS.

…Many of you commented so positively about the possibility of having a renewed Church for Holy Week and Easter 2019. Please come and learn about the needed repairs for our church, along with the opportunity these repairs create to renew and refresh our Church for the next generations. There’s an Information Session on Sunday, April 8 at 1:00 pm in the Mother Teresa Room. Please come and learn more. This effort is so important for our community.

…Our second graders are getting ready for their First Eucharist in May. They will celebrate Jesus Day this coming Saturday. It’s a special time of coming together with parents and classmates to learn, pray and reflect together on the gift of peace that Jesus wants to give them (and all of us) every time we gather at the Table of the Lord. Please keep them in your prayers. Next Sunday Bishop Roger Gries will be at Saint Ambrose to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please pray this week for all who will be confirmed. May their hearts be open to the mighty power of God’s love. Come Holy Spirit!

…Today’s bulletin contains a special thank you to our Fish Fry Team. Thanks to the great leadership of Linda Cebula, Jim Nowak and Dawn Solar, we had a RECORD year. Thank you to all who worked so hard every Friday. Thanks to those who joined us for a great meal. All the proceeds (guessing around $27,000) will be put toward renovating the Chapel. Thank you so much!!!

…Opening Day for the Tribe this past week is a clear sign that spring and summer are just around the corner. It also means that the Saint Ambrose Summer Festival planning is in high gear. We are working hard to create four wonderful days for our community. We will have GREAT bands….GREAT food…GREAT games, rides and fun. Mostly, we will have AMAZING people. We could use some help with the planning. If you can lend a little help, please contact Bob Cebula (BobCebula961@gmail.com) or Jake Bihari (jake@StAmbrose.us). We need your energy and ideas. Mark your calendars for June 21-24, 2018.

…Every day Jesus wants each of us to experience the mercy and compassion we need. Next weekend we will celebrate the Anointing of the Sick for those advancing in years or struggling with physical or emotional health at all the Masses. Please invite family and friends to join you so we can offer all in need the strength and peace of the Lord.

…Father Rob will be leading the Divine Mercy Service on Sunday at 2:00 pm in the chapel. Use this Divine Mercy Sunday to renew your trust in the Lord.

…Thank you for a wonderful celebration of Easter and for all your support for our parish community.

Have a blessed week.