Dear Friends in Christ,

As I have mentioned, a Search Committee for a new principal has been formed and has met several times. FYI, the members of the Search Committee are as follows: Matt Kuhn, Chair; Vicky Tucker; Anna Allman; Cortney Neel; Jim Hidlay; Dennis Gmerek; John Theobald; Agnes Hobson and Mary Catherine Lawton. They will be working and praying diligently to find the very best person to be our next principal.

Dear Friends in Christ,

The fourth Sunday of Easter is often referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday, but it is also designated as the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.” We are to pray and work especially for vocations to the permanent diaconate, the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

I came into full communion with the Catholic Church on September 8, 1998, at St. Joseph’s in Anderson. When I came in, God led me to immediately volunteer to serve in the church. Initially, I taught CCD to 9^th and 10^th graders. It was a challenge since I had never done that before. But God in his mercy blessed me and blessed our class. As time progressed, I became even more involved. Not too long after my entry into the church, I found myself serving in many different roles: I counted the offering; served as a lector, sang in the choir, served as a cantor, served on the Finance Council, and became President of the St. Joseph’s Men’s Club. Also, for several years, I coordinated a bus trip to the capitol for the annual March for Life. I remember that it got so that when I wanted to be away for a weekend, I had to find three people to replace me in my duties at the parish.

Dear Friends in Christ,

The risen Christ appears to the Apostles with a presence other than what he was in his mortal life. The apostles are surprised at Jesus' sudden appearance, his brief and substantial messages, and his goodbye. The light of the Resurrection helps them to understand the scriptures - the bread at Emmaus and the fish in Jerusalem make their presence tangible, and especially given the gift of peace as the fruit of the Resurrection.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, on the Second Sunday of Easter, we complete the octave of this liturgical season, one of the two octaves —together with Christmas— that remain in the liturgy as changed by the Second Vatican Council. For eight days, we contemplate the same mystery and try to deepen our understanding of it in the light of the Holy Spirit.