Many thanks to all of the wonderful people that help during Lent and Easter:

Tony Ward, Brad Recker, MaryAnn Madden, and the Altar Society with church environment throughout Lent and Easter Paula Lucero and her RCIA Team for all of the RCIA prepara-tions and celebrations JoDee Geryak with the Seder Meal, Hot Cross Buns, Weekly Stations of the Cross, Soup Supper & Easter Vigil reception Nora Hizon for organizing our dancers, the Evening Mass of the Last Supper, and the Salubong Jim Roope and Tony Hobbs for The Three R's with Fr. Dick Scott Caron, Bobby Cranston and Vivian Santos for the chil-dren's choir Jack Clapper and all Choir Members for sharing their time and talents

Please forgive me if I forgot anyone.

Please know that we all love and appreciate everything you do.

Easter Sunday April 20, 2014

St. Francis Xavier Church

And all at once there was a violent earthquake, for the an-

gel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled

away the stone and sat on it. . . .The guards were so shak-

en, so frightened of him, that they were like dead men.

–Matt. 28:2,4

Now you have risen, Lord. The guards were afraid and trem-

bled. I tremble. Everything upon the earth, is the same: the

grass against the soil, the trees against the sky, the rain against

my face, myself, people everywhere. We all look the same, but

each has changed. You did this through promise. You

promised to live forever. You promised me that I would live

forever. You changed from dying to living. You promised that

your words would live, You promised your Church would live,

You promised the You would live in me and I in you.

On this Easter morning You rose with the sun. You came to me.

You touched me. You touched everything and everybody You

made. You rose from death to life as I rose from death to life

because You come to me. You kept your promise.

At this year’s Easter Vigil

St. Francis Xavier Church joyfully welcomes

the following Catechumens into our Catholic Community:

Yvette Coontz Mayte Hoxsie Drake Stuber

We also welcome the following Candidate to the Table of the Lord:

Ana Busfield Emily Curran

Alejandra Del Rio Savannah Ibarra

Artjan Garcia Johnathan Escobar-Carillo

Melissa Vizcarra Kyler Ibarra

Special Blessing: George Gagik

Help Make Sandwiches for the Poor If you would like to help make sandwiches for the home-less, please join us for any of the dates below and bring

enough cheese, meat and bread to make 30 sandwiches.

May 10 9:00 AM June 15 1:00 PM July 13 1:00 PM August 10 1:00 PM

June

6th, 7th,

& 8th

We invite you to our Annual Old Tyme Country Faire

Great Food, Games, & Entertainment

Meet new friends or Reunite with old friends

Pope Saint John XXIII

Pope Saint John Paul II

Canonized April 27, 2014

New Evangelization Vigil for Pope John Paull II

April 26, 2014 at Our Lady of Angels Cathedral

Mass of Thanksgiving for Saints John XXIII and John Paul II

April 27, 2014 at Our Lady of Angeles Cathedral

Cathedral of Our Lady of Angeles

555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

My dearest Sisters and Brothers in the Risen Lord,

Jesus is risen from the dead! Alleluia! He is truly risen, trampling on death

by death, and upon those in the tomb bestowing life!

O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!

O happy fault that earned so great a Redeemer!

May Christ, the Morning Star that never sets, coming back from death's

domain, shed His Easter Light upon us.

Each time we love again after having our love rejected,

we are sharing in the resurrection of Jesus;

Each time we trust again after having our trust betrayed,

we are sharing in the resurrection of Jesus;

Each time we hope again after having our hopes destroyed,

we are sharing in the resurrection of Jesus;

Each time we smile again after wiping our tears,

we are sharing in the resurrection of Jesus;

Each time we serve again after having our

service ignored or ridiculed,

we are sharing in the resurrection of Jesus;

Each time we repent again after having

sinned against the Lord,

we are sharing in the resurrection of Jesus;

Each time we forgive again after having

terribly sinned against us,

we are sharing in the resurrection of Jesus;

Each time we renew our faith again after having

There is a beautiful side story behind the Easter Gospel according to John. In John's Gospel, when they found the tomb empty and went in, they saw the burial shroud of Jesus laying

there. The shroud was also empty. But, the cloth that covered His head was in a separate place, folded carefully.

In the days of Jesus, the vast majority of the people could not read. Most of their communication was verbal, so they had many signs and symbols to communicate when they would not meet face to face. One of these signs was to take a work cloth, one used for cleaning or finishing a piece of furniture, and leave it folded on top of the work performed. This was a sign that the work that had been assigned was now completed. If the people had agreed

that money was due after the work was done, the folded cloth was like a bill.

When John says that the cloth that covered the head of Jesus was folded, and placed carefully apart from the body shroud, he is

really saying that Jesus finished the work He came to do. We are saved because the Son obediently carried out His Father's mission.

We are saved because Jesus died and changed death forever.

Today is Easter and we are an Easter people. This day is unlike any other day and we are unlike any other people. The Spirit of Lent has shaped us over these past weeks and today we gather to celebrate with everything we have. Jesus is risen! We belong to Him and so we rise with Him! Easter is more than a day, more

than a season … Easter is a way of life. May you and everyone in your life be changed by the

Easter miracle!

Deacon Jaime, Deacon Jim, and Deacon Tony ...

your servants in Christ

allowed our faith to be weakened,

we are sharing in the resurrection of Jesus;

Each time we fail and try again,

we are sharing in the resurrection of the Lord.

Yes, the message of Easter is that the Lord Jesus is

truly risen. May the Risen Lord bless all of us

with his gifts of peace and new life.

And I wish all of you a very Happy Easter.

Your, Fr. Benny