April observances

APRIL 2: GOOD FRIDAY HOLY LAND COLLECTION
By Brittany Prigge, Accountant, Diocese of St. Cloud

Good Friday is such an important day within the Triduum. Even though it isn’t a holy day of obligation, it serves as a reminder of the ultimate price Jesus paid for us on the cross. On Good Friday, donations for the Holy Land are requested. The proceeds from this collection support those who are working to preserve the holy places where Jesus walked and the ministries of the local Church.

APRIL 8: DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE
By Benedictine Father Dale Launderville, Dean, St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary

When we Catholics observe the Day of Remembrance on April 8, we honor the survivors and victims of the Holocaust by accepting their testimony. Elie Wiesel, a survivor of Auschwitz and well-known author, emphasizes the obligation of Holocaust survivors to tell what they saw and experienced in the death camps. It is our duty to receive their testimony about this tragedy and be mindful of the extreme evil to which hatred and scapegoating can lead.

APRIL 11: DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
By Father Greg Paffel, Pastor of parishes in the Prairie Area Catholic Community

Every now and then Jesus reminds the world of his importance through a private revelation. Between 1931 and 1938, St. Faustina was requested by our Lord to proclaim the message of his Divine Mercy and to spread renewed devotion to him. The message is not particularly new; Christ has always been merciful toward his people. Yet, the message is to be shared in a contemporary manner that reaches us in a more personal way. For more information, read the Diary of St. Faustina or go to www.thedivinemercy.org.

APRIL 15: CATHOLICS AT THE CAPITOL
By Joe Towalski, Director of Communications, Diocese of St. Cloud

Join fellow Minnesota Catholics online or in-person at the Cathedral of St. Paul on April 15 for this year’s Catholics at the Capitol event. The day includes Mass and keynote presentations by internationally renowned champion for life Obianuju Ekeocha and Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Meet with legislators virtually April 16. Tickets are on sale through March 31 ($20 in-person; $10 online). Visit www.catholicsatthecapitol.org to register and for transportation information.

APRIL 22: EARTH DAY
By Rick Dietz, Director, Franciscan Life Center, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls

Do you like clean air to breath, clean water to drink, clean oceans where fish can thrive, healthy trees to shade us, birds to sing, clean soil to grow crops and enough but not too much rain to water them? They are gifts from our loving creator God. We are to be good stewards of them (“Laudato Si’”). To aid us in our work we should want to observe Earth Day.

APRIL 25: WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
By Father Scott Pogatchnik, Director, Office of Vocations, Diocese of St. Cloud

This 58th World Day of Prayer for Vocations is not so much a “feast day,” but a call to prayer and action. It points to the heart of a God who calls, acts and floods our world with the Word and the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself asks that we pray to the “Lord of the harvest” that every person know how beloved and chosen they are. This Day of Prayer intentionally asks for the grace, freedom and courage of men and women to follow Christ in the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life. Let us pray that many — perhaps you! — will respond to the loving invitation to assist Jesus as he heals and transforms the world.

Photo: This color image of EArth was taken by NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, a four megapixel CCD camera and telescope, July 6, 2015. (CNS photo/NASA via Reuters)

Author: The Central Minnesota Catholic

The Central Minnesota Catholic is the magazine for the Diocese of St. Cloud.

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