Easter Sunday // April 21, 2019

Eight people are being welcomed into the church at St. John Fisher College’s Easter Vigil this year! What a celebration that will be to see young adults baptized into Christ, willing to share in Jesus’ ministries. I wonder what they saw Catholics doing on and off campus that compelled them to commit to our ways of faith. I wonder what they heard Catholics saying on and off campus that resonated with their inner core, that told them this was the community to stick with, a people with whom to pray, play, work, serve, study and celebrate.

At another college last Saturday night ten people age seventeen through twenty- nine who pray in the morning and at night, celebrate the sacramental life of the church and see a sacramental quality in all of life say they are part of a church where people of faith are making a positive difference protecting the environment, protesting racism, sexism, classism, consumerism, militarism and put themselves on the line to alleviate poverty. They help with projects that involve all kinds of people “do what needs doing.” These young people try to make this a better world and try to be the best version of themselves. They admire our Parkland prophets and Sweden’s Greta Thunberg in “their realistic desire to do what is best for the common good.”

They say they are, “followers of Jesus and see Christ’s risen presence in unlikely places among all kinds of people.” They radiate Jesus’ presence. Thanks be to God!

Deni Mack, DMin

Pastoral Associate