4th Sunday of Easter

Good Shepherd Sunday

The fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as the Good Shepherd Sunday. The Church wants us to reflect on what it means to have Jesus as the Good Shepherd. In this Sunday’s gospel, John presents the image of the Good Shepherd, the one who guides, protects, and feeds His flock. In today’s culture, we might not be familiar with the image of a shepherd, but it was very common at the time of Jesus. A good shepherd loved his flock and was dedicated to each and every one of the sheep. The Church has Jesus as the Good Shepherd. We are to listen, obey, and follow where He is leading us, which is eternal life: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27).

On this Sunday, the Church also encourages us to pray for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” The Good News of the gospel and the celebration of the sacraments is possible because of those who dedicate their lives for the good of the Church. We need to pray for men and women called by God to be servants in the Church.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day allows us to celebrate in a special way all mothers and mother figures in our lives. The unconditional love of a mother means the world to us. Mothers love us in the same way Mary loved Jesus. Their love is unconditional because no matter the mistakes we make, they are always there for us. Their love is pure because all they want is happiness for us. We want to thank all mothers and mother figures for all they do for us day in and day out. Their dedication to their families is always noticed and appreciated. They are such a blessing. We appreciate their care and love for us.

Many mothers have gone already to the next life. They might have passed at some time this year or years ago, but their spiritual presence is always in our hearts. I am sure you still have vivid memories; you can almost still see her face or hear her voice. That is because no matter how long it has been, we always carry them in our hearts. I would like to invite you to say a prayer for your mother or mother figures living or deceased. They are a blessing to all of us. May God bless them all now and forever.

Prayer for Mothers

Heavenly Father, from the beginning you have chosen to entrust the human person to mothers in a special way.
We thank and praise you for the gift of mothers; for their tenderness, care, and compassion, for their intuition and encouragement, for commitment and sacrifice.
Bless all mothers this day.
Keep, strengthen, and refresh them in your loving care.
May they be blessed by our open-hearted love and gratitude.
Amen.

Sabbatical

The goal during my sabbatical was ongoing human, intellectual, and spiritual formation. This has been a time to renew my sense of vocation to the priesthood and service to the Church. This time has strengthened my spiritual life and my zeal for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although this time has been a blessing, I have missed everyone at St. Catherine’s. I prayed daily for all of you and your intentions while I was away. I am looking forward to continuing our mission of spreading God’s word at SCL.

There are many experiences and lessons I will share with you in due time. The time I spent in Rome at the ICTE program was transformative. From January to June a group of 24 priests from the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Ireland, got to embark on an intensive program of intellectual, human, and spiritual growth. We were blessed to participate in the papal audience and concelebrate the papal Mass; we were immersed into the holy cities of Rome and other important places in our Christian tradition; we learned more about the offices of the Vatican and their mission in the universal Church. We also had time for personal reflection, group sharing, and spiritual retreats. All in all, it was a wonderful sabbatical. I am looking forward to being back to continue the work at St. Catherine’s community.

During my time away, the office of Catholic schools and our school community, under the direction of the school and parish administration, continued the work to achieve benchmarks established to have a vital and sustainable school. Based on all the data provided to the archdiocese, Cardinal Cupich made the difficult decision to close our parish school late March. I know the last few weeks have been difficult for our school community. The reason I am coming back from my sabbatical now is to work on this transition. As advised by the Cardinal, the last part of my sabbatical can wait for some time in the future. I finished the program at the Institute of Continuing Theological Education in Rome, and I am now looking forward to being back at SCL.

Deacon Rod

I want to thank Deacon Rod for stepping up these past months to be the administrator. I’ve heard from many people of their appreciation for his leadership. He has shown his love for the parish in a very tangible way. As he continues his ministry at SCL, please thank him for being the administrator. Not many deacons in the archdiocese get to do that, in fact very few, but the archdiocese had great confidence in him to do the job.

Mr. Blumenshine

I want to acknowledge everything Mr. Blumenshine and the school staff have done for our school children and families during this time. The school leadership is important in ensuring we provide the best education and care for our students until the end of the school year. The school teachers at SCL are amazing. They have been always so loving for the children. I know it will be hard to go through this transition, but we know that God in His great providence will lead us to other ways for us to share His love to others. We will use this time to celebrate our achievements, and to give thanks to God for bringing us together. God has many plans for each and every one of us, either here or elsewhere. We will always shine His light to the world.

I am happy to be back to continue working together towards a more intimate relationship with God. I appreciate all your prayers and support during my sabbatical. I am blessed to be part of this sharing, caring and loving community.

Peace
Fr. Lara

Recognize God in Your Oridinary Moments - By Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman

Mini Reflection: I don’t have all the answers to the questions I would love to ask Christ. “Why is this happening? Where are you taking me? What comes next?” But the beautiful thing is, I don’t actually need those answers. I know him. He’s got my hand. Wherever we’re going is where I want to be.

We Don’t Follow Strangers
I get a little crazy when it comes to my kids’ safety. We’ve probably had a few too many conversations that could be entitled “What to Do If Mommy Loses You At the State Fair” or “Don’t Trust People Just Because They Smile At You.” Am I making them paranoid? Possibly. But that’s something they can sort out later with their therapists.

Because here’s the bottom line of it all — I don’t want to instill a fear of strangers into my kids, but I do want them to understand that you can’t always trust people you don’t know (heck, you can’t always trust the people you do know, but that’s another therapy-provoking conversation we can have when they’re older).

If someone says, “Hey, follow me,” and we don’t know them, it’s not always a great idea to comply. First, we have to ask questions. “Where are you taking me? Why are we going? Who else will be there?”

But if someone we know and love and trust says, “Hey, follow me,” we don’t even think twice, and we don’t need to ask any questions. We know wherever we’re going is a safe place for us because we have a relationship with the person doing the leading. We feel comfortable putting ourselves in their care.

That’s why it’s so important to Christ that we know him. That we have a relationship with him. That we trust him.

Because we don’t follow strangers, do we?

I don’t have all the answers to the questions I would love to ask Christ. “Why is this happening? Where are you taking me?” But the beautiful thing is, I don’t actually need those answers. I know him. He’s got my hand. Wherever we’re going is where I want to be.
©LPi

Honor Our Military

Please take time to give thanks for those who have served and are serving in our military and to pray for the safety of those who may currently be in harm’s way. In a special way, we thank and pray for these parishioners and relatives of parishioners.
Dear God,
We pray in gratitude for all of those who have defended peace, virtue, and justice with honor. We pray especially for those who have suffered in mind and body from the ravages of war. May Your peace reign in our hearts and in our world. Amen.

He Who Sacrificed His Life
†JOHN A. STONIS, Grandson of John & Dorthy Stonis
†CHRISTOPHER ZIMNY

Those Still Serving
JAY MARTIN, Nephew of Becky and Tom Brennan
JESSICA CAMERON, Niece of the Cameron Family
JOHN PODCZASKI, Grandson of Genevieve Podczaski
STEVEN TUMBARELLO, Son of Sylvia & Vince Tumbarello
CRAIG BEHRENDT, Grand-nephew of Sister Mary Helen
DANIEL BELZER, Nephew of Dave & Bev Belzer
MICHAEL KELLY, Nephew of Kevin and Kathy Kelly
MATTHEW NEUBAUER, Nephew of Dan & Judy Neubauer
EUGENE WALL, Nephew of Suzanne Lessner
NAILL SWIDER, Grand-nephew of Alice Swider
BRYAN DUFF, Son of Julie Duff
RYAN BLOCHBERGER, Nephew of Mae Grady
TIMOTHY DWORKIN, Grandson of Barbara Bouska
ALEXIS GONZALES, Great-niece of Eden & Lyle Gonzales-Nemzin
JACK MAHON, JR., Son of Jack, Sr. & Eileen Mahon
MICHAEL FOLEY
JOHN FOLEY
PETER MULLER
DANIEL FRAYNA
JOSEPH GULLO
SANG HOON LEE
ANTHONY PALMERO
MORRIS COREY MCMAHON, Son of Chris & Julie McMahon
RYAN FONTILLAS
MICHAEL T. HEHN, Grandson of John & Dorthy Stonis

To add or remove someone, please send the person’s name and relationship (optional) to bulletin@stcatherinelaboure.com

Please Pray for Ukraine

For our sisters and brothers involved in or affected by the war and devastation in Ukraine-- the deceased, the injured, the frightened, the displaced, the fighters, the protesters, the leaders. May God give them solace, healing, comfort, and hearts and minds directed toward peace.
Donations can be made here:

Knights of Columbus: https://www.kofc.org/secure/en/donate/ukraine.html

Caritas: https://www.caritas.org/

Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Philidelphia: https://ukrarcheparchy.us

"May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war" - Pope Francis

Neighbors of other Faiths
The Golden Rule

Excerpted from charterforcompassion.org/the-golden-rule-in-seven-major-religions
We may speak of great differences in religious beliefs and forms of worship around the world. Called by an endless number of names, all, however, recognize and worship a Supreme Being. And all religions, somewhere in their sacred literature, expound the fundamental philosophy of the Golden Rule.

Buddhism: Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.
~ Buddha, Undanavarga 5:18

Christianity: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that all men should do to you, do ye even so to them.
~ Matthew 7:12

Confucianism: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
~ Confucius, Analects 15:23

Hinduism: Good people proceed while considering what is best for others is best for themselves.
~ Hitopadesa

Islamism: No one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
~ Mohammed, Traditions

Judaism: And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
~ Leviticus 19:18

Zoroastrianism: Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others.
~ Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29