A Note From Father Eickhoff

March 31, 2024

Happy Easter! Sing praise to our God and rejoice this day. Christ is risen!

Easter Sunday marks the end of an extraordinary week for Christians. Our emotions swing wildly from highs to lows to a surging high during this week. It begins with Palm Sunday and the great celebration of Jesus’ entry into the royal city of Jerusalem as He is met with cheering to welcome Him. We continue with a high note as Christ institutes the Holy Mass, the ordained priesthood, and the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday. Then we crash as Christ is arrested, tried, and unjustly condemned to death on Good Friday. We spend the next day in sorrow until we come to that astonishing moment when the disciples find the empty tomb and hear the word of the angel that Christ is risen from the dead at Easter.

Everything in the church today is meant to help us celebrate with joy. We hear the music proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. We see the festive decorations that proclaim the victory of God. We smell the incense that symbolizes the prayer of Jesus Christ that brings about the forgiveness of our sins. We taste and touch the Holy Eucharist that is truly the body and blood of the risen Lord. We are meant to celebrate this day. So rejoice and sing praise to God not just today, but for days to come.

I want to thank all the people of the parish who have contributed to preparing the church for this Easter celebration. There are great numbers of people to thank so I must go over everyone by their ministries. First, I would like to thank the deacons of St. Anne Parish for their continued service to the church. Next, I want to thank the members of the music ministry for all their hard work this past week. Then, I want to thank the ministers of Communion, the Lectors, the Ushers, and the Altar Servers for all their assistance this past week with all the multiple Masses and services. I also want to thank the members of the art and environment committee for their continuous work this past week in beautifying the church for each day during Holy Week which is quite a big job since each day during Holy Week requires its own scheme of decoration. Finally, I wish to thank all the people of St. Anne Parish for their support of the parish and their coming together to worship Jesus Christ in this time of celebration.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Stephen Eickhoff
Pastor