ESPAÑOL – EL FUEGO DEL PADRE FRANK – ARTÍCULO DEL BOLETÍN – 20 DE ABRIL 2025
Alleluia! With this simple word, I announce to you greetings of Easter joy. Easter is the day of Resurrection, a day of new hope, of new beginnings, and of new life. This is a day to celebrate for Christ our Lord is Risen from the dead and He is victorious over sin and death.
I welcome our many visitors to St. Michael this Easter Day. I am glad that you are here. YOU make our Easter joy complete. I trust that you will feel the presence of the Risen Lord among us.
The Gospel tells us that in the early morning Jesus left the empty tomb behind. It was an ordinary day in Jerusalem. There was not a major earthquake, nor were there loud blasts of thunder, not even a trumpet sounded. The only thing that was unusual was the empty tomb. The disciples entered the empty tomb – they saw and believed.
The empty tomb reminds us that we have a future and we can move past the stones that have blocked us from encountering the Risen Christ. Nothing, not even death, can keep us away from Jesus. We should not be afraid, because Jesus walks with us. This Easter Day let us live in the light and love of the Risen Christ.
This Lent we walked as Pilgrims of Hope during this Jubilee Year. We have celebrated His passion and death, and now we are ready to rise to new life. St. Michael Parish was formed in 1867. We have accomplished much in these past 158 years, but there is still work to be done. The Gospel must be preached, the poor provided for, our Catholic faith taught to our children, and our Catholic faith strengthened and nourished in adults. Easter gives us the perfect opportunity to recommit ourselves to continue the mission of Jesus.
I ask that you help me to announce to the world the love of Jesus Christ Crucified and Risen from the Dead. St. Michael has had a wonderful past and we need to celebrate our parish. We can have an even more glorious future if we are willing to work together to face the challenges that we encounter. I pray that we have the courage to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and bring Easter joy to all that we meet.
LETTER FROM CARDINAL CUPICH – EASTER 2025
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
For more than a thousand years, the Church has sung five words that capture the message of Easter: Christ our hope has risen.
This simple phrase powerfully expresses the conviction that our hope is the very person of the Risen Christ. He not only rose from the dead two-thousand years ago but is present and active in our world today. As the Risen One, he shares with us his victory and triumph over sin and death, drawing us into the fullness of life that God has ever desired for humanity. Yes, indeed Christ our hope has risen.
We recall this core belief in this Jubilee Holy Year when Pope Francis has called us to be Pilgrims of Hope. This is an invitation to be a people who journey together, confident that we are sustained by this closeness to the Risen Christ as we face the challenges of life. As pilgrims of hope, we walk with the Risen One and lean on his presence for personal support, but we also discover the power to bring hope to our world, our families, communities, workplaces, and nation. This is a great grace and responsibility.
May our Easter faith that Christ our hope has risen grow stronger, so that we will join in his work of bringing hope to our world with new enthusiasm, putting aside all of our fears and anxieties, in the knowledge that by conquering death, the Risen Lord has given us the sure hope and promise that we too have risen with him and will live forever. Yes, Christ our hope has risen and so have we.
Happy Easter!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Cardinal Blase Cupich
Archbishop of Chicago
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY – Saint John Paul II declared that the Second Sunday of Easter is to be Divine Mercy Sunday. The message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy are based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun that received revelations about God’s mercy. The message of mercy is nothing new, but it is a reminder of what the Church has always taught – that God is merciful and forgiving and that, we too, must show mercy and forgiveness to others. I invite all to devote a part of this day to prayer.
We will celebrate Divine Mercy with a special Holy Hour, next Sunday, April 27, at 3 PM in the Church. All are invited to come to pray and to reflect on Divine Mercy.
In Easter Glory,
Padre Frank A. Kurucz
Párroco de la Iglesia de St. Michael
FATHER FRANK’S FIRE – APRIL 20, 2025
Aleluya! Con estas sencillas palabras, les anuncio un saludo de alegría pascual. La Pascua es el día de la Resurrección, un día de nueva esperanza, de nuevos comienzos y de nueva vida. Es un día para celebrar porque Cristo, nuestro Señor, resucitó de entre los muertos y venció al pecado y a la muerte.
Doy la bienvenida a quienes nos visitan en San Miguel este día de Pascua. Me alegra que estén aquí. Ustedes hacen que nuestra alegría pascual sea completa. Confío en que sentirán la presencia del Señor Resucitado entre nosotros.
El Evangelio nos dice que, de madrugada, Jesús salió del sepulcro vacío. Era un día cualquiera en Jerusalén. No hubo un gran terremoto, ni fuertes truenos, ni siquiera sonó una trompeta. Lo único inusual fue el sepulcro vacío. Los discípulos entraron en el sepulcro vacío: vieron y creyeron.
El sepulcro vacío nos recuerda que tenemos un futuro y que podemos superar las piedras que nos han impedido encontrarnos con Cristo Resucitado. Nada, ni siquiera la muerte, puede alejarnos de Jesús. No debemos tener miedo, porque Jesús camina con nosotros. En este día de Pascua, vivamos en la luz y el amor de Cristo Resucitado.
Esta Cuaresma caminamos como Peregrinos de la Esperanza durante este Año Jubilar. Hemos celebrado Su Pasión y Muerte y ahora estamos listos para resucitar a una nueva vida. La Parroquia de San Miguel se fundó en 1867. Hemos logrado mucho en estos últimos 158 años, pero aún queda trabajo por hacer. El Evangelio debe ser predicado, los pobres deben ser atendidos, nuestra fe católica debe ser enseñada a nuestros niños y nuestra fe católica debe ser fortalecida y nutrida en los adultos. La Pascua nos brinda la oportunidad perfecta para renovar nuestro compromiso de continuar la misión de Jesús.
Les pido que me ayuden a anunciar al mundo el amor de Jesucristo crucificado y resucitado. San Miguel ha tenido un pasado maravilloso y necesitamos celebrar nuestra parroquia. Podemos tener un futuro aún más glorioso si estamos dispuestos a trabajar juntos para afrontar los desafíos que enfrentamos. Ruego para que tengamos la valentía de seguir las indicaciones del Espíritu Santo y llevar la alegría de la Pascua a todos los que encontremos.
DOMINGO DE LA DIVINA MISERICORDIA – San Juan Pablo II declaró que el Segundo Domingo de Pascua sería el Domingo de la Divina Misericordia. El mensaje y la devoción a Jesús como la Divina Misericordia se basan en los escritos de Santa Faustina Kowalska, una monja polaca que recibió revelaciones sobre la misericordia de Dios. El mensaje de la misericordia no es nuevo, pero es un recordatorio de lo que la Iglesia siempre ha enseñado: que Dios es misericordioso y perdonador, y que nosotros también debemos mostrar misericordia y perdón a los demás. Invito a todos a dedicar parte de este día a la oración.
Celebraremos la Divina Misericordia con una Hora Santa especial, el próximo domingo 27 de Abril a las 3 PM en la Iglesia. Todos están invitados a venir a orar y reflexionar sobre la Divina Misericordia.
En la Gloria Pascual,
Fr. Frank A. Kurucz
Pastor of St. Michael Parish