Join us here online for Mass
every Sunday at 6:00 PM.
REMADE FOR MISSION
MAY LISTENING SESSIONS

Saturday, May 2, 9:00 - 11:00 AM
​St. Adalbert Parish Center
​Tuesday, May 5 – 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
St. Paul the Apostle Parish Center

Topic: Discernment and Ongoing Renewal
Theme: How are we doing and where is the
Spirit leading us next?
Goal: Reflection on progress, Celebration
of fruits and Planning for ongoing evaluation
​​WEEKDAY MASSES

​Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
​Tuesdays at 8:00AM 

Church of St. Adalbert
Wednesdays at 8:00AM
​ 
St. Paul the Apostle Church
Thursdays at 7:00PM and Fridays at 8:00AM
 
Eucharistic Adoration will now be held on the second Thursday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00PM, just before the Thursday evening Mass at St. Paul's.
2024-2025 ANNUAL REPORT
Prayers & Mysteries of the Rosary
Picture
Rev. Matthew H. Frisoni

FAITH IN FOCUS:  THE EASTER DUTY
Dear family,

Q: What is the Easter Duty, and why should we care?

A: The Easter Duty is one of the oldest requirements in the Catholic Church. Every Catholic who has made their First Communion is obliged to receive the Eucharist at least once a year -- and to do so within the Church's appointed season.

In most of the world, that window runs from Palm Sunday to Pentecost. But in the United States, our Bishops won an extended period with a history going back nearly two centuries. The First Provincial Council of Baltimore, held in October 1829, petitioned the Apostolic See on behalf of American Catholics. Pope Pius VIII approved the Council's decrees in 1830, and they were promulgated in 1831 -- granting Catholics in the U.S. the right to fulfill the Easter Duty anytime from the First Sunday of Lent through Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost. That generous stretch covers about fourteen weeks.

Why does this matter? Because life is busy, and it is easy to let our relationship with Christ drift without even noticing. The Easter Duty is the Church's firm but merciful reminder: do not let a whole year go by without sitting at the Lord's table. It is the bare minimum as the least we do, not the most. The hope of the Church is always that receiving Communion once a year will become a doorway back to receiving it every Sunday.

Easter is the very heart of our faith. It is the celebration of Christ's Resurrection from the dead. To receive him in the Eucharist during this season is a deeply personal renewal of our own share in that Resurrection. It says, in effect:  I believe. I belong.  ​I am still here.

Here are five reasons to take this duty seriously:

1. It unites us to the whole Church. When we receive Communion during this season, we are doing what Catholics around the world and across the centuries have done. This is not a private devotion. It is a public act of belonging to the Body of Christ. From the earliest centuries, Christians gathered to break bread together at Easter. We are part of that same unbroken chain.

2. It feeds the soul in a way nothing else can. Jesus said plainly: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you" (John 6:53). The Eucharist is not a symbol: it is Christ himself, truly present. To receive him is to be strengthened, healed, and drawn closer to God. Why would we settle for going without?

3. It keeps the door open. For those who have drifted away, fulfilling the Easter Duty is often the first step back. Many Catholics who return to regular Mass attendance trace it to one quiet decision: to show up, receive Communion, and see what happened next. The grace received in the Eucharist has a way of drawing us further in.

4. It is an act of gratitude. Christ gave his life for us. He offers himself to us still, every time Mass is celebrated. Receiving the Eucharist at least once during this holy season is a small but real act of thanksgiving. It is an acknowledgment that what he did on the cross matters to us personally.
5. It strengthens the parish community. When we gather at the Lord's table, we are not just individuals receiving grace--we are building up the Church together. A community that receives Christ together is a community that grows stronger together. Your presence at Mass and at the table matters to the people around you, even if you never say a word.
The Church gives us fourteen weeks. That is not a technicality. It is a sign of how much the Church wants us there. Trinity Sunday is May 31. There is still time. Come to the table.

God's peace,
​
Fr. Frisoni