Dear St. Rita Families,

            A blessed Easter to all of you! We celebrate the Easter Octave this week with great joy, allowing Christ’s Victory over sin and death to permeate every aspect of our lives. After entering into Lent with fervor, it is good that we rejoice in the new life given to us in Christ. This new life means in particular a real turning away from sin, which is what the disciplines of Lent were about. A life apart from sin likewise means that we are able to receive and rejoice in God’s blessings more fully.

            Of course, Easter doesn’t mean that there is no more suffering this side of Heaven. It does give suffering a new perspective, however. God does not let any suffering go to waste, and neither should we. In humility and with great courage, we accept the sufferings permitted us by our Good Father, and even if through tears and darkness, we repeat with the Lord, “Not my will, Father, but yours!” We know, because of Christ’s Resurrection, that this is the path to life.

            On Easter Monday morning, I, like all of you no doubt, was surprised to learn of the death of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. Though he had been sick for quite some time, it was the last thing on my mind after all of the events of Holy Week, the Sacred Triduum, and Easter Sunday. The Church has been praying for him daily since he began his ministry, and especially during this time of sickness. I ask you to continue to pray for the happy repose of his soul, for the Cardinals who will elect the next pope, for the whole Church, and for the world. We know how important the Holy Father’s role is. 

            Pope Francis’ funeral was celebrated this morning in Rome, and, as I watched the last few minutes of it, I was struck by the fact that, whether one liked or disliked his pontificate, it was indeed a consequential one. I have not known another pontificate as a cleric, as he was elected shortly before I was ordained a deacon in 2013. The Holy Father will be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, per his own specific request. The conclave to elect the next Successor of St. Peter must begin between 16 and 21 days after the death of the Holy Father, which means sometime between May 7 and 12.

            Today in the Diocese of Arlington, we are also celebrating our ordinations to the transitional diaconate at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More. Bishop Burbidge will ordain 7 men as deacons, in preparation for their last year in the seminary and their (God willing) ordination to the priesthood in June 2026. Please pray for these 7 men also, that they will be holy witnesses to the Gospel and faithful servants of God and His people.

            To top off the roller coaster that the Easter Octave has already been, we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday tomorrow. With this feast, we remember that all aspects of life are permitted for us by God as a sign of His Mercy. Whether He is calling us back to Himself (or closer to Himself) by means of trials and tribulations or whether we are given to experience the joys of this world as signs of His care and presence, His mercy endures forever. In particular, we rejoice in the undeserved mercy and often unfathomable choice He made in each of us, calling us to Himself for reasons that are often beyond our vision and knowledge. The least we can do, when we recognize this mercy, is to rejoice in gratitude, because God has smiled upon us. 

            He will, also, with the Apostles at Pentecost, send us forth to preach the Gospel we have received. It will be both natural and supernatural: natural because we have truly experienced in our very selves God’s goodness; supernatural because it is grace that has enabled our conversion and our love. We do not want anyone to miss the opportunity to receive the great gifts we ourselves have received! We want to enable as many as possible to come to the Divine Feast! We want God’s grace to enter into the darkest places of the world, to be His instruments in spreading the Gospel, and for none to perish eternally – especially not because of our own neglect in preaching! Therefore, let God’s Charity take root within you. Do not give scoffers reason to scorn the Gospel. Our witness must be full. We must not be stingy with the graces and gifts God has given. He has given us all things – He has given us Himself!

In Christ,

Fr. Christensen