He is raised! Alleluia!

My dear friends in Christ,

He is raised! Alleluia! Alleluia! April fool’s! No, really! He is risen!!! Did you know that the origin of April Fool’s Day is actually found in the Church? A lot of people don’t know this, so here’s how the story goes: On February 24, 1582, Pope Gregory XIII issued the papal bull Inter Gravissimas which established the Gregorian calendar (which gets its name from this pope) as the official calendar for the Christian world. With this pronouncement, the Julian calendar was replaced and the first day of the New Year was moved to January 1. Those who continued to observe it on April 1, whether out of resistance or because they didn’t receive the news, were considered foolish and ridiculed. So if someone pulls a prank or plays a joke on you on April 1st, you can legitimately blame the Catholic Church or at least Pope Gregory XIII. Of course, historians offer different accounts of the origin of April Fool’s Day, but since we are the Catholic Church, we'll recognize this one. And why do I bring this up? Maybe it’s to give you something to talk about around the water cooler at work. Maybe it’s because it’s good to recognize and point out the contributions the Church has made to society. Once you realize that, then you’re one step closer to realizing how important the Church is to daily life. Christianity isn’t just something that we do for an hour on Sundays; it’s how we should be living and orienting our daily lives. And that’s no April Fool’s!

On behalf of Father Lennon, Father Lagura, the Sisters and staff of Corpus Christi Parish, may you all have a Joyous, Blessed and Happy Easter!

May God bless you all!

Father John