[Fr. Ed Burns & Fr. Scott Morgan] It is with great sadness that we mourn the death of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, who passed from this life into eternal life on Monday, April 21st, at the age of 88.

Known as “The People’s Pope,” Francis was the first pope from the West, hailing from Argentina, and the first to take the name Francis—following the example of the saint whose love and service to the poor, the sick, and the marginalized he made his own.

Of the many great things we could say about Pope Francis and his pontificate, what has stayed with me most over these last few years is the Jubilee Year of Mercy. During that jubilee, Pope Francis chose “Merciful like the Father” as its motto. When I think of the Holy Father, this is what I remember most. He showed the world the love and mercy of our Heavenly Father, and reminded us all that our Lord meets us right where we are. As a priest, he gently encouraged us to remember that the Church is not confined within the walls of a building, but is found in the streets, in prisons, and anywhere else God’s children may find themselves.

That jubilee year was not only about the sacraments of mercy—it was a way of life that Pope Francis joyfully lived out for the whole world to see and come to know the Father’s love.

With news of the Pope’s passing, the Church has now entered a time of mourning and prayer for our deceased Holy Father. As you come into our churches over the next few days, you will notice black bunting at our doors and vigil lamps lit beside the Pope’s picture. I encourage you to enter into this time prayerfully, asking for the peaceful repose of Pope Francis—that he may be welcomed into the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

[Fr. Ed Burns] What is Easter for you? Is it just a spring holiday? After a long, cold winter, we all certainly welcome spring. It’s a beautiful time: longer, brighter days, flowers blooming, renewed hope for a successful baseball season!

Easter is so much more than that, good as spring is. As a traditional Easter hymn proclaims, “This is the feast of victory for our God!” We Christians believe that this is the celebration of Jesus’ triumph over death and sin - Jesus has truly risen from the grave, alleluia! This gift of God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is a gift for all of us giving us new life, welcoming us, through the waters of Baptism, into God’s kingdom, and the pledge of life eternal. 

It is an invitation to recognize the new life Jesus brings into the dead corners of our lives; to recognize that life and love will ultimately triumph.  Perhaps there are some places where we still stumble as Jesus did, some places where we still experience Calvary.  This feast shows us that God is still with us, bidding us to get up and begin again. Even in the darkness, there is light! As with the disciples who meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus, we are called to recognize his presence and walk with him, sharing the joy of the resurrection with the whole world. 

I hope that, wherever you are on your Christian journey, whether new or old, questioning or certain, tired or energized, that you will let us walk with you as we all journey closer to Christ!

[Katherine Walton] Holy Week seems to sweep through my life like a two-edged sword. On one side, I am overjoyed for Easter’s rapid approach, and that the Easter Vigil (my favorite Mass of the year) is so close!  On the other side, Holy Week drains me physically and mentally unlike any other week in the year. It’s a form of exhaustion foreign to any form of exercise or lack of sleep I’ve experienced. Why is that? Why am I drained before my favorite Holy Day has arrived? 

During Lent years ago, I committed to meditating on fragments of Jesus’ Passion narrative every day.  Once Holy Week began, I planned to craft my reflections into visual scenes.  I wanted to feel like I was present during the Passion and comfort Jesus in His agony.  On Palm Sunday’s commencement, my mood came like clockwork; I desired to do nothing but snooze.  However, I promised God I would meditate on His final hours.  I found a quiet spot in my house and began imagining myself on the streets of Jerusalem. 

As scenes passed, I fought increasing exhaustion and willed myself not to stop. Gazing up at my Lord’s face as He hung on the Cross, I saw His eyes lock onto mine. This wasn’t something I imagined in previous reflections. Jesus explained to my weary heart, “When a person truly understands My pain during Holy Week, they experience a spiritual exhaustion that is united to mine.”  In that moment, Jesus helped me understand why Holy Week wears me out. I still dread the exhaustion of this sacred set of days, but I’m comforted knowing I don’t suffer alone.  Jesus suffers with me.

[Brian Bisig] For a young person, Blessed Carlo Acutis sure had a way with words. Although only 15 years old when he died, he is credited with many wonderful quotes which display his profound faith and wisdom. One of those quotes, “Not me, but God,” or in his native Italian, “Non io, ma Dio,” really speaks to me. It is a prayer to allow God to be in control and a reminder to put my trust in Him. To me, it is a prayer for humility, acknowledging that there is so much that is not in our control, but that our faith and hope is in God’s plan for us.

These words inspired me to compose a liturgical song for our Family of Parishes in celebration of soon-to-be Saint Carlo’s canonization. When this song is shared with you, it will be a prayer for our Family of Parishes to put our collective trust in God and where he is leading us. As we all navigate Beacons of Light, trying to make sense of changes, my hope is that this song and prayer can help us ask God for the grace of understanding. Rather than saying, “Well, I wouldn’t have done it that way,” we will allow our trust in Him to lead us into one united parish.

Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus came to be like us.
Grant us the grace to be like him
and put our trust in you.
Dio, non io, God, not me,
Let this be our prayer with one accord.
Dio, non io, God, not me,
Not our will but yours be done, O Lord.
When Mary heard the angel’s voice,
she said, “yes,” without delay.
Grant us the grace to be like her,
the handmaid of the Lord.
The Lord is our light,
the Lord is our salvation,
whom shall we fear? 

[Scott Steinke] Lent is always about following Christ’s way of life and worshiping Him through our daily behaviors. From childhood, most Catholics are told to “give up” something during Lent. Many choose to give up things like sweets, a favorite game, a night of TV, or something to that affect. “Giving” something though rather than “giving up” can also be a significant way of worship. Some examples of this could be giving your time each week at a soup kitchen, giving a half hour a day to family prayer, or giving some time for volunteer work with events at the church.

Regardless of what you have given or given up during this season of Lent, it is important that the action of doing so helps teach us the value of sacrifice, restraint and appreciation in our lives. The ultimate value and core meaning in this is to bring all Catholics closer to their faith by emulating, to the best of their abilities, the behavior of Christ. As Lent then continues as a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice, and good works in preparation for the celebration of the Easter season, our opportunity to renew ourselves thus also continues in many ways. So may we take this special time to make sure we don’t give up ON Lent, but instead, let our “giving” or “giving up” remain in our sights in order to make Christ the ultimate goal in life.

Blessed Carlo Acutis loved the Eucharist; the heart of our beliefs as Catholics. To honor this soon to be saint, we invite you to spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. Being witness to the canonization of a Parish’s patron saint is a historic, once-in-a lifetime opportunity. Therefore, we will not limit Eucharistic Adoration to an hour, or even eight hours, but for 40 total hours.
 
Have you ever gone to adoration? Have you tried, but felt defeated wondering what do I do in this moment? We invite you to gaze upon the monstrance, containing Jesus—body, soul, blood, and divinity. Whether you attend adoration often or haven’t ever been, this is your opportunity to join us for any amount of time that you need to embrace the intimacy of it all. All you need to bring is your heart. Here are some ways to make adoration successful:

· Be Patient—Adoration can be a bit of a workout. 5 minutes may feel like 50 minutes, and that’s okay. Any amount of time you spend in Christ’s presence is significant. We aren’t asking you to come for all 40 hours.
· Bring Scripture—Reading scripture is always a good thing, but it is especially helpful and meditative during
adoration. There are many prayer books and apps that can guide your heart in Adoration.
· Listen to Praise and Worship Music—Carlo loved technology, and we do, too! Bring your headphones and simply sit back and listen to music to heal your heart. Music and lyrics can help turn your thoughts to God.
· Be Okay with Silence—It’s so easy to go a whole day without silence. Fill yourself with insurmountable peace by allowing your life to silence in the presence of Jesus.
 
Want to really embrace Eucharistic Adoration? We invite your family, group, or organization to adopt an hour during our historic 40 Hours event, Thursday, April 24-Saturday, April 26. This simply means that you agree to watch over the Eucharist for the full duration of your assigned hour so that He is not left alone. Your hour will be recognized for a special intention of your choosing. To adopt an hour, visit tricountycatholics.org/carlo.
 
You’ll be in good company when you adopt an hour, as several of our hours have already been adopted. Groups include, but are not limited to the 7 Sisters Apostolates, First Thursday Ladies Scripture Group, St. Michael Parish Staff, St. John Parish Staff, personal family memorials, and St. Michael Knights of Columbus! 

[Becky Albrinck] I first experienced Eucharistic Adoration at thirty-five years old. I was sitting at a youth conference as a chaperone, when a priest walked out to the altar with a sun-shaped stand to begin the time of adoration. At the center of the sun was a consecrated host. There, in front of me, was Jesus.

We believe that the Eucharist IS Jesus, and for that reason we display Jesus in a stand of precious metal. The teens at this conference sat in front of Jesus for an hour, praising Him with quiet prayers and at times, even music. Why? Because if we are to act like Jesus, if he is to be our friend, we must spend time with Jesus. What better way to do this than in front of the Eucharist. Our soon to be patron, Blessed Carlo Acutis, said “When we face the sun, we get a tan, but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints".

During my growing up years, the practice of adoration of the Eucharist was rarely seen in parishes. Practices are often revived when the people of God need them the most. I need Jesus in my life. In fact, I desperately need Jesus in my life. Not just on Sundays, and not just receiving the Eucharist, but spending time with Him. The most important gift we want is time – time with our family, time with our friends. Jesus wants the same with all of us.

All are invited to join us for Eucharistic Adoration leading up to the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Each of our churches will host several hours. Come and see, and gaze upon Jesus Christ - for five minutes, for twenty minutes, or for even an hour.  

[Nick H., 16] As a sixteen-year-old Catholic who is interested in going into the Computer Science field, Blessed Carlo Acutis is a perfect role model for me. I probably would have even considered him for my Confirmation saint had he been canonized, and if I had heard about him, a little earlier. Blessed Carlo was only a year younger than me when he died, but everything he managed to accomplish in his short life is so inspiring. He created a website, found at www.miracolieucaristici.org, that documents dozens of Eucharistic miracles in great detail, proving how devoted to the Eucharist and spreading the faith he was. Through this website, Blessed Carlo shows how the internet doesn’t have to be used for commercialization, or spreading hate like it so often gets credited for. It shows how the Internet can be used to spread love and to make information about the faith even more accessible to people. Blessed Carlo is a great example of how anyone, no matter what their gifts are, can use them to spread the
goodness of God, even if it might be in an unexpected form. Blessed Carlo has inspired me to use my gifts with technology to spread God’s love and care, just as he did.

[Fr. Ed Burns, Pastor] More than a few of you have asked the question: “Why have we taken Blessed Carlo Acutis as our new patron saint?” And then a few of you ask, “Does this mean this church isn’t St. Michael/Gabriel/John any more?”

I’ll answer those in reverse order. Each of our churches has been dedicated to these saints, and so that cannot be changed. The churches of St. Gabriel, St. John and St. Michael will remain. What is changing is the name of the Parish.

Why St. Carlo Acutis? Early in the process of Beacons of Light, we realized a need to have a name. This would be a unifying focus for the Family of
Parishes. At the time, we assumed the name, “Tri-County Catholics”. This Family of Parish name was always meant to be temporary, so that we could quickly identify who we are as a body of people. Now that we are
halfway through the process of unification, we are ready to look ahead to merging together into one parish, and a parish needs a name. Catholic
parishes always take a saint or a mystery in the life of Christ or his mother as their name to have a heavenly patron. Looking for this patron, it wasn’t long until our leadership teams realized that St. Carlo would be an ideal choice.

Embarking on this unique form of being a parish, I thought we needed a modern saint for our modern times. Isn’t it wonderful to have an example of sainthood who had an email address, designed websites and played video games? And one, who, in the midst of these features of our own lives, went often to daily Mass, spent time in prayer before the blessed Sacrament, saved up money to help the poor, and had a favorite soccer team?

My hope is that, for all of us, old and young, we will find in Carlo an example to emulate who knew our own struggles and challenges and overcame them. In all that he did, in church or in school or on the soccer field, he sought after Jesus, especially in the Eucharist, his “highway to heaven.”

Get to know our new patron saint. There are a number of books about his life, including one by his own mother. There’s even an excellent comic book if that’s more your speed! I think you’ll find in him a great spiritual friend!

[Becky Albrinck & Amanda Schirmang] Imagine being an early settler and Catholic priest building a parish. You had to design the church, secure donations, purchase land, and decide on a patron name. Generations later, parishioners would continue to admire this labor of love established just for them. Today, pastors across the Archdiocese of Cincinnati are getting to build something for generations to come by bringing together Families of Parishes and securing a patron name for them. How special for us, that our Family of Parishes’ name will change on the very day our patron is to be canonized by the Pope in Rome!
 
A patron is one who has been chosen as a special intercessor with God and the proper advocate, and is honored by clergy and people with a special form of religious observance. To select a patron, whether for a parish or
individual life, means the saint will become an active part of prayer and someone to turn to when making decisions. Blessed Carlo Acutis, will be a saint for current times, praying for each of us that we will one day be in heaven with him!

Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991 –2006) was born in London, England and raised in Milan, Italy. With his tech-savvy skills, young Carlo spent four years creating a website that catalogued Eucharistic miracles from around the world. The purpose of his site was to increase awareness and appreciation for the Eucharist. His hope for this project was to inspire those who visited the site to deepen their faith and develop a stronger relationship with Jesus. His story also serves as a reminder that holiness is attainable even amid modern challenges and that today’s tools, like computers and the internet, can also be an avenue through which someone can serve the Kingdom of God.