First Reading:
With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. (Acts 4:33)
Psalm:
Give thanks to the Lord, for his is good, his love is everlasting. (Ps. 118)
Or
Alleluia.
Second Reading:
Everyone who believe that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. (1 Jn. 1:1a)
Gospel:
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (Jn. 20:21)
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass ©2001, 1998, 1970 CCD. The English translation of Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.
©LPi
Live the Liturgy—Inspiration for the Week:
Alleluia! Forgiveness has risen from the grave! What a wonderful joy fills us today as we ponder the inexhaustible mercy of God. When experienced, we are moved to do all in our power to avoid sin and embrace the loving presence of our risen God. God stands ever ready to receive us and wants nothing more than for us to come home. How reluctant we are to believe this truth! We want proof, tangible evidence and absolute assurance that what we have been told is true. Jesus has risen from the dead and brings us peace. It is the gift of wholeness and holiness that is breathed upon us by God’s life-giving and healing mercy. May the rays of love that flow from the heart of Christ pierce ours!
©LPi
Catholic Quotes—Words to Inspire the Faithful:
© Liturgical Publications Inc.
Events:
- Food Pantries:
- Ovid Federated church: Mondays, 10:00 a.m.
- Food truck: Every other Tuesday (April 13), 4:00 p.m., South Seneca high school parking lot
- Interlaken Reformed church: Fridays, 3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.,
- Trumansburg Food Pantry: Every other Monday (April 12) 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 5:15–6:00 p.m., Methodist church
- Family Hope Center: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:00–4:00 p.m., Holy Cross
- AA Meetings:
- Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m., St. Francis Solanus, Interlaken
- Thursdays, Noon, St. James the Apostle, Trumansburg
- Fr. Bernard is Available: Fridays, 6:30–7:30 p.m., St. Francis Solanus
- Parish of Mary, Mother of Mercy’s Sunday Mass can be viewed at our parish website: marymotherofmercy.com
- Divine Mercy Service: April 11, 3:00 p.m., Immaculate Conception, Ithaca
- First Holy Communion 2021 Meeting: April 18,10:00 a.m., St. James the Apostle
- Easter Sacraments presentations: 7 p.m., St. Francis Solanus
- April 27: Baptism
- May 4: Confirmation
- May 11: Eucharist
2020/2021 Catholic Ministries Appeal:
The Appeal will conclude in eight weeks. Our given Appeal parish goal is $29,979. As of April 1, one hundred and thirteen parish households have pledged $28,601 which represents 95.40% of goal. We need $1,378 to reach our goal. Participation in the Appeal is primary, what is pledged is secondary. Please do what you are able. To make your gift please use the CMA pledge envelopes located in the foyers of the church or go online to www.dor.org/cma. Thank you for considering this request.
Easter Duty:
“All the faithful, after they have been initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, are bound by the obligation of receiving Communion at least once a year. The precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season unless it is fulfilled for a just cause at some other time during the year.” (Church law #920) In reference to this precept the Easter season is considered the First Sunday of Lent until Trinity Sunday (this year May 30).
Second Sunday of Easter:
This Sunday, April 11, is the Second Sunday of Easter also known as the Sunday of Divine Mercy. This day is a reminder to always celebrate that God’s love conquers all adversity.
Divine Mercy Service:
This Sunday, April 11 at 3:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 113 N. Geneva Street, Ithaca, Deacon George Kozak will be leading a Divine Mercy Service with recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Rosary and Adoration and Benediction. All are welcome.
Thank You:
The parish expresses heartful “thanks” to all who made the Easter Triduum most beautiful. Our gratitude is to all those who worked on decorating our churches with flowers, and symbols of the resurrection etc. Each parish church had a festive welcome. (Parishioners who contributed to the cost of flowers – again – thank you.) We thank our sacristans, greeters of hospitality, altar servers, lectors, musicians and singers, and, of course, all who came to the Easter Triduum liturgies. It is a sure sign of hope that all who have been vaccinated are returning to church. It was so good to see parishioners who have been kept away due to the virus. God bless you all for making this Easter a joyous one
The Sacrament of Confirmation:
Four of our parishioners will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation this Saturday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, Ithaca. Bishop Salvatore R. Matano will be officiating. Those being confirmed are: Adam Arco, Allyson Marion, Annabelle Tingue, and Leah Wiggins. We rejoice in their being fully initiated into the Church. Like all followers of Jesus, we pray they will continue do their part in promoting the teachings of Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
The Easter Sacraments:
Fr. Bernard will give a presentation on the Sacraments of Initiation (also referred to as the Easter Sacraments) on three consecutive Tuesday evenings at the Parish Center, Interlaken, beginning at 7:00 p.m: — Baptism, April 27; Confirmation, May 4; and Eucharist, May 11. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be included with the presentation on Baptism. All are welcome.
First Communions:
Three parishioners will celebrate their first communion on Sunday, May 2, at the 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. James the Apostle Church. They are: Christopher Clarke-Cabezas, Grace Guydosh and Porter Landon.
Souper Bowl of Caring:
A “Thank you!” was received at the parish from the Souper Bowl of Caring Staff for $400 collected at Holy Cross Church, Ovid and given to the Ovid Food Pantry. “Once again, thank you so much for participating this year! No matter how large or small your collection was, you are helping to make giant plays in the fight against hunger. Please know that with your help over $3,872,534 has been raised for charities across the country!”
National Blue Sunday:
The last Sunday of April is a day of prayer for abused children. Blue Sunday is a national faith-based movement when churches take time to pray for victims of child abuse and for those who rescue them. This year it will be April 25, 2021. There are over 3 million confirmed cases of child abuse in our nation annually and 1640 child deaths from child abuse (most were under the age of three).
“Lord, when did we see You… in prison?” Matthew 25:39:
We might ask ourselves how often our own outreach concerns extend to our incarcerated brothers and sisters and their families. America’s rate of incarceration is greater than any other nation in the world: although our country has 5% of the world’s population, it has 25% of is prisoners. Sentence length and time served are much longer in the US than elsewhere, and include more solitary confinement, less rehabilitations, and poor re-entry assistance. A crime data expert at the Brennan Center for Justice recently observed, “It is really a system that sets people up for failure.” (America, August 2020). As we continue to struggle with our own confinements during the pandemic, let us deepen our understanding of the sufferings of our incarcerated sisters and brother and pray to know how we can best care for them. In the coming weeks of this Easter Season, our Diocesan Public Policy Committee will be providing further information and assistance to parishes in these efforts.
Year of St. Joseph:
Pope Francis initiated the Year of St. Joseph in recognition of the 150th Anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as patron of the Catholic Church. This year is dedicated to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.
Donating to Your Parish:
Online giving by WeShare is safe, simple and convenient. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3:
- Visit the parish website’s giving page: https://marymotherofmercy.com/giving.
- Follow the directions under the “Donate Online” section.
- Set up your donation or payment.
That’s it! Your account will be created and you can put away your checkbook. If you experience any problems, please email Eileen at .
The Bishop’s Reminder:
Due to the prevalence of the Coronavirus, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is suspended until further notice. Those who are at a higher risk of COVID-19 and those concerned for their health are urged not to come to church for Mass. Those who feel in any way sick should not enter any parish building or church.
COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program:
This program is designed to provide up to three months of rent relief to eligible households who have experienced a loss of income related to the public health crisis. To learn more or apply, visit ithacanhs.org/rentalassistance or phone 607–277–4500. Assistance is available to renters in four counties including Seneca, Schuyler, Tioga, and Tompkins.
~Please take time this week to pray the rosary for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. ~
Prayer Intentions:
Since we presently cannot have the prayer request books in our churches, do know that the prayer requests of fellow parishioners are still being listed on the parish website (see PRAYERS in top bar). If you would like to add a request, please email the parish at or phone the parish office at 607–294–0064 and it will be added to the list.
Prayers from the Sisters of St. Joseph:
The Sisters of St. Joseph have a prayer ministry for the Diocese of Rochester. They have informed our parish that Sisters Anne Marie Burns and Dolores Bachman will be praying for our parish and parishioners throughout 2021. Let us keep in our prayers the two sisters praying for us and for all the Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester.
Pregnancy Care Center of the Finger Lakes:
The Pregnancy Care Center of the Finger Lakes is located at 551 Exchange St. in Geneva with an office in Ovid at 7231 Main St. “If you regret your abortion, you are not alone. Let us help you learn to forgive yourself.” For more information phone 315 789 0708, text: 315-945-1019, or e-mail .
Cancer Services Program (CSP):
Cortland and Tompkins Counties offer free cancer screenings to those who are uninsured or have health insurance that does not cover these screenings. The screening services are provided in local health centers, doctors’ offices, and hospitals. For more information, contact CSP at 866 442 2262.
Happy Easter:
How do we convince people that God’s law is written upon their hearts? God is wedded to God’s people. This is a simple and fundamental fact of life. Yet, many ignore this truth and carry on as if they, or humanity as a whole, are the center of the universe. As a grain of wheat has to fall to the ground and die in order to become what it really is, we too must die to our secular images and ideas of ourselves so that we can become who God really made us to be. If all of us kept our focus on God’s deep bonded love with human beings, indeed with our very self, then there would be no need to teach others this fundamental life lesson. They would simply know this truth, as Jeremiah tells us. Somehow, perhaps through original and personal sin, we have lost sight of this reality. We have lost our way and our axis. It is time to find our way back, to learn the virtue of obedience, to pay attention to what God is saying and become aware of the Divine Love that is the reason for all creation. Then, even in our darkest hour when all may seem to be lost, we can say as did Jesus, the model of obedience, “Father, glorify your name,” By this perseverance, people can come to know the Lord and what God has done.
The annual Easter Flower Collection was scheduled for February 28 and an announcement regarding the collection was inadvertently omitted from the Sunday bulletin. Together with that, collections cannot be taken up in churches during this time of the pandemic. In the usual ways of making 
March 19:
Lenten Reminders:
Lenten Reminders:
Donating to Your Parish:
Donating to Your Parish:
During this time of the pandemic, offertory collections cannot be taken up. When parishioners attend Mass, please place your offertory in the new collection stand at the entrances of the church. The new stand replaces the baskets at the entrances and offers security to your offering.
Year of St. Joseph:
Ash Wednesday – Distribution of Ashes:
Trumansburg Food Pantry Volunteers: