Sunday, April 27, 2025
Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.
(Diary #300)
Dear Parishioners of Pope St. John XXIII Parish Faith Community,
Today is the Feast of all Feaststhe Feast of Mercy! This celebration originated from the private revelations given to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish cloistered nun who died in 1938. In the year 2000, she was canonized by Saint Pope John Paul II, and the Feast of Divine Mercy was instituted as a universal feast of the Church. In one of the revelations, the Lord said to her, I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy. (Diary #1109)
I thank all of you who devoutly participate in celebrating the boundless mercy of God today.
The Sunday after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday. Today, we rejoice in this feast after nine days of preparation, which began on Good Friday. We are grateful to all parishioners who took the initiative to pray the Novena and prepare for this day across our parish families.
Thank you to our priests, deacons, sisters, and lay leaders of Pope St. John XXIII Parish Family for your time and presence during the Novena prayers, the Eucharistic procession, and the Benediction on this holy day. Special thanks to our core team members who organized this event. Every spiritual celebration strengthens us in both body and soul.
The other important highlights of this Triduum and Easter weekend arethe participation of Visitation (St. Rita's) site faithful coming and actively participating inthe liturgical celebrations at the main campus as well at the mission station. They served as altar servers, as Eucharistic ministers and as volunteers in different ministries during these holy moments. We are moving flawlessly into emerging as one parish family. It is important we come together as often as possible to share our gifts and our resources to strengthen our community and our unity. These celebrations and participation make it possible for us to achieve many heights like in the food bank and in the help rendered to Tacoma rescue mission. Let's continue to build a strong faith community that celebrates the liturgies and work together in achieving the impossible.
I would also like to thank our parish staff, volunteers, and the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross for their assistance during Holy Week, the Easter celebrations, and the Divine Mercy events. Your presence brought unity and the love of Christ to our parish life. We are truly grateful for your dedication and service.
We also thank the two seminarians who stayed with us during Easter. Their presence and help with preparations were a great blessing. We continue to pray that they remain faithful to their vocation and that they may one day serve as priests in the vineyard of the Lord.
We warmly welcome all students back from their Easter and Spring Break! Our school and Faith Formation teams are working together to support the growth of our childrenboth in academics and in faith. We hope everyone returns refreshed and filled with joy and peace.
Special thanks to our teachers and core team members for leading the marriage preparation classes on the weekends of April 26 and May 3.
We are also deeply grateful to all the donors who provided Easter candies and gifts for our campuses. A heartfelt thank you to the Food Bank Team for organizing an Easter egg hunt for the children at the Tacoma Rescue Mission. In addition, they prepared 70 Easter baskets filled with toys and goodies, generously donated by parishioners from across all our campuses. Thank you for making Easter a joyful and meaningful time for these children.
By now, you may have received the Archbishops letter regarding the Annual Catholic Appeal, which supports ministries that go beyond the scope of individual parishes. Please consider supporting this important appeal. The goal is higher this year, but I encourage you to participate and contribute what you can, so that the Archbishop can continue to serve families across the Archdiocese.
The Eucharistic Youth Movement under our parishs Charter has begun. We thank all families who have enrolled their children and grandchildren in this faith-filled program. We are blessed with a dedicated and vibrant youth leadership team. This ministry plays a vital role in nurturing the faith of our children, teens, and young adults. We invite you to join and support this growing movement. Special thanks to the youth leadership team for their ongoing service to the parish through events such as Christmas Caroling, the Christmas Program, and most recently, the moving Passion of the Lord presentation during Holy Weekas well as many other youth-focused activities. Your contributions are a true blessing to our parish family.
As the Lord calls us to be good stewards of our time, talent, and treasure, Pope St. John XXIII Parish will be launching a Stewardship Campain in the coming months. This initiative is vital to sustaining our many ministries. While we strive to serve all members of our community, we currently face a lack of resources and volunteers. I ask you to consider being more generous with your financial support, and to share your time and talents, so that we can continue to meet the spiritual and practical needs of our parish family.
Dear parishioners, we are beginning the month of May, the monthofspecial devotion to the Blessed Mother. We will be celebrating with the CCD children crowning the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Saturday 4.30pm mass at the main campus, have the children honor the Blessed Mother at 11.30am children mass at St. John of the Woods. Special mass with the procession of Our Lady of Lavangwith the Vietnam community and mass on Sunday at 3pm. Invite all of you to participate with great love and devotion to our Blessed Mother.
Finally, we are preparing to celebrate a momentous milestoneour parishs Centennial, marking over 100 years of faith and service. The planning team has posted electronic invitations on our parish Facebook page and website. I warmly invite each of you to participate in this historic celebration. Every contribution, big or small, will help make our Centennial a joyful and unforgettable event.
May the merciful Lord surround you with His grace and blessings during this Holy Season. Once again, I wish you all a blessed and joyful Easter!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Tuan Nguyen, D. Min
Pastor