A Message from Dee Bernhardt,
Director of Campus Ministry
We have passed the midpoint of Lent, our season of reflection and purification, and Holy Week quickly approaches. How are we doing with our Lenten resolutions? Are we growing in love and obedience to Christ through denying our personal preferences and desires? Is gratitude flooding our hearts for God’s many blessings despite our constant rejection of His invitation to die to ourselves and see His glory in our lives?
During Spring Break, almost 40 student- and resident parishioners participated in spring break mission trips as missionaries bringing the light of Christ to communities in need.
In Jonestown, Mississippi, the standard of living is so low for most people that we found ourselves truly grateful for even the smallest blessings back here at St. Tom’s. The Jonestown community excelled in Christian hospitality, gratitude, and welcome to our group, apologizing to us because they couldn’t always find time as they managed single-parent households and one to four jobs. The mother and four girls, who will shortly move into the Habitat house we finished up, called us an “answer to prayer.” The coordinator of the Durocher Service Project, our other site, continues an initiative started by Sr. Kay Burton, SNJM, in which she participated as a young woman. She described our group as “angels sent by God.” These individuals live in a community darkened by poverty and fear every day, yet they shine as beacons of hope and faithfulness. We have returned inspired and encouraged by their witness and lived humility.
Our readings this weekend speak about being lifted from the grave – renewed in spirit to serve God’s kingdom here on earth as missionaries. In the first reading from Isaiah, God makes a promise to Israel, which God intends to keep by sending Jesus to us. Of course, to be lifted from the grave, we die to ourselves and trust in God’s providence for our lives. Letting go and letting God take control can be so difficult for us – and that is why our little sacrifices for Lent are so important – they help us prepare for the bigger purification of conforming our personal will to God’s will. Left to our own devices, we seem to get ourselves buried deeper and deeper in the depths. Psalm 130 reminds us that we can count on the mercy and fullness of redemption with the Lord.
The second reading reminds us that the temporal world and our personal desires challenge our ability to live in Christ. Still, the Spirit overcomes our self-centered nature and allows us to shine in the bleakest of circumstances, like the people of the Jonestown community, when we allow the Spirit to dwell within us.
When we consider the gospel, similar to Mary and Martha, we despair of Jesus’ power over death and invitation to life, lamenting, “Lord, if you had been here…” but Jesus gently and compassionately draws us to Himself, bringing needed hope and healing with God’s timing. We can imagine that the crowd gathered for Lazarus’ burial murmured against Jesus and doubted Him, especially when he delayed getting to Bethany. Even then, people expected instant gratification, impatient to trust in even the One they believed to be the Messiah. Today, years later, we behave the same when the Lord invites us to trust and wait for Him to respond to our needs when our prayers are answered with “Not yet” or “No.” Listening to Jesus, and spending time with Him in prayer, especially when our life situation weighs us down and binds us up, helps us to experience the fruits of our pursuit of the Paschal Mystery – the fact that, when offered to Christ, every dying leads to resurrection, and Jesus delights in unbinding us.
This weekend, Boiler Awakening 25 gathers almost 200 collegians as “The Teacher Calls” them to cling to hope and trust that the Holy Spirit will awaken them to their rightful place in the Mystical Body of Christ, where He can renew their spirits and enliven them to pursue a new life in Him. Please keep all retreatants and staff of this Boiler Awakening retreat and all Awakening retreats in your prayers as we experience the Teacher’s call to follow the Spirit and gratefully live new lives in Christ.
Dee Bernhardt
Resources:
Prayer Intentions
To submit names for prayer intentions in the Bulletin, use this link or call the Parish Office at (765) 743-4652.
Holy Week and Easter Worship Schedule
HOLY THURSDAY - April 6
7:00 PM Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Reconciliation: 11:00 a.m. to Noon, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. (All Priests)
GOOD FRIDAY - April 7
12:00 PM Walking Stations of the Cross
3:00 PM Service of the Passion
Reconciliation:11:00 a.m. to Noon, and 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. (All Priests)
EASTER VIGIL - April 8
Easter Basket Blessing, Noon
Easter Vigil Mass, 8:30 p.m. (To celebrate and make a joyful noise for the Lord, all are invited to BYOB - Bring Your Own Bells!)
Reconciliation: 11:00 a.m. to Noon (All Priests) and 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
EASTER DAY - April 9
9:00 AM Mass In-person, Livestream
11:00 AM Mass
NO 7:00 and 9:00 PM Masses.
Announcements
St. Tom's Spring Cleaning Work Day on April 1
The Church often refers to time, talent, and treasure as the means to almsgiving. And during this season of Lent, what a great time to stretch ourselves in this area! One way is St. Tom's Spring Work Day. Join fellow student and resident parishioners to care for the facilities where we gather to grow as a faith community next Saturday, April 1, from 8:00 a.m. to noon. A pizza lunch will be served. There will be both indoor and outdoor projects on the church grounds, including landscaping on Marsteller Street and closet cleaning in Newman Hall. For details on St. Tom's spring day of service and to sign up, visit boilercatholics.org/events/st-toms-spring-cleaning-work-day
The Best Lent Ever!
"Have Your Best Lent Ever" by visiting St. Tom's Lent resource page AND signing up for our "Best Lent Ever" daily reflections via Flocknote. By signing up for Best Lent Ever, you will receive a daily email with a video, a question or two to ponder, and a few suggestions to carry out your day in the spirit of Christ. Current Flocknote subscribers can text "bestlentsttoms" to 84576 to sign up. If you don't currently receive St. Tom's Flocknotes, first text "TOM" to 84576 and then "bestlentstotoms."
ST. TOM'S EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
Want to be a Mouse? Apply Now.
Boiler Catholic students. Would you like to be a church mouse at St. Tom’s? Mice assist with facility needs in exchange for an apartment with all utilities paid. Applications are being accepted online for the summer and the 2023-24 academic year.
Pastorate Office and Facilities Manager
St. Tom's is seeking candidates for the position of Pastorate Office and Facilities Manager to oversee logistics for 20-30 annual ministry activities and social and community events (orders supplies, arranges cleaning and maintenance of facilities prior to and following events, etc.), serves as liaison with Greater Lafayette Central Administrative Office (GLCAO), external vendors, other pastorates, and local governmental agencies (police, fire, city services), and manages operations staff (operations, office, and maintenance staff).
For more information and to apply for either of these positions, visit https://www.boilercatholics.org/employment.
MISSION TRIP REUNION ON APRIL 13
All are welcome to attend our 2023 Mission Trips Reunion on Thursday, April 13, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Newman Hall. Participants from our Puerto Rico Winter Mission Trip and three Spring Break Trips (Mississippi, Florida, and South Carolina) will present video summaries of their adventures and service in bringing Christ to others!
Missionaries will experience a reunion and reminder of their service, and all of our parish family will see how your prayers and financial contributions have affected the lives of others.
