Parish Family,

We are well on our way to the new buildings. With the first 205 pledges we have fulfilled and surpassed our first threshold. Great Work! Together with funding for school and parish space, we have also supported seminarian formation, Newman Center ministry, assistance to the poor and the growth of Catholic Education across the whole diocese. Now, we are ascending to our final goal of $4.4 million. In this phase, 100% of everything raised goes straight to our local parish project. We can be gratefully proud of this for many generations to come. Take joy in your offering as you lift up a part of what God has entrusted to you.

Blessed is the Father, who lets the Lord be his guiding hand. Whose faith brings his family courage. Whose wisdom comes from God and whose children Still stand and honor him.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Today we celebrate Pentecost which is the solemn descent of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, on the Christian Church. The Feast of the Pentecost celebrates at least three essential things in the faith of the church:

1. It marks or celebrates the end of Easter. For Easter is not one-day celebration; it is rather a 50-day celebration.
2. Pentecost also celebrates the Holy Spirit, the 3rd person of the Blessed Trinity, God Himself.
3. It celebrates the launching, the first appearance in public of the church of Christ.

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Witness Weekend

Special thanks to those parishioners who are speaking at all Masses this weekend to offer their support of the campaign. Please be sure to express our gratitude to them if you see them around town or at the parish. Not everyone likes public speaking so were are especially proud of those who said “yes.”

I have heard from many of you that you think a K-8 elementary school will be both an important step for our parish and also the entire community of Lake Havasu City. In addition to Catholic families, we know that there non-Catholic residents of Lake Havasu who are seeking the academic standards and the moral and ethical teachings that our school provides. As we come to the end of another successful academic year please help us spread the word this summer about our current school and plans for new construction!

Visit TogetherGoForth.org and click “Donate.” To give securely and directly, be sure to select “Our Lady of the Lake Parish, LHC” to ensure your pledge helps our parish.

If you have any questions please call the Parish Office at 928-855-2685.

The Sixth Sunday of Easter comes just before the Lord’s Ascension. It marks Jesus’ last presence with His disciples. The gospel reading contains Jesus’ tender farewell to His disciples. In His farewell speech he leaves them a special gift — peace of mind and heart. What a beautiful promise, what a special gift. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives". Again we hear the very beautiful statement addressed to the disciples and to all subsequent followers of the New Way: "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word". The two great statements have remained for generations very crucial points for Theological reflections.

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Truly no one could have ever expected it to happen!!

People whom the Jewish people normally referred to as the dogs, the Gentiles, were listening to the preaching of Jewish missionaries and were flocking to become members of the New Way, the Way of Jesus Christ. So many people throughout the various lands were becoming Christians, that Paul and Barnabas had to establish Christian communities in these foreign lands.

Indeed it's extraordinary! The Gentiles were receiving the Word of God and responding. This was beyond comprehension as Paul and Barnabas reported all this to the Christian Community of Antioch. They were convinced that God had done this. He had called the Gentiles to himself. The world was being transformed. It’s all new!

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Good News: Over 400 families have picked up their packets. Better News: Over 150 families have already pledged. Best news: We are just a few hundred dollars away from our first campaign milestone of $1,467,000

We will be holding Witness Weekends on May 25 and 26 and June 1 and 2. Parishioners who have already made their pledge will offer testimony about their campaign support. Campaign packets will be in the narthex for pick-up after all Masses on those 2 weekends.

Campaign Update Receptions are being planned for this summer so watch your mail and check the bulletin for more information. And...if your family would like to host a gathering please call the office (855-2685) and speak to Renee. Either Father Chauncey or Father Julius (or both!) will attend. This is a great, casual way to host friends and neighbors and enjoy some fellowship with our priests.

Visit TogetherGoForth.org and click “Donate.” To give securely and directly, be sure to select “Our Lady of the Lake Parish, LHC” to ensure your pledge helps our parish.

If you have any questions please call the Parish Office at 928-855-2685.

The reception of Holy Communion at Sunday Mass is such an expected feature of the Mass these days that it is surprising to realize that for many centuries, receiving Communion was a relatively rare event in the life of a faithful Christian. “Easter duty” means that Catholics must celebrate reconciliation if aware of serious sin, and receive Holy Communion during the Easter season. For a while, this was a requirement of Easter week, and later extended to the whole season of fifty days, and even beyond that by a few weeks.

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Special thanks to the 30 families who made their pledges this past week, putting us over 100 families who have already pledged!

Can YOU be one of the 30 families who make their pledge this coming week? At that pace we can hit our goal of 200 pledges by June 1st!

We are grateful for ALL gifts and 5-year pledges are especially helpful as you can stretch out the payments.

For example, a 5-year pledge of $3,600 is only $60 a month, which is just $2.00 a day. When you break a pledge down like that, it makes it pretty easy for most of us to participate. Think about it and… please continue to pray.

Pick up your campaign packet today in the Parish Office!

Visit TogetherGoForth.org and click “Donate.” To give securely and directly, be sure to select “Our Lady of the Lake Parish, LHC” to ensure your pledge helps our parish.

If you have any questions please call the Parish Office at 928-855-2685.

It is impossible to truly meet Jesus and remain the same. All through the Easter period preceding to Pentecost we shall enjoy and celebrate the Real Presence of our Risen Lord and Savior. We shall equally be celebrating the power of transformation the glorified Risen Lord brings to all those that encountered Him. Jesus the Christ changes us and commissions us to witness to the fact of His resurrection.

As Christians, the real presence of Christ is of utmost grace because that is what shapes and forms our experience, and continually lifts our attention to the graces of heaven that give us strength and courage. Through scripture and through the Eucharist we remind ourselves of the great love by which we recognize Jesus, and in return we hear him clearly say “Follow Me”. This becomes our hearts’ desire.

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