In this edition, we feature two timely articles featuring important events in the Catholic Church – the Feast of the Divine Mercy (April 23), and the Feast of St. Mark (April 25).
Clarisse Gomez does a wonderful job of providing us with a synopsis of the life of Sister Maria Faustina, and how Jesus appeared to her over a period of time to deliver the message of the Divine Mercy that resulted in St. Pope John Paul II declaring the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday.
While I grew up Catholic (for the most part, dutifully attending Sunday mass at San Antonio), I didn’t take my faith seriously or read anything related to my faith until about 15 years ago. After a significant event that changed my life (a story for another day), I went on a reading rampage! One of the books that had a profound effect on me was Sister Faustina’s diary. As I recall, I was so taken by the book that I read it cover to cover in two sittings.
Peachy Maramba tells us about the life of St. Mark the Evangelist and his relationship with two giants of the Church, St. Peter and St. Paul. His clean, concise Gospel has been a favorite of Bible study groups for centuries.
It is perhaps uncoincidental that, in the period leading up to his feast day, the Coptic Orthodox Church that pays special veneration to St. Mark has been in the news. The tragic events on Palm Sunday drew attention once again to the part of the world wherein Christians continue to be persecuted.
It is not well known that there are some Coptic Christians who are in communion with the Catholic Church. These Christians follow the accepted Alexandrian rite in the Coptic language (derived from ancient Egyptian) in its liturgy.
As published in the April 23 issue of the Parish Bulletin.
Santuario de San Antonio Parish 