8 April 2026 - prayers of the faithful for confirmation mass

Bishop: My dear friends, may we be one in prayer to God our Father as we are one in faith, hope and love.  As we celebrate the risen Christ today in the octave of Easter, we present our prayers: 

1. For the youth who are being confirmed by the gift of the Holy Spirit today, that they may always give witness to Christ by their lives. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For the parents, godparents, sponsors, and teachers who have led our confirmation candidates in faith, that by their word and example they may always encourage them to follow the way of our Savior Jesus Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For the holy Church of God, in union with Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Joseph Kopacz, and all the lay and ordained leaders of our Diocese, that God may help us to journey together in faith. We pray to the Lord. 

4. For all people of every race and nation, that they may acknowledge the one God as Father, and seek his kingdom of joy and peace. 

5. We pray to end of war, terrorism, and violence in our world. For peace especially in Ukraine and the Middle East. We pray for safety for the men and women serving in the military. We pray to the Lord.   

6. That we all may recognize and give thanks to the risen Lord in the breaking of the bread and in every circumstance where Christ reveals himself to us. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For the sick of our community, for those in the hospital, hospice, and nursing homes, for healing and wholeness. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For our deceased loved ones and family members. For their entry into eternal life. We pray to the Lord.  

9. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. We pray to the Lord. 

Bishop: God our Father, you sent your Holy Spirit to the apostles, and through them and their successors, you give the Holy Spirit to your people. May the gift of the Holy Spirit continue to grow in the hearts of our confirmation candidates and in the hearts of all who believe. We ask this through your son Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

14 April 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Tuesday of the 2nd week of Easter

Lord Jesus - You are the risen Christ. 

Christ Jesus - You are a light shining in the world. 

Lord Jesus - You are the son of God and son of Mary. 

PRIEST: The power and hope of the risen Christ fills the world with life. With joy, we bring forth our needs and the needs of the world in our prayers today. 

1. That the Church may proclaim Christ’s resurrection to the world in our words and our actions. 

2. That our Church leaders embody the hope of paschal mystery. 

3. That the leaders of the nations of the world lead their people with integrity and respect. We pray for peace throughout the world, especially in Ukraine and in the Middle Easter. 

4. That in the light of Christ's victory over death, all Christians may work together to bring the Gospel message to the world. 

5. For the sick and the afflicted. For healing for all in body, mind, and spirit. 

6. For our missionaries, for lay people serving in ministry, and for all who proclaim Christ’s Gospel message to the world. 

7. For our first responders. For our men and women serving in the military. For our veterans. For our medical professionals. 

8. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today.  For those who have asked for our prayers. 

PRIEST: God of glory, you know the desires of our hearts. As we celebrate the Resurrection during the Easter season, make us faithful to you in all we do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

14 April 2026 - Tuesday of the second week of Easter - Blessed Peter Gonzalez - Acts 4:32-37

Blessed Peter Gonzalez was born in the town of Frómista in the kingdom of Castile and Leon in Spain in the year 1190. I know of the town of Frómista from the Camino of Santiago, where I have stayed overnight several times. He could have had a very illustrious vocation as a priest under his uncle, the Bishop of Astorga, but in his humility, he joined the Dominican order, where he became renowned preacher, where he would preach to large crowds. He spent many years as the court preacher for King Ferdinand III of Castile. He worked for the human treatment of prisoners who were captured during war. After retiring from the king’s court, he traveled around northwest Spain where he preached. He was a popular preacher to Portuguese and Spanish seamen.  He died in 1246 and is buried at the cathedral in Tui, Spain. Due to his reputation as a patron saint of seamen, a famous neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina is named after him, San Telmo, one of his nicknames. 

Our first reading today from Acts tells us about the disciples of Christ in the early Church lived together in community. The believers who formed this community were of one mind and one heart and were united with each other. No one in the community claimed their belongings for themselves, but rather their possessions held in common. The members of the community witnessed their faith and their belief in the risen Christ through signs and miracles of healing. The community of believers in the Early Church gives us a great example of faith to follow. 

11 April 2026 - homily for Saturday of the octave of Easter - Acts 4: 13-21; Mark 16:9-15

The saint we celebrate today is an important leader in the history of the Church in Eastern Europe. St Stanislaus was born near Kraków, Poland in the year 1030. As a priest, his preaching and his example of faith brought about many conversions to the faith and a deepening of the faith of his faith. He was appointed bishop of Kraków in 1072. In this era of history, there was a tense political situation in Poland. Stanislaus was an outspoken critic of the king, of wars that Stanislaus saw as unjust and of other actions he saw as immoral. At first the king repented, but then he returned to his old ways. Continuing to be outspoken against the king, Stanislaus was charged with treason and was threatened with death. When the king’s soldiers refused to kill Stanislaus, the king killed him himself. Realizing what he did, the king repented for his actions, fleeing his country and living in exile.  

In our first reading, we continue to hear the members of the early Church preach the Gospel message and give testimony. In our Gospel, we hear about one of the post resurrection appearances of Jesus.  Both of these readings emphasize the importance of our faith in Jesus and how we have the responsibility to bear witness to his Gospel message. Even when there is great opposition to us bearing witness to the Gospel message, we still bear responsibility to testify to his resurrection and his teachings. These readings also stress the importance of the authority of God over the authority of man. Peter and John disobey the orders they have from the Jewish authorities against them bearing witness to Christ. The assert their obligation to obey God. These readings reflect the theme at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, of our mission to preach the Gospel message to the whole world and to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday this weekend and as we commemorate our Lady of Fatima today in our devotions in our Saturday morning Mass, may we reflect upon the ways we can bring the Gospel message to others. 

 

Prayers of the faithful for Saturday of the octave of Easter - 11 April 2026

Lord Jesus - You are the resurrection and the life. 

Christ Jesus - You are a light shining in the darkness of the world. 

Lord Jesus - You are the son of God and the son of Mary. 

PRIEST: The presence of the risen Christ fills the world with new life. With joy as we celebrate the octave of Easter, and as we celebrate Mary in a special way this morning, let us present our prayers to God. 

1. That the Church may proclaim Christ’s resurrection to the world in our words and our actions. 

2. That the leaders of the Church may embody the hope of paschal mystery which we celebrate in our liturgy during the Easter season. 

3. That the leaders of the nations of the world lead their people with integrity and respect. We pray for peace throughout the world, especially in the Middle East and Ukraine. 

4. That in the light of Christ's victory over death, all Christians may work together to bring the Gospel message to the world. 

5. For the sick and the afflicted. For healing for all of us in body, mind, and spirit. 

6. For our missionaries, for lay people serving in ministry, and for all who proclaim Christ’s Gospel to the world. 

7. For those prayers we hold in our hearts today.  

PRIEST: God of glory, you know the deepest desires of our hearts. As we celebrate the Resurrection, make us faithful to you in all we do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

10 April 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Friday of the octave of Easter

Lord Jesus - You are the glory of the Father.  

Christ Jesus - You give us hope in the midst of our challenges. 

Lord Jesus - You give us strength and courage on our journey. 

Priest: We present our prayers to our merciful Father in hope and trust on this Friday of the Octave of Easter: 

1.That we in the Church may be faithful to our Savior and proclaim the joy of his Resurrection to the world. 

2. We pray for our parish family, that renewed through the Easter mysteries, we live in service for God and for his people. 

3. For all those who have been initiated in the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass. For our children preparing for first holy Eucharist. For the youth receiving confirmation this past Wednesday evening. That they may feel our love and prayers reaching out to them.

4. For all who are struggling in their faith right now. That Christ, risen from the dead, may call their name and lead them back to the faith. 

5. We pray for all those who have suffered tragedies. For the sick in the hospital, hospice, and nursing home. That Christ’s presence in their lives may give them encouragement. 

6. For peace in the world, especially in the Middle East and Ukraine. For the safety of the men and women in the military. 

7. For our family members and loved ones who have died. That Christ shatter the chains of death and bring them to the heavenly banquet. 

8. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: On this Friday in the Octave of Easter, we present these prayer to you heavenly Father, through your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

10 April 2026 - homily for Friday of the octave of Easter - Acts 4:1-12

St. Michael de Sanctis was born in Catalonia, Spain in 1591. At the age of twelve, he came to Barcelona and asked to be received into the monastery of the Trinitarians. Three years later, he took his vows at St. Lambert's monastery in Zaragoza in 1607. He later entered the Discalced Trinitarians at Madrid and was ordained to the priesthood. He was elected as Superior of the Monastery at Valladolid two times. He was admired for his profound life of prayer, his humility, and his devotion to the Eucharist. He often entered into a state of ecstasy while celebrating Mass. He died on April 10, 1625, at the age of 33. He was canonized by Pope Pius IX on June 8, 1862. Many miracles of healing having been attributed to his prayer and intercession, including the healing of a woman of cancerous mouth tumors, which is why he is one of the patron saints of cancer patients. 

We continue to hear about the development of the Early Church in Acts in our first reading. Yesterday in Acts, we heard about the healing of a lame man. Today, we hear how that healing gave Peter and John the opportunity to preach the Gospel message to the crowds, calling the people to conversion. Peter and John brought the reality of the risen Christ to the lives of the people, showing them how their faith in Jesus can work miracles. Not only did Peter and John attract the interest of the crowds, but their activities attracted the attention of the Sadducees, the head of the Temple guards, and the chief priests in a negative way. Even though the authorities take Peter and John into custody, this gives them the opportunity to address the elders and to proclaim the Gospel, telling them that the name of Jesus is the only name that truly saves.

We are seeing a lot of energy in the Church this year and a lot of conversions to the faith, especially in college students and in young adults. May the spirit of the risen Lord encourage us to witness to others and to live out our faith in courage and zeal.