Upon our shepherd, Pope Francis, Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord. According to the church and diocesan guidelines, we cannot offer a Mass of the Dead for Pope Francis until after the first week of Easter. This Tuesday we as a parish will offer the Mass of the Dead for Pope Francis at the 8:00 am Mass, Sacred Heart and the 5:30 pm Mass, St. Malachy. Bishop Elect John Keehner will be ordained this Thursday at the Cathedral, Sioux City. Please hold in your prayers both.
For the past few years we as a parish have traditionally celebrated First Holy Communion on the Second and Third Sundays of Easter, at Sacred Heart and St. Malachy. Again, this weekend and next, there will be anxious and excited children, dressed up and ready to receive for the first time, the Body and Blood of Christ. Thank you to the Catechists who have prepared them, for their prayer partners who have shared in this period of preparation through your faith, and especially the parents who continue to support these children’s faith within your respective homes and activities. We are blessed as a parish to witness and support the passing on of faith, and participation in the Sacramental life of our Catholic Church.
A couple years ago, Pope Francis, while on a mission trip to Bulgaria, celebrated the Sacrament of First Holy Communion with the excited, anxious children at Sacred Heart Church in the city of Rakovski. I’m including his homily from that day, reflecting the grace and precious gift that defines the possibilities each time we receive the Eucharist.
“Dear boys and girls. . . .I am sure you will never forget this day: your first encounter with Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist. One of you might ask me: How can we meet Jesus? He lived a long time ago, but then he died and was laid in the tomb! It is true: Jesus carried out an immense act of love to save human beings of all times. He remained in the tomb for three days, but we know – the Apostles and many other witnesses who saw him alive have assured us – that God, his Father and ours, raised him up. Now Jesus is alive and is here with us. That is why we can encounter him today in the Eucharist. We do not see him with our physical eyes, but we do see him with the eyes of faith.
 I am looking at you, dressed up; what a meaningful and beautiful sign. You are dressed for a celebration! First Communion is, above all, a celebration. We celebrate Jesus, who wants to remain always by our side. He will always be with us. This celebration was made possible also thanks to our parents and grandparents, our families and our communities, who have helped us to grow in the faith. Your parents and catechists, have accompanied you in your preparation for this day, have also accompanied you on the road that today leads you to meet Jesus and to receive him in your hearts.
 Today you have made it possible for us to relive that joy and to celebrate Jesus, present in the Bread of Life. Some miracles can only take place if we have a heart like yours: a heart capable of sharing, dreaming, feeling gratitude, trusting and respecting other people. Making your First Communion shows that you want to be closer to Jesus every day, to grow in friendship with him and to lead other people to share in the joy he wants us to feel. The Lord needs you because he wants to work the miracle of bringing his joy to many of your friends and family members.
 Dear children, I am happy to share this great moment with you and help you meet Jesus. For you, this is a day to be celebrated in a spirit of friendship, joy, and fraternity. A day of communion among yourselves and with the whole Church, which, especially in the Eucharist, expresses the communion that makes all of us brothers and sisters. This is our identity card: God is our Father, Jesus is our brother, the Church is our family. All of us are brothers and sisters, and our law is love. I ask you always to pray with the same enthusiasm and joy that you feel today. Remember that this is the sacrament of your First Communion, not your last! Remember too, that Jesus is always there, waiting for you. I hope that today will be the beginning of many Communions, so that your hearts may always, like today, be festive, full of joy and, above all else, gratitude.” (Pope Francis, 2019) 
Congratulations to the children who will receive their First Holy Communion this Sunday and next Sunday! Today is Divine Mercy Sunday so designated by Pope John Paul II some years back, and in his words, the grace of Christ’s mercy: “Those who sincerely say ‘Jesus, I trust in You’ will find comfort in all their anxieties and fears. . . .There is nothing that man needs more than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights of the holiness of God.” Several parishes within our diocese have celebrated this Divine mercy and the related prayers on this particular Sunday, as we have at St. Malachy Church for the past few years. Our Divine Mercy gathering at St. Malachy Church will begin at 3:00pm, with quiet Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Divine Mercy Chaplet prayed, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered. You are invited.
God Bless, Fr. Tim