EDWARDSVILLE - Easter Week was “extraordinary” this year at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Edwardsville, the Reverend Jeffrey Goeckner, VF, said over the weekend. He said there were 5 Baptized in the St. Boniface Church parish and 13 new members receiving holy communion for the first time.
Reverend Goeckner added that this year’s Holy Week was especially memorable because of the baptisms, first communions and simply to have people back in church with worship. Last year, COVID-19 kept people from in person and watching on line.
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“Easter honestly is always a big celebration and welcoming new members into the church with the Easter service made it even more special,” he said. “Last year at Easter, we were looking at empty churches on Holy Week and Easter Mass. We still offer Mass live on Facebook."
Father Goeckner said he has been celebrating Easter Week for 26 years now and it is always a great time to pray and bond with the community.
Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield was overjoyed to have people back in person at Mass during the Easter celebration.
“Our celebration of Our Lord’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday is a reminder that all of us will one day rise from the dead,” Bishop Paprocki said. “This is an essential element of our faith, as we profess on Sundays and Holy Days in the Creed: ‘I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.’ To whom does this ‘resurrection of the dead’ refer?
“Jesus taught that ‘all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation’ (John 5:28-29). As Christians, we hear Our Lord’s clear call to repentance and we pledge to put His teachings into practice in our lives with the help of His grace, that we too might share in the joy of His resurrection. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.’ (John 3:16).”
Boniface Raffle Offers $75,000 Grand Prize
St. Boniface presently has a Big Bona Raffle underway with a $75,000 main prize. The winner will be drawn at noon on May 29, 2021. Funds will be used to replace the Bonifest and Run For Bonifest events, cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Bonifest is always a large fundraiser for both St. Boniface Church and school.
Tickets are $100 each or buy 2, get 1 free, buy 3, get 2 free, buy 5, get 5 free, buy 10, get 10 free.
A total of $10 of every ticket purchase can be donated to the following:
A Beacon of Light Pregnancy Center
Glen Ed Pantry
Saint Vincent de Paul Society
Good Samaritan House
Edwardsville Knights of Columbus
Daughters of Isabella
To purchase tickets visit https://www.st-boniface.com/raffle
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