Welcome! I know our Mass crowds will be larger this weekend. Easter is our greatest feast, after all. And I know that there are all sorts of reasons to walk through these doors today.

Maybe it’s your first time in church, your first time in a Catholic church. Perhaps you came with family. Or a friend invited you. Maybe it was something more interior—a love for music, a struggle in life, a series of questions—even doubts. You are welcome here! You will always be welcome here.

Or is today something of a homecoming? Back to the old neighborhood, church as the first step to that family dinner table? These two buildings—with their looks, their sounds, their fragrances, even the slant of a pew or the clack that the kneeler makes when you drop it down—move you to memories. You’re welcome here. May those memories enrich your day.

Perhaps a more spiritual homecoming? If it’s been a while and you want to come back, please know how welcome you are! Our doors are open, our table set. Those great crucifixes hanging over our altars cry out: Here the world finds forgiveness, here the world discovers love!

Sometimes those of us who are rather “churchy” forget what a miracle Church is. How blest we’ve been to hear God’s word, to know his mercy, to be fed at his table. Welcomed day after day, Sunday after Sunday. Be grateful for the God who died and rose for us, the God who welcomes us all to Easter.