Christ has Risen, as He said He would, Alleluia!!! The theological experience of Divine Mercy was at the core of Jesus’ Passion, Death, & Resurrection. Yet, in more recent years, Christ’s Message of Mercy has in a particular way been conveyed through the mystical visitations of our Lord to St Faustina Kowalska recorded in her Diary. Below are some excerpts worth praying with collated by Sara & Justin Kraft . “Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.” (No. 301) “Have fear of nothing; I am always with you” (No. 431) “The Lord said to me, ‘The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.’” (No. 1397) “Jesus: ‘My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed; a great struggle for my kingdom. But fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life – for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness.’” (No. 1488) “All grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with mercy for us. Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God; even if a person’s sins were as dark as night, God’s mercy is stronger than our misery. One thing alone is necessary; that the sinner set ajar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray of God’s merciful grace, and then God will do the rest.” (No. 1507) “Today the Lord said to me, ‘Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.’” (No. 1602) “Oh how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils believe in My Justice, but do not glorify My Goodness. My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.'” (No. 300) “I realize more and more how much every soul needs God’s mercy throughout life and particularly at the hour of death. This chaplet [of Divine Mercy] mitigates God’s anger, as He Himself told me.” (No. 1036) “Then I heard the words, ‘I am glad you behaved like My true [child]. Be always merciful as I am merciful. Love everyone out of love for Me, even your greatest enemies, so that My mercy may be fully reflected in your heart.’” (No. 1695) “When once I asked the Lord Jesus how He could tolerate so many sins and crimes and not punish them, the Lord answered me, ‘I have an eternity for punishing [these], and so I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize the time of My visitation.’” (No. 1160) This Sunday, April 27, the entire New Albany Deanery will have a joint Divine Mercy Service . There will be several priests hearing confessions (including me) starting at 2p. At 3p there will be a Holy Hour with recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. This will fulfill the plenary indulgence requirements. Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God. Holy Family, Living Resurrection Mercy, Pray for us. ~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries

This year, deanery parishes are collaborating to host a single Divine Mercy Sunday Celebration at St. John Paul II Parish in Sellersburg. The event includes Confessions from 2-3pm, a Holy Hour with hymns, scripture reading and reflection, and singing the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and concluding with a reception at 4pm. Jesus said to St. Faustina in a private revelation about the Divine Mercy Feast: " The soul that would go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment... " (Diary, 699). Please join us at St. John Paul II to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, on April 27th!

Blessed Palm Sunday to you. As we enter into to this Holy Week, I invite you to truly make it holy. Yes, I know you still have to go to work and school, the grocery and gas station, but really try to quiet down and cut out all those things that are not truly necessary. And we know the difference. Necessary means required to be done, needed, essential. Maybe one of the best exercises we can engage in this week, is to really evaluate the words & actions of our lives in terms of necessary and unnecessary. If the purpose of our life, our birth, our daily struggle, our sufferings, our successes, our whole life is to know, love, and serve God in this life so as to be with Him forever in the next, we must figure out here and now, what is necessary. Use the added holiness of this week to prayerfully discern over the various pursuits of your life in terms of necessity. For this week, set aside those things that are not necessary so as to be more faithful & focused upon that which is truly necessary. Allow this week to unite you to the necessity of your Catholic Christian Faith, of the Sacrifice of Christ, of His immense Love & Mercy, of our need for God in a godless world. If Lent is Catholic Christians at their best, then Holy Week should necessarily be Catholic Christians fully for Christ. For much of the world and most people, this is just another week. They will go along as if nothing in particular is happening. They will follow their normal routines, engage in their normal activities, pursue their normal professions. Will that be us as well? Is this going to be Wholly a week for Christ and therefore a Holy Week, or will we just make a whole in our normal endeavors to admit Christ’s cross for a moment or to rejoice in the empty hole in the ground, known as tomb. If your faith is more than words upon our lips or a few pious thoughts from time to time, it should be manifest itself in the whole of your life, especially as we enter into Holy Week. We all engage in unnecessary endeavors. I do to! Some unnecessary pursuits could, maybe should, just be abandoned altogether. Yet, unnecessary does not always mean unimportant. There could be unnecessary pursuits given the greater religious significance of this week, that simply allow those unnecessary pursuits to take their proper place, so as to justly recognized the real priority and right relationship with God, neighbor, and self. And learning to know the difference between distractions and definitives will help make you Holy. Lenten Adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist Didn’t sign up? Don’t worry. Just Show up & Pray! Holy Week Schedule Tuesday Mass at 8a Tuesday Stations of the Cross at 6:30p Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7p Altar of Repose & time for quiet prayer with Christ in DAC until 10p Compline & Night Prayer in community in DAC at 10p Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion at 3p Saturday Confessions in the Garden from 8a to 10a (in the church confessional if weather is incremental) Saturday Easter Vigil with Sacraments of Initiation at 8:55p Sunday Mass of the Lord’s Resurrection at 8a and 10:30a [No Sunday 6p Mass] Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God. Holy Family, Led by the Holy Spirit to the Lord’s Suffering, Death, & Resurrection, Pray for us. ~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries

Patrick C. “Pat” Lancaster passed away Wednesday April 9, 2025, just two days shy of his 83rd birthday. He was born in New Albany to the late Muriel and Thomas “Tommy” Lancaster. He was a Kentucky Colonel, a member of the Kentucky Restaurant Association, an animal rescuer and a member of Holy Family Catholic Church. Pat was an entrepreneur and a visionary in the restaurant and catering business. At 21, he expanded the family restaurant business, Tommy Lancaster’s. He launched a catering and tent rental division, which grew into one of the largest privately owned restaurant/catering operations in the country—ranked 8th nationally. They served major events such as Pan American Games, Kentucky State Fair, Keeneland, Louisville Redbirds concessions and political functions, including dinners for President Ronald Reagan, Nelson Rockefeller and Kentucky governors. He took great pride in building on his family’s legacy and became known for his dedication, vision, and impact in the community. Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his grandson: Robbie Lancaster, Jr., his nephew: Michael Kapfhammer, his brother: Mike Lancaster, and his brother-in-law: Mike Kapfhammer. Pat is survived by his daughter: Debbie Leist and her husband Steve and their sons: Matthew (Elizabeth), Michael (Emilie) and Maxwell Leist, his son: Robert Lancaster and his children: Garrett (Hila) and Travis Lancaster, his son: Steve Lancaster and his children: Jessica, Alex and Carissa Lancaster, 3 great-grandchildren and one on the way, his brother: Terry Lancaster, his sister: Eva Sue Kapfhammer, his partner of 25 years: Kathy Dunn and his former wife: Jeanie Landgraf.

As we prepare our hearts for the Resurrection of Christ, we invite you and your family to join us for the beautiful liturgies and prayer opportunities offered during Holy Week. Whether you’re a regular at Holy Family or seeking a place to reconnect with your faith, you are welcome here. Below is our full schedule for Holy Week 2025: Tuesday, April 15 Mass: 8:00 a.m. Adoration: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Living Stations of the Cross: 6:30 p.m. (led by our 7th & 8th grade students) Please note: There will be no 6:00 p.m. Mass or Confessions this evening. Wednesday, April 16 Mass: 8:00 a.m. Adoration: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Thursday, April 17 – Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 7:00 p.m. Procession to the DAC and Altar of Repose: immediately following Mass Compline (Night Prayer): 10:00 p.m. Friday, April 18 – Good Friday Good Friday Service: 3:00 p.m. The Parish Office will be closed on Good Friday. Saturday, April 19 – Holy Saturday Confessions in the Garden: 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. (weather permitting; otherwise, in the church) Easter Vigil Mass: 8:55 p.m. Sunday, April 20 – Easter Sunday Masses: 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Please note: There will be no 6:00 p.m. Mass on Easter Sunday. Join us as we walk with Jesus through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. This sacred week is a time of deep reflection, hope, and renewal — and we look forward to celebrating it with you. The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, April 21. 

It's a week-long summer celebration of all things beautiful, bold, and Catholic in the New Albany Deanery. Each day age-appropriate activities will include music, drama, arts & crafts, and more fun! This year, we will focus on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary and the Apostle's Creed. We can't wait to spend the summer with your child(ren)! To make this exciting ministry successful and safe for our youth and children, many hands and donations are needed. See the bottom of this page for volunteer opportunities. Date: Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 13, 2025 Location: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church (1752 Scheller Ln. / New Albany, IN) Cost: $20 (with a maximum family payment of $60) Deadline for registration is June 2, 2024.

Mark your calendars and gather your team— Holy Family Trivia Night is back and promises an evening full of fun, fellowship, and friendly competition!

Passiontide – the Home Stretch of the Lenten Journey

Due to a power outage, Lenten Eucharistic Adoration scheduled for today has been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to take time for prayer and reflection at home.  Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to gathering in prayer again soon!