Second Sunday after Easter

Friends in Christ,

Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday, the Second Sunday after Easter, is known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because of the message conveyed by Jesus in the Gospel reading: “I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd giveth His life for His sheep” (John 10:11). As He is speaking not to the choir but to a hostile group of Pharisees, Jesus also outlines the opposite case: The “hireling” tending sheep that are not his own sees the wolf coming and runs away, abandoning those he was supposed to protect. He does so because, being only a hired hand, “he hath no care for the sheep” (John 10:13). Once again Jesus condemns the Pharisees, and by extension the Jewish authorities, for their lack of charity toward the people.

Speaking as the one who actually owns the flock, Jesus reiterates, “I am the good Shepherd: and I know Mine, and Mine know Me” (John 10:14). As the rightful owner, He is willing to sacrifice all for those entrusted to His care: “As the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father: and I lay down My life for My sheep” (John 10:15). But the claim of ownership made by Jesus extended to limits the Pharisees could scarcely imagine. Certainly they were scandalized by the assertion that it included other sheep “not of this fold” and by His declaration that “there shall be one fold and one shepherd”: One Church, embracing Jew and Gentile alike, under the care and protection of Jesus himself.


Calendar of Special Observances

Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.

DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)

Sunday, May 4 – Second Sunday after Easter (II)

Monday, May 5 – St. Pius V, Pope & Confessor (III)

Tuesday, May 6 – Feria of Paschaltide (IV)

Wednesday, May 7 – St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr (III)

Thursday, May 8 – Feria of Paschaltide (IV)

Friday, May 9 – St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop, Confessor & Doctor of the Church (III)

Saturday, May 10 – St. Antonin, Bishop & Confessor (III) – Commemoration of Ss. Gordian and Epimachus, Martyrs


Second Sunday after Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday)

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for Second Sunday after Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday with English or Spanish translation, followed by commentary by Dr. Michael P. Foley.



Latin Mass Schedule: Sundays

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • 11:30 a.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas

  • 12:30 p.m., Saint Ann

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • 8:30 a.m., Saint John the Baptist (Tryon)

  • 9:00 a.m., Our Lady of the Angels (Marion)

  • 1:00 p.m., Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock)

  • 1:30 p.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro)

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • 12:00 p.m., Prince of Peace (Taylors SC)

  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)

Note: Travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the regular schedule of Sunday Mass times.


Latin Mass Schedule: Weekdays (May 5 - May 10)

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • Saint Ann – Wednesday, 6:00 p.m.

  • Saint Thomas Aquinas – Thursday, 7:00 p.m.

  • Saint Ann – Friday, 7:00 a.m.

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • Our Lady of the Mountains (Highlands) – Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.

  • Saint John the Baptist (Tryon) – Friday, 8:30 a.m.

  • Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock) – Friday, 9:30 a.m.

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Monday-Friday, 12:00 p.m.

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Saturday 8:00 a.m.

Note: Travelers are advised to contact parish offices to confirm weekday and Saturday Mass times, since local schedules are sometimes subject to change without notice, especially on or around holidays, holy days of obligation and other special feast days.



Announcements

First Sunday Food and Fellowship – First Sunday Food and Fellowship is this Sunday May 4 at St. Thomas Aquinas after the 11:30 a.m. Latin Mass (1:30-3:30 p.m.). All are invited!


Novena Prayer for the Sacred College of Cardinals gathered for the Conclave to elect the Roman Pontiff

April 26-May 5, 2025

I kneel before you, O Virgin Mother of God, Our Lady of Guadalupe, the compassionate mother of all who love you, cry to you, seek you, and trust in you. I plead for the Church at a time of great trial and danger for her. As you came to the rescue of the Church at Tepeyac in 1531, please intercede for the Sacred College of Cardinals gathered in Rome to elect the Successor of Saint Peter, Vicar of Christ, Shepherd of the Universal Church.

At this tumultuous time for the Church and for the world, plead with your Divine Son that the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, His Mystical Body, will humbly obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Through your intercession, may they choose the most worthy man to be Christ’s Vicar on earth. With you, I place all my trust in Him Who alone is our help and salvation. Amen.

Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in Thee, have mercy upon us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, Virgin Mother of God and Mother of Divine Grace, pray for us!

Raymond Leo Cardinal BURKE

April 24, 2025

Conclave Novena Prayer (PDF English | Español | Latin)


Fr. Ripperger’s Prayer for the Election of the Supreme Pontiff

Lord Jesus Christ, by entrusting to St. Peter and his successors the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, Thou didst establish the office of the papacy. Grant to Thy Church, we beseech Thee, a pope who, in his dedication to the Sacred Tradition of the Church, will seek to govern the Church according to the Deposit of Faith and for the salvation of souls.

Immaculate Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of Confessors, we consecrate to thee the conclave and the election of the Holy Father. Blessed Mother, look not upon our sinfulness or upon the infidelity of many Catholics who do not accept the teaching of thy Son, but upon the Church which is the spotless Bride of thy Son, so that we do not get the leader we deserve, but a Holy Father who will guide the Church for the glory and honor of thy Son. Amen.

-Composed by Fr. Chad Ripperger, April 21, 2025 (PDF link)


Saint Thomas Aquinas Daily Holy Hour for Conclave (April 29 - May 7) – Beginning April 29 and continuing for the next nine days, Saint Thomas Aquinas parish is hosting a Holy Hour each night at 7:00 p.m. for the Conclave.

Saint Peter of Verona Palms Available This Weekend – This past Tuesday, April 29th, was the Feast of Saint Peter of Verona (also known as Saint Peter Martyr), a 13th century Dominican martyr. As many readers may know, there is an ancient custom for the blessing of palms on his feast day. The traditional belief is that the palms, when buried on one’s property, can help protect against natural disasters.

For those who did not pick them up in prior years, Carolina Traditional Liturgy Society will have limited quantities of blessed palms at the Latin Mass information table at Saint Ann parish this Sunday.

To learn more about the great Dominican saint celebrated in this custom please consult the following articles:


Consecration of those Governing to the Blessed Virgin Mary – Fr. Chad Ripperger has composed a prayer for our nation and government, Consecration of those Governing to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which may be found at the end of this update or downloaded here.


Holy Face Devotions

Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:

  • St. James (Concord) – Monday, 10-10:30 a.m. (in the cry room)

  • St. Mark – Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesday, 6:00 a.m.

  • St. Ann – Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (following 7:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Michael the Archangel (Gastonia) – Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. (following 8:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Vincent de Paul – Tuesday, 8:40 a.m.

  • Holy Spirit (Denver) – Tuesday, 10-11:00 a.m. (following the 9:15 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country (Boone) – Third Tuesday May 20, at 6:45 p.m. after Mass in the Youth Room **Special Time for May**

  • St. John the Baptist (Tryon) - First Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (after 8:30 a.m Latin Mass)

Note: Days and times may be subject to change due to holidays.

“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).


Latin Mass and Liturgical News


Saints and Special Observances

Saints and Special Celebrations will not be published this week but we hope to resume it for our next weekend update.


Closing Commentary

We offer in closing an excerpt from Dom Prosper Guéranger’s commentary on the Second Sunday after Easter, followed by a link to the complete text.


Second Sunday After Easter - Good Shepherd Sunday

This Sunday goes under the name of the Good Shepherd Sunday, because in the Mass, there is read the Gospel of St. John, wherein our Lord calls himself by this name. How very appropriate is this passage of the Gospel to this present Season, when our Divine Master began his work of establishing and consolidating the Church, by giving it the Pastor, or Shepherd, who was to govern it to the end of time!

In accordance with the eternal decree, the ManGod, on the fortieth day after his Resurrection, is to withdraw his visible presence from the world. He is not to be again seen upon the earth till the Last Day, when he will come again to judge the living and the dead. And yet, he could never abandon mankind, for which he offered himself on the Cross, and which he delivered from death and hell by rising triumphantly from the Grave. He will continue to be its Head after his Ascension into heaven: but what shall we have, on earth, to supply his place? We shall have the Church. It is to the Church that he will leave all his own authority to rule us; it is into the hands of the Church that he will intrust all the truths he has taught; it is the Church that he will make the dispenser of all those means of salvation, which he has destined for the world….

…We are now come to the last days of Jesus’ visible presence here below. The time is come for him to make good his promise and found the Kingdom of God—that Church which he was to build upon the earth. The Apostles, in obedience to the order sent them by the Angels, are come into Galilee. Our Lord appears to them on the shore of the lake of Tiberias: after providing them with a mysterious repast, and while they are all attentive to his words, he suddenly addresses himself to Peter: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Observe, he does not call him Peter; he, as it were, goes back to the day when he said to him: Simon, son of Jonas, thou art Peter; he would have his Disciples note the connection between the promise and its actual fulfillment. Peter, with his usual eagerness, answers his Master’s question: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus resumes, with a tone of authority: Feed my Lambs! Then, repeating the question, he asks: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter is surprised at his Master’s urging such an inquiry; still, he answers with the same simplicity as before: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee: and as soon as he had given answer, Jesus repeats the words of investiture: Feed my lambs!

Here, then, we have Peter made Shepherd by Him who says of himself: I am the good Shepherd. Firstly, our Lord gives his apostle, and twice over, the care of his Lambs;—this does not make him the complete Shepherd: but when he bids him feed his Sheep too, the whole Flock is subjected to his authority. Now, therefore, let the Church show herself, let her take her stand, let her spread herself through the length and breadth of the nations: Simon, the son of John, is proclaimed its visible Head. Is the Church a Building? he is the Foundation-Stone, the Petra, the Rock. Is she a Kingdom? he holds the Keys, that is, the scepter. Is she a Fold? he is the Shepherd.

Yes, this Church—which Jesus is now organizing, and is to be proclaimed to the world on the day of Pentecost—is to be a Fold. The Word, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, is come down from heaven, that he may gather together in one the children of God, that were dispersed; and the time is at hand when there shall be but one Fold and one Shepherd. O Jesus! our Divine Shepherd! we bless thee, we give thee thanks. It is by thee that the Church thou art now founding, subsists and lives through every age, congregating and saving all that put themselves under her guidance. Her authority, her strength, her unity, all come from thee, her infinitely powerful and merciful Shepherd! We likewise bless and thank thee for that thou hast secured this authority, this strength, this unity, by giving us Peter as thy Vicar, Peter our Shepherd in and by Thee, Peter to whom all, both Sheep and Lambs, owe obedience, Peter in whom thou, our Divine Head, will be forever visible, even to the end of the world! [Second Sunday after Easter]



We wish our readers a blessed Eastertide. Christus Resurréxit! Resurréxit Vere!