TBy Kyle Burgess ’17

The freshman, sophomore, and junior classes learned about the true meaning of Easter by attending a special Easter Prayer Service in Darby Auditorium on Friday, April 22.  

The assembly began with members of the Gold Glee Club singing “Christ is Risen from the Dead,” a song of praise rejoicing in the Resurrection of Jesus and calling believers to witness this miracle in their lives.  Afterwards, student actors took to the stage and explained the  significance of Easter in the Church. 

“For most of us, Easter is just a day that we get dressed up and go to church before heading home for a family meal,” explained James DeCamp ’19.  “However, there is much more to this occasion than just that; it is a day that we remember Christ’s victory over death and His presence in our lives today.”

The audience viewed a video clip depicting Mary Magdalene and Peter the Apostle’s discovery of Jesus’ empty tomb, a moment that prompted a new beginning in the lives of the Apostles.  At the video concluded, the Gold Glee Club performed “Nothing Will Disturb You in God’s House,” and that was followed by a second video that explained the need for Christians to spread the good news of the Resurrection to others.  Sharing the message of the Resurrection was compared to sharing funny videos of birth announcements on YouTube.

Father Garrett Long, S. M. ’62 then spoke to explain Jesus’ presence in the students’ everyday lives.  

“Just as we jump out of our beds, we also jump over obstacles we find in our path.  This is the gift that Jesus gave us when He jumped over death on the cross: the ability to persevere in the face of great hardship,” noted Father Garrett.

He invited God to bless the Easter prayer cards that were distributed to the students at the service’s conclusion.

“I thought the prayer service accurately represented the significance of the holiday,” said Emmett Cornetta ’17.  “It spoke the true meaning of both Easter and the good news as well as how it relates to us as Catholics today.”  

Students left the assembly with a renewed sense of significance of Jesus’ Resurrection.