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The Catholic Youth Bible®
General Editor: Virginia Halbur, MA

The Catholic Youth Bible® will be a true companion, helping you find the answers you seek and helping you make connections to Catholic beliefs and traditions.

Over 700 lively articles help you….

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• Introductions to the major sections of the Bible and all the books of the Bible
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• Five special indexes; Sunday readings for cycles A, B, and C; 10 color maps; a four-page color timeline; and three pages of full-color biblical art

The Catholic Youth Bible®
ISBN: 978-1-59982-141-2, paper, 1802 pages

"When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep." (From a song lyric by Irving Berlin, written for the movie White Christmas.)

What I do, actually, is alphabetize my blessings. (That’s so typical for a word person, don’t you think?) I assign myself a topic and then list, from A to Z, words that relate to that topic. Sometimes I fall asleep around the middle of the alphabet. Other times, I can go all the way to Z and start over! (This is when I start considering a cup of Sleepytime tea!)

So let’s take the topic of Easter. Without giving you the entire list, let me just say that, on my list, A is for Alleluia and Z is for Zoom! So, I can say that I celebrate the Easter Season somewhere between Alleluia and Zoom. Where are you on this spectrum? Where are you in celebrating this most glorious time of the year?

The important point is: Do not let this season pass you by. We celebrate Lent with great intentionality and extra fervor. Can we bring some of this intentionality and fervor to our celebration of the Easter Season? Let’s make some Easter resolutions! Here are some suggestions:

1. I will celebrate Easter in my life of prayer by . . . participating in daily Mass; praying some form of the Liturgy of the Hours each day; taking a prayerful walk three times a week; visiting a bookstore (in person or online) and buying an inspiring book "just because it’s Easter."
   
   
2. I will celebrate Easter with my family by . . . arranging for a weekly family treat (a movie or other special event) "just because it’s Easter"; motivating all to get chores and errands finished on Saturday so that Sunday can be a day of rest and relaxation, preferably outdoors; involving everyone in making each family member’s favorite meal at least once during the Easter Season.
   
   
3. I will celebrate Easter with my group of teens by . . . doing a short Easter-related teaching and activity once a week (for example, see "Resurrection Relay" in the Make It Happen section of this newsletter); giving a small gift (an inspirational card, a holy card, etc., a candy bar if allowed) once a week "just because it’s Easter"; taking the group out for a short walk on nice days to notice the unfolding of spring as a sign of resurrection (or, a field trip to a botanical garden?); doing a service project that brings new life ("clean up, paint up, fix up"); arranging an Easter party in the middle of the Easter Season (egg-salad or devilled eggs, anyone?); making an Easter alphabet list—first in pairs, then as a group— and comparing notes on which words are most mentioned? Most descriptive? This will also give you a chance to discuss Easter-related topics (for example, the letter S can stand for Sabbath: Why is Easter called the Great Sabbath?) You may want to make your own list ahead of time to give yourself a chance to think of several possibilities for each letter. (Hint: The letter X is an ancient symbol for Christ.)

We have 50 days of celebrating ahead of us, so, as we move from Alleluia to Zoom, let’s not miss our chance at Easter joy!

Christ is risen! Indeed he is risen!

Blessings on your ministry!

Peace and joy,

Joanna

A note on the Year of Faith: Once again we turn to our Web site, www.smp.org and the Resource Center. Under "Top 10 Articles," see "For Love Is Stronger Than Death." Based on the Emmaus account in the Gospel of Luke, this is a reflection (based on a handout directly linked within this article) on the Resurrection of Christ. Especially in the midst of suffering the loss of a loved one, faith can feel shaken. This exercise explores the mystery of death and the reality of faith in the light of the Resurrection.

Overview
The point of this relay race is to quickly find passages on Easter themes in the four Gospels. The activity is intended to increase the young teens’ skill in using the Bible and to help them become familiar with Gospel passages that recount the Resurrection of Jesus.

Suggested Time
About 15 minutes for the relay race and closing prayer; preparation time is extra.

Group Size
The ideal group size for this strategy is 16 participants. The activity can be done with a larger or smaller number of young people, though it will get a little drawn out with more than 28 or so. See the Alternative Approaches section near the end of this strategy for suggestions on accommodating different numbers of participants.

Materials Needed
four pieces of newsprint or posterboard
markers
masking tape
four small bowls or paper bags
16 plastic eggs, four each of four different colors
four spoons
16 pieces of construction paper, approximately 3 by 6 inches, four each of approximately the same four different colors as the plastic eggs
16 1-by-3-inch strips of paper
four Bibles
four pieces of notebook paper
four pens or pencils
prizes for the winning team (optional)

Procedure
Preparation. Make four signs on newsprint or posterboard, one for each of the Gospels. Post the signs at one end of the meeting room. Place a Bible, a sheet of notebook paper, and a pen or pencil under each sign. Prepare citation and question slips for each of the four Gospels. To avoid confusion you may want to work on one Gospel at a time. For each Gospel do the following things:

-Write each of the four citations listed below on a small slip of paper. Place each paper in a different-colored egg. Put the four eggs and a spoon in a bowl or paper bag at the end of the room opposite the sign identifying the Gospel.

-Write the question associated with each citation on a piece of construction paper that is approximately the same color as the egg that contains the citation. Place the four questions facedown near the Bible.

The citations and their corresponding questions are as follows:

Citations Questions

Matt. 28:1 With whom did Mary Magdalene go to inspect the tomb?
Matt. 28:7 Whom were the women supposed to tell that Jesus had risen?
Matt. 28:13 What did the chief priests bribe the soldiers to do?
Matt. 28:19 What did Jesus tell the Apostles to do to all the nations?
Mark 16:1 Why did the women take perfumed oils to the tomb?
Mark 16:5 Whom did the women see when they entered the tomb?
Mark 16:9 To whom did the risen Jesus first appear?
Mark 16:19 Where is Jesus’ seat in heaven?
Luke 24:2 What did the women find when they went to the tomb?
Luke 24:13 Where were the two disciples going?
Luke 24:30–31 When did the two disciples recognize Jesus?
Luke 24:39 What did Jesus show the Apostles in order to prove his identity?
John 20:13 Why was Mary Magdalene weeping?
John 20:15–16 When did Mary recognize Jesus?
John 20:25 What would have to happen for Thomas to believe that Jesus was alive?
John 20:29 Whom did Jesus bless?

1. Point out the signs identifying the four Gospels, and the bowls or bags of eggs. Divide the participants into four teams, one for each Gospel, and direct the teams each to line up behind a bowl or bag of eggs. Ask the first person in line from each team to go to the team’s finish line at the opposite end of the room, under the sign that identifies the team’s Gospel. That person is the team’s Bible scholar.

2. Explain the following process in your own words:

The first person in the line picks an egg out of the bowl or bag, places it in the spoon, and runs to the team’s Bible scholar at the other end of the room. If the egg falls out of the spoon, the runner must go back to the starting line and run again.

Once the runner reaches the team’s Bible scholar, he or she picks up the question slip that matches the egg in color, and opens the egg and removes the citation inside it. The runner and the Bible scholar read the question, and look up the citation to find its answer. The runner writes the answer to the question on the notebook paper, then closes the Bible.

The runner now becomes the Bible scholar, and the former Bible scholar takes the spoon, runs back to the team, gives the spoon to the next person in line, and runs to the back of the line. The person who now has the spoon chooses an egg and repeats the procedure.

The game continues in this manner until all the teams’ questions are answered. The team that finishes first and finds all the correct answers wins the game.

3. Facilitate the game. At the end, if you wish to, award the winners each a simple prize, such as a bookmark, a holy card, or a piece of Easter candy.

4. Gather the young people and lead them in the following litany:

Leader. On the third day, they went to Jesus’ tomb and did not find him there. We respond . . .
All. Alleluia! He is risen, alleluia!

Leader. We thank you, Jesus, for dying for our sins. We respond . . .

All. Alleluia! He is risen, alleluia!
Leader. His friends saw him but at first did not recognize him. We respond. . .
All. Alleluia! He is risen, alleluia!

Leader. We have not seen and yet we believe and respond . . .

All. Alleluia! He is risen, alleluia!
Leader. Thank you, God, for giving us the Gospels. They are faithful reminders that death is not the end and that your promise of eternal life has been fulfilled. And so we respond . . .
All. Alleluia! He is risen, alleluia!

Alternative Approaches
If you have fewer than 10 participants, create just two teams and give each team two sets of eggs and questions. If you have more than 16 people in your group, find more Easter passages for each team, and write additional questions, so that each team member gets at least one citation and question.

• To make the game a little more challenging, mix up the passages among the teams so that no team is dealing with only one Gospel. Be sure to match the questions and citations for each team.

• If the game goes quickly and the young people are eager to try again, assign each team to a different Gospel.

• Invite the young people to make a bookmark of their favorite Resurrection passage: Give each person a lengthwise half of an index card. Make available a variety of decorating supplies. Tell the participants to write their favorite Resurrection passage on the bookmark and decorate the bookmark.

• Instead of doing the activity as a relay race, simply do it as a team competition. Give every young person on each team a Bible and designate a team captain. Ask one of the questions, announce its corresponding Bible passage, and tell the teams to look up the citation and find an answer. Follow these rules:
• Only the team captain can answer the question for the team.
• The first team to give the correct answer gets a point.
• The game continues for no more than 15 minutes or until all the questions have been answered.
• This relay is not restricted to Easter passages. It can be used with other passages any time you want to give young teens a fun experience with searching the Scriptures.

Third Sunday of Easter
April 14, 2013
John 21:1-19

Opening Prayer
Jesus, we know that you choose to make yourself known to us through the ordinary events in our lives. Help us to be vigilant so that we are able to discern your presence in our lives. May our sharing of your word today renew in us the desire to recognize you whenever and however you reveal yourself. Amen.

Context Connection
The Gospel for this Sunday begins with the disciples fishing on the Sea of Tiberias---also called the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Tiberias takes its name from the Roman city of Tiberias, which is located on its western shore. See map 6, section C-2 in The Catholic Youth Bible.

The disciples who return to the Galilee area are "Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples" (21:2). Peter initiates the fishing venture. Knowing that the best time to fish on the Sea of Galilee is at night so that the fresh fish can be sold at the market in the morning, the disciples fish all night. But they catch nothing. Then "just after daybreak" (21:4) the disciples encounter Jesus on the shore; however, they do not recognize him. Jesus asks the disciples whether they have any fish and they tell him no. Jesus then tells the men to "cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some" (21:6). The beloved disciple, John, is the first to recognize that the person on the beach is Jesus. But Peter is the one who hastens to the Lord by jumping into the sea and making his way through the water to Jesus, who is "only about a hundred yards" from the disciples (21:8). Whether or not Peter put on clothes before jumping into the water depends on the Bible translation. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation says that Peter is naked and puts on clothes so that he is presentable on shore. The New American Bible (NAB) translation says that Peter wore an outer garment only and that as he prepared to jump in the water he gathered the garment in such a manner that he could walk in the water to the shore. Neither translation detracts from the main message of the disciples' encounter with the risen Jesus over a meal on the beach.

Once on shore the disciples see that Jesus has prepared fish over a charcoal fire to serve them a meal. This image of Jesus as servant and leader is strengthened throughout the story. Jesus instructs Peter to bring more fish to place on the fire so that they can share a meal together. The Gospel tells us that the disciples caught 153 fish in the net. Scholars have speculated what this number symbolizes since the time of Saint Jerome, who said 153 represented the number of species of fish that existed in the world and therefore symbolized the universality of Jesus's message. The true meaning has been lost to history, but we do know that Jesus shares the bread and fish in a manner similar to the Last Supper when he shared the bread and wine of Passover with the disciples.

After they had eaten breakfast, Jesus says to Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" (21:15). Jesus is creating an opportunity for Peter to profess his love for Jesus, in contrast to Peter's denial of Jesus after Jesus's arrest. Three times Jesus asks Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" (21:16). Three times Peter responds, "Yes Lord; you know that I love you" (21:15). Each time Jesus tells Peter what to do with that love: "Feed my lambs" (21:15) . . . "Tend my sheep" (21:16) . . . "Feed my sheep" (21:17). Peter, when given the chance, chooses to affirm his love for Jesus and seeks reconciliation for his denial of Jesus. Peter desires atonement for his actions so that he can again be one with Jesus. Atone contains these two words: at and one. When we experience true atonement, we are once again in a right relationship---one with God and with others.

Tradition Connection
The Easter story is one of ongoing conversion of the disciples. In Jesus' lifetime the disciples came to believe in him as the Son of God. The Easter experience of the resurrected Jesus and the ongoing post-resurrection encounters with Jesus deepen their conversion and result in the deepening of their faith. This call to conversion by Jesus is ongoing. "Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom. . . . Baptism is the principal place for the first and fundamental conversion. It is by faith in the Gospel and by Baptism that one renounces evil and gains salvation, that is, the forgiveness of all sins and the gift of new life" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1427).

Baptism sacramentally marks the first conversion, but, as life unfolds its mysteries, there is a continuous call to conversion. We mark these moments sacramentally with the Sacrament of Reconciliation. "Christ's call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of Christians. This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, 'clasping the sinners to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification, [and] follows constantly the path of penance and renewal.'¹ This endeavor of conversion is not just a human work. It is the movement of a 'contrite heart,' drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first"² (Catechism, paragraph 1428). Peter is a witness to this second kind of conversion that sometimes is called a conversion by tears. "Jesus' look of infinite mercy drew tears of repentance from Peter and, after the Lord's resurrection, a threefold affirmation of love for him"³ (Catechism, paragraph 1429). Saint Ambrose, in his writings in the fourth century, talks about these two kinds of conversion in this way: "There are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance"⁴ (Catechism, paragraph 1429). Each time we pray the Our Father, especially the phrase "and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," we are "linking our forgiveness of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins that God will grant us" (Catechism, paragraph 1425).

In Baptism we are washed clean of sin and sanctified. Then we are robed in a white garment---literally "putting on Christ". "Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism" (Catechism, paragraph 1426) is an ongoing process of conversion throughout one's lifetime. "The new life received in Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature . . . which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of Christian life.⁵ This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us"⁶ (Catechism, paragraph 1426). In Sunday's Gospel, Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to be reconciled with him through Peter's profession of his love for Jesus, and Jesus gives us the same opportunity throughout our lifetime to profess our love for him. Do we recognize these sacred moments and take advantage of them for our ongoing conversion?

Wisdom Connection
John writes about a third encounter with the risen Jesus. In this account the seven disciples meet Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Galilee as they are returning from a night of fishing. Jesus comes to them in the middle of their ordinary everyday tasks. At first they do not recognize him. With Jesus's assistance their ordinary task becomes productive when they follow Jesus's words, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat" (21:6). Jesus can do the same for us if we follow his direction.

In the ordinariness of daily life Jesus takes the opportunity to feed the disciples a meal, to serve them. Jesus continues to model for the disciples the importance of being a servant leader. The continuity reinforces the example Jesus gave when he washed the feet of the disciples at the last supper: "So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet" (13:14). The resurrected Jesus continues to serve the disciples by preparing and serving them a meal. This Jesus on the shore is the same Jesus who once washed their feet.

The second part of the passage is about the tender and moving discourse between Jesus and Simon Peter. Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to publicly affirm his love for him, so that Peter can counter his earlier public denial of Jesus. In the early Christian community that John addresses in his Gospel, Jesus's followers have already experienced persecution. Sometimes individual Christians have been forced to publicly denounce Jesus and to profess a pledge of allegiance to a Roman god. Some have refused to denounce Jesus and have been martyred, others have not been as strong. John wants his community to know that they too can be forgiven, just as Peter has been forgiven for his denial of Jesus. Peter's tears upon encountering the merciful eyes of Jesus demonstrate his conversion. Jesus' merciful love helps Peter recognize what he had done when he denied Jesus. Peter has a contrite heart. John wants his readers to understand that forgiveness is possible for those who have a genuinely contrite heart. And just as Peter is directed to care for Jesus' "sheep," those who seek God's forgiveness must demonstrate God's gracious act through their charitable actions.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The Lord's Prayer and the quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Endnotes cited in quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1. Lumen gentium 8 § 3.
2. Psalm 51:17; cf. John 6:44; 12:32; 1 John 4:10.
3. Cf. Luke 22:61; John 21:15-17.
4. St. Ambrose, ep. 41, 12: Patrologia Latina 16, 1116.
5. Cf. Council of Trent (1546): Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1515.
6. Cf. Council of Trent (1547): Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1545; Lumen gentium 40.

Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 21, 2013
John 10:27-30

Opening Prayer
Jesus, as we reflect on John's words today, we learn that the benefit of following you, the Good Shepherd, is eternal life. Help us recognize your voice among all the other voices in our everyday lives and readily respond to you. Amen.

Context Connection
To better understand the Gospel passage for this Sunday, begin at verse 22 of chapter 10 in order to gain a larger perspective. The time of year is winter and the Jews are celebrating the feast of Dedication. We know the event better as Hanukkah, the day the Jews celebrate the reconsecration of the Temple. For Jews, the Temple is the dwelling place of God on earth. The rededication of the Temple occurred in 164 BC after the Maccabean rebels defeated the Syrian Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The Jews deemed the conflict necessary because Antiochus had desecrated the Temple by building an altar to Zeus over the Temple's altar of holocausts and forcing the Jews to offer sacrifices to Zeus. The feast of Dedication is a nine-day celebration of relighting the sanctuary lamp in the Temple and making it a holy place again.

During the feast, Jesus is with a group of people in a part of the Temple called the Portico of Solomon, a colonnade on the east side of the Temple that overlooks the Kidron Valley toward the Mount of Olives. The area would become a favorite rendezvous for the early Christians (see Acts 3:11--4:4, 5:12). The crowd gathered around Jesus asks, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly" (10:24). Jesus's response indicates that he has already revealed his identity to them: "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep" (10:25-26). This then is the setting for Sunday's Gospel. "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me" (10:27), says Jesus. His words distinguish those who hear what he says, see what he does, and follow him from those who refuse to follow Jesus even after hearing him speak and after witnessing the many good things he has done.

Jesus speaks of the benefit of being one of his followers: "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish" (10:28). The life a follower receives from believing in Jesus as the true Messiah is a gift from the Father. No one is greater than God the Father; therefore, "no one will snatch them out of my hand" (10:28). Jesus assures the believers that they can be confident they are in the Father's hand. The celebration of Dedication for the Jews is a way to demonstrate that they belong to God and, in a sense, that God belongs to them. However, Jesus insists that faith in his word connects believers to him and therefore to God---his Father.

The passage concludes with Jesus saying, "The Father and I are one" (10:30). The Temple no longer needs to serve as a reminder of God's presence. Jesus has proclaimed that he is the visible presence of God, but his words push the imagination of the nonbelieving Jews to the breaking point. Nowhere in the Jewish expectation of the Messiah would the Messiah replace the Temple as the central symbol of God's presence among the Jewish people. But Jesus says exactly that in verse 30. John has already made the same proclamation in the opening chapter of his Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth" (1:1-14).

Verse 30 is Jesus's plain response to the question asked in verse 24: "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly" (10:24), the people ask. "The Father and I are one" (10:30), Jesus responds.

Tradition Connection
Jesus as the Good Shepherd is an image John gives us and one the Church has propagated throughout its history. The image has been the subject of many art forms and is depicted in paintings, sculptures, and stained-glass windows. Such a powerful image reassures us that God's love for us is strong and tender, righteous and reconciling, directive and inviting.

On this Sunday, we as Church reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, as told in chapter 10 of the Gospel of John. Historically, shepherds have been considered honorable individuals, even noble. Ezekiel refers to the kings of Israel as shepherds. In Psalm 23 pious Jews view their God as a shepherd who provides good things for his flock: "The Lord is my shepherd" (1). The psalm continues to articulate what it means to be in a committed relationship with the Good Shepherd:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff---
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.
(Psalm 23:1-6)

When Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:14), those who hear him would automatically draw a parallel to those attributes because of their familiarity with the Psalms. The new insight Jesus adds is this: "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish" (10:28). Jesus is saying that, not only in this life but also in life eternal, all those who hear his voice and follow him will have all these good things. The Good Shepherd desires only good things for his flock. Jesus and his Father look after those who hear their voice and follow them.

This passage reveals God's greatest desire: That God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth:¹ that is, of Christ Jesus"² (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 74).

Wisdom Connection
In calling Jesus the Good Shepherd, John highlights the following benefits of being a follower of Jesus:

• Just as the shepherd knows his sheep well, Jesus knows his followers intimately.
• Just as the shepherd keeps his flock safe from violent attack, Jesus protects his followers from violence. "No one will snatch them out of my hand" (10:28).
• Just as the shepherd continues to sustain his sheep by protecting them and leading them to good water and pasture, thus giving them life, Jesus, the noble shepherd, gives his followers what they need to sustain life. But he also gives the added dimension of everlasting life: "They will never perish" (10:28).

John wants his community and us today to know we are safe in Jesus. This does not imply that we will not experience attack just as a flock of sheep can experience attack. But by placing our trust in Jesus and allowing him to lead us, we can experience the greatest security we can ever know. This trust---being faithful to Jesus---has the added benefit of eternal life.

For further reflection on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, read the Pray It!™ article "Jesus, the Good Shepherd," near John 10 in The Catholic Youth Bible.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The Lord's Prayer and the quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Endnotes cited in quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1. 1 Timothy 2:4.
2. Cf. John 14.

April 7: Feast of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Explore the Web site of the Christian Brothers of the Midwest at http://www.brothersvocation.org/ to find the video, "In the Footsteps of De La Salle: A Vocation Journey." This video explores Lasallian history, based on locations in France.

April 8: Feast of Saint Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Find her story at the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Web site: http://www.sndden.org/en/who-we-are/st-julie-billiart/.

April 16: Saint Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes, who saw Our Lady and heard her say, "I am the Immaculate Conception." Learn more about God’s choice of this teenager and "dull student" who lived in poverty and had not yet made her First Communion: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1355.

April 18: Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin, foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne, in Canada. She founded her congregation to teach both boys and girls in the same parish school—an innovation for its time. See an account of her life, which has been called "a life of persecution," at http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/saints-and-blesseds/blessed-marie-anne-blondin-a-canadian-witness-for-holy-week.