Excellent story. I am so looking forward to the beatification. We’ll find out in the next day or two whether our parish will hold a celebration. If not, we’ll host one at home.
This will be a day of incredible blessings. In the Maronite Catholic Church, the Sunday following Easter is referred to as "New Sunday" and follows the week of "wearing white". The newly baptized wore their white "baptismal" clothes for the entire week. In the Maronite Church, New Sunday ends the week of "appearances" where our Lord appeared to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus and other appearances made immediately following His resurrection. In our parish, May 1, this year, will be May Crowning of the Blessed Mother and the administration of First Communion to 7 children - the largest number we have ever had in the 106 year history of our parish.
I will be up early to follow the LIVE transmission of JPII's beatification from Rome and then dash off to church for this beautiful ceremony. In the afternoon, I will tune in to EWTN to watch LIVE coverage from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge MA as they pray the Divine Mercy chaplet.
After that, I will 'crash' ;-)