Nettie Davies Kollie is passionate about what the Easter Season means to her personally.

“It is the time when I reflect on how Jesus came and died for us, and I think about all the sacrifices he made,” the Hamilton resident said. “Then I look at my own life and reflect on what I can do better to help my fellow man, my own self and my family.”

Davies Kollie was among those parishioners who gathered in Holy Cross Church, Trenton, for Easter Sunday Mass April 4. Father Charles Muorah, parochial vicar in Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton – of which Holy Cross is a worship site – celebrated Mass.

Photo Gallery: Easter Sunday in Holy Cross Church

Father Muorah said he was happy to be able to celebrate Easter again in person with the faithful.

“We gather as a family, we worship as a family, we celebrate our faith with joy,” he said. “Especially in this time of pandemic, it’s like a reunion.”

He said that in the midst of the pandemic, the risen Lord fills life with joy and hope – and if he could offer a message of encouragement to the faithful after a year of living through COVID-19, that word would be “peace.”

“‘Peace be with you’ Jesus said. That peace of Jesus risen from the dead flows into my, heart, flows from my heart to your heart, and from yours to mine,” Father Muorah said.  “For me, this is the core of the risen Jesus – from the Church as one family of God on mission to our respective domestic families and the peace that recognizes the unity and diversity of the blended family that makes up the Church.”

He continued, “The blood of Jesus we consume in the Holy Eucharist is the DNA that bonds us together as a family of God.”

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That sense of togetherness was something for which Davies Kollie was grateful – especially after such a difficult year.

“I was very happy to be in church,” she said. “I’m very thankful because all the sickness, people passing away [due to the pandemic] – I’ve just never seen anything like that in my life. So this year, for us to be able to celebrate together as a family, as a Church – that is very important.”

Now that she has been vaccinated, Davies Kollie, a member of the Ladies Auxiliary, said she is hopeful for the future. “I look forward to getting back on track – going back to our different organizations, charities or work and helping more and more people in the community.”

Video interviews by photographer Rich Hundley contributed to this report.