The Visionary. A Newsletter of St. Mary Magdalen Parish

Transcription

1 The Visionary A Newsletter of St. Mary Magdalen Parish November Volume XV Issue 11 BE SEALED WITH GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! FROM FATHER DAVE HOWELL On Saturday, December 6, Bishop Boyea will confirm 51 of our members during the 4:30 Liturgy. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Church will seal fifty-one gifted young people with the Holy Spirit so that they will be strengthened to assume their place among us as full members of the Church. Last month, I met with each of them individually. The meetings provided an ideal time for us to discuss their understanding of the Sacrament and the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It also gave me an opportunity to get to know each of them better. Almost every candidate spoke of how their request was a personal, not a parental desire and of how they are now willing to accept the responsibilities of an adult in the Church. Many were very thoughtful and their comments were often insightful. I really enjoyed my time with them and I was truly impressed with their sincerity and openness. I ask you to keep them in your prayers as they prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Very soon they will be receiving their driving licenses and take on their first adult responsibilities. Then they will be choosing colleges, careers and mates. This celebration comes at an important juncture in their lives - a time when they surely need the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit! ON THANKSGIVING We tend to think of Thanksgiving as a day, a national holiday celebrated with parades, football, family and turkey. While it is all this, it certainly can become much more! The Liturgy of Thanksgiving morning (9 am) has grown to several hundred participants. They come with gifts for the poor and hearts full of gratitude. The highlight always seems to be the Communion meditation, a verbal tapestry woven from the many prayers of thanksgiving gathered from us the weekend before. It is truly one of the most Spirit-filled Liturgies of the whole year, one that many participants look forward to. Don't Wait for Thanksgiving Day! Ponder the many blessings that are a part of your life! Write them down for your own sake and keep the list close at hand. There is no better way to banish the anxieties and lift the burdens of life than to read through the list, remembering the any blessings of our life! Make somebody's day! If you really want to make this Thanksgiving special, send a card, write a note or make a call to someone to whom you are grateful. Let him or her know why you are grateful. If we could let just one person know of our gratitude each day, we could make the darkening days of November the brightest month in the year! IN THIS ISSUE PASTORAL COUNCIL Page 2 RELIGIOUS FORMATION OF CHILDREN Page 3 OF FAITH and SERVICE Page 4 YOUTH NEWS Page 5 NEW MEMBERS Page 6 THE DEACONS BENCHES Page 7

2 from the PASTORAL COUNCIL Our Pastoral Council discussed a draft of the Articles of Understanding of the Livingston Vicariate Council. This council has been meeting for almost two years. It is made up of representative leadership, clergy and ministers of all 8 parishes plus Mark Robinson from LCCSS. The council planned and lead the regional Liturgy to welcome Bishop Boyea and it hosted a vicariate gathering of pastoral councils. The purpose of the council is to facilitate greater collaboration between the 8 parishes. A second topic was the monthly effort to make contact with parishioners. PC members have a list of almost 100 families which they try to phone at least once over the course of a year. The basic purpose of the call is to simply assure that the parish is meeting the needs of our parishioners. Sometimes members will call as many as households, talk with only a handful and leave messages at the rest. We discussed how and when the members are most successful at actually making contact and initiating a meaningful conversation. Our Pastoral Council continued to discuss strategies to advance the parish goal adopted last spring. The Members of the Pastoral Council Jan Baldinger Karen Luck Gretchen Buslepp Tom Callaghan Kathy Carney Sandy Oliver Mark Wright Ken Kuna Mike Lamberjack Rob Lintzenich Nancy Nychypor Mary Beth Rupp Debbie Dehanke, Secretary Sr. Maryetta Churches, OP Fr. David F. Howell from the FINANCE COUNCIL July June 2009 from the As of September 30, 2008 REVENUE SOURCES Sept. 30 Year to Date Projected Budget Sunday Stewardship 82, ,724 1,183,900 Religious Formation/Donations 8,766 24,526 89,600 TOTAL 91, ,249 1,273,500 BUILDING FUND: $1,594,237 EXPENDITURES Sept. 30 Year to Date Projected Budget Programs & Staffing 62, , ,100 Building Operations 11,975 33, ,400 Building Pledge 20,834 62, ,000 TOTAL 94, ,311 1,274,500 BALANCE (plus/minus) -3,656 +6,938 BUILDING EXPENDITURES: $242,178 The Members of the Finance Council Chris Cousins Dick Demmings Sandra Howe Chair, Bruce Heatley Sharon Rossiter Mike Lamberjack Duke Davis Bob Reske Karen Carter Ben Lindamood Dan Grattan Deb Guidos Bookkeeper, Dave Wisniewski Fr. David Howell from the STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL from the The Stewardship Council reviewed its calendar for the coming year. Then we discussed the fall Stewardship Fair. Usually this fair begins the same weekend as the Parish Picnic. With that and the start of many parish activities, it seems to get a bit lost in the early fall. Since this stewardship fair deals with task related activities, we discussed the possibility of moving it later into the fall or even into the very beginning of the calendar year. The third task of the evening was to continue our discussion of a new mission statement for the council with the purpose of providing all the council membership with a clearer vision of its role. The Members of the Stewardship Council Brigitte Burke Jim Chevalier Barb Colley Eric Feiler Mary Beth Rupp Ann Fraser Joe Martinez Sonia Petrous Rick Phillips Devon Wolfe Caryn Schmidt Sharon Rossiter Lisa Schifko (Chair) Sharon Wagner Sr. Maryetta Churches, OP Fr. David F. Howell 2

3 RELIGIOUS FORMATION from Mary Mahar November is another busy month in our faith formation! We have been settling into our formation classes, some getting ready to celebrate sacraments in December, and all of us exploring how Christ is working in our lives. Even our parents have been busy attending meetings to learn more about the sacraments their youth are preparing for! Our 10 th / 11 th grade youth are in their final discernment for Confirmation, to be confirmed on Saturday, December 6. With their final class on Nov. 23, they will be talking about their spiritual gifts and will all meet together one last time! The children s Nativity reenactment practices start up on Wednesday, November 12, at 6pm in Church. All youth, kindergarten age and older, are invited to participate! We are having a parent s night during the 2 nd grade class times on Wednesday, December 3, and Thursday, December 4, at 4:30 and 6:30. These parent evenings are being offered to provide an experience with their child to participate in some activities and to open discussion about First Penance. First Penance will then be held December 10 and 18 during your child s regularly scheduled class time. Those families in Catholic School or the Family Program are invited to attend whichever session is best for your schedule, just let me know. If you wish to have your child in Sacramental preparation this year and have not already registered them for a Sacrament, please call Mary in the office to make arrangements. Mark your calendars for Sunday, December 7. We will be offering NEW activities for the season of Advent for families and all age groups in the Social Hall after the 11am Liturgy! As we settle down from a busy fall, take the time to share stories with your family this Thanksgiving, let them know how you enjoyed time as a child, tell the kids what they did when they were small, but most of all, have a great Thanksgiving! Mary, mahar@parishmail.com. November Dates to Remember: November 2: Family Program ONLY meets 10:30 NO K or 9 th or 10th grade classes November 9: Classes for K, Family Program. Gr. 9/10 November 12: Children s Nativity rehearsal starts 6-6:30pm in Church November 26-30: Thanksgiving break! December 3/4: Classes resume, 2nd grade Parent Night in class, Wed-Nativity practice 6pm December 5 Confirmation rehearsal December 6: Confirmation 4:30 Liturgy, 9 th gr. host reception MAGDALEN S LITTLE PEOPLE from Kathie Anderer October is now behind us. We had our first field trip to Spicer s Orchard. We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and picked out the perfect pumpkin to carve our jack-olanterns. We also had our picture taken and they should be back in time to slip them into Christmas cards can you believe it will be that time soon? The purpose of the preschool program at St. Mary Magdalen Church is to provide a Christian education, in a warm, caring, environment for the young child of the congregation and community. The early childhood years are an important time in the development of the child. Most of the potential for learning is established by age six. Many opportunities will be provided for the children to explore and manipulate a variety of materials. Play is a very important part of the preschool classroom, and much of the learning takes place through teacher-directed and self-directed play activities. Through these activities, children develop social and language skills, learn to handle their emotions, and learn about God s wonderful world! There are a few remaining openings for this school year if anyone is looking for a placement for their child. We would love to have you join us! November is a month for giving thanks. This would be a good time to give thanks for all of the many people who help to make our Preschool so special. A BIG and special thank you to the wonderful preschool staff for all their dedication and the many hours of service they give so generously. To Leo Camden, our church custodian, who puts in so many hours to keep our building in shape and for cleaning up our messes. To Sr. Maryetta, Sr. Joyce, Mary Mahar, and Margaret Callaghan for their support and for offering to lead us during chapel this school year and to the other churches that will be coming in to visit. Thanks to the office staff for their faithful service and guidance; to the Knights of Columbus for the generous donation they made to preschool to help with the financial burden on a few families in our program; to Father Dave for his support and guidance. We are so blessed to be a part of St. Mary Magdalen and we are THANKFUL! Last, but not least, to our preschool families for sharing their children with us. The children are such a blessing to us all. 3

4 OF FAITH & SERVICE from Sr. Joyce Hoile, OSF ADVENT BY CANDLELIGHT If you want to make Advent more significant and meaningful in your life this year, consider attending Advent by Candlelight. This is an evening of prayerful reflection, fellowship and song, with light refreshments served by hostesses around cozy holiday tables, in much of the same manner as if you were guests in their homes. But it is not a private party! If you are a young adult with parents, grandparents or have peers you would like to share a meaningful Advent experience with, this invitation is for you. If you are a parent with teen or adult children, parents, or friends with whom you would like to share this Advent evening with, this invitation is also for you. And most importantly, if you are alone for any reason and would like to participate in an enjoyable Advent experience, this invitation is for you. Please join our parish family and share this evening with new friends. Always feel free to invite extended family, friends, and people you would like to have this experience here at St. Mary Magdalen. If you are new to the parish, or have never attended one of these evenings, please consider doing so this year. Hosts and hostesses are asked to come forward to reserve a table for family and friends. Each table seats 8 people so if you have more or less people, the committee will add or fill in additional people near your table. Extra hosts/ hostesses are needed for the worker tables and additional guests Directions for the hosts/hostesses can be found in the gathering area with the sign up sheets for you and your guests. Advent by Candlelight will take place on Saturday, November 29, at 7 pm. 50+ LUNCH BUNCH will meet on Thursday, November 6, at 11 am to tour the Great Harvest Bread Co. 416 West Main Street, Brighton. Contact Sr. Joyce for details. SENIOR THANKSGIVING LUNCH will be Thursday, November 13, at St. Patrick Church. It will begin with Prayer at 11 am with Thanksgiving Lunch to follow. Please bring an unwrapped Christmas gift for an elderly person. CHARITY & JUSTICE from Lisa Klein Thanks to everyone who walked to take a stand against hunger in our world. Your generous support of the CROP Walk is appreciated. A special thanks also to everyone who joined in prayer for the protection of the sanctity of human life in the Life Chain. The Advent Giving Tree will go up in the Gathering area on November 29/30. Please consider taking a tag and returning needed items to the Advent Tree. Thank you for blessing others during difficult times with your generosity and kindness. Warm the Children is an opportunity for you to help families shop for new winter clothing for children whose families cannot otherwise afford it. The program is funded through the Ann Arbor News. We will be asking for volunteers to help shop at the Meijer store in Howell. Look for more information in the bulletin and sign-up sheets in the gathering area in November. Right to Life Christmas Cards will be on sale in the gathering area during the weekend of November 8/9. Proceeds will benefit Livingston County Right to Life. COUNCIL COMMENDATIONS The Council would like to commend Dorothy Koprowicz for the outstanding job she has done on the design for the landscaping of our project. The township has required a very high number to trees and shrubs to be planted around our property and Dorothy has used her expertise to make our property a beautiful place to see and be. Thanks for all your hard work! The Council would also like to commend all the wonderful people who volunteered to serve the homeless who came to us in the REACH program at the end of October. The coordinators of the week were Jan Carpenter and John Lawler who organized our parishioners so that our guests were warmly welcomed. There are also many folks who assisted as drivers, food preparers, hospitality, night chaperones and more. Thanks you for being the smiling face of Magdalen to our guests! 4

5 YOUTH NEWS from Margaret Callaghan Tis the season to be thankful! I challenge you and your family to take some time together sharing what blessings you are most thankful for. Help at the food pantry, or God s kitchen or volunteer time praying in the chapel for someone who is hurting. Write a letter to a distant relative or friend just to say hi and that you are grateful for their friendship. There are many things you can do as a family to give back to God what is God s. Share your wealth of time, love and happiness with others in need of those things. Sunday November 2, we are spending the day in Lansing at the Diocesan Jamboree! Our theme is Release the Faith Hero Inside YOU! We will gather with over 900 students to learn, celebrate Liturgy with the bishop, eat and play. It is awesome to have so many youth gathered together in one place to worship and praise our Lord. It is a God filled day with opportunities to meet and make new friends. I would like to share with you some good things happening with the youth in this area. Last spring and this fall we gathered with youth from three other parishes for a weekend retreat. They are making new friends across school districts and parish boundaries. They are encouraging each other to participate in Jamboree, attending each other s youth group meetings and staying in contact, encouraging each other to be better people in school and at home. What a great community of youth! I am thrilled at all the new friendships that have been made. We have a spring retreat scheduled for early May with the same youth groups. A team of youth has signed up to be Eucharist Ministers, Lectors, Hospitality and even altar servers at a 9am Liturgy once a month. I am excited that so many of them had the courage to sign up to more fully participate in our celebration of the Eucharist. What great witnesses they are for other youth in the parish. Years ago when Tommy and I first started here with the youth group, we met a young girl named Maggie Pence. She was only in middle school when we got to know her. It has been our privilege to have witnessed her growth through good times and in bad times during her time in high school. We have kept in contact with her throughout her journey of college and beyond into the work place. I am quite pleased to tell you that she is back to be a part of our youth ministry team. She will be working with me to create more dynamic meetings, retreats and to be a strong presence among the youth here. She is a young woman with great faith, passion and love for our Lord and is ready to share herself with our youth. She will be a presenter at this year s Jamboree and is on the Diocesan Youth Leadership Camp committee. I want to say a special thank you to the Neitzke family! Mr. Neitzke put a lot of time transforming our barn into a haunted place this past month! I would also like to thank Mrs. Neitzke who was nice enough to share him with us all those evenings and Matt Willamson, Jessica Neitzke and Shane Neitzke who were the big guys in charge of getting it all together. Thank you to everyone who helped put it together this year! EDGE We have had a great start this year. I am excited to meet new middle school students and to see some of you who were part of EDGE last year. This month we have two meetings, Mon. Nov 10 and Nov 24. We are welcoming Angell Batten to talk with us on Nov 24 about nutrition. It promises to be a great meeting! Our high school teens will be there helping of course so don t miss this meeting. Bring a friend or come to make a new one. THANKS & PRAISE From Sr. Maryetta We would like to especially give thanks & praise to some very special people; the Community Life Team who provided a great Halloween Party. The decorations, games, costumes and time together made the evening a huge success! A great time was had by all! Our youth group did an awesome job on their spooky HAUNTED BARN. We also recognize Arnold Neitzke for providing leadership and guidance on the project. You are the best, Arnold, and we thank you for your time and talent! CHILDRENS NATIVITY from Ann Kehn Rehearsals begin Wed., November 12, for the Children's Nativity. Rehearsals will be Wednesdays from 6-6:30 pm (between Religious Ed classes). There will be one Saturday rehearsal on December 20, from 9-11 am. Children grades K-8 are welcome to participate. The Nativity will have an angel choir, along with the traditional roles. It will be the prelude to the 6 pm Christmas Eve Mass. The Children's Nativity is a great opportunity to focus on the Christ in Christmas! Please sign up in the gathering area. For more information you can contact Erin Wolfe (517) or Ann Kehn (810)

6 INNER SILENCE MAKES POSSIBLE OUR CONVERSATION WITH GOD from Diane Kubus Once a month we celebrate Taizé Evening Prayer along with other Christian churches in the area. It is on a Friday evening usually at 7:30 pm. Watch our calendar for the date and time This hour long prayer consists of songs, psalms, Scripture, the Lord s Prayer, intercessions, and periods of silence. The songs are of repetitive structure, namely, short musical phrases with singable melodies that can be readily memorized by everybody. The use of some very simple words in basic Latin and of course English to support the music and the theme of prayer is also dictated by pastoral reasons. It is the Word of God set to music. Its constant gentle repetitive quality allows deep contemplation and prayer on the sentiments that it expresses. An essential part of the prayer is silence. Inner silence makes possible our conversation with God. For the voice of God is often heard only in a whisper, in a breath of silence. Remaining in silence in God s presence, open to the Holy Spirit, is already prayer. Taizé in the south of Burgundy, France, is the home of an international, ecumenical community, founded there in The community is made up of over a hundred brothers, Catholic and Protestant, from more than twenty five nations. The brothers are committed to material and spiritual sharing, to celibacy, and to a great simplicity of life. Since the late 1950s, thousands of young adults from many countries have found their way to Taizé to take part in meetings of prayer and reflection. At the heart of daily life in Taizé are three times of common prayer. The structure of the prayer is similar to that of the Catholic monastic tradition: it consists of a hymn, psalms, scripture reading and intercessions. The climax of the liturgical week is the Service of Light which takes place on Saturday nights. This is based on our own Liturgy for Holy Saturday night. All present are given candles as a symbol of the presence of the risen Lord. As the assembly sings, Christ is risen, the church is filled with a great sense of joy and hope. The spirituality of Taizé is firmly rooted in the great Christian tradition of the past, yet it is open to the contemporary world, but most of all it is centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This month there will be a special Taizé service with the diocesan chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians on Tuesday, November 18, at 7:30 pm at St. Patrick in Brighton. Everyone is invited and encouraged to come. So if you would like a relaxing contemplative time of quiet prayer away from the pressures and loudness of life, join us this month at St. Patrick in Brighton. Next month Taizé will be celebrated on December 12 at 7:30 pm at St. Mary Magdalen. to our parish!... New Members... OCTOBER 2008 Jodi Fenrich, Raimi Mark & Marie Kennedy Grace Toni Larson Thaddeus & Theresa Lepczynski Michael & Rebecca Provenzano Scott & Elizabeth Urquhart Kiley, Shelby 6 The addresses and phone numbers of new members have been omitted in compliance with internet privacy law.

7 THE DEACONS BENCH from Dave Scharf A woman was in the mall doing her Christmas shopping. She was tired of walking through every aisle of every store to find just the right present. She was stressed out by the mounting debt on her credit card. She was tired of fighting the crowds and standing in lines for the registers. Her hands were full and when the elevator door opened, it was full. Great! she muttered and the occupants of the elevator, feeling her pain, graciously tightened ranks to allow a small space for her and her load. As the doors closed she blurted out, I think whoever came up with this Christmas junk ought to be found, strung up and shot! A few others shook their heads or grunted in agreement. Then, from somewhere in the back of the elevator came a single voice that said, Don t worry. They already crucified him. Most of us have already begun starting our Christmas shopping and Advent will soon be upon us. So now is the time for us to begin the preparation for the coming of the Christ child. Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. By reflection and prayer, by reading and meditation, we can make our hearts a place where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the Prince of Peace might take place. Edward Hays, A Pilgrim s Almanac, says that Daily we can make an Advent examination. Are there any feelings of discrimination toward race, sex, or religion? Is there a lingering resentment, an un-forgiven injury living in our hearts? Do we look down upon others of lesser social standing or educational achievement? Are we generous with the gifts that have been given to us, seeing ourselves as their stewards and not their owners? Are we reverent of others, their ideas and needs, and of creation? These and other questions become Advent lights by which we may search the deep, dark corners of our hearts. May this Advent season be a time for bringing hope, transformation and fulfillment into the Advent of our lives." THE OTHER BENCH from Jim Chevalier Going to Mass is the center of the life of the Church. The heart of the Mass is the Eucharist, and the Eucharistic Prayer through which Christ s sacrifice is both recalled and made present and we give our thanks and praise to God. The consummation of the Mass, however, occurs in Holy Communion, where we eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ. At each Eucharistic liturgy, Jesus speaks his healing word to us and gives to us his life-giving Body and Blood his very self. Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed. Because of our own human sinfulness none of us is worthy of so great a gift. Yet Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist to give us a share in his divine life. Nothing will ever compare to our eternal life with God! As Catholics, we are to recognize our responsibility to nurture the faith of our Catholic brothers and sisters in this most wondrous mystery Jesus Real Presence in Holy Communion. Do you believe? THE KNIGHTS CORNER from Ron Weingartz, Grand Knight Our annual reverse raffle is fast approaching and we are again soliciting your help. The event will be held at Crystal Gardens on November 14, and the ticket price remains $100. Please consider purchasing a ticket. It is a great night out, and by popular demand the event is being held on a Friday evening this year. It features dinner, entertainment and a chance to win thousands! Please feel free to call or us, we will be glad to get tickets to you. We will also have a table in the gathering area after each Mass if that is more convenient. Let us know, we'll do whatever we can to accommodate you. All of event proceeds are earmarked for charity. With donations down across the board, this year more than ever they need our support. God Bless and thank you for your continued support! Contact Ted Eisenhut ted.eisenhut@daimler.com ; John Reineke JReineke@Cleary.edu ; or Ron Weingartz ron@weingartz.com

8 MARKING THE CALENDAR November 1 (Saturday) ALL SAINTS DAY This feast celebrates all those good and holy people who are now with God. This holy day celebrates the saints not canonized (recognized) by the Church. We will celebrate a Liturgy on this wonderful Holyday 9am. November 2 (Sunday) ALL SOULS DAY This feast is a day of prayer for all those who have died. We pray that, if the dead are not already with God, the Lord might bring them into His glory. We will commemorate all those who have died at 4:30 on Saturday and 9 & 11 am on Sunday. We will have a special time of prayer for all those who have died. After the 11 am Liturgy, the Eucharist will be brought to Holy Cross Chapel and remain there until 4 pm, when we will return the Eucharist to the church for Evening Prayer at 4 pm. Throughout the afternoon, everyone, especially our Ministers of Prayer and Worship Team are encouraged to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. November 8 (Saturday) SPAGHETTI DINNER 5 6:30 pm November 16 (Sunday) PANCAKE BREAKFAST 9:30 am 12:30 pm November 22\23 (weekend) FEAST OF CHRIST the KING This feast ends the Church Year and looks forward to the end of days when Christ returns in glory! November 27 (Thursday) THANKSGIVING DAY Liturgy will be celebrated at 9 am in the church. November 29 (Saturday) The Beginning of ADVENT The year 2008 ends for Christians on Saturday, Nov. 29. The new Church Year of 2009 begins at 4 pm! ADVENT BY CANDLELIGHT at 7pm! SAINT MARY MAGDALEN PARISH 2201 S. Old U.S. 23 Highway Brighton, MI (810) Fax (810) PASTORAL STAFF Office Hours Mon - Fri: 8:30-4:30pm PASTOR Fr. David F. Howell pastor1@saintmarymagdalen.org PASTORAL MINISTER Sr. Maryetta Churches, O.P. pastmin2@saintmarymagdalen.org EDUCATION & FORMATION- YOUTH Mary Mahar, Director mmahar@parishmail.com Stasia Eisenhut, Adm. Assistant Karen MacDonald, Secretary sect2@saintmarymagdalen.org FORMATION & EVANGELIZA- TION- ADULTS Sr. Joyce Hoile, O.S.F. pastmin1@saintmarymagdalen.org RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION & LITURGICAL COORDINATOR Diane Kubus rcia@saintmarymagdalen.org liturgist@saintmarymagdalen.org DEACONS H. David Scharf deacon1@saintmarymagdalen.org James Chevalier deacon2@saintmarymagdalen.org SECRETARIES Josie Doucette sect1@saintmarymagdalen.org Debbie Dehanke evening1@saintmarymagdalen.org BOOKKEEPER Dave Wisniewski bookkeeper@saintmarymagdalen.org MAGDALEN S PRESCHOOL Kathie Anderer, Director kanderer@juno.com YOUTH MINISTRY Tom & Margaret Callaghan margaretcallaghan766@msn.com PASTORAL MUSICIAN Steven H. Schulte steve@colleengleason.com MAINTENANCE Leo Camden