St. Simon Catholic Church Directory 702 East Bryant Road Ludington, MI 49431

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2 My Brothers and Sisters in Christ: On Monday this past week, Samuel confronts Saul, saying: Though little in your own esteem, are you not leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king of Israel and sent you on a mission. Saul failed in that mission, either out of cowardice, or pride, or both. Many of us tell ourselves that we are not worthy or good enough to do the work of the Church; we are little in our own esteem. And either out of fear or pride or any other reason, we fail to take into account that the LORD has called us, made us HIS own in Baptism and anointed us with HIS SPIRIT in Confirmation, and HE has given each of us a mission. I am sure none among us want to fail the LORD. St. Paul teaches us in today s second reading from 1 Corinthians that, having been anointed with the Spirit, given a mission by God, we are given gifts to accomplish it. He emphatically reminds us that we are each a member of the body of Christ, and no one of us is of less importance to the work of the Church than any others. In this Extraordinary Year of Mercy, St. Paul also says something of note: God has so constructed the body so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it. Mercy calls us to true compassion. The root meaning of that word is to suffer (passion) with (com) someone. When anyone in the parish or our community is in pain in mind, body, or spirit, we are called to open ourselves by allowing their pain to touch us, and to spur us into action to help alleviate their pain or to support them when we cannot fix it. Mercy and compassion says that we cannot ignore their pain. All we have to do is to look to the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy to see what we are to do. At a recent meeting with the Parish Pastoral Council, the members pointed out that we are doing important work to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty (Pantry), cloth the naked (Bargain Center), shelter the homeless (5 out of 28 teams for Hospitality, INC are from St. Simon), and visit the sick (hospital, nursing home and homebound visitors). In addition is our support for the School of the Infant Jesus in Haiti, HELP, INC, life issues, funeral lunches, and support of the cemetery (bury the dead) and School and Faith Formation Programs (educate those lacking in knowledge), just to name a few of our works of mercy here in the parish. Where we still have more work to do in the works of mercy has to do with welcoming the stranger and visiting those in prison. It has been brought up that we can continue to be warmer and more welcoming of the people who visit us throughout the year, and to recognize new residents and parishioners, reaching out to include them in parish and community activities. These people need new friends here to really be at home with us. And we need to restart our jail ministry! Please stay tuned, but if you have any ideas for this, do not hesitate to get those ideas to me or members of the Pastoral Council! I want to take this opportunity to publically thank Marcia Bonneville for her leadership at our Bargain Center. She has stepped down this past week for family reasons, and I reluctantly accepted her resignation. Under her leadership, she over-saw the move from the James Street locale to the Center s present location, and got things well organized. She found an organization willing to buy, by the pound, the clothes we could not sell locally, and spent hours at the store valuing all the workers and giving each of them ownership in the ministry we are involved with here. We will miss her and wish her well! In the meantime, we are moving forward and will find new leadership and continue to grow our ability to meet more charity needs through the income of our Bargain Store. Hope to see as many as possible at Cabin Fever! ~Fr. Wayne Keeping the Year of Mercy Picture this: The whole town is gathered at the public square. Standing. Listening. The terms of the covenant the loyal relationship between God and the People of God is read aloud. Each of us is in that crowd. Each of us is part of that body. And no part of the body is unimportant for we are the Body of Christ. ~Who in this Body has nothing prepared and needs festive food and drink? ~Who in this Body is captive and needs to be unbound? ~Who in this body is poor and needs glad tidings, good news? Blessed Mother Teresa Exhibit of Love & Mercy is coming to Holy Family Parish in Caledonia on January 31-February 3. This amazing exhibit is over 75 full color panels of her life story; there will also be a first class relic of Blessed Mother Teresa. All are invited to spend time in veneration and prayer with her Relic while visiting the exhibit. A Huge Thank You goes out to all who donated to our Right to Life Billboard Campaign. We collected $748.00, which will pay for almost 4 months of the Billboard! We are so grateful for your support! Mason County Right for Life Ministers are Needed to bring the Blessed Sacrament to Catholic patients in our hospital. If you would like to help with this very special ministry, please call the Parish Office. Baby Bottle Boomerang The St. Simon Respect Life Committee invites you to fill a baby bottle with a donation, to help support West Shore Pregnancy Care Center. Through the work of WSPCC, lives are saved instead of being destroyed through abortion. Thank you for supporting such a worthwhile cause! Little Portion Bakery Help support John Michael Talbot s ministry and his Little Portion Monastery! Purchase their home-made, natural regular or gluten free maple or chocolatecherry granola, molasses bars or breakfast cookies! Place your order at or call Also available are special care packages, healing packages, or Valentine s Day gift packages! Building a Legacy Catholic Men s Conference will be held Saturday, March 12 at West Catholic High School in Grand Rapids. To register, please contact or call John at St. Simon Catholic Church Directory 702 East Bryant Road Ludington, MI Parish Office Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-4:00 PM Business Manager.Amy McGraw Parish Secretary...Charlotte Betka Website: School Office Principal... Collin Thompson Secretary... Cathy Claus Faith Formation Coordinator... Emily Kokx Youth/Young Adult Min....Mandy Fort Adult Initiation Ministries Lou McCarthy New members are always welcome! Please stop by the Parish Office to register.

3 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time January 24, 2016 NCYC Returnable Cans & Bottles Drive THANK YOU to everyone who donated their returnable cans and bottles to help our youth raise funds to attend the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis this past November. It has been such a successful blessing that we will continue this ongoing collection with proceeds to fund NCYC 2017! Donations may be placed in the collection bins inside the entry to The Rock Youth Center, located on the southwest side of the school complex. They may be dropped off anytime, or, for pick-up, please call the Faith Formation Office at Don t Give Up Chocolate This Lent! Have you ever had a life-changing Lent? Dynamic Catholic invites you to join Matthew Kelly, the Dynamic Catholic Team, and thousands of people across the country for Best Lent Ever. Based on Matthew s new bestseller Rediscover Jesus, this free program will take you on a 40-day spiritual journey to encounter Jesus-and yourself-in a deeply personal way. Each day you ll receive an inspirational with a short video featuring Matthew and a member of the Dynamic Catholic Team. Throughout Lent, they will guide you through each of the 40 chapters in Rediscover Jesus and share simple ways to bring Jesus into your everyday life. Will this be your best Lent ever? Sign up at DynamicCatholic.com/Lent and commit to doing something lifechanging this Lent! DYMO Camp is a wonderful opportunity for high school youth to explore their faith and themselves. Held every year in June, DYMO is a week-long experience in a relaxed and faith-filled environment surrounded by God s creation. In support of the campers, DYMO Ministries is conducting a Lenten Raffle with a Grand Prize of $10,000, 1st-$1,000, 2nd-$750, 3rd- $500, and seven $250 prizes. Tickets are $50 each; please call Ron Mousel (a member here at St. Simon Parish) at to get your tickets! Bishop David J. Walkowiak asks us to PRAY FOR OUR SEMINARIANS This week, we especially pray for Steven W. Geerling University of St. Mary of the Lake Mundelein Seminary Mass Schedule Monday, January 25, The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle 8:30 AM Sam Bolton Tuesday, January 26, Sts. Timothy and Titus 8:20 AM Mother of Perpetual Help Devotions 8:30 AM Josephine Carlson Confessions Follow Immediately After Mass Wednesday, January 27, St. Angela Merici 8:30 AM Rose and Lester Parker 7:00 PM Holy Hour and Benediction Thursday, January 28, St. Thomas Aquinas 8:30 AM Garth Belland Friday, January 29, Weekday 8:30 AM Communion Service Saturday, January 30, BVM 4:30 PM Confessions 5:30 PM Robert Ankofski Sunday, January 31, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:30 AM Andy Neher 10:30 AM Martha Peplinski January 25 ~ 31, 2016 Sanctuary Light: Thomas Kokx Adoration Chapel Light: For all Souls in Purgatory This Week s Events Sunday, January 24 8:30/10:30 AM Sunday Story; meet in the main Church entrance 10:30 AM Sunday School, Preschool Room 11:30 AM RCIA, Multi-purpose Room 1:00-2:30 PM Matthew Bible Study, The Rock 4:00-6:00 PM High School Peer Team, The Rock 6:00-7:30 PM 7th Grade Religious Education, Family Center 6:00-7:30 PM 8th Grade Youth Ministry, The Rock Monday, January 25 6:30 PM K-6th Grade Religious Education, LAC Complex Tuesday, January 26 3:00-5:00 PM 6th Grade Youth Ministry, The Rock Wednesday, January 27 12:00 PM AA Meeting, Rectory Basement 3:00-5:00 PM 7th & 8th Grade Youth Ministry, The Rock 6:00 PM Acts of the Apostles Bible Study, Family Center 7:00 PM Holy Hour and Benediction, Church Thursday, January 28 3:00-5:00 PM High School Youth Ministry, The Rock 6:30 PM Contemplative Prayer, Church Stewardship for January 17, Adult Envelopes... $9, Children s Envelopes Loose TOTAL $10, Food Pantry... $ Haiti. $ Pere Marquette Cemetery.. $ Remember in Your Prayers our sick parishioners, friends, and neighbors. Please call the Parish Office to put your request on the Prayer Line.

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5 Are You BORED? Or Maybe HUNGRY? Or Both? Mark your calendars for these fun (and delicious) upcoming events! Not only will you be entertained with great music and filled with good food, but you will also be supporting Ludington Area Catholic School! Cabin Fever! A fun, community event to support Ludington Area Catholic School Open to the Public SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, :30 PM - Midnight Ludington Area Catholic School 700 E. Bryant Rd. (231) Featuring: FREMONT JOHN - PLAYING LIVE FROM 6:30-8:30 Dancing & music by DJ Jeremy Verstraete from 8:30 - midnight Cabin Fever Buffet - Cash Bar - Gourmet S Mores at the campfire - Choose-a-Chance Auction - Silent Auction - Wine Tasting Through Friday, January 19, tickets cost $30, available at St. Simon Church Office or LAC School Office. Tickets cost $35 at the door. Must be 21. Ludington Area Catholic School's Annual SPAGHETTI DINNER Fundraiser Tuesday, February 2, :30-7:00 PM L.A.C. School Gym 700 E. Bryant Rd., Ludington Meal includes: Spaghetti - Salad - Fresh Bakery Bread - Applesauce - Sherbet ~Apple Juice or Coffee. Free will offering accepted at the door. Come to eat, support our students, and enjoy in fellowship through all of the following activities: Spaghetti Dinner (Gym) Education Fair (Family Center) Scholastic Book Fair (Library)