Holy Family Catholic Parish Newsletter

Transcription

1 Holy Family Catholic Parish Newsletter Rev. Loc Q. Trinh, Pastor November, 2016 Did You Know? Our food pantry is able to serve approximately 50 neighboring families a month due to the generosity of our parishioners, local organizations, and partner churches such as Caledonia United Methodist and Peace Church. Recently we have received generous support from our local D&W store through their food pantry scan program, Cascade Meijer from their Simply Give campaign, and Gun Lake Community Church 5K run. This kind of support allows us to provide more to our clients. Currently the pantry is in need of cereal, canned meat such as tuna and chicken, canned fruit, kids snack items, granola bars, laundry soap, and body wash. Please consider this as you do your shopping. Thank you to all of you who generously support this ministry. ~Thanksgiving Dinner Project~ We will once again be providing food to prepare Thanksgiving dinners to those in need. If you would like to help provide items for our Thanksgiving Dinner project, please pick up a shopping list at the display in the Narthex. The items you donate will than be distributed to families who have contacted us so they too can celebrate Thanksgiving with a nice warm meal. All items are due by 1:00pm on Sunday, November 13th. Thank you for your generosity. If you are in need of a Thanksgiving Dinner please contact the parish office no later than November 11.

2 Holy Family Mass/Weekly Schedule Saturday: Sunday: Tuesday: W-Fri.: Adoration: Coffee and Donuts 5:00pm 9:00 & 11:00am 6:00pm 9:00am Thurs: 9:30am-7pm Sundays after 9am and 11am Mass Liturgy of Word for Children: Sundays during Masses (Sept - May) Sacraments Baptism & Sacrament of Matrimony: (616) Reconciliation: Saturdays 4:00-4:30pm Office Hours: 8:30-4:30 M-Th, Fri 8:30-12:00 Phone: Fax: Website: Pastor: Fr. Loc Trinh pastor@holyfamilycaledonia.org When You re Experiencing a Difficulty in Life.Please allow your parish to care for you. Holy Family Parish is a community who grows together and cares for one another. If you or a family member are: going for surgery* living with a chronic illness*battling cancer or another traumatic diagnosis,*experiencing the loss of a spouse, child, family member or friend,*unemployed, *facing the dying process, *battling an addiction, *experiencing marriage difficulties, *pregnant, *caring for your aging parent, *experiencing parenting hardships,* seeking a marriage annulment, *struggling with depression, anxiety, or another mental or emotional difficulty,*dealing with a troubling time at work,*divorced or separated, *coping with a recent medical diagnosis, *serving as caregiver for your aging or ill spouse, *or other difficulties, please don t hesitate to contact your parish for additional support and care on your journey. We have many ways of helping make your burdens a little lighter. Maybe our meal ministry could help, a referral to a support group or spiritual director, someone to pray with you or visit you, or even our prayer lines could pray for you. Your situation might also be the reason the parish needs to begin a support group or provide resources for those in a similar situation as you are. Please contact Christine Shafer in the parish office to let your parish care for you. What s happening at Holy Family... November /1 Mass All Saints Day 9am and 7pm Adoptive Parent Support Group 6:30pm RCIA Inquiry 7pm 11/2 Mass All Souls Day 9am Baptism Prep Class 6:30pm 11/3 Divorce Support Group 7pm Grief Support Group 7pm 11/5 Men s Prayer Group 6:10am 11/8 Blood Drive 2pm Holy Family Mom s Group 7pm RCIA Inquiry 7pm 11/10 Divorce Support Group 7pm Grief Support Group 7pm 11/12 Men s Prayer Group 6:10am Confirmation Sponsors Meeting 4:15pm First Eucharist/Confirmation Enrollment Mass 5pm 11/13 K of C Pancake Breakfast 10am 11/15 RCIA Inquiry 7pm 11/16 Council of Catholic Women Mtg. 1pm 11/17 All Councils Mtgs. 6:30pm Divorce Support Group Mtg. 7pm Grief Support Group Mtg. 7pm 11/19 Parish Social after 5pm Mass sponsored by CCW 11/20 Top of the Hill Gang Potluck 12:30pm 11/22 RCIA Inquiry 7pm 11/24 Thanksgiving Day Mass 9am 11/26 Men s Prayer Group 6:10am 11/29 RCIA Inquiry Session 7pm Holy Family ANGEL TREE We are once again collecting gifts for area children that may not otherwise receive a Christmas gift. The Angel Tree will be set up in the narthex beginning the week of November 14. Please take a tag from the tree and return the unwrapped gifts by December 11. Thank you for your donation, it helps a child have a very blessed Christmas! If you know of a family in need of help this Christmas season please contact the parish office to inquire how to get signed up. Holy Family Parish ~ Mission Statement We are called as a family to know, love and serve God. 2

3 The Canonization of St. Teresa of Calcutta Holy Family had at least 5 parishioners attend the canonization of St. Teresa of Calcutta in Rome the first Sunday of September. What an amazing event! And two of the couples, Pete & Susie Murray and David & Cathy Miller, even ran into each other at the great event amidst thousands of people! Parishioner Karina Bursch, a sophomore at Catholic University, said she was excited to attend the Mass of one of the most beloved, holy people in recent times. The Mass was full with an electric energy because of the excitement of all the people there, who were so happy to be witness to the canonization, she says. Entering St. Peter's Square for the canonization and staring up at the majestic basilica in front of me honestly felt like coming home, home to my mother church. It seems slightly unreal that I have now witnessed two historic canonizations in less than one calendar year, but it makes me feel incredibly blessed to have been granted these opportunities by God, says Bursch. The Mass was definitely an inspiration to me to strive to imitate St. Mother Teresa in her love for the suffering, says Bursch. As a biochemistry major with the goal of going to medical school to become a pediatric oncologist, the canonization Mass, as a profound act of honoring the works of charity that St. Mother Teresa practiced throughout her life, felt like an affirmation that I am headed in the right direction towards my own vocation. Cathy Miller has shared part of her and her husband s experience, What a blessing to have been able to go to Rome for Mother Teresa's canonization. We were also blessed upon picking up our tickets at the Missionaries of Charity. We were invited to go in Mother Teresa's bedroom in Rome, and pray, across from her room, in the same Chapel Mother prayed in. Wow! Dream come true. We sat front row by St. Paul, at the St. Peter's Basilica canonization. We experienced a miracle moment, but didn't realize this until we got back to the hotel. Pope Francis read the gospel and spoke the homily in Italian, neither one of us speaks Italian; yet we both had experienced hearing it translated to English in our heads. Praise Jesus for our miraculous Pilgrimage. May the power of healing be granted. Amen. Cathy and David also attended the newlywed Papal Audience and received a blessing within an arms-length of the Holy Father. Pete and Susie Murray related, When Pope Francis announced Mother Teresa s sainthood, I believe you may have been able to hear the crowds roar around the world! We are still amazed that we were able to be in Rome and at this very special celebration. I think the most amazing part [about the canonization Mass] is that you did not need to know the language, as we were at a Catholic Mass, a very special Catholic Mass! We knew when to stand and kneel, what to pray and how beautiful it is to hear the many different languages in prayer. Just like Pentecost! But to be a part of Mother Teresa s Canonization -- it will be a memory Susie and I will hold in our hearts and minds for the rest of our lives. As a parish, we pray that this new Saint for the Church continue to be an intercessor in our lives on earth and hold dear our loved ones in heaven. First Class Relic of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Has Arrived!! In August we were made aware that we could be eligible to receive a first class relic of our newest saint, Saint Teresa of Calcutta. A first class relic of Mother Teresa s hair arrived at Holy Family on Friday, October 14, A permanent way is being planned for our parish to venerate her relic and pray for her to intercede for us. This letter was enclosed along with the certificate of authenticity and official seal that must accompany all relics of the Church. So many graces have already come to us, and we excitedly pray that her first class relic here with us continue to bless us, heal us, and make us whole through the grace of God. More updates to come! 3

4 Allhallowtide: Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day During the month of November, the Church commemorates and makes extra effort to pray for the dead. The observance begins with three associated days: All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. All Hallow s Eve, or All Hallow s E en, more commonly called Halloween, is the eve of All Saints Day. On All Saints Day we celebrate the Communion of Saints (see Communion of Saints in this newsletter) (It is also one of our Holy Days of Obligation). The following day, November 2, is All Souls Day. We offer special Masses for the Dead, visit cemeteries and observe other rituals to pray for the souls in Purgatory. During the month of November, Catholic churches traditionally set out a Book of the Dead, in which parishioners may write the names of relatives and friends to be remembered. Here at Holy Family, the Book of the Dead will be near the statue of Mary, at a shrine dedicated for remembrance of our dead, where a special vigil candle will be kept burning throughout the month of November. All are welcome to write the names of loved ones in the Book of the Dead. Our parish family will continue to pray for them. Offering Masses for a Loved One By far, the greatest possible and most perfect prayer of intercession we can offer is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is the highest form of Catholic worship, and the Eucharist is the greatest source of Grace. In each and every Mass, God offers us His Perfect Self, Jesus Christ, and invites us to offer our imperfect selves to Him, in union with Christ the Son in this Holy Communion. It is a longstanding tradition in the Church that a priest offers Mass for a specific intention. The faithful who request the intention of a Mass usually make a freewill offering (stipend) to the community where the Mass is offered. By making this offering, the faithful make a sacrifice through which they may associate themselves more deeply with the Sacrifice of the Mass. The stipend also contributes to the upkeep of the faith community. Masses can be offered for both the living and the dead. Our parish book has many open days in 2017 waiting for your intentions. Contact the parish office to arrange for Masses to be said for your loved ones. The Mass is by far the most beautiful of all spiritual gifts we could give. Communion of Saints In our Catholic Creed, we profess our belief in the Communion of Saints. Indeed, our Church itself is the Communion of all the saints. What does this mean? It means that all souls living and dead are spiritually united, that together we form one Mystical Body of Christ (the Church), with Christ Himself as our Head. As members of the same Body, we pray for each other, to aid each other on our way to salvation. Souls on earth (the Church Militant), pray for one another in this life, seek intercession from saints in Heaven, and pray for the souls in Purgatory. The souls in Purgatory (the Church Penitent), who can no longer pray for themselves or for others, rely on the prayers of the souls in Heaven and on earth to hasten their journey to Heaven, where they, in turn, pray for souls on earth and in Purgatory. Souls in Heaven (the Church Triumphant) have no need of prayer: They intercede for souls on earth and in Purgatory. Together, all souls form the Church. Each member contributes for the good of all, and shares in the same blessings, Faith, Sacraments, spiritual graces and eternal reward. FUNERAL LUNCHES We are in need of volunteers for the funeral lunches. If you would like to be added to the food donator list, or would like to help at the luncheons, please contact Gail Mancuso at or parishlife@holyfamilycaledonia.org Donut Brigade WE NEED HELP! We need volunteers for the coffee and donut fellowship after masses on Sundays. If you and/or your family would like to help, please contact Gail Mancuso at or parishlife@holyfamilycaledonia.org. This event may disappear if we get no volunteers! ~Please help~ Sacrament of Confirmation for Adults If you would like to complete your Sacraments of Initiation, we are forming a fairly simple process for you to do this. If for some reason you missed the Sacrament of Confirmation, but have been baptized and received Holy Communion, please contact Christine Shafer to learn more. We have many adults who perhaps moved from one place to another and just missed the "Confirmation Age" between parishes or dioceses, or perhaps they were a "rebellious teen" and didn't want to go through with the Sacrament at that time, or maybe they discerned they were not prepared for the Sacrament, or a variety of other reasons. We are especially aware of the need for this process as people want to be Godparents or Confirmation or RCIA Sponsors and do not qualify because they are not fully initiated, which is a part of Canon Law. We would love to help you complete your initiation into the Catholic Church. Please call or x224 or cshafer@holyfamilycaledonia.org 4

5 Managing Grief During the Holidays Can Be Very Dif icult. With the help of others and our faith in Christ, the comforter, the holidays can be a little easier. Holy Family Parish will be hosting Grieving with Great Hope a 5 week grief support workshop series here at Holy Family. This support group is for parishioners just like you to help you after the loss of your loved one. This time of year, as family-times come around the holidays, grief can be very difficult. This group combines the Catholic faith with practical learning and personal fellowship. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Grieving with Great Hope is presented by Good Mourning Ministry, a Catholic bereavement apostolate founded by John and Sandy O Shaughnessy. Both have been through their own valley of grief, and in this workshop offer personal and professional insight on what can help as you journey through yours. Their website has many testimonials from people just like you who have been touched by loss, but have come to understand what it means to grieve with great hope. John and Sandy were here last September to give this workshop personally, and this time the workshop presentations will be given in DVD format, with a trained parishioner to facilitate the learning and fellowship among the participants. "Grieving with Great Hope beautifully combines practical wisdom, personal sharing, and meaningful ritual that together point people back to Christ for healing of their hearts. This particular holiday session will also have some elements added for grieving around this time of year. For more details visit: or contact Christine Shafer in the parish office. This program has helped hundreds of people mourn the loss of a loved one. We are delighted to bring this workshop to our parish and hope and pray you will consider attending it. If you attended the weekend workshop last September, you are welcome to attend again this fall. Grieving with Great Hope When: November 10, 17, December 1, 8, 15, 2016 from 7-8:30pm Where: Holy Family Church, 9669 Kraft Ave SE, Caledonia, MI Registration: Contact Christine in the parish office to register Cost: There is a $15 registration fee to cover the cost of the participant guide; if a financial burden, assistance is available. Family Caregiver University Caregiving can be both rewarding and challenging; these classes provide practical education to support caregivers, one class at a time. Registration required by ing registration@aaawm.org or Classes are $5 each at the door; held at Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan (3215 Eaglecrest Dr. NE Grand Rapids). November 16: Elder Abuse Isn t Just Physical; how to protect from financial and emotional abuse. Financial abuse of an older adult can take many forms including stealing money or property, forging or using undue influence to obtain a signature, and more. Experts from the Kent County Elder Abuse Coalition will empower attendees to protect themselves from many types of abuse and educate them about current scams. 1:00pm-3:00pm. December 7: Finding Calm as a Caregiver; Being a family caregiver can be stressful! Learn to build a foundation of clarity and calm in the midst of life s rockiest times so you can face the challenges and joys of caregiving with a renewed sense of energy and balance. Instructor will address stress relief, taking care of yourself and resources for caregivers. 1:30-3:30pm Ladies of the Parish, Do you need an evening of spiritual enrichment and fun; an evening to get away from preholiday madness, the Christmas shopping and stress? We have the answer ~ ADVENT by CANDLELIGHT. Holy Family Council of Catholic Women invite you to an evening of fellowship, inspiration and food. Host a table of relatives and friends. Decorate your table and serve your guests appetizers and/or dessert. We supply the coffee, tea and entertainment. Program Entertainment will be Christian Contemporary artist Jan Voetberg. She will inspire us with words and song. A change this year: Social hour will be from 6:30-7:30pm then the program will begin. Bish and Bash ornaments will be for sale. We will be holding a Quilt raffle to a lucky winner made by Karen Homrich, so plan on bringing a little extra cash. Money will be donated to National Council of Catholic Women Vocations Purse Club to support women entering the religious life. WHO: Ladies of the parish COST: Round Tables Only $20 for 8.$25 for more than 8 WHEN: Thursday, December 1, :30PM WHERE: Holy Family Center Hall If you'd like to be a guest only contact Janet Regan or sign up near the Ministry cart. Hostesses may set tables Wednesday evening after 5pm or anytime on Thursday. 5

6 Elementary Faith Formation Happenings We kicked off our classes by having all students join together in a welcoming night with Fr. Loc. We explained all of the renovations in the church along with the relocation of the Tabernacle. This move requires our kids to learn a new way to show reverence in the church. The kids did a great job! Most of the grades spent the month learning about Creation and Mary. The students continue to explore their new textbooks please see below for each grade level focus. Kindergarten: Exploring Catholic identity through the lens of participation in the community of faith. 1 st gr Jesus Christ: For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26. 2 nd gr. Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist: This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me. Luke 22:19 3 rd gr. The Church: I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit John 15:5 4 th gr. The Moral Life: This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. John 15:12 Candidates for first Eucharist 5 th gr. The Seven Sacraments: The water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:14 This month we are celebrating our 2 nd graders. They begin their initiation into their 2 nd grade year by enrolling at the 5pm Mass on November 12 in conjunction with the candidates preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. A cookie reception will follow Mass to welcome them all into their sacramental preparations. Karen Polak Coordinator, Elementary Faith Formation x237 elemcff.holyfamilycaledonia.org For Christmas and Sacramental Gift Ideas Please Patronize Our Catholic Vendors The Angelus 641 Diamond Ave NE, GR, MI The Rosary Book and Gift Shoppe th St. SE, Suite 18, GR, MI Michigan Church Supply 360 Division Ave S, GR, MI Just for 6 th and 7 th Grade! We have an awesome retreat coming up! Be sure to mark your calendars for Dec. 3rd and 4th. No Faith Formation Classes There are no Faith Formation classes on the following dates: Elementary - Monday, Oct. 31 Elementary - Wednesday, Nov 23 Early Childhood - Sunday, Nov. 27 Middle School & High School - Sunday, Nov. 27 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! May God s love and mercy abound in your home. 6

7 All Liturgical Ministers (and all feeling called to liturgical ministry) Slow Down and Get Up to Speed! an Advent Evening of Reflection and Prayer for Liturgical Ministers Tuesday, November 29 ~ in the church 7:00 8:30 PM Guest speaker: Catharine M. Lentz, Director of the Office for Worship for the diocese of Grand Rapids We strongly encourage you to join us for this wonderful opportunity to come together to reflect and pray as one ministerial family as we move into the new liturgical year! Brief updates for Lectors, Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers, and Homebound Eucharistic Ministers will follow reflection and prayer. Please make every effort to come! Contact Barbara in the Parish Office for more information. Happy (almost) New Year! (Liturgically speaking, that is!) Advent, the beginning of our liturgical year, is right around the corner! As we know, the season gets busier and busier as Christmas Day grows closer and closer. The following is a beautiful, meditative way for individuals and families to remain focused on Christ during the Advent season. Beginning on St. Andrew the Apostle's feast day, November 30, the prayer is traditionally recited fifteen times a day until Christmas. The Advent Prayer Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen. After you Vote, donate blood and Honor a Veteran Holy Family will be hosting the next Caledonia Community Church blood drive on Tuesday, November 8 from 2:00 to 7:00 pm. Bring a friend. By sharing 45 min. of time you could save someone s life. You only need to be at least 16 years old (with parental permission), weigh 110 pounds and healthy. Females age 18 and younger must weigh 120 pounds or more. Please consider giving the gift of life. Did you know that by signing up for the blood drive a month before will assist the blood center in assigning the correct number of staff to support the blood drive as well as reduce recruitment calls to you? If interested in donating blood you may sign up in the ministry hall, online at or call Char Mello, chairperson Please join us for good fellowship and tasty treats. Volunteers are needed to help serve donors with beverages (2½ hours time commitment). Childcare is available by appointment during the blood drive (call Char). 7

8 Holy Family Catholic Parish 9669 Kraft Ave., SE Caledonia, MI Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID CALEDONIA, MI Permit #28 JOIN US! GRIEVING HEARTS AND HOLIDAY SPIRITS Tuesday, November 22 at 6:30pm at Holy Family Where do we put our grief when we re stuffed with turkey? How can we deal with a red and green decorated world when our hearts feel so blue? As with all the great questions of our life, let us turn to our faith and our tradition. Thanksgiving reminds us to be ever grateful, even for those we have lost. Advent can be a buffer for our spirits with its emphasis on longing and patient waiting. With prayer and practical suggestions may we survive this holiday season and grow in faith and hope. Sr. Diane Zerfas, OP, will share this presentation with those grieving the loss of a loved one. Sr. Diane is the current coordinator for the Spirituality Center for Dominican Center at Marywood. If you have questions, please contact Christine Shafer in the parish office. 8