Blessed Mother Teresa Exhibit of Love & Mercy

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1 Holy Family Catholic Parish Newsletter Rev. Loc Q. Trinh, Pastor January 2016 Blessed Mother Teresa Exhibit of Love & Mercy Coming to Holy Family Parish, 9669 Kra Ave. Caledonia MI In this Holy Year of Mercy! This amazing exhibit, brought to us by Blessed Teresa of Calcu a s religious order of Sisters, the Missionaries of Charity, is over 75 full color panels of her life story, from her birth and voca on story, to her amazing life works of love and mercy devoted to the heart of Jesus and serving the sick, poor, hungry, lonely, and vulnerable. Come and explore this woman of God s life and ministry in order to grow in love, experience God s mercy in your life, and ask her intercession for your prayer inten ons. The exhibit is in both English and Spanish, is both text and images, and is appropriate for all ages. We will also have with us a first class relic of Blessed Mother Teresa. All are invited to spend me in venera on and prayer with her Relic while visi ng the exhibit. Visitors are invited to bring an item to touch to her reliquary making your item a third class relic for your own prayer devo on or to share with someone who may need her intercessory prayer. The Missionaries of Charity ask that you not make dona ons, but rather bring your prayer inten ons and leave them for the Sisters and Lay Missionaries to pray for. Exhibit of Love & Mercy Schedule: Sunday, January 31: After 9am Mass: Soft Opening until 10:45 am After 11am Mass: Parish Lunch Approximately 1pm: Special Presentation on the Life of Blessed Teresa Exhibit opens following the speaker until 4:00pm Monday, February 1: Exhibit & Veneration: 10am-3:30pm; 6:30pm-8:30pm Tuesday, February 2: Exhibit & Veneration: 10am-6pm; 6:30-8:30pm (closed for 6pm Mass) Wednesday, February 3: Exhibit & Veneration: 10am-5:30pm (9am Mass) At the hour of death when we come face-to-face with God, we are going to be judged on love; not how much we have done, but how much love we put into the doing. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Exciting News! The Church in Calcutta and around the globe is celebrating the news that the final miracle needed for the canonization of Blessed Mother Teresa has been approved. The Vatican has set no date for the canonization, but it is widely believed that it will take place in the first week of September to coincide with the 19th anniversary of Mother Teresa's death and during Francis' Holy Year of Mercy.

2 Holy Family Mass/Weekly Schedule Saturday: 5:00pm Sunday: 9:00 & 11:00am Tuesday: 6:00pm Wed.-Fri. 9:00am Adoration: Thurs: 9:30am-7pm Coffee and Donuts Sundays after 9am and 11am Mass Liturgy of Word for Children: Sundays during Masses 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: Cancellations It s that time of year again when inclement Winter weather conditions make it necessary to cancel some scheduled activities at Holy Family. If Caledonia Schools close or are dismissed early, all Holy Family ministries are cancelled for the remainder of the day. You may sign up to receive a text message from Click the drop down box more at the top right hand corner of the page. Select text alerts and this will take you to the page you need. Enter your contact information and check the boxes that apply. Under the Organization, type in Holy Family Parish Caledonia. This will enable you to receive Text Messages on your phone, should there be cancellations. You may also check online at the local media, such as WOOD, WZZM, and Fox 17. What s happening at Holy Family... January /1 Mass/Mary Mother of God 9am 1/2 Men s Prayer Group 6:15am March for Life Bake Sale after Mass 1/3 March for Life Bake Sale after Masses 1/6 EL Choir Practice 5:30pm 1/7 Order of the Secular Franciscans 7pm 1/9 Confirmation Student/Sponsor Retreat 1pm 1/10 Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast 10am MS Choir Practice 4pm 1/12 Blood Drive 2pm St. Anne s Mom s Group 7pm 1/13 EL Choir Practice 5:30pm 1/17 K-1(2) Choir Practice 10:15am Top of the Hill Gang 12:30pm MS Choir Practice 4pm 1/18 No CFF Classes 1/20 CCW General Membership Mtg 1pm EL Choir Practice 5:30pm 1/21 HS CFF March for Life Washington DC All Council Meeting 6:30pm 1/24 K-1(2) Choir Practice 10:15am MS Choir Practice 4pm 1/27 EL Choir Practice 5:30pm 1/28 K of C General Membership Mtg. 7:30pm 1/31 Mother Teresa Exhibit MS Choir Practice 4pm 5th Sunday Rosary, our Knights will lead a Rosary service prior to all Masses on the weekend of Jan. 30/31. This is part of a national Knights Initiative. Please join them, 30 minutes before ALL Masses, to honor our Mother. ~Holy Day of Obligation Mass Schedule~ Solemnity of Mary Mother of God December 31, 2015 at 6:30pm January 1, 2016 at 9:00am Liturgical Ministers needed, please go online to the Ministry Scheduler to sign up or call the parish office. Please hold in prayer the following couples preparing at Holy Family for the Sacrament of Matrimony. We pray that this period of engagement be one of strengthening their bond, learning more about one another and the permanent bond they will form, and a witness to the world of the love Jesus has for each of us and His Church. May they find many blessings during this period of preparation. Jeff VanDuyn & Hailey Kent Pastoral Council Members: Chairperson: Larry Albaugh Shawn Collins DJ Regan Jim Schmehil Molly Fleming Finance Council Members: Chairperson: Eric VanGessel John Eardley Wayne Jackson Tom Nichols Judy Thome We also pray for Ryan & Heidi Donohue, Katrina & Renzo Samameˊ, Lucas & Katie Andrusiak, William & Holly Kammel and Jordan and Valerie Miller upon their celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage. We pray their marriage give witness to the Good News of Christ and pray many blessings upon their lives. 2

3 Works of Mercy for the month of January Sheltering the Homeless In January, we focus on the Corporal Work of Mercy - "Sheltering the Homeless". This work of mercy might seem pretty straight forward: shelter those who do not have physical homes. It does mean that, but it can also be a challenge to do so much more. At the end of this month, young people from our parish are taking a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. to participate in the annual March for Life. This pro-life march is a peaceful protest against the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court case, which made abortion legal in all 50 states. Standing up for the babies who are in danger of abortion is an act of sheltering the homeless. Their homes, their mothers' wombs, are being threatened to be taken from them. It is an act of compassion and mercy to fight for their human right to live and for their 'homes' to be secured. That act of mercy cannot simply stop there, though. We cannot just protect the unborn child and wash our hands of the situation. We must take it a step further and be merciful, loving, and caring to their mother as well. How can we support those women who are considering abortions? What happens once they decide to not go through with the abortion? We have to be supporting those women in any way that they need. Abortions are often driven by financial instability, so we must create and support organizations who help women prepare for and find employment. We must also support them by adopting and caring for their children if they decide that they are unfit or unable to raise them. We are called to be volunteers at pregnancy resource centers, and to donate physical goods including diapers, wipes, toiletries, and car seats to them. Sheltering the homeless can take on many forms. The homeless can look like the babies in danger of abortion, the children in foster care waiting to be adopted, the elderly who are tossed aside, and the financially poor among us. We need to physically shelter them and we need to lead them to their spiritual home - the Church. We can also practice this mercy by voting. We should be looking for candidates who support job creation and adequate resources and care for the poor and homeless. There are many organizations in our area that work to create physical shelters, as well. Habitat for Humanity is one of the better known organizations that builds shelter for those in need and they are always looking for volunteers. Our youth in the parish worked with New Development last summer during our Service Week to improve homes in the Grand Rapids area so that they can be in beautiful condition to sell at a lower price than if they had to pay workers to do what we did as volunteers. That way, lower income families can live in safe and comfortable homes while staying within their budgets. There are countless ways to practice mercy. Try to think of one way this month that you and your family can shelter the homeless. We can make a huge impact on our community and our world to combat the darkness around us by practicing this beautiful work of mercy! 3

4 Jubilee of Mercy Speaker Series January: Shelter the Homeless Our January speaker series will have several speakers presenting topics related to this important corporal work of mercy. We will hear speakers on giving shelter to orphans in impoverished countries, sheltering the unborn, sheltering the homeless and street people in the United States, and possibly giving shelter to children in foster care. We are still finalizing details with speakers, so watch for more information to come in the bulletin. The date will likely be either Thursday, January 14, Friday, January 15 or Tuesday, January 19 save those dates and watch for final plans! Calling All Parish Artists! Doorway to God s Mercy During the universal Year of Mercy, Pope Francis calls for three specific ways to experience God s Mercy. Practicing the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy, pilgrimage, and a renewed focus on Confession. To remind ourselves that the door to the confessional is our doorway to the merciful Heart of the Father, and to renew our focus on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Holy Family Parish is introducing the Doorway to God s Mercy project: We seek to adorn the confessional area with permanent artwork that symbolically depicts God s bountiful Mercy that pours out to us through the Sacrament. We invite all registered parishioners to tap into your artistic talents and to submit your ideas! More details are available on the Ministry Cart, and on the parish website. Parish Appreciation Event We are having a parish appreciation event for all parishioners on Saturday, February 6, 2016 after the 5pm Mass. Watch the bulletin and newsletter for more information. Save the date! This is an event you won t want to miss! Caledonia/Middleville Right To Life: Sanctity of Life Prayer Service January 17th from 5:00-6:00pm hosted at the Caledonia Christian Reformed Church. Please come and support the worthy cause of life! Free will donations will go to the Pregnancy Resource Center. Calling all Moms! Let s plan our 6 th successful year together! Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 7pm! Don t let your excuses stop you from joining! Many of you will already recognize familiar faces from around church, CFF or other parish events. If you ve thought any of the following excuses below, you NEED to come! Let us prove these just aren t acceptable excuses any longer! I m not a joiner. *I think meetings are during the day. *I m not sure how often I can go. *I don t know anyone. *I m shy. *My schedule is too crazy. Grab another mom and bring your ideas so we can plan our 2016 monthly meetings as a group! Enjoy a relaxing night out and pray about facilitating a meeting or grab another mom to help you. Although moms enjoy these evenings out, it s a very important ministry in which moms of all ages minister to each other. Moms share ideas, have fun, build each other up spiritually, form friendships, support and pray for each other plus it s nice to see another familiar friendly face at church! We decide our events as a group so we really want you to come to incorporate your ideas. There are over 90 moms that participate in some type of fashion, whether they attend the monthly meetings or just come occasionally, so please join us! Please RSVP or contact me for more information. ~ Melissa Seybert (616) or MelissaASeybert@gmail.com 4

5 Music Ministry " It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more." Thank you to all music ministers, and the parents of the youth choirs who helped make Holy Families liturgical celebrations of Christmas joyous and beautiful! Now, the real work of Christmas begins. Please check the schedule in the newsletter, the weekly schedule in the bulletins for youth choir rehearsals. Schedules are also available on the ministry cart. New members always welcome. Contact Aline at: aksnoeyink@gmail.com, for the youth choirs or Barbara at: x238 directorofworship@holyfamilycaledonia.org for the Contemporary, Traditional and Resurrection Choirs. Help replenish blood shortages created during the holidays by donating blood! Holy Family will be hosting the next Caledonia Community Church blood drive on Tuesday, January 12 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. 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 snacks. Volunteers are needed to help serve donors with beverages (2½ hours time commitment).. Childcare is available by appointment during the blood drive (call Char). Liturgical Ministry Review Sessions In efforts to define and unify the role and responsibilities of our liturgical ministries, we will be holding Review Sessions for all liturgical ministries, beginning in January. Please make every effort to attend one of the review sessions for your ministry, as some of the duties of your ministry may have changed a bit. Thank you! Altar Servers and Eucharistic Ministers, please mark your calendars: Altar Server Review Sessions: Sunday, January 10: following the 11 AM Mass (in the church) Saturday, January 16: following the 5 PM Mass (in the church) Eucharistic Minister Review Sessions: Saturday, January 9: following the 5 PM Mass (in the church) Sunday, January 17: following the 11 AM Mass (in the church) Not an Altar Server or a Eucharistic Minister? Keep your eyes on the bulletin for the dates of your ministry s review session. For more information: Contact Barbara: directorofworship@holyfamilycaledonia.org ext. 238 Liturgical Ministries Thinking about ways to become more involved in the liturgical life of the parish? Consider serving in a liturgical ministry! Time commitment is flexible and can easily fit with family and personal schedules. Eucharistic Minister Lector Usher Altar Server Music Greeter Please contact Barb for more information: x-238 directorofworship@holyfamilycaledonia.org 5

6 SAVE THE DATE!! Don t miss this opportunity to attend the CROSSROADS Catechetical Day Fr. Phil Shangraw Keynote Speaker ICONS OF GOD S MERCY: JESUS, POPE FRANCIS, AND YOU! March for Life - Jan 22, 2016 The March for Life is an annual pro-life rally protesting abortion, held in Washington DC, on or around the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court's decision legalizing abortion in the case Roe v. Wade. Please pray for our High School Students and their chaperones from Holy Family Parish as they will be traveling to Washington DC in January to join hundreds of thousands of others in the annual March for Life. Many Thanks! WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS TO COME!! Thank you to all who supported our fundraising bake sales for our March for Life trip. Your generous support has helped so many who are going on this pilgrimage to Washington D.C. in Jan to protect life from conception to natural death. High School BRICK Retreat Middle School HIStory Retreat Saturday, January 30, :00am 3:30pm at Holy Redeemer Parish, Jenison The High School Brick retreat was a great weekendlong experience where the high schoolers had the opportunity to grow closer to God. The main focus of the weekend was to reflect on our sin - our bricks - that we carry around and how to get rid of them. The participants in the retreat physically carried around a brick with them at all times for just under 24 hours. After receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, they were invited to lay their bricks at the foot of the altar. The teens described being able to let go of their bricks as a huge relief to let go of the weight. On Saturday night, it was a blessing to experience Eucharistic Adoration while singing praise and worship. We also had three high schoolers give talks during the weekend - thanks again for sharing your stories Brendan Smith, Krystal Black, and Jake Babb! Also a big thank you to the volunteers who helped all weekend with small groups, chaperoning overnight, cleaning, and preparing meals for us! The 6th and 7th grade HIStory retreat was an overnight retreat all about Jesus' story and how it relates to our own stories. The students performed skits about miracles, learned and shared about Christ's birth, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection. We also played lots of fun games, and enjoyed small groups to discuss the different things we talked about. We also did praise and worship, along with Eucharistic Adoration. It was incredible at the end of the retreat to hear about how God had impacted the lives of the participants throughout the weekend. Volunteers - thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your help with small groups, chaperoning overnight, and preparing meals! We couldn't have done it without you! Happy Faces! Faith, Fun & Friends 6

7 Elementary Faith Formation Students Experience Hands on the Miracle of Jesus This past month during classes we celebrated the Miracle of Jesus. During this wonderful evening of events the students began by entering through the Bethlehem city gates. They were greeted and led into the Stable for a wonderful performance by two guest performers. They learned about how things worked back in the days when Jesus was born. From there they went into six different stations that were led by 5th graders. The 5th graders did a fantastic job running the 6 Stations. Bethlehem Bakery Wool Shoppe Census Taker's Shoppe Spice Shoppe Toy Shoppe Fisher's Pier Please watch for more information on the upcoming service project the students will be doing in January. We are incorporating this month's Works of Mercy into our service project. Our theme is "Sheltering the Homeless". We hope everyone will participate in the sock and personal care drive for the last 2 weeks of the month. Thank you in advance for your support! Have a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year! Karen Polak, Coordinator of Elementary Faith Formation Do you speak Spanish? Our Faith Formation department is looking for a parishioner who can journey to Sacraments with some students and families who speak Spanish. Please contact Christine Shafer in the office if you would like to offer your help. In Search of Childcare Help: We have many parish events coming up where we will be offering childcare in order to make it possible for parents to participate. Please consider submitting your name to our pool of help. We are looking for responsible teens who can supervise children and lead small group activities sometimes, like crafts, games, videos, gym time, etc., as well as adults who can do the same. We also need adults who are willing to coordinate the childcare services for extended events like the parish mission. There may be compensation for some events, so consider it an opportunity to give back to your parish and help parents, but also earn a little spending money. Adults will need to meet diocesan Protecting God s Children requirements, and teens will need to complete the minor screening. Contact Christine Shafer in the office if you would like to get your name on the list and help out! Lenten Small Groups for Adults! Ash Wednesday/Lent is fairly early this year, so it snuck up on us! Details are still being finalized for small-group choices for Lent this year. Please watch the bulletin, Facebook, and your for the small-group offerings for Lent this year! Plan to register by January 24. Carve out time in your weekly schedule from Ash Wednesday (Feb. 10) through Easter (March 27). SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY Couples considering engagement or who are seeking the Sacrament of Marriage should contact Christine Shafer at Preparation for the Sacrament and the life-long covenant requires at least six months, and includes a number of pieces in preparing for a Catholic Marriage. 7

8 Holy Family Catholic Parish 9669 Kraft Ave., SE Caledonia, MI Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID CALEDONIA, MI Permit #28 March 6-8, 2016 Holy Family Catholic Parish 9669 Kraft Ave. SE, Caledonia MI Everyone Welcome 7pm Each Night Childcare Available Free-Will Donations 8