One more, Lord. Please, let me get one more. DESMOND DOSS

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2 One more, Lord. Please, let me get one more. DESMOND DOSS I ve made no secret of my love for the movie Hacksaw Ridge. It is, in my estimation, the greatest movie I know of to help better understand what Pope Francis means by the term missionary disciple. It s a true story about a man named Desmond Doss. Over the course of twelve hours, in the middle of a raging battle on the island of Okinawa, Doss single-handedly saved 75 wounded men. One of the most moving scenes in the movie for me is just before this rescue takes place. He is more or less alone on the top of a 400-foot high ridge; it s just him and the wounded, as the rest of the army has retreated to safety. Amidst bombs exploding Doss kneels down and prays, What is it You want of me? I don t understand. I can t hear You. Almost immediately, he hears a voice out in the battlefield cry out, Medic! Help me! And Doss says to God, All right, straps on his helmet, rushes into gunfire and begins his rescue mission. After each person that he rescues, he prays again, One more, Lord. Please, let me get one more. Pope Francis has often called the Church a field hospital. That is to say, we are surrounded by people every day, in our homes, our schools, our places of work, fitness centers and grocery stores, who are wounded even if they don t appear to be. They re wounded by addictions, depression, sickness, divorce, grief, abuse, and the most serious of all wounds the darkness and despair that is life without faith and apart from God. You and I are called, no, sent, by Jesus out into this battlefield with the medicine that is the Gospel, to help heal those who are wounded, and to offer them an encounter with the Divine Physician: Jesus. In praying with this movie, and the imagery that Pope Francis gives to us, I ve been reminded that God s desire for OLGC is for us to be a massive field hospital for the praise of His glory, where all those in our community right now

3 who are wounded and who live in darkness might come into the light that is faith and the experience of knowing God, His love, His mercy, His truth, and a clearer understanding of what life is all about. As we saw during the course of Rerouting, the human person is made for relationship with God, and so faith is essential to being human, regardless of how aggressively the culture at large tries to push God and faith more and more into the margins. As a bishop friend of mine puts it: At the end of the day, it s either God and His love, or it s nothing at all. Everything that we do here at OLGC is our attempt to provide urgent care for those both here in the pews and for those who are not members but who live nearby. This is the reason we do Alpha not only at the Church and in peoples homes, but at a local pub. It s the reason for Becoming Catholic (RCIA) and for our parish school. It s the reason for building our new expansion. It s the reason for our media presence online, a presence that recently passed 5 million downloads. It s the reason for the Men s Prayer Breakfast and the women s Walking with Purpose. It s the reason we offer an extensive marriage preparation program. It s the reason the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for prayer every weekday all day and all night. So what do we do next? It s simple. Enter the battlefield, kneel down, and ask the Lord, What is it You want of me? And when you hear His call, respond by saying, All right. Then strap on your helmet, rush into battle, and begin your rescue mission. This last line, while metaphorical (few of us will literally find ourselves in the midst of actual gunfire), is key. Translated, it means that we must be willing to give everything to, and risk everything for, the God who has given His life that we might live. If we do this if we are generous with our time, talent, and treasure then we, like Desmond Doss, will undoubtedly find ourselves praying, One more, Lord. Please, let me get one more. In His Love, Fr. John Riccardo Cover image: Hacksaw Ridge, Official Movie Site

4 CATHOLIC SERVICES APPEAL TARGET $459,290 2,000+ LIVES SURRENDERED TO JESUS DURING REROUTING When we surrender all that we have (our time, our talent, our finances), we open doors to encounter Jesus but not only in our own lives. Our gifts ensure others also know the Lord through the ministries, programs, and services at Our Lady of Good Counsel and the Archdiocese. See below how Jesus continues to bless our efforts! 2 women religious and 2 women to become consecrated virgins 5 seminarians in formation to become priests and 1 for the permanent diaconate Alpha Over 3700 guests have attended the Alpha Course since Fall 2013 The building expansion expected to be completed July 2017 Over 200 men meet every Wednesday morning to help each another to know Jesus 503 children have encountered Jesus at our parish school and another 107 in Religious Ed. 180 ladies attended our new bible study for women called Walking with Purpose 41 adults and children received the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil

5 WITNESS THE FRUITS OF YOUR GENEROSITY FORMING OUR FUTURE PRIESTS AND DEACONS The Sacred Heart Major Seminary Formation Program provides men the opportunity to discern the call God has in their lives. For me, the gift of seminary formation has made it possible to grow as a disciple, to learn about the diocesan priesthood, and to receive guidance from the Holy Spirit, through the Church s Ministers. Ryan Eggenberger SUPPORTING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS BECOMING CATHOLIC (RCIA) As Principal I am blessed to see our children and families in so many situations. As a Catholic school we exist, first and foremost, as a place to provide our students opportunities to encounter Jesus as well as a place that supports parents in their role as the primary educators of their children. We are an extension of our parish in this role and blessed to be a part of the greater faith community. John Czaplicki The experience of Becoming Catholic is the best thing I have ever done for myself. Every week, I could hardly wait for Thursday night so I could go to class and learn about the treasures of the Catholic Church. And then there was the Easter vigil...it was the most beautiful experience of my life. I felt like I was witnessing a foretaste of heaven. Tiffany Liguori SUPPORTING MARRIED COUPLES Marriage is a vocation, a sacrament that all too often is not given the preparation and attention it needs and deserves. We are extremely blessed to have built a solid foundation thanks to the OLGC program. After a year of marriage, we would not be as strong had we not taken the steps OLGC laid out for us in preparation. Nate and Lauren Wine THE ALPHA COURSE It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The Holy Spirit was awakened inside of me. Instead of trying to revolve Christ around my life, I have learned to revolve my life around Him. George Salloum

6 ONLINE GIVING JESUS, I M YOURS. PLEASE USE MY FINANCIAL GIFTS THAT I MIGHT BRING ONE MORE TO YOU. 5 REASONS TO GIVE ONLINE: 1. It's the easiest way to give God your First Fruits. Name: Phone: MOBILE HOME WORK 2. You'll never have to worry about leaving your envelope at home again! 3. It is safe and secure...and you can go green! 4. Give by credit card or direct from your checking account. 5. You can adjust your giving online anytime. Address: City: State: Zip: Please sign me up for the OLGC weekly e-newsletter. TITHING TO OLGC (CHOOSE ONE) I commit to tithing $. I commit to increasing my weekly tithing to OLGC from $ to. CATHOLIC SERVICES APPEAL Enclosed is my check made payable to OLGC. (Please write CSA in the memo.) OLGCPARISH.NET/GIVE Please drop your commitment card in the collection basket the weekend of JUNE 17 TH /18 TH You can also mail it to the office using the enclosed envelope. I will make my contribution using the pink envelopes received monthly. I will make my contribution online using olgcparish.net/give GIFT I have enclosed $. (Please make check payable to OLGC.) I have made an online contribution online using olgcparish.net/give

7 TITHE The word tithe literally means tenth (10%). Tithing is an act of worship and faith that demonstrates God is first in our lives. To the One who has given us everything, return to Him the first 10% of your income as a form of worship. LIKE LIVING STONES, LET YOURSELVES BE BUILT INTO A SPIRITUAL HOUSE...SO THAT YOU MAY ANNOUNCE THE PRAISES OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS WONDERFUL LIGHT. 1 PETER 2:5,9 Each and every one of us has a necessary, essential and crucial role at Our Lady of Good Counsel, and God has Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life (1 Timothy 6:17-19). gifted us with charisms (supernatural gifts which God gives not for our sake, but for the sake of the Church) and your charisms are needed. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give inspired ideas to help us get back to the healthy DNA Jesus intends for us. Spend time in the chapel, asking, Lord, what s my role? Where is my life supposed to be placed in the building of OLGC? Seriously discern your spiritual gifts and go to St. Austin s Spiritual Gift Inventory at olgcparish.net/give

8 HELP US ACHIEVE OUR VISION OF OFFERING EVERY PERSON IN OUR COMMUNITY A LIFE-CHANGING ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS (734) info@olgcparish.net fb.com/olgcplymouth N. Territorial Rd. Plymouth, MI 48170