ST. MARY MAGDALEN Page 1 BRIGHTON, MICHIGAN ALL THINGS CONSIDERED JANUARY 21, 1978 Bishop Povish ordained Dave Doepker and myself to the priesthood at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing. This Saturday marks the 39 th anniversary of that event and Sunday will be the anniversary of the first time I celebrated Liturgy. I am grateful to God for all the many people who have been a part of my life over these last 39 years; and I am especially grateful for the opportunity to have spent almost twenty-five of those years here with you! JANUARY 22, 1973 The historians among us will recall that Michigan had a referendum on whether or not abortion should be legalized only months before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the abortion laws of every state in the nation with its landmark Roe vs Wade decision on Jan 22, 1973. In the years since then, million of infants have been aborted. A few of these infants were a threat to the life of the mother, a result of rape or incest; but most of these infants had their lives ended for reasons that were far less serious. Over the years I have spoken to many women and a few men who have made the decision to terminate the life of an infant. While there maybe a few who moved on from the experience with little regret, most people carry a deep wound within that may never be healed. And most of them express a sincere desire that they could go back and make a different decision. On the anniversary of that decision, I invite you to pray with me that those whose lives have been traumatized by abortion, may come to know the healing power of God s mercy. And may those faced with this decision choose the path that gives life. LOOKING AHEAD TO LENT This Lent we will be having some of the usual programing: Monday Evening Prayer with a special reflection; Wednesday evening Liturgy and Friday Stations of the Cross with a special reflection; plus the Little Black Book and a Family Activities handout. We are also planning a Regional Mission or Retreat with Fr. Ron Richards. It will be held at St. Pat s Sunday, March 5 to Tuesday, March 7. For the remaining 4 Mondays of Lent, we are inviting people to come together for Evening Prayer, then join a small faith sharing group in the Community Room from 7:30 until 8:45. Like our Catechumen, the groups will spend time reflecting on the readings of the coming Sunday. ONE LAST THING I will be taking a winter break starting this week. Msgr. Ted Bertagni from Cross International will be here next weekend. I will be back in the office on February 3. Fr. Dave Howell THIS WEEK S LITURGIES January 23, Monday Heb 9:15,24-28/Mk3:22-30 9:00 am +Roseann Raleigh January 24, Tuesday, Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Heb 10:1-10/Mk 3:31-35 9:00 am Communion Service January 25, Wednesday, The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle Acts 22:3-16/Mk 16:15-18 7:00 pm Communion Service January 26, Thursday, Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops 2 Tm 1:1-8/Mk 4:21-25 9:00 am Communion Service January 27, Friday Heb 10:32-39/Mk 4:26-34 9:00 am Communion Service January 28, Saturday, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church Heb 11:1-2, 8-19/Mk 4:35-41 January 29, Sunday Zep 2:3, 3:12-13/1 Cor 1:26-31/Mt 5:1-12a 4:30 pm Vigil +Carol Welch 9:00 am +Chad Paison,+Herbert Menard +Eileen Menard 11:00 am St. Mary Magdalen Parishioners FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13 Zephaniah was a prophet who lived 700 years before Christ. These were bad times for Israel, marked by idolatry and unfaithfulness to the law. The prophet calls the people to become part of a remnant, that is, a select few who would carry their holy tradition into future generations. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 The majority of early Christians were of the lower class. When Paul left the Greek city of Corinth (a major seaport of the ancient world), he was succeeded by Apollos, who was apparently a more polished preacher. Paul grew concerned that the Corinthian Christians were becoming more captivated with oratory than with the heart of the Gospel message. Matthew 5:1-12 This well known passage comes to us fairly often in the Gospel readings. The Beatitudes are known among many non-christians as well, for they are one of the signature passages of the faith. Reflect: Which Beatitude speaks more strongly to you? What will you do about it?
THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Page 2 JANUARY 22, 2017 STEWARDSHIP REPORT Week of 01/15/17 Approximately 1566 people participated Env/Cash $15,456 EFT $ 4,238 TOTAL $19,694 Children s Collection $95.80 The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! Numbers 6:26 Please pray for the sick, especially: Heather Bohlen Michelle Boone Nicole Brake Taylor Brake Bubba Breach Eugene Buel Jeanne Buel Diane Burr Jeff Burton Larry Buslepp Shirley Chandler Kathy Clark Hugh Conahan Connie Craig Kenneth Czarnecki James Danahy Terry Davidson Gretchen Fallon Caitlin Forhan Jennifer Gehres Janet Glowacki Fr. Gregg Mike Gustitus John Hammang Barb Hemmi MaryAnna Horkan Catherine Humbles Mike Humbles David Jagusch Mary Jessop Scott Johnson Teresa Kaminsky Cary Killian Cathy Killian Raylene Kohler Walter Kovacs Sherry Kunkel Aimee List Edith Mayer Christine McMurtry Tom McSweeney Diane Olsem Mike Olsem Stan Osdras Christine Paweski Bill Rowland Kathy St. Ledger Larry Schmid Michelle Schmid Jean Schultz Frank Sharpy Stacie Sherman Kevin Strysik Margaret Swisher Marylyn Trader Michelle Turner Elizabeth Wisniewski Maggie Withorn Tom Zremski Please remember in your prayers: The family of parishioner Margaret Moilanen; the family of parishioner James Brozovich; and the family of parishioner Donald Dluzniewski. Gentle 60 Minute Hatha Yoga Taught by Janine Fogg-Liedel, parishioner, registered Yoga teacher. Bring a mat! All proceeds from January classes will benefit Magdalen s Kitchen. For more information, Contact Janine@foggliedel.com. BANNS OF MARRIAGE III Karen Hillson and Daniel Norris THE WEEK AHEAD Monday, January 23 9:45 am Yoga 10:00 am Advanced Meditation 6:00 pm Magdalen s Kitchen 6:30 pm Formation Team 7:00 pm Advanced Meditation 7:00 pm Catholicism 7:00 pm EDGE 7:00 pm Preschool Board Meeting 7:45 pm 4th Grade Catechists Tuesday, January 24 10:00 am Bible Study 6:30 pm Boy Scouts 7:30 pm Financial Peace University Generation Change Wednesday, January 25 9:15 am MOMS Group 1:00 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry 7:00 pm CRHP Core 7:30 pm Time & Talent Thursday, January 26 5:30 pm Bible Study 7:00 pm School for Discipleship 7:30 pm Music Ministry Friday, January 27 9:45 am Yoga 6:00 pm 8 Great Dates Saturday, January 28 7:30 am Men s Breakfast Rectory 7:00 pm Family Fun Night Sunday, January 29 8:00 am K of C Free Throw Contest 9:00 am RCIA 10:00 am K of C Pancake Breakfast 10:15 am Home Study Meeting 12:45 pm Baptism 7:00 pm Youth Group Rev. Msgr. Ted Bertagni will be visiting our parish next weekend to speak at all the Masses on behalf of Cross Catholic Outreach which was founded to create a meaningful link between parishes in America and the priests and nuns working in the Church overseas in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Central and South America.
ST. MARY MAGDALEN Page 3 BRIGHTON, MICHIGAN Religious Formation News Roxanne at dre1@saintmarymagdalen.org Karen at sect2@saintmarymagdalen.org Calling All Catechists & Adult Aides Mark your calendar. We will have a retreat on April 8, from 9 am noon. The Great Three Days we will explore the Celebration of the Easter Triduum. This retreat will be for all catechists, co-catechists, adult aides, Children s Liturgy of the Word leaders and adult helpers. Home Study Religious Formation All students participating in the Home Study trek of Religious Formation must attend with a parent the Home Study meeting on January 29, at 10:15 am. This meeting will be held in rooms 3 & 4. Have You Ever Considered We are looking for individuals with the desire to share their faith with the youth of our parish. We will provide training, information and support for the responsibilities required before you enter a classroom. We have classes on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. Please contact Karen or me for more information. Snow Days- Since it is January, it is a good time to remind you of our snow policy. If BRIGHTON Area Schools are cancelled due to bad weather, our Faith Formation classes will also be cancelled. In the event we cancel Religious Formation during the school day, we will notify each family, and we will notify the radio station WHMI (93.5 FM). A Light Reflection I have spent a lot of time reading articles and tweets by Pope Francis. For several weeks, we listen to the message of Paul to the Corinthians in the Second Reading at Mass. Paul s message to the Corinthians are shared frequently by His Holiness. Our Holy Father encourages parents to waste time with their children. The idea is to show our children that love is free and unconditional. It is hard to get along with others without love. As parents, we need to remind ourselves that we chose to baptize our children and with that comes the responsibility of teaching them our faith. We are well equipped to do this in today s age of social media and the internet. Do you spend time playing games or researching things like recipes, car facts, etc. online? I challenge you to spend some time researching our Catholic faith online, adding some Catholic sites to your favorites on Face Book and Twitter accounts. Youth News Margaret at yminister1@gmail.com Jillian at jilliankillian25@gmail.com This week many high school students will be taking either finals or mid-terms. I pray that your studying goes well and that when you take your tests you do well. This Sunday evening at our youth group meeting, we will be using the time together for a little bit of fun; a time to relax and to give your brain a break from studying. If you would like a place to study with some friends, bring your stuff and we can make that happen as well. For whatever purpose, we hope to see you Sunday evening starting at 7pm. Next weekend after all the testing is done and a thing of the past, is our annual Winter Weekend Getaway. The cost is $100 for the weekend which includes lodging and all meals. Space is limited so contact me at the above email address if you are interested in participating. Your lift ticket and rentals for skiing at Caberfae in Cadillac are extra. If you missed the first week of the Generation Change Dave Ramsey s youth financial program held last Tuesday, it s not too late to join us and to get started on learning about money. Contact me at yminister1@gmail.com to get caught up and register. I know we literally just finished up the season of Advent but.think about spending the 2017 season of Lent participating in the Passion reenactment for the Good Friday service. Practices for this reenactment will begin Sunday, March 5 th. We are not scheduled to meet next weekend, Sunday the 29th, as we will be just getting back that evening from our trip up north. Also, looking ahead to Sunday, February 5 th, we will not be meeting due to the Super Bowl game. Remember to bring your loose change and bills for our annual Souper Bowl Sunday collection in the gathering area following all three liturgies. EDGE: A youth group for 6, 7 and 8 th graders Our next meeting is this week Monday, January 23, 7-8:30. Plan to join us!!! Boys and Girls between the ages of 9 and 14 are encouraged to participate in the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest on January 29, during the pancake breakfast. We will start at 10:00 and shoot until 1:00. Bring your competitive spirit for a chance to win great prizes.
THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Page 4 JANUARY 22, 2017 Of Faith and Service Sr. Joyce at pastmin1@saintmarymagdalen.org Charity & Justice Please pray for the return of Catholics, to be open to return and take a fresh look and commitment to our faith. Consider inviting them to a Parish activity. Winter Family Fun Night For everyone in the Parish. Saturday, January 28, after 4:30 pm Liturgy 8:30 pm. Bring a roll of toilet paper as an entrance fee and it will be donated to a charity. Let us know if you are coming! Tacos will be served beginning at 5:45 pm. A donation basket will be available. Many games in gym, table games, crafts, face painting, winter themed games, Bingo, movie and snacks will be available. The movie Finding Dory starts at 7 pm in the East Room. You might want to consider bringing an elderly person who doesn t drive at night. Come and play and enjoy each other s company! School for Discipleship Apocalyptic Literature Presenter: Father Dave Mondays, beginning February 6, some messages in Scripture are coded for a purpose. Father Dave will give meaning to help you understand these writings. Childcare is offered upon prior request. Refuge from the Cold!!! Livingston County provides overnight sleeping accommodations for the homeless during the winter. This program is coordinated by Love, INC and is called the Severe Weather Network. Please mark your calendars for the week of March 20 th through March 26 th. That is the week that parishioners from St. Mary Magdalen & St. Paul s churches will join to provide volunteers to host the homeless at a Brighton area Church. We will need individuals willing to provide meals, transportation and overnight guest management during that week. Watch the Bulletin and the Charity & Justice table for information on how you can help. Christ Renews His Parish CRHP A spiritual renewal weekend experience for personal reflection and sharing God s Word. Team members will share their faith journey and their relationship with God, along with Scripture, discussions and personal prayer. St. Mary Magdalen is offering our first CRHP weekends in March. The Women s weekend will be March 18 19 and the Men s weekend will be March 25 26. This is a 32 hour weekend which means you will be staying overnight. It begins Saturday 8 am and ends 4 pm on Sunday. The weekends are open to any adult, 18 or older and out of high school. There is no charge for the weekend. In addition, we would like to reach out to anyone who can give of their time to help on these weekends: Set-up, Friday, March 17 and tear down, Sunday, March 19, Set-up, Friday, March 24 and tear down Sunday, March 25 and Kitchen help - to prepare, serve, cleanup for meals and snacks on both weekends. If you have attended a CRHP weekend elsewhere and would like to participate in one of these, please contact Jody Kirkpatrick at 248-697-1074 or hawkize89@gmail.com, with any questions. News from Preschool We are having an Open house for the 2017-2018 school year. The dates are Saturday, February 4 (4-6 pm) and Sunday, February 5 (12:30 pm 2:30 pm). Our preschool provides morning sessions for 3, 4, early 5 year olds. Classes are taught by dedicated and highly qualified professionals (with a combined total of 84 year s experience) who understand the importance of a faith-forming education program. Please accept this invitation. We would love to have you join us next school year. Coming soon: Pizza and Parenting, a course on parenting children for those parenting 0 to 10 year olds. This course is based on Christian principles, it is designed for parents and caregivers with or without a Christian faith. The course is for every type of parenting situation, including on your own, step parenting and parenting as a couple. Whatever your situation, the practical tools you learn can help you to improve and strengthen your family life. The class runs for six weeks, starting Monday, February 6 thru Monday, March 20, 2017 (No class on Feb. 20). It runs from 6 8:30 pm each night and includes pizza, babysitting, course instruction and class booklet for the full six weeks. The cost is $30 per person or $50 per couple. Our coordinator is Dr. Elyce Cron. Registration is limited to 30 participants. Information and registration forms will be available in the gathering space soon. You are invited to join us on this journey. God s blessings, Kathie Anderer, Director, Magdalen s Preschool.
ST. MARY MAGDALEN Page 5 BRIGHTON, MICHIGAN Open House Sunday, January 29th from 1pm 3pm Come witness the difference at St. Patrick School! Faith based education for building character in tomorrow s leaders Weekly Mass. Service projects. Family and community emphasis. Academic excellence for over 60 years Junior K 8. Challenging academic curriculum. Fully accredited. Extracurricular programs for developing the whole child Participation in CYO sports, music and band program, drama, Lego/robotics league, Science Olympiad, and more. Join us at our Open House or contact us to learn more! Tuition assistance is available. Diabetes Prevention Center At St. Joseph Mercy Brighton 1 in 3 American adults has prediabetes and most don t know it. If you could be the 1, attend the diabetes Prevention Program information session on Thursday, January 26, from 6-7 pm at St. Joseph Mercy Brighton above the Cancer center. This workshop is supported by St. Joseph Mercy Brighton and will be provided at no cost to qualified participants. To learn more about this workshop or to register, visit the Diabetes Prevention Center at www.nkfm.org/dpp or call 616.458.9520. MINISTERS OF PRAYER Sun Jan 22 Lisa Klein Mon Jan 23 Shirley Brake, Peter Kelly Tue Jan 24 Barb & Joe Kowal Wed Jan 25 Joanne Harper, Carolyn Crabbe Thu Jan 26 Irene Lubig Fri Jan 27 Volunteer Sat Jan 28 Volunteer ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE Mon Jan 23 6:00 pm Girls Basketball 7:00 pm EDGE 8:30 pm Men s Basketball Tue Jan 24 8:30 am Zumba 5:30 pm St. Pat s Cheerleaders 6:30 pm Boy Scouts Wed Jan 25 6:00 pm Girls Basketball Thu Jan 26 8:30 am Zumba 6:00 pm HAYAA Travel Baseball 8:30 pm Men s Basketball Fri. Jan 27 Sat. Jan 28 FAMILY FUN NIGHT Sun. Jan 29 8:00 am K of C Free Throw Contest 7:00 pm Youth Group Save The Date February 4, 2017 7th Annual Marriage Enrichment Conference "Everybody's Got Something" Love Changes Everything* Intimate Graces in Your Marriage Featured Speakers: Teresa Tomeo (Pastore) and Dcn. Dominick Pastore St. Patrick Catholic Church, Brighton To register and for more information, visit: idoforlife.org AN INVITATION Are you troubled by the lack of civility and respect in social media and normal daily living? Concerned that this offensive way of communicating is making its way into your daily discourse and into your family life? Want to respond more directly to Pope Francis prayer on World Peace Day: may we dedicate ourselves prayerfully and actively to banishing violence from our hearts, words and deeds. Come and explore an approach to communication (based on the work of Marshall B. Rosenberg and the Center for Nonviolent Communication, www.cnvc.org), which helps us to be attentive to a compassionate understanding of our own and other s needs. This practice of non-violent communication has direct application to living the Gospel message and unites us with the Holy Father s message of peace for 2017. Speaking Peacefully: Reflecting the Heart of Christ is a workshop by Mary Carol Conroy who will be with us on Sunday, February 19, from 2:30 4:30 pm. Mary Carol explains the concept, allows time for discussion and time to practice a few of the things we have learned. We will end with Evening Prayer. This workshop is open to All teens. Babysitting is available, please register ahead of time, sign up sheets will be in the welcoming area. For questions call the office at 229.8624. Bring Joy to a Homebound Senior! Are you looking for a lunch date? Do you enjoy playing cards or discussing current events? Livingston County Catholic Charities (LCCC) is looking for volunteers who like working with older adults. Opportunities include (but are not limited to): friendly home visits, transport older adults to appointments, errands and respite care for family members. An hour or two a week or month can make the world of difference to a homebound senior! If you know of anyone that would benefit from these services or if you would like to become a volunteer, please contact Linda Bauby of LCCC at (517)545-5944 ext. 121 or linda@livingstoncatholiccharities.org.
THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Page 6 JANUARY 22, 2017 Thank you to ALL who volunteered, donated to and supported Livingston County Catholic Charities annual Christmas Blessing project! Special thanks to St. Mary Magdalen Parishioners for the donation of $2,790.00 in gift cards through your Christmas Giving Tree to support Livingston County Catholic Charities Christmas Blessing project. This year, with your help, 42 volunteer drivers were able to deliver Christmas love & cheer along with needed food items, paper products, cleaning items, hygiene products and Christmas presents to 113 local home-bound and low income seniors. A few calls that we have received from the seniors: Thank you! God Bless you for giving me the Christmas box! I really, really appreciate it and wouldn t ask for help if I didn t need it. I was shocked to see everything I received! Thank everybody that donated everything. I haven t had boots in 3 years! The Board and Co-workers at Livingston County Catholic Charities wish you all peace and blessings in the New Year! Take Action Against Human Trafficking: Register for February 11th Conference in Lansing Pope Francis has challenged people of goodwill to take action against human trafficking and new forms of slavery. In collaboration with the Diocese of Lansing, St. Vincent Catholic Charities, and Livingston County Catholic Charities, Michigan Catholic Conference will host From Darkness to Light: Human Trafficking and Our Response on February 11, 2017 to respond to this call. The all-day conference will be held at Lansing Catholic High School. Participants will interact with experts and organizations that work to combat the crime and learn how to become involved in anti-trafficking efforts. Breakfast and lunch are included in a $25 registration cost, and pre-registration is required. Further information and registration details can be found at www.micatholic.org/ fromdarknesstolight/. Contact Annie Bennett at abennett@micatholic.org or 517-316-3588 with any questions.