St. Patrick Catholic Church 140 Church St., Portland, MI 48875 Phone: 517-647-6505 Fax: 517-647-7807 Parishoffice@portlandstpats.com www.stpatrickportland.com Rev. Larry J. King, Pastor Dcn. Don Sobolewski, Pastoral Associate Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time February 1, 2015 The Mission of St. Patrick Parish is: To celebrate the Eucharist, To proclaim the Good News, To encourage Stewardship as a way of life and To grow in Faith, Justice, Love and Service to all.
ST. PATRICK CHURCH Page 2 PORTLAND, MICHIGAN Masses for the Week of February 1, 2015 Mon. 2/2 THIS WEEK IN OUR PARISH February 1, 2015-February 8, 2015 ALTAR APPOINTMENTS Feb. 7th & 8th Singles Club 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Being single usually means being available. In our culture, singles are those who are not yet hooked up as if the partnering is inevitable. Family and friends often put pressure on singles to find someone and get married. But some people choose to be single. They are concentrating on another vocation, for example, and cannot give marriage and family life the attention it deserves. A dedicated student will devote free time to study. Some people developing a talent in sports or the arts remain single because of the demands of their craft. And some religious figures are single in order to devote their whole lives to God. In the New Testament tradition, several prominent figures were single, including Jesus, John the Baptist, the apostle John, and the apostle Paul. Paul explains the virtues of being single in a letter to the Corinthians. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided. Sponsor of the Week: Please DDS as sponsor of the week Paul oversimplifies the case; many married people devote themselves to the things of the Lord, and many singles are trying to please a friend. But his point is that unmarried people have a unique opportunity to devote their attention to God. Being single need not mean being available. It can also mean being taken by study, art, sport or faith.
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Page 3 February 1, 2015 STEWARDSHIP REFLECTIONS Brothers and sisters: I should like you to be free of anxieties. 1 Corinthians 7:32 How much anxiety do we bring upon ourselves by constantly worrying about not having enough or attaining more things? God won t necessarily give you everything you want, but He will provide everything you need. Try this use the word pray instead of the word worry in the future. That we may open our hearts to give more freely, thus opening ourselves to receive more fully all of God s simple and abundant blessings. Eucharistic Adoration Jesus Himself is calling you to spend one special specific hour with Him each Week. Blessed John Paul II If you or someone you know is interested in going to Eucharistic Adoration on Mondays or Wednesdays but doesn t drive, let us know and rides can be arranged. Call Mike Cook at 517-242-1352. Family Perspective By Bud Ozar Today s Gospel reminds us unclean spirits still haunt our families. These spirits thrive inside our grudges, punishing silence, impatience and abruptness. Today Jesus offers you the authority to cast out these spirits from your life and your family. Shamrock Newsletter We are beginning to put together information for the spring issue of the Shamrock Newsletter. If you have items that you would like to include (births, weddings, engagements, reunion information, anniversaries, etc.) please send it to:shamrockeditors@gmail.com. You can also put it in an envelope, clearly marked SHAMROCK NEWS, and drop it in the collection basket. The deadline for submitting information is February 20, 2015. Bell Choir The bell choir will begin practice for their Pentecost music ministry on February 19. Anyone interested in being in the bell choir should call Karen Stevens at 517-627-7699. No musical ability is required. EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION (EMHC s) There will be a training session on Tuesday, February 24 following the 6:00pm Mass for anyone wishing to become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion to assist in the distribution of Communion at Mass and possibly to take Communion to the sick. You must be at least 16 years of age and a practicing Roman Catholic. You must also be a registered member of St. Patrick Parish. It is a privilege to distribute the Eucharist to God s people. Please call Deacon Don at 517-647-6505 x 409 with any questions. Did you ever wonder what life was like beyond the walls of a convent? You are invited to find out! The Religious Sisters of Mercy in Alma will be hosting an Open House on Sunday, February 8 th from 1 to 4 p.m.at Our Lady of Grace located at l965 Michigan Avenue in Alma. This open house is being held in honor of Pope Francis Year of Consecrated Life. The goal is to open the doors of religious life, offer tours and answer questions about customs, traditions and religious life overall. All are welcome! Those with questions can call 989 463-1383. St. Patrick-Portland Parish Cluster News Pre-Cana Classes St. Joseph-Pewamo St. Joseph Parish in Pewamo will be hosting Pre-Cana Classes on March 14th and 15, 2015. To register or if you would like more information please contact Bill and Diane Thelen at 989-593-3215 or email bill.thelen@yahoo.com. Communion Calls The first Friday of February the following parishioners will be visited and the Eucharist brought to them. If there is someone not on our list, and not receiving Communion, who would like a visit, please call the Parish Office. Diana Rivera Sandra Odem Agnes Trowbridge Donna Fedewa Irene Jensen Theresa Gerkman Geri Ryan Sandra Bayne Laura Stegenga Rosie Baker Jim Thompson Catherine Fedewa Dorothy Keena Tom Cook Country Living Linda Schanski Mary Martin Walnut Grove Bernie Witgen Eleanor McConnell Eagle s Nest Janet Hengesbach
ST. PATRICK CHURCH Page 4 PORTLAND, MICHIGAN Youth Corner Junior High - See you after school on Fridays at C.I.A. Headquarters (the Youth Center) until 4:00 pm. Come as soon as you can. Remember we wait to start any programs until those who have a longer trip can get there High School Not a football fan? Only like the Super Bowl commercials? Like football and want to watch The Super Bowl? Like good food? These are all good reasons to join us for a Youth Super Bowl Party. Meet at C.I.A. Headquarters (the Youth Center) at 6:00 pm. Bring a friend. In Christ s Peace and in HIS service Mr. George I was privileged to lead a small band of eight from our parish to Washington DC to join with over 600,000 people from across the country for the annual March for Life protest against abortion. The annual march brings together Christians of all denominations to speak out against this taking of human life. I was amazed at how many of those marching were young people. The march continues to grow each year. Our fight to save the lives of the unborn is far from over, but we are making strides (no pun intended). Below are pictures of our group as we marched (red and white hats) and also as we took in some of the sites after the march. On Sunday several of the group shared some thoughts of the march with those at the Sanctity of Life service. We thank all of you who prayed for us and I implore you to continually pray for the unborn and for their mothers, especially any thinking of abortion. We need to continue to work and pray for changing the hearts of our nation. In Christ s Peace and in HIS service George Rutherford Coordinator of Youth Ministry Give Your Child The Gift Of A Catholic Education Portland St. Patrick Catholic School will host an open house and registration for students entering preschool, DK, or kindergarten in the fall of 2015. The Open house will be held on Thursday, February 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall located just west of St. Patrick Church. Please bring your children along so that they can tour the building and meet the teachers. St. Patrick offers two-, three-, and five-day programs for our preschool students. We provide a loving Christian environment share they can grow spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, and physically, If you have any questions, please call Principal Randy Hodge at 517-647-7551 or visit our website www.portlandstpats.com. Men s Breakfast All men are invited to a Men s breakfast on Saturday, February 21, from 8:00 to 9:30 am in the Parish Hall. Dr. Russell Willemin will give a presentation on his journey to faith. Please contact Tom Jandernoa if you have questions 517-647-6505 x418. LENTEN SOUP SUPPERS Once again it is time to start planning for Lent and the Easter season. Soup supers will be held after the Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings during Lent beginning on February 20. Three dates are still available if your ministry would like to sponsor a soup supper and stations; March 6, 13, and 27. For more information contact Ken Schneider at 643-2749 or at kenandkaren76@gmail.com. Knights of Columbus News Our February Business meeting will be held on Monday February 2nd. February Bingo's are scheduled for Sunday February 1st and 22nd at 2:00 pm. The February 15th Bingo has been changed to the 22nd. The February Euchre parties are scheduled for Wednesday February 4th and 18th at 1:00 pm. See the bulletin for information on our Casino Bus Trip that is scheduled for Wednesday February 11th. The Knights of Columbus have a First Degree scheduled for February 22nd at 11:00 am. If you are interested in joining the Knights please contact John Vallier or Don Gunderman at 517-743-1543 or by email at gk2168@mikofc.org
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Page 5 February 1, 2015 Knights of Columbus Casino Trip The Portland Knights of Columbus Council 2168 will be sponsoring a bus trip to Firekeepers Casino on Wednesday February 11, 2015. The cost is $30.00 with each participant receiving $20 in casino play and a $5 food voucher. The bus will leave the KC Hall parking lot located at 690 Maynard Road Portland at 9 a.m. and arrive at the casino at 10:00 am. The bus will depart the casino at 3 pm and arrive back in Portland at 4 p.m. Participants must register in advance for this trip. For more information or to register, contact Rich Schneider at (517) 647-4567, Steve Goodman at (517) 647-7741 or John Vallier at (517) 647-6409 Treasures of Our Faith, A Weekend of Healing and Hope with Immaculée Ilibagiza Immaculee Ilibagiza is a world renowned speaker known for her compelling life experience of surviving the 1994 Rwanda Genocide. She has received honorary degrees from many prestigious universities across the U.S; received The Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace, 2007; written books and had a major motion picture production made about her story. After surviving the Rwanda Geoncide she was faced with the cruel reality of the loss of so many of her loved ones and the devastation done to her country. It would have been easier to let misery swallow her up and stay bitter at those who caused her so much pain, but instead Immaculee chose a different route, she chose to forgive. Through this amazing two-day retreat, Immaculee will share with us the power of faith, the rosary, and forgiveness and how she was able to forgive the very people that murdered her family. Her story of death, faith, trust in the Blessed Mother, forgiveness, and hope will be brought to Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Fowler on February 27th and 28th, 2015. We know what an amazing opportunity this is and want to reach out to as many people as we can and invite them to this retreat. RETREAT DETAILS: WHEN: February 27th & 28th, 2015 WHERE: Most Holy Trinity Church 545 N. Maple St. Fowler, MI 48835 TIME & SCHEDULE: Friday 4:00 pm 9:00 pm Saturday 8:30 am 5:30 pm A full retreat schedule can be found on registration website. Thank You! I would like to thank everyone for all the beautiful Christmas cards that were sent during the holidays. I would especially like to thank the Monday Night Faith Formation Classes, the Kindergarten classes, Teachers, St. Patrick Junior Class, and all the parishioners who sent cards and notes. God Bless Rosie Baker Thank you! Thank you to the following families who supported the St. Patrick School this Christmas season through their generous donations: Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Beachnau Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Beckhold Mr. and Mrs. Gary Bogard Mr. and Mrs. Keith Cook Mrs. Marie Cook Mrs. Sue Seal Mrs. Beverly Fedewa Mr. and Mrs. Mike Fox Mrs. Mary Ann Goodman Mr. and Mrs. Dale Kramer Mr. and Mrs. Todd LaJoy Mr. and Mrs. Andy Martin Mr. and Mrs. Dick Pohl Mrs. Shelly Russell Mr. and Mrs. Bob Rockey Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Don Schneider Mr. and Mrs. Keith Schneider Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Smith Mr. and Mrs. Mark/Heather Davis Liz Christian Evening of Music & Reflection The Catholic Information Center of Grand Rapids is pleased to welcome recording artist Liz Christian for Lenten Beginnings: An Evening of Music and Reflection on Friday, February 20 at 6pm at the Catholic Information Center. Liz, a musician inspired by saints and poets, will share her music and lead us in prayer as we learn how to embrace everyday suffering during this Lenten season and find a faith rooted in Christ that will last beyond the Easter celebration. The cost is $20 per person and includes a soup supper. Reservations are required and space is limited. To reserve your seat call the CIC at 616-459-7267 or emailregister@catholicinformationcenter.org You can also reserve an entire table for family, friends or colleagues for $120 which also includes an autographed copy of Liz Christian s new CD Beginnings Congratulations to the January Athletic Association Sports Raffle Winners Don & Pauline Schafer Mr. & Mrs. Ray Krzeminski Roy & Faith Kissane Patrick Vashaw Thank you for your continued support of St. Patrick Athletic programs.
ST. PATRICK CHURCH Page 6 PORTLAND, MICHIGAN The Four Pronged Approach to Violence Prevention in our Schools Last August, when Dr. Marcia McEvoy visited and worked with our teaching staff on her program The Four Pronged Approach to Violence Prevention in our Schools, she recommended a book called Have the Guts to Do It Right: Raising Grateful and Responsible Children in an Era of Indulgence by Sheri Moskowitz Noga. During the late fall, our staff took Dr. McEvoy up on that suggestion, and we spent a portion of our staff meetings discussing the book. With each staff meeting, there were many points that came to the forefront of our conversations. I took note of these important points of emphasis that the staff gleaned from our discussions and would like to share some of them with you. These main points of emphasis from the book include: Parents need to focus on developing a sense of responsibility and an attitude of gratitude in their children to help ensure that the children do not grow up to be narcissistic. When it comes to your child s will and determination, you have to rise to the same level as your child. If you are an easy -going person raising a defiant or challenging child, you need to build your own strength of will in order to discipline the child effectively. Children have to learn about self-control, self-discipline, and the true nature of the world and it is the parents job to teach them. Love and discipline are equally important in raising your child. Self-indulgent behavior in childhood is directly related to self-indulgent behavior in marriage. If you are satisfying your own needs for closeness through your relationship with your child while sacrificing their needs for parenting and discipline, you are failing your child. Consistency needs to exist within the family and with all children, not with just one particular child. Physical aggression of any kind should never, ever be tolerated. The rule of thumb should be zero tolerance for disrespect. The author also shared some thoughts on screen time. She made the following recommendations for how to manage your child s exposure to computer and/or videogames. These include: Limit your child s screen time. She recommended no more than one hour a day for young children and no more than two hours a day for older kids and teens. Monitor and control what your child is exposed to. Implement and follow through with consequences when your child breaks these rules. Our teaching staff found the book to be a quick, easy, and quality read, and we recommend it to all parents. We have several copies available in our school office, and we are making them available to the public. Feel free to stop by and check one out at your convenience. You will find it to be a helpful and valuable parenting resource. Randy Hodge-School Administrator Enrich of Ionia County-donations needed In the last thirty days Enrich has had four families com to them in need of twin size beds and our donations are down. We are in need of at least 5 mattress and box springs. If you are able to help with this need please contact Martha Johnson at 616-522-1126. Our overall donations are down as many are selling items on the garage sale sites on line, any help would be a blessing for families in need in our area. Thank you Martha Johnson 343 W Main St Ionia, MI 48846 616-522-1126 Portland Community Food Bank- Thank You St. Patrick Parish Fr. Larry and St. Patrick Parish Parishioners, Thank you for the food you donated to the Portland Community Food Bank. Your generosity is helping to provide food for local families who need food assistance. In 2013 the Portland Community served 128 families. The families are very appreciative of the food they receive. Please be assured that your donation will be put to good use in serving the needs of area residents. Sincerely Karen Stevens Communications Secretary
ST. PATRICK CHURCH Page 7 PORTLAND, MICHIGAN
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Page 8 February 1, 2015 Parish Staff (517) 647-6505 School Website: www.portlandstpats.com Ministries