May is Mary’s Month: The month of May is traditionally dedicated to Mary in many cultures. The reason is that May is considered the season of the beginning of new life. Not only is Mary the mother of Jesus, but our Mother—and what a beautiful and loving Mother she is for us! Our school and Religious Education students are both doing the annual “Crowning of Mary” in May.
Cinco de Mayo: Blessings to all of our parishioners who have a Mexican heritage as they celebrate Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May).
St. Joseph’s Guild: This group of men and women are a big help to our parish. On Monday, May 2, they are having a luncheon to honor them at St. Xavier Parish in Otisville.
New Jersey: On Monday, May 2, I am leaving for New Jersey to attend the ordination of Msgr. James Checchio as the new bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen. Msgr.Checchio was the rector of the North American College in Rome for 12 years and I had the privilege of working with him the last five years. I return on Tuesday evening, May 3.
Day of Reflection: This Wednesday, May 4, I am leading a day of reflection for the employees of the Diocese of Lansing at the St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. Please pray for this endeavor.
National Day of Prayer: This Thursday, May 5, I am participating in a National Day of Prayer at Genesys Hospital.
Euchre: Hope to see you at our Euchre night this Friday, May 6. Those events are always a lot of fun. All the proceeds benefit our seminarians studying to be priests.
Pictorial Directory: Thank you to all the families that signed up for your parish photo. It’s been eight years since we’ve had a directory. It’s a good way to celebrate 70 years as a parish.
School Auction: Hope to see you at our school auction on May 21. I look forward to the evening. There are some great items that will be auctioned off, including sporting events and other travel excursions. Another item being auctioned off is dinner at the rectory. I’m not sure how that will go, but as long as neither Fr. Gary nor I cook, everything should be okay. A lot of people give of their time and energy to make this endeavor successful. I am especially grateful to Liz Solano and Amanda Smith and their committee for all their dedication.
Prayer for Flint: On April 20 I attended a prayer service for Flint hosted by St. John Vianney School. Much to my delight I was greeted at the door by three of our students: (names removed for web publication). They were great hosts and the music was wonderful.
Concert: Speaking of music, on April 23 our different choirs led by Dr. Simon Lee put on an excellent concert! I really enjoyed the selection of the music and the performance. Parishioner Bill Harris narrated the evening, which made the evening flow extremely well.
Safety: As many of you know, Bill Harris works for channel 25. He recently interviewed me for a series he is doing on safety and security in the Church. We always want to make sure that we are doing all that we can in this area. The newscast should be airing in late May.
Healing Service: Heard many, many positive comments about our Healing Service held on April 25 with Fr. Richard McAlear. The Church was packed and filled with joy.
Garden: Our students continue to get the garden ready to help our Outreach Center. We are still figuring out how to get the water from the rooftop of the house nearby to the garden. Perhaps some engineer can figure out a way.
Paul Carey: Forgot to mention the passing of Paul Carey last week. Paul was perhaps the “forgotten” one in teaming with Ernie Harwell broadcasting the Detroit Tigers games on radio for nineteen seasons beginning in 1973. Today all the games are on television. When I was growing up, only a few games were on TV. I have fond memories of listening to games in the evening with my dad.
Oldest living parishioner: With the passing of Marjorie “Jean” Dunn, I was told that Edith Boisvert is now our oldest parishioner at the age of 101! God bless you, Edith!
Witness to Hope: Hope you can make one of our town hall meetings on May 17 or 25 to discuss the capital campaign of the diocese. Please see page five for more details.
Easter Season: This weekend is the Sixth Sunday of Easter. We will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension next Sunday, and then the following Sunday the Feast of Pentecost, which concludes the Easter season before we return to Ordinary Time. May you continue to experience inner peace and joy through Christ’s resurrection.
In Christ’s love and peace,
Msgr. Jerry