Welcome Home: This weekend Fr. James Halstead will be visiting with us as part of the diocesan missionary appeal. Fr. Halstead is a member of the Augustinian Order. In 1963 Fr. Halstead went to Holy Family School. He had his first Mass at Holy Family in 1976. Thank you for your generosity once again!
It All Begins: People have told me that it is really going to get busy when school starts. This Tuesday, on the Feast of the Birth of Mary, school will begin. Everyone is excited – including me. The enrollment is up, which is an encouraging sign! I’ll have specific details on the school enrollment in next week’s column.
Seeing a Need: Bernice Murphy is one of our daily Mass attendees. She asked God what she could do to help the parish. One day she saw that a white music hymnal needed repair. So, she decided to go through the whole Church and repair the white hymnals that needed service. Thank you, Bernice!
Homebound: Many of our parishioners partake in visiting the homebound of our parish. Do you know of anyone else who could use a visit? Please let us know.
Saturday Joys: This Saturday I will attend the men’s Bible Study from 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. After confessions at 11 a.m., I will head to Ann Arbor to attend the final profession Mass of Sr. Sarah Pressprich of the Servants of God’s Love religious community. Sarah is actually a distant relative of mine.
Chalice: When a priest gets ordained, it is very common for his parents to buy them a chalice. I didn’t get a new chalice; a priest friend of mine gave me an old chalice that was stored in his sanctuary closet. The chalice was originally owned by a priest from Detroit named Fr. Walter Ford. Fr. Ford was also a chaplain in the military during World War II. I have a photo of him celebrating Mass with the hood of his jeep as the altar surrounded by young men giving their life in service. I was able to get the chalice re-restored and am now using it on Sundays.
Euchre: Had so much fun playing euchre on August 28 to benefit seminarian education. Hope to see you again on September 18 for our next euchre gathering.
Fun Times: I look forward to seeing you next Sunday at our parish picnic and Back@School Bash. Should be a lot of fun. Thanks to all who helped organize this event.
A New Deacon: Deacon Dennis Pannell is serving at St. Robert’s in Flushing. He recently moved to our area and asked to serve here on occasion (he grew up in this parish). He will be the deacon most every Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. Mass.
Big Visit: Pope Francis will arrive in the United States in a few weeks. I would like to highlight a few of his recent quotes. Speaking on last Sunday’s Gospel, he said: “The literal observance of precepts is sterile if it doesn’t change the heart.” On the canonization of a saint-martyr, he remarked, “Today in the Middle East and in other parts of the world, Christians are persecuted. There are more martyrs now than there were in the first centuries.” And finally, speaking against the crimes shown against migrants, he said, “We entrust each one of them to the mercy of God and we ask Him to help us to cooperate effectively to stop these crimes that offend the whole human family.”
Saint Quote of the Week: ‘Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.’ – Saint Francis de Sales
Msgr. Vincke