Dear Friends:
One of the first lessons that a child learns is often to share with others. We all know that, for children, it is often hard for them to share with what they have. The same is true, though, of adults. It would be nice if every one of us would share more generously and more consistently. I guess that’s a lesson we all need to keep learning. We all know the familiar words of “time, talent, and treasure” when it comes to sharing. Those words sometimes feel a bit cliché. Even so, we are called to share these things. One theme of our readings today is about sharing. We hear that we are called to share our bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed, and clothe the naked. Saint Paul encourages us in our faith, and Jesus tells us to take who we are and “put it on a lampstand… that (others) may see your light shine before others.” A good reflection this week is to ask ourselves if we are sharing, or staying under a bushel basket.
Today marks the conclusion of Catholic Schools Week, and it has been another successful one. I’m grateful to those who spoke before most of the masses regarding their experience with our Catholic School. I’m also happy that the messages were so well-received. Now is the time to consider, or complete enrollment of kids to our school. The enrollment process has now begun, and more information can be found by contacting the Director of Enrollment Management, Larry Glendening, at 269-983-5520or [email protected] Remember, there is financial assistance available for those who need it. Please take this opportunity to, at the very least, learn more about our school if you are considering new enrollment. By the way, I know that some parishioners offer to assist in providing dollars in financial aid to our parishioners. Those dollars are distributed by me to those parishioners who may need some help. So, I welcome any contributions of that kind if you are interested.
Can you believe that Ash Wednesday is two weeks from Wednesday? Many white poinsettias from Christmas in the downtown church are still doing well! But now is the time to start thinking about our Lenten pilgrimage. Now is the time to start thinking about what we might “give up” or “take on” as part of Lent. Please take special note of our Ash Wednesday celebrations. Mass with the distribution of ashes will be celebrated at 8:00 AM at our downtown church, 9:30 AM at our south church, and again at 6:00 PM at our south church. Also, there will be a prayer service (not a Mass) with the distribution of ashes downtown at 12:15 PM. These celebrations give ample time and opportunity for taking part in this very special day.
Speaking of ashes, as you know, the ashes come from burning the palms from Palm Sunday last year. If you have palms from last year (or even previous years), you are welcome to bring them and place them in containers located at the main door of each church. As we grow close to Ash Wednesday, I usually bring some of the ashes to the south campus of Our Lady of the Lake school, where preschool and elementary school classes are held. It’s always a great opportunity to teach our students more about Ash Wednesday and have this “hands-on” experience.
Finally, I am happy to say that we have filled the empty seats on our Parish Finance Council and Parish Pastoral Council. We look forward to the meetings which will be scheduled. We will include the names of our council members in an upcoming bulletin and on our website.
Have a great week and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
I have joked before how I often give the same penances to people when they come to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. One simple reason, for example, is to remind us of the mercy and love of God without “punishment” or guilt. Quite often, but depending on the circumstance, the penance I ask for is that a person simply prays, an “Our Father.” After, all, it was Jesus who gave us this prayer. We should use it more and more often. Another penance I often give is to spend a few moments praying for the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of Humility. There are churches named after her with this title, but many…perhaps most… have never heard this title given to her. While I cannot claim that humility is a panacea for all things, I do believe that praying for a greater sense of humility in our lives is essential. We heard this in the First Reading today. The prophet Zephaniah tells us to “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger.” In the Second Reading, Saint Paul implores the Corinthians to remember that God “chose the foolish of the world… the weak… the lowly… to reduce to nothing those who are something.” And Jesus tells us that the meek “will inherit the land.” A good thought for all of us is to ask if we are practicing humility in our lives, or are we more prideful in our thoughts, words, and actions?
Beginning today is the celebration of National Catholic Schools Week. This important week is always celebrated from the last Sunday in January and runs throughout the entire week. It is annually celebrated in the United States to promote the exceptional education that comes with functioning as a Catholic school. Education has always been a vital part of decision-making for every family and parent and with this week-long occasion, people can have a glimpse of the excellent standards, formation, programs, and teachings Catholic schools can offer. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Faith, Excellence, and Service.” These are well-related to our school’s motto of “Education, Faith, and Citizenship.” In our case, “faith” is the second word because, at Our Lady of the Lake, faith is the center of who we are.
To be sure, Catholic Schools are one of the greatest treasures that any parish can have. Unfortunately, as time goes by, people fail to realize what our school has to offer in terms of academic and athletic excellence. Instead, they make incorrect and uniform assumptions about what we can and cannot provide. I’d encourage all our parishioners to think and pray for the success of our school. Many, many school-aged children could be students at Our Lady of the Lake. I hope their families will give serious consideration to attending our school. If I can help anyone to understand our school better, don’t hesitate to ask!
This Friday, February 3, is Saint Blaise and the traditional blessing of throats at the end of our masses. Our priests will be going to our school during the week and blessing the throats of our Catholic school students, and next weekend we will bless throats at the conclusion of, all Saturday evening/Sunday masses. This is a great practice of the Church and I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity.
Have a good week and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
One thing that I hear often from people is how there is a division within their families or among their friends. We certainly see that at every level… including our parish, our community, our nation, and our world. I suppose that is a natural thing when there are so many people, so many different opinions, and more. But I wonder what would happen if everyone took to heart what Saint Paul said to the Corinthians today in today’s Second Reading: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind, and in the same purpose.” I wonder how many of us are courageous enough to say that we are causing any division. Do we know when we are not being united with others? Do we criticize and complain? Do we speak negatively about others? Are we humble enough to know that when we are negative towards another, we are in danger of sin? Saint Paul has it right… can we try to follow his pleading?
This will be an extraordinary week for the priests of the Diocese of Kalamazoo. This week, we will gather in Kalamazoo for a presentation given to us (online) by His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York. Cardinal Dolan’s talk is just for the priests of our Diocese, and it is a very special opportunity. His talk is specifically focused on the priesthood and our priests. His talk is called “The Four Pillars of Priestly Ministry” and there will be a chance for our priests to ask questions to the Cardinal. You can imagine that such an opportunity is not a “usual” occasion for priests, and I’d ask for your prayers for your priests as we take part in this unique moment.
At the end of this week, beginning Saturday, we will kick off National Catholic Schools Week. For our school, Our Lady of the Lake, this will mark the beginning of enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year. Did you know that it is statistically shown that the stronger the school, the stronger the parish? You will likely recall that last year on March 3, we announced a new direction for our school which is meant to strengthen the past and look ahead to our future. We have many exciting plans for our school. And while I set a goal of three-to-five years to see our “seven pillars” plan be implemented, I am so happy with the progress we have made in under one year. People are very excited about our future. For those who have school-aged children, now is the time to pray about enrolling in our school. I particularly suggest we all pray to the Blessed Mother for the strength of our school, and discernment on how we can all be part of it. I assure you, since we dedicated the school to Mary, some incredible things have happened. We should all want to be a part of that! Please pray about this! I am confident that Mary will intercede!
On a different note, unfortunately, we are going to have to lock the church during most of the day. This is a special action because of the safety of those who come to visit the church. Recently, we have had people who have been found in the confessionals, for example. Sadly, this is only one example of problems we have had during the day in the church. For those who attend daily Mass, we will lock the doors after Mass, but you are welcome to remain if you’d like after Mass. However, we ask that you exit the side door facing the rectory. On Fridays, we will open the doors shortly before confessions and Mass, and then the doors locked afterward. And on Saturdays, we will unlock the doors shortly before confessions begin. We will lock the doors after confessions, and then reopen them before the evening Mass. I don’t want to make this move, but we must for the safety of those who would like to visit, plus the protection of the inside of the church. I’ll revisit this later in the year. But for now, that will be what we do.
Beginning this weekend, if you are assigned to a special ministry for the weekend masses, there will be a “sign-in sheet” behind the statue of Saint Joseph. We ask that you use this sheet for checking in. Our sacristans will watch to see when there might be vacancies. It will probably take a while to get used to this routine, but I think it will be helpful for all those who are volunteering while keeping less “traffic” in the sacristy.
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ! Fr. John
Dear Friends,
I wish that I could say that the Christmas Season hadn’t ended yet. We didn’t get to enjoy all our Christmas decorations in the church for very long. This year, the same thing will pretty much happen. I looked, and it will be 2025 before we can enjoy two Sundays in January while it is still the Christmas season. Nevertheless, we can keep the peace and joy of the Christ child in our minds. Some churches, even in our diocese, the Christmas decorations stay up until the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which is February 2. I’m not sure if the poinsettias would last that long! In the meantime, we will use them until they begin to fall apart. So, we return to the Sundays of Ordinary Time today. Today, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, the readings still have that flair of the early years of Jesus’ ministry. In the Gospel, for instance, Jesus essentially begins his public ministry when his cousin, John the Baptist, points to Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” We can only imagine the surprise the people must have had hearing John the Baptist. I wonder if we could capture that wonder at the Mass. When the priest elevates the host, he repeats the words of John the Baptist, “Behold the Lamb of God…”. Do we look upon the consecrated host in amazement and see the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Christ?
Tomorrow, we mark Martin Luther King Day in our nation. It is an opportunity for us to pray for equality and respect for other brothers and sisters. On this special day, let’s be sure to offer a prayer for one another in our parish, our community, and, indeed, around the world.
To make things more convenient for our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors, Ushers, and Servers, next week we will begin placing a sign-in sheet on a podium near the “candle closet” behind the statue of Saint Joseph in the downtown church. I know it has been difficult for some to not return to the pre-COVID practice of signing in. Quite frankly, the sacristy becomes…“grand central station” with everyone coming and going. Hopefully, this will alleviate the problem. Our Mass sacristan can keep an eye on it and see where there may be “gaps.” We have some other ideas on how we can make the sacristy more of a peaceful place. But, for now, that will be our method.
Speaking of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, we have some in the parish who have a pyx and bring communion to the sick or homebound, but we are not aware of who is receiving communion. We must know weekly, who is receiving Holy Communion. A few of our parishioners have done a great job by emailing us or dropping off a list. But one of the parish priests must give permission. Holy Communion cannot be brought to just anyone on the weekend. So, please, help us out so that we can start keeping better track.
Mark your calendars! I’m happy to announce that I will be offering a Lenten Lecture Series during the upcoming season of Lent. This year, the topic will revolve around the Eucharist and the Mass. More information will be forthcoming, but the presentations will be in the church on March 6, 13, 20, 27, and April 3. The presentations will begin at 6:00 PM and end no later than 7:30 PM. I hope these presentations will be well-received and well-attended. More to come…
A special word of thanks to all those who made year-end contributions to the parish. Any registered parishioner who gave $10 or more through their envelope or online giving should have received their contribution statement for tax purposes by now. If not, it should come in the next few days. Again, many thanks to those who helped our parish financially during this past calendar year.
Have a good week and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
Have yourself a “Merry Little Christmas” as the song goes. It takes on much more meaning today as we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. Another name for today is “Little Christmas.” This is the day we recall the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child in the manger. They recognized the infant Lord for who he is. Hence, we call this “Epiphany” because it can be translated “to show upon.” In other words, the Magi understood… saw… who Jesus is. Sometimes, this weekend, we reflect on the story of the Wedding at Cana. That seems odd during the Christmas season, but when you think about it, there is a close connection here. At the manger, the Magi recognized Jesus. At the Wedding at Cana, Jesus performed his first miracle and it, too, was an “Epiphany” because it revealed who he is. I think there are “epiphanies” around us all the time… revealing the presence of Jesus. Do we see it? Do we even look for it?
As you know, several months ago I announced that we would be creating and hiring a new position who I am now naming the “Director of Parish Life and Ministry.” I am happy to say that Mr. Jason Schmidt will assume that position, beginning in a few weeks. Many of you know him because of his volunteer work at the parish, and he (God willing) will be ordained a Permanent Deacon this August. Jason’s wide variety of experience, plus his passion for our Catholic faith makes him the ideal person for this position. I’ll share more on this in the next few weeks as we prepare for his start. Welcome, Jason!
Deacon Phil asked me to point out that there have been installed “No Parking” signs in the Horizon Bank parking lot that many parishioners use for parking for Mass. He said that there is no problem with using the lot during the weekend masses.
Tomorrow, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which also marks the end of the Christmas season. Many thanks to those who helped make our Christmas celebrations so meaningful. And many thanks to those who offered special expressions of Christmas greetings and support to the priests. We are very grateful for your kindness!
Finally, we mourn the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, which is why you saw the traditional black bunting over the entrance to the church. Remember to keep in our prayers the happy repose of his soul.
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
Merry Christmas! On behalf of our priests and deacons, I wish you and yours a very happy and blessed Christmas. I also want to extend a very warm welcome to all our parishioners and your families and friends who celebrate with us on this special day. In a particular way, I extend a welcome to those who are Catholic and may not attend Mass regularly. Please consider this your home, and I invite you to be with us “early and often” at our parish. Know that you are always welcome here. And to those who may be here for the first time, we hope you will consider being with us regularly.
As we have now reached Christmas, be careful not to give in to the temptation of Christmas being over today! First, we now celebrate the “Octave of Christmas,” which means we celebrate eight days of Christmas as if each day was still Christmas Day. Because Christmas is celebrated on a Sunday this year, the rest of the Christmas season is a little shorter than we are used to. The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is on Friday, December 30. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on Monday, January 9. That’s when the Christmas Season ends. Did you know, though, that in some places and cultures the celebration of Christmas continues until February 2? That’s the day we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the temple. So don’t be too anxious to take those Christmas decorations down. (But don’t wait much longer than that… Ash Wednesday is only 20 days later this year!)
Many thanks to those who have worked so hard to make this Christmas special. Among those include our choir and musicians, our parish staff, and those who decorated the church. As you can see, I’ve tried to give our sanctuary the “embellishments” and decorations that Christmas deserves. There are many more people to thank, but please know of our special prayers for all of you.
Have a Blessed Christmas, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
Whenever I hear today’s Gospel, it reminds me of a play. The stage is set, and the big moment is about to come. We hear the story about how our patron, Saint Joseph, is told in a dream to “not be afraid.” We hear that Mary conceived Jesus in her womb. We hear how Joseph took Mary into his home. Next week, the next scene will happen the birth of Jesus Christ. This year, we have one full week left to prepare for Christmas. Let’s make it a good one!
I’m very happy to say that last week, a beautiful and permanent statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was installed at St. Joseph South. The statue came from Italy and is hand painted. The statue has been donated by Bob Burkhard and his family, in memory of Nancy Burkhard. Quite some time ago, Bob rightly pointed out that we have a beautiful statue of Saint Joseph, but not one of the Blessed Mother. So, we are thrilled to give her this permanent home. I will bless the statue at a date to be determined. Many thanks to Bob and his family for this very generous donation. I’m quite sure that the Blessed Mother will shower down some special graces for us all!
Just a reminder that since Christmas falls on a Sunday, the parish “loses” a Sunday collection, as there would be one as usual and another on Christmas. If you can, please remember this and consider an “extra” contribution so that we can remain on target for our budgeted Sunday collection income.
Please take very special note of the Mass schedule for next weekend. Because it is Christmas, the weekend schedule is slightly different from what we are used to on the weekend. And by the way, Christmas is a great time to invite to Mass those who have “fallen away” from the Church or perhaps are unchurched. It’s a great weekend to evangelize!
During this year of spiritual renewal and prayer for vocations, Bishop Bradley has asked every parish to dedicate time each week to actively participate in Eucharistic Adoration. Every Thursday at 9 AM, through next May, we are having a communal Adoration hour to pray for our priests and the general renewal of our faith as a diocese. We will also be praying for a return to perpetual Adoration for our parish. This holy hour is prayed in the downtown church. After the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, morning prayer for that day is prayed out loud followed by silent prayer until 10 AM. Please consider participating. Many thanks to those who have put this together!
Please note that this week, except for the morning Mass, the church will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The adoration chapel is available as usual. Also, the parish office is closed beginning Friday, December 23 through Monday, December 26.
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
Have you noticed how fast Advent seems to be flying by? Today we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, and we are just two weeks away from Christmas! As I talked about in my homily last weekend, we must be careful that we don’t miss our opportunities to grow in faith as these brief Advent days go by. I suggested that we think about our Nativity scenes at home as an “Advent Scene” by removing the baby Jesus and not putting him there until Christmas. Something to consider, anyway.
A traveling St. Joseph icon will be visiting our parish beginning tomorrow, December 12. The image of Saint Joseph that “travels” from diocese to diocese is done by the coordination of the Knights of Columbus. On Wednesday, December 14, at 6:30 pm, there will be a special prayer service in the downtown church, coordinated by the Knights of Columbus. The image will remain in the downtown church for one week before moving it to the south church for another week. It is unusual for a parish to be able to have the icon for more than one week, but we wanted to be sure that St. Joseph South had the opportunity to honor it there.
Many thanks to those who have been extending kindnesses to your priests during this Advent season building up to Christmas. We are very grateful. Also, please remember that this year Christmas falls on a Sunday, which means the parish essentially loses one collection. Perhaps you might consider that as you make your weekly contribution that weekend. By the way, someone asked me do the priests get part of the Christmas collection as they did many years ago. I assure you that we do not! Also, speaking of donations, as we grow closer to the end of the calendar year, we also grow closer to the end of the tax year. Some people like to make one-time, special donations before the year ends. Many thanks to those who may wish to remember the parish in those donations.
On Thursday this week, our parish and SS. John and Bernard parish will celebrate our annual Advent penance service. Priests will be available beginning at 6:30 PM until all are heard. The service is being held at St. Bernard’s to accommodate our choir practice which also takes place on Thursday evenings. Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Christmas is a great way to prepare for the coming of Christ’s birth. We look forward to seeing you there.
Just a reminder to take a careful look at our Christmas mass schedule, especially since Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday and Christmas on a Sunday. I want to make a special mention of the 4:00 PM Mass downtown on Christmas Eve. I like to focus on the children that come to that particular Mass. Also, remember that Midnight night Mass is at Midnight! Some parishes like to move the Mass back an hour or two. But keeping the tradition of Midnight Mass at 12:00 AM is a time-honored practice, and it is one of the most important masses of the year. Please keep that in mind as you make your Christmas mass plans.
And as I mentioned last week, next weekend we welcome Deacon Jack Pfeiffer to our parish. He is a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Kalamazoo, and he will deliver the homily at the 10:00 AM Mass. Please consider attending that Mass to show our prayerful support for him as he prepares for his ordination to the priesthood in May.
Have a good week, and Praised be Jesus Christ!
Fr. John
Dear Friends:
Our readings today continue to point us closer and closer to the celebration of Christ’s coming at Christmas. Sometimes the connection between the Sunday readings is not easily apparent. This weekend, though, I think it can be seen quite clearly. The first reading and the gospel are quite direct in reminding us that “On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom (and) the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him.” In the gospel, we hear John the Baptist say, “…the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals.” And in the second reading, Saint Paul gives us a couple of ways to prepare the way of the Lord… to be “in harmony with one another…welcome one another…”. So, a good question is, as we are preparing for Christmas, are we thinking about ways outside of decorations and presents to prepare the way of the Lord?”
I am happy to say that we now have established new guidelines and by-laws for both our Parish Council and Finance Council. At present, we are in the process of staggering the terms of current Council members, so that there is regular, annual turnover. Next week, we will publish the new by-laws on our website for everyone to review, as well as the names of Council members and the assigned length of their terms. We also have some members of each Council that has served for a very long time and have asked to “retire” from them. In the coming weeks, we will be filling the vacancies in each Council. This first time I will appoint new members to the Councils, and then the new bylaws will be followed from there. I welcome anyone to come forth and offer to serve on each Council for my consideration. One important point is that a member must be willing to do more than attend a meeting every month as needed. They must be willing to work and volunteer for various things. I’ll appoint new members in January, so I welcome anyone who would like to be considered to sit on one of the Councils to do so by sending me an email. Please include why you’d like to serve on a Council and any experience you have that might benefit a particular Council.
At the 10:00 AM Mass last weekend, I told everyone that we look forward to welcoming Deacon Jack Pfeiffer, a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Kalamazoo, to serve as the deacon of the 10:00 AM Mass on December 18. He will also be the homilist at that Mass. We also look forward to his ordination to the priesthood in May and then serving at some parish in the diocese. Please consider making this part of your calendar as it will be a great opportunity for us to pray for him and our seminarians.
This week I look forward to attending the quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Catholic Conference. Recently, Archbishop Vigneron appointed me to the “Claims and Risk Management” committee of the MCC. I have found serving on the Board to be an enriching and very educational experience!
Of course, the most important thing to remind us of is that this Thursday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which is a holy day of obligation. Sadly, many people don’t see these holy days as important. Please remember that it should be a priority, and is every bit as important as the Sunday Mass. At our parish, we celebrate a few masses to make it such that everyone can attend one of the masses. Did you know that in 2022, there were only two holy days of obligation? See you at church!
Finally, please see in today’s bulletin a new opportunity for prayer each Thursday. We celebrate an hour of Eucharistic Adoration in the church from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at the church downtown. This time of prayer is being coordinated by Mr. Jason Schmidt, who is preparing for ordination to the Permanent Diaconate next year.
Have a great week, and Praised be Jesus Christ! Fr. John