In the end, it was all that disheartening news that helped shape my thinking about this weekend’s celebration.

Twenty-five years ago, as Dave Doepker, my classmate and I planned the ordination rite, we decided we wanted the Ordination Liturgy to celebrate a commitment, which allows the Church to continue her sacramental ministry rather than focus on either of us. Conscious choices were made that would keep the focus on the Church and the ministry of priesthood.

The opening hymn was: The Church’s One Foundation. The chalice that was handed us during the ordination ritual was the cathedral’s chalice, not our own. We were vested in the same vestments as the other priests so that we would blend in. We chose not to help distribute Communion, so that the focus would remain on the Gift we receive rather than the servant. My hope is that today’s celebration will have that same tone and character.

The most important part of today’s celebration is the Eucharist. We come together around the altar to proclaim the merciful, saving love of the Lord Jesus; to be one with His sacrifice and one in His priesthood.

My hope is that today’s gathering will celebrate and affirm the Church’s ministry in general and the ministerial priesthood in particular.

I know that not everyone who would like to be present today can be there. There are parishioners, family and friends who have other obligations and others have left for winter vacations.

Today’s joy will be muted by the knowledge that many are present only as part of our Communion with the saints. Among these are: my classmate, Fr. Dave Doepker; my parents and sister, Lynn; and many relatives, friends and parishioners who have gone to the Lord. My consolation is that they are a part of the celebration, even when we can’t see them.

Fr. Dave Howell

Jonah 3: 1-5, 10

The Book of Jonah is only two pages long and tells a parable about a man called by God to preach repentance to the pagan city of Nineveh. Jonah’s first response was to sail as fast as he could in the other direction. After his adventures with a large fish, God called him a second time. Today’s passage picks it up from there.

1 Corinthians 7: 29-31

In this section of the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul responds to written questions they had sent to him. Some had to do with how we, who believe in the next life, should relate to the things of this life. Paul expected that Jesus would return in glory soon, and his advice is basically this: We should not hold on too tightly to the things of this world.

Mark 1: 14-20

Mark uses a technique of revealing and withholding at the same time. There is an air of "seeing but not fully understanding" throughout the text that mirrors our own faith experience. Jesus is not the bearer of the message; Jesus is the good news. Jesus is

the way.

In today’s first reading, we hear Samuel respond eagerly, "Here I am!" each time the Lord calls him. May we, too, be listening for the call of God in our lives and be ready to say like the Psalmist, "Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will."

"The hardest part of RENEW, quite simply, was signing up. I am so glad I did."

-St. Mary Magdalen Parishioner

MINISTERS OF PRAYER

Take a look around at your fellow parishioners — we are not strangers here at St. Mary Magdalen, but we sometimes forget someone’s name or cannot place a name with a face. Therefore, we have made the decision to start the process of organizing our NEW Olan Mills Directory for St. Mary Magdalen Parish. In order to make this project a success we need several people to coordinate our new directory. Our first meeting will be Tuesday, February 4 at 7pm. Please call Kay at the parish office (810) 229-8624 if interested in joining this group.

I would like to thank all the parents/sponsors who came last Sunday to spend time with our 9^th grade Confirmation youth. We prayed, explored our beliefs and examined the Creed, and talked about what the Creed means in our lives and faith. I would like to extend a special thank you to Fr. Dave and the catechists who helped lead this evening.

Catechists/aides and CLW leaders are reminded to mark your calendars for Wednesday, Jan. 29, gr. K-4, and Thursday, Jan. 30, gr. 5-10 for an evening of reflection. Please call Mary in the office to RSVP! If you need babysitting let us know that also! Souper Saturday is Feb. 1 here at St. MM. Make sure you get your forms to Mary, for your training classes for formation!

Our Formation Team meets Monday, Jan. 20 in Room 3. All are welcome to join us!

There is no Family Program or 9^th gr. Rel Ed today due to Fr. Dave’s 25^th Anniversary celebration!

Next Sunday, the Rite of Enrollment will be at the 9am Liturgy for First Eucharist and 11am for First Penance. Your chalices or crosses are to be presented to Fr. Dave at these Liturgies.

After these Liturgies next week, you will be asked to take one of the names of our youth from catechists in the gathering area. These are the names of all those in preparation for these two sacraments. We ask that you pray for them as they prepare for their sacrament, as our St. MM community embraces all who are on the journey!

DRIVERS NEEDED — Please sign up to deliver our parish food contributions to St. Anne’s Catholic Church (SA) or Brown Evangelical Mission (BEM) in Detroit. Weekly deliveries are made on Sundays, after the 11 a.m. Mass. The sign up schedule for the months of February through April will be in the Gathering Space. If you have questions please call Marilyn Farrington 810-229-2871. The hungry of Detroit thank you!

Thank you to the leadership team and adults who worked hard for our Hunger Awareness Retreat this weekend. All those who fasted the 24 hours learned not only about poverty but gained insight about who they are. It was a great experience.

Next weekend is our annual Souper Bowl Sunday collection. We will be in the gathering area as you leave Mass holding pots and pans collecting money for CRS, who supplied the programming for our retreat, and for other charities.

Tom and I would like to congratulate Fr. Dave on his 25 year anniversary as a priest. He is very supportive of the youth and of our programs. We have learned a lot from him and are grateful that seven years ago he asked Tom and me to become youth ministers. I am also blessed to be able to bring my boys to work with me to be influenced by such a great man. Thank you for all that you do for the youth of our parish and for my boys. Congratulations!

Thank you for donating your empty bottles and cans for our retreat weekend. You dropped off more than 3,000 cans!

Our next Spring Hill meeting is February 3, at 7 pm. The meeting for all chaperones follows immediately afterward.

Margaret Callaghan

Please pray for generous men and women to say yes to the call from God to be ordained or to live vowed religious life.

There are 15 people who responded to the invitation to return to the Catholic Church. Please keep them in your prayers these weeks, they are being introduced to the Church today and discern their return. The Team is grateful for your prayers of support as well.

We are pleased that those who came for the introductory session were ready and most have connected with a director. We will offer another introduction session before Lent for those who may feel a desire to consider sharing with a spiritual director at that time.

Sr. Joyce

Members of the parish Health Ministry are presenting a 6-week wellness program that will provide information for you to make healthy choices to promote wellness of body, mind and spirit. Each session will include deep breathing exercises, meditation, Pilates (flexibility exercises), a weekly topic and discussion of the topics effect on wellness. Topics include: program overview, physical activity, self-assessment, hydration, nutrition, and spirituality. The program begins Wednesday, January 22, from 6:30 - 8pm in the rectory lower level. Please join us for one or more fun sessions. See the display in the gathering area for more details, or call Bernie Edwards, RN, 810-227-5306, Laurie Cortez, RN, 734-449-0250 or Maureen Crowell, RD 810-227-3734.

Blood Pressure Screening: January 25/26 in the Chapel after every Mass. This is a cardiovascular risk factor you can change! Start the New Year right! Monitor your Blood Pressure regularly and STOP the "silent killer"! The health ministers will be: 4:30 - Diane Lickfold, 9:00 - Mark Zawisa, 11:00 - Kathy Rakoczy, Joyce Gonda, Roger Gonda.

The next blood drive at St. Mary Magdalen is set for Friday January 31 from 1 — 7pm. The need for blood has increased. Also needed are volunteers to work the drive. If you are willing to donate blood and/or work the drive, both sign up sheets are in the gathering area. Thank You!!!

Telephone: (810) 229-8624 Fax (810) 229-6471

www.saintmarymagdalen.org

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Fr. David F. Howell, Pastor

Sr. Maryetta Churches, OP Pastoral Minister

Mary Mahar Education & Formation of Youth

Sr. Joyce Hoile,OSF Formation & Evangelization

Anne Williams, R.C.I.A. Coordinator

H. David Scharf, Deacon

Kay Thurmon, Secretary & Bookkeeper

Josie Doucette, Secretary, Religious Education

Tom & Margaret Callaghan, Youth Ministry

Leo Camden, Custodian

Steven H. Schulte, Musician

Saturday 4:30 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Monday & Tuesday; Thursday & Friday - 9-.00 a.m. Wednesday evening, - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday 11:30 am - 12 noon

We have a regular schedule for Infant Baptisms. Arrangements can be made by calling Sr. Joyce

Please pray that the sick will respond to God’s healing will, especially: Tammie Kramer, Kay Barrett, Jamie Colgin, Don Schommer, Emily Anderson, Karen Spindler, Tom Waldeck, Kathy Biga, Tim Vedder, Joan Monforton, Wilber Emery, William Modic, Kelly Ferencz, Steven Zacharias Al Asfour, Josephine, Linda Lambert, Joan Hutchinson, Patricia Brown, Corrine Reineke, Ann Grimsom, Dick Demmings, Jamie Leugers, Betty Polaske, Margo Twork, Mark Ruf, Beth Hersog, Joe Lopez, Jonathon Forbes, Marie Touchette, Sue Ferris, Wilma Scott, Joseph Hinkle, Raymond Clark, Carole Jones, Barbara Daniels, Eric Truhn, Pam Davis, Judy Woughter, Stella Paweski, Jeanne Carpenter, Marcella, Andrew Doyle, Helen List, Jan Jandasek, Emilee Ritter, John Matta, Ray Willis, Joanne Corey, Virginia Johnson, Bob Stecewicz, Mary Galleher, Megan Grech, Jerry Neaton, George Rutton, Robert, Pat Cote, Tom Clark, Bridget, Alec Schalhamer, Eileen, Scott Delplace, Laura, Judy LaGrow, Becky Wilson, Bradley Stevens, Alexandria Nelson, Debbie, Ginther, Ralph Bennett, Evelyn, Bill, Craig Livingston, Colette Bertrand, Laura Drittler, Sophie Martin, June Bennett, Ethan Montague, Matt Even, Jimmy Sexton, Mary Lou Colgin, Mary Beth, Bishop Povish, and Donovan.

All boys and girls ages 9-14, ask a friend or bring a neighbor on Saturday, January 25 to St. Pat’s school in Brighton. Registration and warm-ups begin at 9:30am, with competition starting at 10:00. The K of C free throw championship is sponsored annually with winners progressing through local, district and state competition. The competition promotes health, fitness and good sportsmanship among the youth of our community. Last year over 230,000 sharpshooters participated in over 3,800 local competitions. For entry forms or additional information contact John Affatati, 810-225-4735.

Nationally known advocate, author and presenter, Marietta Jaeger Lane will speak Monday, January 27 and share the story of a parents’ nightmare: the kidnapping and loss of a child, as well as her spiritual journey during that period. She will touch on what God has taught her about forgiveness, and the Scriptural parallels relevant to each of us today. Join us 615-730 pm in the church (St. Joseph in Howell). Call Linda 517-552-0818 for more info. Not suitable for children.

Livingston County Catholic Social Services (LCCSS) announces "Maplegrove Children’s Program", providing daily lessons on staying healthy, towards the goal of the prevention of the use and/or abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Topics include feelings, self-esteem, coping, peer pressure, decision-making, families, chemical abuse, self-care, and how to find help for yourself. All Livingston county children grades 1-8 are invited to attend; though enrollment will be limited to the first 30 children. A program for the parents will be provided at the same time. This 8-session program meets on Tuesdays, 6:30 — 8 pm from Jan 28 through Mar 18 at the Brighton Church of the Nazarene, 7679 Brighton Rd., in Brighton. Funding is provided by the Washtenaw Health Organization Substance Abuse Coordinating Agency, and there is no cost for program participation. To register and/or for more information, contact LCCSS, at 517-545-5944.

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti will host the Couple to Couple League’s four-part Natural Family Planning series beginning on Sat. Feb. 1 from 10 AM to 12 Noon. To register, call Albert & Becky Faraj at (734) 973-3173.

Michael J. McGivney P.C.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND THE CHURCHES

The first in a series of six workshops on environmental issues will be held at Saint Mary Magdalen Church in Brighton. The series SUSTAINABILIIY: HOPE FOR THE EARTH will feature speakers who have been chosen for their expertise and their ability to engage us in a conversation on such topics as water, food, environmental health, and energy. Each workshop will conclude with the presentation of a "success story relating to that subject. The first workshop in this series will be Sunday Jan. 26th at 6 p.m. NANCY SEUBERT, coordinator for The Center for justice, Peace, and Sustainable Living in Monroe will address the subject of SUSTAINABILITY AND SPIRITUALITY. Nancy's talk will lay the foundation for the following workshops.

Pro Life Motorcade and Interdenominational Prayer Service, co-sponsored by the Office of Diocesan Cemeteries, in collaboration with Lansing Right to Life, St. Mary Cathedral K of C, and St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, will take place on Wed., Jan 22 and is open to all people of good will who pray for an end to abortion. The motorcade will form between 10 and 10:30 am in the parking lot at Seymour and Ionia Streets in Lansing. A wreath laying service will follow at the Rachel Memorial. If you are interested in presenting and placing a wreath, contact Gerry Rice, 517-342-2524.

In the dioceses of the United States, Jan 22 (or the 23^rd when the 22^nd falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance and prayer for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life.

25 Years of Priestly Ministry

We need them in life’s early morning;

we need them again at its close.

We feel their warm clasp of true friendship;

we seek them when tasting life’s woes.

When we come to this world we are sinful,

the greatest as well as the least;

And the hand that baptizes His children

is the beautiful hand of the priest.

For there in the stillness of morning

when the sun has emerged from the east,

There God rests between the pure fingers

of the beautiful hands of a priest.

And when we are taking life’s partner,

other hands may prepare us a feast,

But the hand that will bless and unite us

is the beautiful hand of a priest.

God bless them and keep them all holy

for the Host which their fingers caress;

What can God’s faithful do better

For we shall see raised over us in blessing

the beautiful hands of a priest!