ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

MINISTERS OF PRAYER SCHEDULE

BeFrienders

Please come and join the fun at the annual St. Mary Magdalen Halloween Party October 26th from 7pm until 10pm in the activity room. There will be games, activities and prizes for children and music, dancing and food for all. Costumes are suggested, but not required. The Community Life team will have a basket in the gathering area for those who wish to donate candy for this event.

ANNUAL CRAFT SHOW Old St. Pat’s in Whitmore Lake welcomes all to their Holiday Craft Show Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9:00am till 4:00pm at the Parish Activity Center.

Congratulations to the three teenagers who applied to be part of a planning committee for a diocesan-wide event. Tim Clabby is on the Jamboree 2003 committee, Jimmy Mahar will help plan the next Diocesan Leadership Camp, and Andrea Nashar is part of the Diocesan Youth Advisory Council. Good luck to the three of them as they plan for these upcoming events.

Haunted House. The long awaited and most anticipated night of this month is upon us! Come next Saturday, prepare to be scared, frightened at every turn, yet have fun! Join us for the annual family Halloween party in the social hall sponsored by the community life team, and then in the haunted barn sponsored by the youth group! The cost to go through will only be $4 for those daring enough 12 years and older and only $2 for the little goblins who want to be scared. Those five and younger are free.

Thank you to those who have donated supplies so far. We will still be collecting trapper keepers, backpacks, and other school supplies through next week for the children of the St. Vincent home in Lansing.

On Tuesday, November 12, we will be serving the food pantry of Livingston County. Information for this event is in the gathering area.

Margaret Callaghan

During the month of November the Book of Remembrance will be displayed in the Gathering Area. If you would like a family member or friend who has passed away and would like them remembered in prayer, please list their name in the book, even though they have been listed in previous years.

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

F.A.O. Jewelers

Understanding Depression — Please join us at St. Mary Magdalen in Brighton on Wednesday, October 30, following the 7 PM Healing Mass (approx. 7:30 PM). Our presenter will be Mark Menestriana M.D., a psychiatrist from Brighton Hospital. 50% of depression cases are not diagnosed or treated. God calls us to an abundant life. There is hope! For more information, contact Sr. Maryetta at (810) 229-8624.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Blood Pressure Screening will take place after all Masses, Oct. 26 and 27, at which time literature, a video and teaching tools for learning to identify a breast lesion (lump) will be available. Joanne Sasinowski R.N. will be present to answer questions. Please stop in after Mass and take advantage of this opportunity. It could save your life!

Today, with Catholics of the world, we are called to this Eucharistic celebration to offer our prayers and our generous financial support, through the Propagation of the Faith, to continue the mission of our Lord.

Your gift on World Mission Sunday supports . . .

• Mission priests who bring the love of Jesus to the poor living in remote villages and city barrios

• Religious Sisters and Brothers who offer the Lord’s healing compassion to refugees, the sick and orphans

• Catechists who proclaim the Gospel to the poorest of our human family, the message of the hope and peace that only Christ can give.

Today, World Mission Sunday, I ask your prayers for the work of the Church in the Missions — and encourage your generous financial help as well. May God bless you.

Daytime childcare for some of the meetings held at the Church is still needed. They are usually 2-hour sessions. If you could be available on occasion, certain days (or on a monthly basis) would be helpful. At present, the times needed are 10:00 am — 12:00 noon, and noon — 2pm.

Moms and twins meet on alternate Monday’s 10:00 a.m. — 12:00 noon in the Church nursery. Newcomers are welcome. The next meetings are:

October 28

November 11 and 25

December 9 and 23

Anyone needing an annulment or wishing to talk with someone about the possibility of an annulment please call me at your convenience.

Sister Joyce

The annual Red Mass of the Catholic Lawyers guild is scheduled for Tues., Oct. 22, at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing at 6 PM. The celebrant will be the Rev. Carl F. Mengeling, Bishop of the Diocese of Lansing.

This past week, fifteen large boxes arrived from SERRV International. They contain jewelry, home and Christmas décor, toys and games, baskets, carved wood boxes and desk accessories, among other items, ordered by our Faith and Friendship community.

These products were carefully made by artisans of communities in over 20 different countries. CRS (Catholic Relief Services) and SERRV purchased the arts and crafts at fair prices, warehoused the goods and then sent them on consignment to groups like we at SMM.

Now, like children at Christmas, we will open the boxes, and joyfully unpack the products we ordered from the pictures in the catalog. We’ll inventory the items and then display them for the sale to be held before and after all Masses on the weekend of November 2 and 3.

You can be a part of this world project by purchasing gifts for Christmas or your own home. In this way, you can help a poor family take their children from the sweatshops to attend school or keep a teenager from a life on the streets.

St. Agnes Church in Fowlerville, 855 East Grand River Sat. Oct. 26 from 9 AM to 4 PM. Showcasing specially selected — gently used — old and not so old "Treasures". Furniture items, dishes, toys, tools, books, lamps, jewelry and what-have-you (NO clothing).

• Bake Sale Homemade baked "Treasures"
• Craft Sale Holiday and everyday "Treasures"
• Quilt Raffle A "Treasure" and future heirloom — hand stitched in the Dresden Plate pattern by Kim and her St. Agnes Patchwork Partners. Second prize $50, third prize $25. Drawing at 1 PM Sunday, Oct. 27, need not be present to win.

Are you interested in making new friends? Revitalizing your inner self? Renewing your relationship with God? Are you between the ages of 21 and 35 and single? If so, you may want to consider attending a REFRESH weekend encounter. The next weekend will be held November 2, 3, and 4 in Jackson, MI. For more information, or to register for the weekend, please contact Joe at (734) 434-2818 or Maureen at (734) 677-1823.

Twenty-five percent of whatever is collected in the ALM’S Box this month will go to Pregnancy Helpline. Pregnancy Helpline, a non-profit Christian agency founded in 1975 and supported by donations, offers help to women in unplanned crisis pregnancies and to mothers of your children. Last year 907 Livingston County women came for material and spiritual needs. We helped over 1500 children with clothing, diapers, formula, baby food and other items. Staffed by volunteer’s who are trained for the various jobs, all services are free and confidential.

Expansion of services will take place with a move to Grand River in Brighton in January. Pre-natal care and testing for sexually transmitted diseases will be added to pregnancy testing and obstetrical ultrasound. Financial support is needed to achieve these goals. Volunteers are needed as lay counselors to work with young women to choose LIFE for their child, material goods support, as well as for special projects and events. Chastity Team members are needed to assist with presentations to church youth groups on the value of abstinence before marriage.

Pregnancy Helpline asks for your prayers to help continue in the pro-life ministry to mothers and their children. Call Pregnancy Helpline, 810.632.5656, or contact Deacon Dave for more information.

Brighton area churches and various local interest groups are combining efforts to maintain the operation of a client choice Community Food Pantry located within the Gleaners Food Bank facility here in Livingston County. Together we plan not only to maintain the existing hours of operation, but are striving to make the pantry available to those in need on evenings and weekends. But we need YOUR help! We need individuals–adults and youth–who would be willing to volunteer a small block of time (approx. 2-1/2 hrs/shift) on a regular basis. We ask that you prayerfully consider making a commitment to this important and much needed community resource. For more information contact Helen, the volunteer coordinator, at 810-225-FOOD (225-3663) or Deacon Dave, 810-229-8624.