SEEING THE LIGHT This past Friday, we celebrated the feast of the Presentation of the Lord also known as Candlemas Day. (Traditionally, the candles which would illuminate both the church and the home, were blessed during the Liturgy of that feast. Hence, the old English name of candle-Mass.)

I am sure the deacon will explain more about the feast in his article, so I will not repeat that here. However, this feast day falls 40 days after Christmas. The Gospel tells the story of Simeon and Anna, who were the first to recognize "the light of the world": the Lord Jesus. (see Lk 2.22-40)

For me, this feast is connected with the flame, which burns at the main entrance to our building. The Shrine of the Fire was built as a permanent place to build the new fire on Holy Saturday night. The fire, lit in the darkness of twilight, is the first announcement of the resurrection of Christ. That flame is used to light the Easter Candle (another symbol of Christ) and the candle is then carried into the church, which is as "dark as a tomb" as we sing, "Christ, our Light!"

That flame is preserved through most of the year in the Shrine of the Fire as a reminder that we received that light at our Baptism. We are to walk always as children of the light; and we pray that when we die, that perpetual light of Christ will shine upon us always.

For the first year or so, it was difficult to keep that flame lit. The winds seemed to conspire against the flame. As a result, I found myself looking out to see if it was still lit every night before I went to bed and every morning when I woke up.

Thanks to the efforts of Ed Belanger and Ed Lezon, they were able to fix the mechanics of the shrine, so that the flame has burned continuously since last Holy Saturday. I no longer look to see if it is still burning, but I still look at that light when I first open my eyes in the morning and as the last thing I see at night. It shines as a light in the darkness both literally and symbolically. It is certainly a great comfort to me. (I will miss it when we use the flame on Ash Wednesday to burn last year’s palms for ashes and then extinguish it until Holy Saturday.)

Catholics make up the largest number in the new Congress: 150 [91 Democrats/59 Republicans]; Baptists are next: 72 [37 R\34 D and 1 independent]. There are 65 Methodists [39 R\26 D]; 49 Presbyterians 32 R\17 D] and 41 Episcopalians [30 R\11 D].

There are 37 Jews [33 D\3 R and 1 independent]; 29 Nondenominational Protestants [19 R\10 D]; 20 Lutherans [11 D\9 R]; 15 Mormons [12 R\3 D]; 8 members of the United Church of Christ [5 R\3 D] and 7 claimed no religious affiliation.

Since 1964, Catholics have been the largest single denomination in the US Congress. In many ways, the passion for justice, human rights, immigrant rights and the concern for the poor can be traced directly to the religious make up of the national legislature. Sadly, it does not seem to extend to the human life issues, which are among the core teachings of our Catholic faith. Among these are: the right to life\live for the unborn, the frail and even the criminal.

Fr. Dave Howell

Please pray that the sick will respond to God’s healing will, especially: Rheda Kane, Thomas Dimaggio, Debbie Carlton, Yvette Lagimodiere, Beverly Spiess, Chris Burt, Joey Boyd, Bill & Anne Hare, Merrick, Jack Bitterle, Julianne Camilleri, Tony Pasienza, Diana Jox, Bill Janke, Vladimir Jandasek, Ken & Erin Colombo, Louise Churches, Jack Mekjian, Martha Rushak, Laura Matthews, Paul Duff, Carol, Gregory, Norman VanDerBrouck, Kateri Sullivan-Golbiw, Toni Brenneman, Derrick Day, Dante, Rita Long, Bonnie Doty, Lottie Machowski, Frank Gondek, Lane Combs, Ralph Helmer, Joanne Fournier, Bev Zizka, Barry Wilkinson, Tyler Ward, Lee Alstott, Vincent Kramer, Mike, Linda Nagle, Thomas Payne, Danielle Snowgold, Bud Newberry, Bishop Povish, John Pepa, Margaret Resconich, Joanna Bloese, Maureen, Russ Gardner, Ann Polcyn, Pete, Cornelius Smits, Matt Even, Ellen Columbo, Adeline Smith, Karen, Laurie Deirlein, Jeanette Wood, and Donovan.

Please remember in your prayers Jan Francis and Family in the death of her mother, Dottie King, who passed away on January 24.

Our Scripture and Stitches group originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13 will meet on Monday, Feb. 12. We will be passing out the new material and patterns for our fourth Habitat for Humanity quilt. If you are a quilter and are available to help with this worthwhile project please join us at 10:00 a.m. in the adult formation room.

Retiree’s Lunch Bunch will gather on Tuesday, February 13 at 12:15 p.m. in the adult formation room. Bring a sack lunch and join us for our Valentine get together. Joyce Gonda, from our Parish Nurse Ministry will be our speaker for this meeting. The topic will be "Stroke Prevention" an appropriate subject for the month dominated by hearts. Yours on the journey, Marilyn

Candlemas is celebrated on February 2, forty days after Christmas Day. It could be considered the closing of the season of lights so evident during Christmastime. The gospel for this feast proclaims the words of Simeon that the infant Jesus will be "a revealing light to the Gentiles." (Lk:2:32).

This feast was celebrated in Jerusalem as early as the fourth century. Though originally called "Day of St. Simeon", it became a commemoration of the purification of Mary, in accordance with Jewish law, forty days after Jesus’ birth: "When the day came to purify them according to the law of Moses, the couple brought him up to Jerusalem so that he could be presented to the Lord; for it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every first-born male shall be consecrated to the Lord.’ They came to offer in sacrifice "a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons, in accord with the dictate in the law of the Lord" (LK 2:22-24; see Leviticus 12:6-7). By the end of the 7^th century, this feast was celebrated in Rome on February 2 with the addition of a candlelight procession. Today this feast is called the Presentation of the Lord. Candles are still blessed and some form of procession may be held.

Deacon H. David Scharf

February 2001 Charity of the Month

The effects of the Jan. 13 earthquake in El Salvador have been devastating to tens of thousands of Salvadorans. There is no water or electricity functioning in the capital city of San Salvador. Initial reports out of El Salvador by Catholic Relief Services is an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 citizens nationwide have been affected and the formal health system is saturated with hospital patients staying outdoors for fear of collapses. Community buildings are being used as temporary shelters. This month 25% of Alms monies will be sent to Catholic Relief Services — El Salvador.

Many of us were away this weekend up north participating in a Spring Hill retreat, a Christian retreat center in Evart MI. This will be a new experience for me and I am looking forward to telling you about it.

Have you ever heard God calling you to do something out of the ordinary? Calling you in a direction you never dreamed of going? Being a good disciple of Jesus is not easy and sometimes is really difficult in today’s world. If you struggle with God’s call for you, plan to attend our Outrageous Request retreat April 6-8 with special guest speaker, Phil Leonard. It will be a wonderful weekend, time to discern His call for you and to just be in His presence. It will take place at Pine Hills in Hamburg.

Tuesday February 27 we will be gathering with some of the Sr. High youth group to talk about Lent from 6-8pm in the social hall. There will be pizza, ice cream and donuts for dessert. A sign up sheet is out along with the registration forms for the Middle School Rally.

Margaret Callaghan

The Third Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Discalced Secular will host Fr. Don Brick, O.C.D. at Church of the Holy Spirit, Highland, on February 16 at 4:30 p.m. Fr.Brick is a Carmelite priest from Holy Hill, Wisconsin.

We invite you to come and learn about our Third Order. Carmel is a way of life that fosters an increasing awareness of being united with God in the depths of our being, while leading ordinary lives in the world. Carmel is a way of spirituality that is possible for people in every walk of life.

If you have questions about the Carmelite spirituality, contact Florence at (248) 887-3555.

A Slide Show on Brain Attack will be presented between the Masses BP Weekend, February 18th. Brain Attack, or stroke, is the third leading cause of death and the # 1 cause of disability in the US. It is a medical emergency!! Let us commit ourselves to recognizing the warning signs of stroke (Feb. Visionary) and seeking prompt medical attention. Some suggestions to decrease your risk for Brain Attack include:

Control High Blood Pressure.

Prevent Heart Disease (diet, exercise, stress reduction, weight control, etc.)

Do Not Smoke or QUIT SMOKING!

Recognize Signs of a TIA - Transient Ischemic Attack (warning stroke) & notify physician.

Monitor/Maintain Acceptable Blood Fat Values (cholesterol, HDL etc.)

The Parish Nurse Ministry is in need of a four-drawer filing cabinet in good condition. We are assembling a resource file of health literature and community resources to be placed in the church library. Our intention is that this information will be easily accessible to you, our Parish community. Most handouts will be yours to take. Some information will be for reference only. If anyone would like to donate a cabinet, please call the church office. We are eager to begin compiling and filing!! Many Thanks!

Jeremiah declares that the Lord knew him before he was born and dedicated and appointed him to his role as prophet even before he drew breath. We, too, are known and sent by the Lord. What deeds of love and service are mine to perform?

You’re invited to St. Joe’s 3^rd Annual Auction (collectibles, sports, artwork, a paddleboat, & more) Saturday, February 10, at 6 p.m., in the Rahrig Activity Center. Tickets are $20 each. If you have any questions, contact Jackie Green at (810) 227-5988

Once again, we will be accepting old palms to burn for ashes on Ash Wednesday. It would be appreciated if you would place your old palm branches in the box that will be provided in the gathering space on the weekends of February 10/11,17/18, and 24/25.

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

F.A. O. Jewelers

Thursday, Feb 8 Deb Happley, Sue Bumpus

Saturday, Feb 10 Janet Gentner, Kathy Stegmaier