THE STORY OF MARY MAGDALEN The testimony given in each of the four Gospels is that Mary Magdalen was the first to see the Risen Lord. It was she who was the first witness to the resurrection, bringing the good news to the disciples.
Next weekend, we will host Thelma Jones who will perform MAGDALENE, a play in two acts by Michael Johnson. The hour long play is based, in part, on an ancient tradition that was very popular during the Middle Ages. It held that Magdalen stayed with the Blessed Mother until her death and assumption. Then Magdalen traveled through Rome and on to Gaul (southern France), preaching the Gospel all the way. She even preached to the emperor in Rome, taking an egg from his table to explain the resurrection. (That is why our icon of Mary Magdalen depicts her holding an egg.)
In the play MAGDALEN, our Mary has just received a message from God that her life will soon end. So she calls together the believers of the village to share with them one last time her memory of Jesus. While the account will be fiction, I am sure that its story will be thoughtful and insightful.
I hope as many as possible will make every effort to come share the experience. It will certainly give us all better insight into the patron saint of this community. Performances will be next Saturday at 7 pm and next Sunday at 3 pm. (There is no charge, but a freewill offering will be taken up afterward.)
In addition to the play, Frank DeLaMarre will be joined by a few of our parishioners to perform some songs of praise for 20 minutes beforehand. Frank has a wonderful voice (with a "John Denver" quality to it.) He has written some of his own music and has been a part of our liturgical musicians\singers on a fairly regular basis. With both the play and Frank, the two performances next weekend should be a wonderful part of our celebration of the resurrection. Please, invite your friends, family and neighbors!
HOLY THURSDAY'S COLLECTION During the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening, we took up a collection for the poor. It seems appropriate that we should send this money for the relief of the refugees forced to flee Kosovo. The money will be directed to Catholic Relief Services. This agency has earned an excellent reputation for its relief work. With very low administrative costs, a very high percentage of the funds donated actually reach those for whom it was intended.
Please pray that the sick will respond to God's healing will, especially:
Dottie King, Jake, Shirley Brake, Keith Dunn, Karen (Pat Spindler's daughter), Nancy Spears & unborn child, Paul Allberry, Nola Mitchell, Brenda, Ron, Eileen Auld, Marilyn (mother of Steve Crowell), Mary Wagener, Debbie, Nancy, Steve, Jeanette, Bob, Jane, Timothy, Zora, Mary Kay, Wayne, Ed, Merle, Tom, Andrew, Keith, Ruth, David, Kenneth, Robert, Cheryl, Laurie, Baby Keegan, Evan Snowgold, Barb, and John.
There will be a weekend retreat for women May 21 through May 23 at Weber Center in Adrian, Michigan. The theme for the weekend is, "Being Fed by the Lord." It is a wonderful opportunity to share your faith and love of the Lord with others. I will be directing the weekend, and the cost is $105.00. If you would be interested, please call me at 229-8624. Sister Maryetta
This Easter was very special for six adults who came into full communion with the Catholic Church. Each of them had the companionship of a St. Mary Magdalen parishioner who had volunteered to be their sponsor on this journey of faith. I would like to thank Sherry Kunkel, Maureen Thomas, Chris Burt, Jim Panning, Steve Hancock and Randy Wilson for their time and commitment to sharing their faith. It is their willingness to enter into this ministry that makes the "journey" a real outreach of our community. Many thanks from all of us. Yours on the Journey, Marilyn
Will be held May 21 through May 23 at Weber Center in Adrian, Michigan. The theme for the weekend is "Being Fed by the Lord." It is a wonderful opportunity to share your faith and love of the Lord and others. Sr. Maryetta will be directing the weekend, and the cost is $105. If you are interested, please call her at 229-8624.
The religious education program will resume April 14,15,18 at the regular times. Please remember to register for the Eucharist retreat on Saturday, April 24 from 10-2. All parents and children are expected to attend this wonderful experience. Sister Maryetta
What an absolutely wonderful Easter celebration we had from the Seder Meal straight through Easter Sunday! We especially would like to commend the youth group performance of the Passion on Good Friday and the choir during Easter weekend. Thank you to all who helped put together our wonderful Holy Week and Easter celebrations.
One Holy Thursday, seven teens joined us at our home to continue the vigil of the agony in the garden after midnight prayer in the chapel. It continued until nearly 4:30 a.m. What a great experience it was to spend that time together getting to know Jesus better and pondering what the experience might have been like. All who were there, including Tommy and myself, thought it was well worth the time.
I hope everyone had a great spring break. It is nice to see everyone is back home safe and sound from their travels. Don't forget the meeting tonight at 7:00pm. We will have the first in a series of six meetings on youth and justice. Our leadership meeting is tomorrow at 7:30pm.
Keep up the hard work collecting money for our Relay for Life team. We know the money will go to cancer research, so the work you do now to collect the money will be greatly appreciated later. This month's charity is Cystic Fibrosis; 10% of the money in the Alms Box will be donated to this charity at the end of the month. We would like to thank everyone for supporting our charities, especially our K of C, for their monthly donations.
Margaret CallaghanFrom the Properties Team: It is our hope to fill in, smooth out, etc., our parish lawn area behind the parking lot. In trying to save our parish money, Bill Frank and Ron Weingartz are bringing in some equipment and chairing this project on two Saturdays - April 17 and 24. We are looking for 6 to 8 men who would be willing to help on one or both of these days. If you have any equipment, or know how to operate big equipment, please indicate this also. The plans are then to hydro-seed. A sign-up sheet will be in the gathering space at church the weekend of April 10. This is an important project!
The Importance of Confirmation The Sacrament of Confirmation completes our initiation into the Catholic Church. If you are an adult who has not yet been Confirmed, you are invited to participate in an area-wide Adult Confirmation Program during the Easter Season. Six Wednesday evening sessions will lead up to the celebration of Confirmation here in our own parish at the 4:30 Mass on Pentecost weekend, May 22. The sessions will take place at St. Patrick Parish in Brighton, beginning on April 17 (from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.). To register for the program, call the parish office (810) 229-8624.
Last weekend approximately 1857 people participated in the Liturgies. These folks contributed $17,872.77 to the parish. Last year on this Sunday the contributions totaled $10,592.00.
YOPLAIT-SAVE-LIDS-FOR-LIVES Pink lids from Yoplait Yogurt are being collected by the youth members of Charity and Justice. Deposit clean lids in the box just around the corner from the gathering area.
Every year about this time, Bishop Mengeling asks for our help to support the ministries and services provided by the Diocese of Lansing through the Diocesan Services Appeal (DSA). You will soon receive information in the mail that will help to explain how DSA money is used throughout our 10 county, 95 parish diocese. I urge you to look at this information and discover for yourself what a worthy cause DSA is. Last year, we at St. Mary Magdalen raised $30,660 for DSA. Our goal this year is $51,855. We know that some families can afford to give generously to the DSA and others will have to make smaller gifts, but we would encourage all of you to consider a gift to the DSA. We would also ask each of you to pray for the success of the DSA, because of the many good works that it makes possible each year. This once a year appeal asks all of us to consider making a sacrifice; but our sacrifice will be small compared to the sacrifice that Christ made for us.
LIVINGSTON COUNTY CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES is presenting the following
workshops:
Parenting - For parents of adolescent age children focusing on a common-sense approach to raising adolescents. The workshop is starting April 15 for four Thursday evenings, 7-9 pm in Brighton.
Families Experiencing Divorce is a six-week support program for children whose parents are separated or divorced which starts Tuesday, April 20, at 7:00 pm in Howell. This series is designed to assist youngsters ages 5 to 14 discuss the painful aspects of divorce and ease the transition in their lives. Parents also participate attempting to discover how best to help their children through this crisis.
Blended Families Workshop - is a two-week mini-workshop focusing on the strengths and challenges of blended families and answers many questions regarding raising children, stepchildren and preserving and strengthening marriage and families. This workshop will be held on May 20 and 27, 1999, from 7-9 pm in Brighton.
Successful Single Parenting is a four-week workshop especially designed for single parents who wish to enhance their parenting skills in an informal and supportive environment. This program will be held on Thursday evenings from 7-9 pm and will begin July 8, 1999.
EVERYONE IS INVITED! To a St. Mary Magdalen Roller Skating Party at Rollerama II on Sunday, April 18 from 4 to 6 pm. Bring the entire family! Cost is $5.00/person which includes admission and roller skate rental. Proceeds will help get the Middle School Youth Group started. We will be gathering the 6,7 and 8 graders to inform them of the upcoming events. Come and join in the fun!
If you would like to have a Liturgy celebrated for a special intention, arrangements can be made by calling the parish office. A contribution is usually made to pay for the cost of the bread and wine and all the other items that are needed for the celebration of the Liturgy. Celebrate the Year of the Father a healing mass will be celebrated Friday, April 16, 7:00pm at St. John Catholic Church, 512 N. Adelaide Street, Fenton, by Fr. Dan Havron. For more information please call Alice (810) 629-0103.
Keepin in Shape??? Are you exercising and dieting, jogging, swimming, and playing tennis to stay fit and trim? What are you doing to keep you marriage in good shape? Why not try a Marriage Encounter weekend? Weekends are scheduled for April 16-18 and September 24-26. Call John & Michelle Macari at (313)572-8952 or toll free (888) 628-7433, for more information.
A SINGLES RETREAT, facilitated by Fr. Larry Delaney and Fr. Phil Gallagher, is scheduled the weekend of April 23-25, 1999 at St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. Registration begins at 6:00 p.m. Friday and retreat ends after lunch Sunday afternoon. Cost is $99.00 for lodging and meals; $25.00 non-refundable deposit, payable to St. Francis Retreat Center, must accompany your registration. Call (517) 669-8321 for more information.
CHOICE WEEKEND Single Young Adults ages 21-35 who have never been married, will be held at the Dominican Center, Oxford, April 16,17,18,1999 sponsored by Young Adult Ministry, Diocese of Lansing. For information call Dave (810) 736-9904.
COVENANT WITH YOUTH IN CRISIS Covenant House is a non-profit organization that serves youth who are homeless or at great risk of becoming homeless. Covenant House donors from Washtenaw and Livingston will be hosting a fund raising dinner and auction Friday, April 23 at 6:00pm at Old St. Patrick's, Ann Arbor. Proceeds will be used to furnish bedrooms of a new Crisis Shelter for the youth. Bishop Mengeling will celebrate a Donor Mass prior to the dinner; tickets are $45.00 For more information, call 313-825-7000 or 313-825-7007.
ictor Hlavaty Jerry Pence Winn Rhadigan Marie-Jeanne & Phildor Begin Harold Jones Louise & Herman Weis Jean Wood Michael Fournier Jack Duffy Charles Reid Frank & Helen Dinda John Loveland Elia Perez Joseph & Anna Marchin Timothy Aguenstein Art & Marie Brown Carrie & Manuel Mallia Rita & Charles Fradette Doug Hagler Ruth Hagler Loretta Sampson Anthony Zywicki NaDean Hinkle Joanne Lintzenich Patrick Anthony & Antoinette Grieco Cathy Murphy Wayne Lobbestael Marie Monte Mary & Carl Wojewodzki Henry & Danny Dubiel Margaret & Jeanne Jandasek Kathy Roux John Adamczak Robert Wagener Cathryn Bertison & Leo Riva Julia Bogos Families of Ken & Nancy Dean Todd Park Max & Jean Yelen Margaret Carney Mary & John Zupko Anthony Aiello Harry N. Scharf David & Ruth McAdam Louis & Gladys Deising Blanch Shoff Mr. & Mrs. John Becker, Sr. Peter Pellerito The Yevitch Family Hazel Laginess Janet Vincent & Judy Walker Robert Bock Frank & Sophie Sharnowski June Chilton Robert & Florence McAlpine RCIA Family Anthony & Clare Lohaus George J. Okey Bernard & Ceile Lagimodiere Ann Pytlewski Jack Murphy David Walter Thelma Bauer & Ken Osmond Kendal, Alice & Gerard Wilkinson James & Helen Anischenko George & Theresa Kalwasinski & Madeline Eagle Mr. & Mrs. Bruno Lezon & Paul Gawura Pasquale & Annunziata Iannelli & Emilio Iannone Alma Higgins & Helen Baldinger Philip J. Bucalo & Derwood M. Stinson
Pink lids from Yoplait Yogurt are being collected by the youth members of Charity and Justice. You may put clean lids in the box located in the gathering area.
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF LANSING will be having Ministry Formation classes this summer
as follows:
Religious Study 315 Church History Monday thru Friday 9:00am-4:00pm June 7-18 Lansing, Diocesan Center. Betty Gaiss, O.P., will facilitate
Religious Study 320 Sacramental Theology Monday thru Friday 9:00am-4:00 pm, June 21-July 2 Lansing, Diocesan Center Jean Schaub will facilitate.
The registration deadline for both classes is April 30, 1999. If you are interested, contact Mary Tardif at the Diocese of Lansing, 517-342-2512.
This journey from Easter to Pentecost will be held at St. Patrick's Church, McCann Hall, beginning Friday April 23 and continuing for the next six Friday evenings, from 7:30-9:30 pm. Refreshments, Christian fellowship and an opportunity for private prayer will follow, as well as a time for questions and instructions. These seminars are held: To help those attending to yield to the action of the Holy Spirit in their lives so they