ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! This Hebrew word, meaning Praise Yahweh (God), has become the resurrection word. The Liturgy of today resounds with Alleluia which proclaims only Christ's resurrection and victory over suffering and death.
EASTER IS MORE THAN A DAY - it is a whole week! Look at the calendar. It is Easter Monday, not the Monday after Easter. Each of the next eight days is a celebration of the resurrection as you can tell from the Gospel accounts read at the Liturgies of this week. For eight days we revel in Christ's victory and the hope it offers to us all!
MAKING A CONNECTION This last week we again celebrated the death and resurrection of the Lord. This truly awesome spiritual event should speak to us - as individuals and as a society. The Gospels of Passion Sunday and Good Friday recount the story of the innocent One who was unjustly condemned to death and executed. The innocent One suffering for the guilty.
I found it very disturbing that as I was preparing for Holy Week, our state senator announced his desire to seek the enactment of a death penalty in our state. Since 1846, we have not had capital punishment in our state. In fact, we were the first democracy in the world to end the practice.
But the death penalty is wrong for our state for more than historical reasons. Last fall, many voters defeated an attempt to allow "physician assisted suicide" or euthanasia. Many of us feared that the law would be used to end the lives of innocent people. The same is true of the death penalty. Despite our desire for equal justice, it rarely happens. Those with money and status have the best of lawyers, and the poor have very little. In the last few months alone, several people on death row in other states have been found innocent.
The reasons why Michigan first outlawed the death penalty have not changed. People of principle declared that danger that even one innocent person would be put death, was reason enough to reject capital punishment.
Even as we celebrate the resurrection, I want to express the faith of our Church: that capital punishment is wrong. Whether innocent or guilty, no one should be put to death again. MANY, MANY THANKS to all the folks who have been a part of our Holy Week. I especially want to thank Steve Schulte and all our Liturgical musicians and singers. Their long hours of practice and their sharing of their gifts brought a real beauty to the several Liturgies of Holy Week.
I would also like to especially thank Colleen Schulte and our young people for their sincere and prayerful dramatization of the Passion at the Good Friday Liturgy. The many hours of practice and their presentation were a real gift to the rest of us.
Thanks to all the others who were a part of our Holy Week. We are blessed that the list of people is so long! It includes our readers, hospitality, servers and Eucharistic ministers. Thanks to Diane Kubus and the other members of our Art & Environment group who worked so hard to create a changing environment for our Liturgies. Their efforts truly helped make us more aware of the meaning of the different Liturgies. Thanks to Karen Polcyn and all who prepared our Seder Meal.
Finally, many thanks to all who participated in all the Liturgies of Holy Week.
Together we made this first Holy Week in our new building truly prayer-filled and memorable.
Thanks to all!!
Fr. Dave Howell
Please pray that the sick will respond to God's healing will, especially: Jake, Shirley Brake, Keith Dunn, Karen (Pat Spindler's daughter), Nancy Spears & unborn child, Paul Allberry, Barb Buwa, 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, Danielle & Wyatt Campbell, Barb, and John.
Minister of the Word:
Dave Cappuccilli, Jan Baldinger
Ministers of the Eucharist:
Laura Meader, Mary Korch, Al & Barb
Lanigan, Suzanne Neaton, Mike & Karen Polcyn,Bill Colley, Marie & Bill
Kuykendall
Ministry of Server:
Andy Wolterman, Romaine Witt, Nate Thomas
Ministry of Hospitality:
Deater Family, Didyk Family, DuPuis Family
Minister of the Word:
Dave Cappuccilli, Jan Baldinger
Ministers of the Eucharist:
Jim Connor, Joe Carron, Cathy Goettsche,
Mike Christie, Mary Ann Hargrave, Bob Thomas, Karen Barker, Barb Gow,
Gary & Kathy McKay, Joyce Gonda
Ministry of Server:
Jeff Kubus, Nicholas Barker, Luke Carron
Ministry of Hospitality:
Carron Family, Katie Connor, Marty Daniels,
Mary Ansbro, Barb & Kara Colley
Minister of the Word:
RCIA Team
Ministers of the Eucharist:
RCIA Team
Ministry of Server:
RCIA Team
Ministry of Hospitality:
Ed Pound, Frank & Roxanne Sadowski, Matt
Sadowski, Kathy Stegmaier, John Stegmaier,Russ & Judy Gentner, Kathy
Gannon, Janet Gentner
Minister of the Word:
Donna Lorenz, Jennie Ross
Ministers of the Eucharist:
Mary Ellen Magon, Deb & Mark Ruf, Jan &
Rob Carpenter, Marianne & Jeff Quada, Tammy Ritter, Shirley Caster
Ministry of Server:
Dave Carpenter, Brett Quada, Bobby
Henderson
Ministry of Hospitality:
May Dreckmann, John & Jan Denzer, Jocelyn
& Jacob Denzer, Bob & Denise Putnam, Sharon Linck, Kathy LaTarte
Nursery:
Jocelyn Denzer
Minister of the Word:
Maureen Graham, Josie Doucette
Ministers of the Eucharist:
Al & Donna Rushak, Rene & Kyle Geran,
Maureen & Steve Crowell, Larry & Jan Baldinger
Ministry of Server:
Angie Perkins, Lydia Alfaro
Ministry of Hospitality:
Jahrling Family, Becky & Rachel Even, Rob
Lintzenich Family
Nursery:
Maureen Ostrom
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
As a sacramental community, the Easter Vigil becomes ouropportunity to renew our baptismal commitment. It is so easy to take these promises for granted until we stop to think that without our baptism there would be no sacrament of Confirmation, or Eucharist or Marriage. Revoicing our baptismal vows at Easter is more than a replay of an historical event in our lives. It becomes a real renewal of a covenant that touches every aspect of our sacramental life.
Paul says, "faith is the realization of what is hoped for and the evidence of things not seen". For the followers of Jesus, Easter is the triumphant celebration of faith. This Easter, we celebrated in a special way the faith journeys of Vi Lohaus, Dynetta Cadaret, Scott Price, George Cofield, and Jeff Johnson who were received into full communion with the Catholic Church, as well as Tom Kolpacki who received the Sacrament of Confirmation. They are an outward sign of the renewal of a Spirit-filled Church. We would like to congratulate them and their families and continue to offer them our prayers and support as they begin this new phase of their journeys. Yours on the Journey, Marilyn
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
Tommy and I would like to wish you all a very happy and blessed Easter celebration! Our Lord has risen from the dead today! We pray that your celebration of this mystery will continue far beyond today since we are called to celebrate Christ's life every day. The teens did a great job on Friday presenting the Passion of Christ. I want to commend those who participated on the commitment of their time to this parish. A big thank you to Colleen Schulte who directed the youth in their presentation. I want to thank all of you who helped with the Easter egg hunt; stuffing the eggs, setting up, and cleaning up last weekend. The turnout was great; we had about 100 children hunting eggs. The Easter bunny was there passing out little toys and extra candy. We had face painting and tattoos. What a beautiful morning it was! Everyone had a great time! There is no meeting tonight. Turn off the TV and spend it with your family, just being with one another. Talk about what the Easter season means to you. Create a new tradition this year. Have a safe spring break this week. Safe travels to all who will be traveling and we'll see you next weekend.
We are forming a team to participate in the Walk for Life 24-hour relay to raise money for cancer research. Anyone interested in joining our team, please call. Our team theme and name have yet to be decided, so come to tonight's meeting with suggestions.
This evening we'll be watching the video, "Jesus of Nazareth." It is a powerful video that will give a meaningful beginning to Holy Week for us. I think you'll agree after seeing it.
Last Monday was our last "Follow Me" group reflection. Thanks to all who participated. We learned a lot from each other as we welcomed the Holy Spirit into our conversations. I pray that we all may continue our desire to be closer to God, even after this Lenten season.
On Holy Thursday, we will be continuing Jesus' agony in the garden
after keeping vigil in the chapel until midnight. The night reflections will be
held at my home beginning at 1:00 a.m. The last hour is at 5:30 a.m. We'll
provide breakfast Friday morning, with pick-up time about 11:00 a.m. The
night will consist of prayerful discussions, reflection time and conversation
focused on the events leading up to Easter. Join us this Holy Thursday night
as we gather together as youth to learn and teach each other.
Margaret Callaghan
From 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!
Parents and students in grades 6, 7 and 8 are invited to attend a meeting Tuesday, March 16, at 7:00 p.m. about planning activities. Please bring creative ideas and suggestions for a name for this group.
III. William Olzack & Nancy Pence
Stewardship Report Last weekend approximately 1573 people participated in the Liturgies. These folks contributed $13,596.07 to the parish. Last year on this Sunday the contributions totaled $9133.26.
Featuring Michael O'Brien's "Sounds of Medjogorje" Tuesday, April 27, 1999, 7:30 pm St. Mary, Our Lady of the Snows 1955 E. Commerce Road, Milford Adults: $8.00. Children under 12: $5.00 Hear the Medjogorje story of the Blessed Virgin's appearance in this tiny Bosnian village as told by former rock singer Michael O'Brien and at the same time, help Fr. Emil Cook's mission of bringing education and hope to the children of Honduras. Call Arlene (248) 685-3933.
As our parish has grown we are in need of volunteers to help with our bulk mailings. We will be compiling a list of volunteers. If interested please contact Kay at the parish office (810) 229-8624.
Easter Sunday begins daylight savings time! Don't forget to set your clocks one hour ahead before you go to bed next Saturday!
THE WELCOMING TEAM is in need of more couples or individuals on this ministry team. If you would like to help register new members into the parish, contact Theresa Wolterman, 227-7131, or Deacon Dave, 229-8624.
Reclaiming our Jewish roots is an important part of our understanding of Christ's life and passion. Each year we as a parish family celebrate a Seder meal during Holy Week. This Seder is a combination of specific Jewish prayers, ritual foods and reflection on Israel's liberation from the enslavement in Egypt called the Passover.
Sign up sheets will be available this weekend for the Seder on
Wednesday, March 31, at 6:00 p.m. Bring your family and a dish to pass. If
you are available to help set up the day before or would like more
information, call Ann Meredith, 227-2986, or Karen Polcyn, 229-1728. We
are also looking for donations of empty Paul Masson wine carafes for use that
night; if you have any, please leave them in the box provided in the gathering
area.
Yours on the Journey, Marilyn
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.
Marriage Difficulty Is your marriage tearing you apart? Retrouvaille is helping couples put the pieces back together. The Retrouvaille weekends are held at St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt. The 1999 weekend program date remaining is May 21-23, 1999. For information call (517)669-8321, Ext. 36.
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.
EASTER TREE OF LIFE Gifts for area Seniors are to be returned this weekend with the tag attached. Contact Kathy Kolpacki (810) 229-0258 if you have any questions.
The Charity & Justice Ministry Team continues to ask you to save your VG's receipts and return them in the container provided in the Gathering Area. Through these receipts organizations can collect 1% of the receipt total. These funds will be used to help those in need within our parish.
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.
SAMARITAN NEWS We would like to thank all of the volunteers for your participation in the Samaritan group. March has been our busiest month ever! We have been busy delivering meals, providing baby sitting and other household chores for fellow parishioners. What a wonderful group of volunteers we have! One of our volunteers has been surprising our sick with flowers along with her fabulous meals. We even had a couple of people who volunteered to drive an infant to her physical therapy classes while her mother was recuperating from surgery. It is just so comforting to know that when you are in need, the Samaritans can assist you.
If you need our assistance or know someone who does, please contact Karen Alfanos at 229-9914, or Kathy Clark at 227-3099. If you would like to become a part of this caring volunteer group, please contact us for more details.
THE WELCOMING TEAM is in need of more couples or individuals on their ministry team. If you would like to help register new members into the parish, contact Theresa Wolterman, 227-7131, or Deacon Dave, 229-8624.
Sunday April 4 - Easter Sunday
Acts 10:34a, 37-43/Col 3:1-4/Jn 20:1-9
Monday, April 5 Easter Monday
Acts 2:14,22-33/Mt 28:8-15
9:00 a.m. Charles Reedy
Tuesday, April 6 Easter Tuesday
Acts 2:36-41/Jn 20:11-18
9:00 a.m. Fr. Raymond J. Klauke
Wednesday, April 7 Easter Wednesday
Acts 3:1-10/Lk 24:13-35
7:00 p.m. Virginia O'Connor
Thursday, April 8 Easter Thursday
Acts 3:11-26/Lk 24:35-48
9:00 a.m. Ken Carson
Friday, April 9 Easter Friday
Acts 4:1-12/Jn 21:1-14
9:00 a.m Our Neophytes
Saturday, April 10 Easter Saturday
Acts 4:13-21/Mk 16:9-15
Sunday, April 11 The Resurrection of the Lord
Acts 2:42-47/1 Pt 1:3-9/Jn 20:19-31
7:30 (Vigil) Mary & Carl Wojewodzki
9:00 a.m. St. Mary Magdalen Parishioners
11:00 a.m. Mary Gentner
Monday, March 29
7:30 p.m. Parish Communal Penance Service
Tuesday, March 30
7:30 p.m. Inquiry/Journey (Adult Formation)
Wednesday, March 31
6:00 p.m. Seder Meal (Social Hall)
Thursday, April 1 Holy Thursday - OFFICE CLOSED
10:00 a.m. Chrism Mass (Lansing)
6:30 p.m. No Scripture Rosary
7:30 p.m. Mass of the Lord's Supper
Friday, April 2
1:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross
7:30 p.m. Liturgy of the Passion
Saturday, April 3
8:30 a.m. RCIA Retreat
7:30 p.m. Easter Vigil
Sunday, April 4
9:00 a.m. Easter Liturgy
11:00 a.m. Easter Liturgy
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