CONGRATULATIONS!! to our First Communicants! As a parish community, we hope and pray that you will continue to grow in the gift of Christ which you receive today. Many thanks to Sr. Maryetta, our catechists and parents for all that you have done to prepare our younger sisters and brothers for this day.
GRADUATION Congratulations to our deacon-intern, Jerry Vincke. Saturday afternoon was his official graduation from Sacred Heart Seminary. He is finally done with schooling and ready to begin preparing for this ordination to the priesthood. This will take place at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing on Saturday, June 12 at 10:30 am.
THE WHO, WHAT & HOW of PRAYER For three consecutive Mondays, beginning May 10, Sr. Maryetta and I are going to be conducting a workshop on prayer. The three evenings will explore the role of prayer in our lives and the varied forms of prayer. The goal of the workshop is for the participants to better understand prayer and the rich tradition of prayer that has been a part of our Catholic way of life. Each evening will run from 7:30 to 9 pm. The dates are Monday, May 10, 17 and 24. Please sign up next week in the Gathering Area.
IT'S CRUNCH TIME! Ever since we began the parish, it has been our intent to pay our expenses out of the Sunday collection (stewardship). So, for four years now we have asked people for a commitment card indicating what they intend to give each week in the collection. People have been very responsive, sharing some of what God has given them so that we might do the tasks God has given us. Over the last couple of years our average Sunday collection has almost doubled.
Despite the generosity of many, this will not make up for a projected drop in our parish income. The drop will occur because the majority of the original building fund pledges will be completed this summer. So our income from the building fund will drop from an average of $7600 per week to $2000. (This total will continue to drop as other pledges reach completion. These pledges were made by the folks who joined the parish over the last three years.)
Our projected budget for the coming fiscal year is $863,000. The largest portion of this will be our mortgage payment: $339,000 annually. Salaries and benefits will cost us $247,210. Operating and maintaining our buildings will cost $144,000. The many programs we offer (from religious education to Sunday Liturgy to funeral luncheons) will cost us $113,850.
As the front page of this month's VISIONARY reports, our projected budget for 1999-2000 will have a deficit of approximately $170,000. It also gives four options for how we might deal with the deficit. I ask you to study the article in preparation for a vote to be taken on May 16\17.
Fr. Dave Howell
NOTE OF APOLOGY to all who received a letter from the Diocese of Lansing that was improperly addressed. A programming error caused an inadvertent change in the titles. All labels were addressed to Mr. & Mrs. We have resolved this problem and apology to all.
Please pray that the sick will respond to God's healing will, especially: Richard Waldeck, Ian Dunworth, Dottie King, Jan Mazurkiewicz, 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), Debbie, Nancy, Jeanette, Bob, Jane, Timothy, Zora, Mary Kay, Wayne, Ed, Merle, Tom, Keith, Ruth, David, Kenneth, Robert, Cheryl, Laurie, Baby Keegan, Evan Snowgold, Barb, Catherine, Anna, Larry, Clarke, Dennis and John. Rosary
When we pray we present to the Lord our petitions, adoration, reparation and thanksgiving, which are types of prayer. What better way to do this than by praying the Scripture Rosary. We gather together every Thursday evening at 6:30pm in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
THE CHARITY & JUSTICE MINISTRY TEAM provides opportunities whereby the members of our parish community can bring to reality and live our parish goal to "nurture our Christian community through expanded communication and involvement." The projects we have available attempt to allow each and everyone of us the opportunities to live the teachings of Christ. These are accomplished through our sub-committees: Crop Walk, Habitat for Humanity, Pregnancy Helpline, Giving Tree (Christmastime), Jail Ministry, Samaritans Befrienders, Right to Life, Vg's Receipt Collection, Senior Citizens Easter Projects, Food Collections, and Distribution (St.Ann's etc.) We also help coordinate the humanitarian projects of our Youth Group: Charity of the Month, alms collection and Livingston County relay for Life 24 hour Cancer walk. We meet once a month to plan upcoming projects and discuss new ideas. A particular sub-group may have an additional meeting or two whenever one of their projects is coming up. We remember the message of Charity and Justice from the prophets, Amos and Hosea, the words and teachings of St. Paul about our responsibilities to the poor and hungry, the naked and the homeless, to the imprisoned and the lonely. And above all, we must remember the teachings of Jesus to "Love one another as I have loved you."
It's nearly impossible to go a whole day without hearing something about Y2K or the
approaching millenium. Much of the fear and consternation comes from misplaced or misinterpreted
passages from the Book of Revelation. Our Catholic understanding of this book of the Bible focuses
on its message of hope and consolation. Beginning the first week in May, we will be exploring this
book on both Wednesday evenings after Mass( about 7:45 p.m.) and Thursday mornings at 10:00
a.m. with child care. If you are interested in learning more about this last book of the Bible, there are
sign up sheets in the gathering area. If you have any questions, please call me at 229-8624.
Yours on the Journey, Marilyn
50'S DANCE - Saturday, May 15 from 7:00pm-10:00pm Kids of all ages start brushing up on your hula hoop and limbo skills! Bring a snack to pass. Sign-up sheets are out this weekend.
The children in the seventh grade responded lovingly and compassionately to the children in Littleton. They created a banner for the children in the school and sent notes of encouragement,love and prayers. I would like to thank all who participated in the wonderful banner. We would also like to congratulate all the children who received the Eucharist for the first time this weekend. Mark your calendars: Journey with Jesus...August 2-6; 9:30-12:00. We need tons and tons of children, parents and anyone who would like to assist. Mark your calendars II: Confirmation retreat for those to be confirmed in the fall is at the Emrich Center in Howell Saturday, October 9, from 10-3:00. Sister Maryetta
Just a reminder that the Cedar Point trip money is due to me by next Sunday, May 2. Make checks payable to St. Mary Magdalen. We will be chartering a bus with St. Pat's and leaving at 7am sharp on June 28; so mark your calendars! Cost of $40 per person includes transportation, ticket and a continental breakfast of bagels and juice. Anyone interested in chaperoning, please call me evenings, 227-7937.
If you like to bake, we have the perfect event coming up for you. Our first bake sale takes place Sunday, May 16, between the 9 and 11am Masses. Anyone interested in helping out with the baking, setting up, taking down, or just helping out with the sale, please call me.
There is a meeting tonight at 7pm to continue our activities on youth and justice. Please note there will be a special half hour meeting next Sunday after our regular meeting for all who are signed up to participate in the Walk for Life Relay. We will discuss in detail the day's events and gather ideas for decorating our tent. You should still be collecting money for the relay. Turn the money in to me no later than May 9. The goal is for everyone to collect at least $100. The money will be put to great use.
On behalf of Sue Wagener and those who helped plan the skating party last Sunday, I would
like to thank all who participated. Everyone who came had a good time. I must say I was impressed
with those on rollerblades! Some of you are quite good! Those who couldn't join in the fun will have
another opportunity in the future. Thank you to all who put in the time and effort planning this event.
Margaret Callaghan
Stewardship Report Last weekend approximately 1191 people participated in the Liturgies. These folks contributed $12,013.00 to the parish. Last year on this Sunday the contributions totaled $9,263.10. DSA As of April 25, the families of St. Mary Magdalen have pledged a total of $34,441 toward the 1999 Diocesan Services Appeal. This represents approximately 66% of our parish goal of $51,855. Fr. Dave and all of the DSA volunteers would like to express our appreciation to all of those who have given so generously. We would like to wrap up our 1999 DSA campaign as quickly as possible. If you have not yet made a decision about your gift to the DSA, please take a moment to consider how much you would like to give. DSA Pledge Envelopes are available in the Gathering Space. The Finance Council
Come and join the Middle School Youth Group on Saturday, May 8, at 11am for the first annual Work 'N Play! We will work on the church spring clean-up project. Please bring rakes, brooms, buckets. Play we will have a soccer and/or baseball game. So bring your sports equipment and meet at the doors by the parish offices. Lunch will be provided. Hope to see you there! Any question contact Sue Wagener at 229-9592.
Found in the Gathering Area last weekend was a set of car keys. Also Found Ladies gold watch. Please contact the parish office if you think either one of these articles may be yours.
Thousands of moms across the United States meet weekly to pray for their children and the schools they attend. Join the interdenominational groups and see what God will do in our children's lives, and in the schools they attend! If you have any questions, call Barb at (810) 229-5778.
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE MINISTRY is a ministry of the diocese of Lansing that seeks to bring gospel values to bear on the criminal justice system. This is accomplished by providing religious services to men and women in more than twenty jails and prisons across the diocese. Information sessions for those interested in becoming involved are offered twice a year at sites around the diocese. If you would be interested in learning more about this, call Gary Ashby at (517) 342-2495. ST. MARY'S HEALTH SERVICES presents "What in Health is God Doing?", giving perspectives on faith, medicine, prayer and healing on Sunday, June 13, 7:30-9:00pm. This will be held in Grand Rapids at the Dominican Center at Marywood. Questions of whether prayer and meditation can help heal what doctors and drugs cannot will be pondered. Dale A. Matthews, MD, will facilitate this event. If you have any questions, please call (616) 454-1241.
OLAN MILLS will be taking pictures for our NEW PICTORIAL DIRECTORY June 1 through June 16. This project is being chaired by Marty and Diane Deater, (810) 227-8628, or Carol Mitchell, (810) 225-9330. If you would like to assist them, sign-up sheets for volunteers will be out in the Gathering Space this weekend after all the liturgies. During this week take the time to check your schedules and be prepared to sign up next weekend for a time slot to have your picture(s) taken.
Mother/Daughter Retreat will be held May 7-8, beginning with dinner at 6:00 pm on Friday and ending after dinner Saturday. This retreat is for mothers, daughters and daughters-in-law to pray, share, listen, rest, and be together. Topics include: Happiness-What Is It?, Love, A Good Relationship with God and Others, Peace and Security. The facilitators are Fr. Larry Delaney and Dr. Cathleen McGreal. Cost is $60 per person. For more information, call (517) 669-8321.
Directed Retreats June 28-July 4 or July 19-25. These quiet retreats with the availability of liturgy and daily spiritual direction are cosponsored by the Dominican Center for Religious Development and St. Francis Retreat Center. Retreats begin and end at 1:00pm. Fee for each is $350. To register contact (313) 730-8759.
St. Thomas in Ann Arbor will be hosting a four-part Natural Family Planning series taught by a certified Couple to Couple League teaching couple, beginning on Thursday, June 10, at 7:00 pm. To register, call Kate & Rob (734) 662-4865. St. Mary in Pinckney will be hosting a similar series, beginning Monday, June 14, 7:00 pm. Contact Heidi & Eric (810) 225-8741.
MARIAN CONFERENCE is set for Saturday, May 15, 9-5:00 in Lobby B at Domino's Farms. Cost is $15/person, $40/family. A healing service will be conducted after the conference. Call June (313) 381-1298 for more information.
Thursday, May 6, 7:30-9:30pm at Spiritus Sanctus Academy, Ann Arbor. Facilitated by Joe Tabors. For further information, call 734-995-3433.
DID YOU KNOW? That Holy Spirit in Hamburg has a Book and Gift Shop that is open weekdays 9:00-5:00 and and before and after weekend Masses? Call 810-231-6784 for more information.
LAWN CARE = MAINTENANCE As in the past, volunteers are needed to help cut grass, trim, weed, etc., our parish grounds. Some new equipment is on order...acommercial string trimmer, blower and push mower. Those men who operate the big mower for the majority of the work will have a new 72" deck mower to make the job easier and faster. Volunteers will be grouped into teams and assigned weeks to work. With enough volunteers, each team will only be assigned 3 or 4 weeks throughout the season. Family efforts are greatly appreciated! Please consider helping out and sign up in the gathering area.
PARISH LIBRARY IS NOW OPEN FOR CIRCULATION If you haven't stopped in the Adult Education room to visit our new library, please do so. We now have over 150 items for check out. More is being added each week and listings by author, title, and subject are coming soon. Meanwhile, browsing the shelves is sure to turn up something of interest to your or your family.
Sunday May 2
Acts 6:1-7/1 Pt 2:4-9/Jn 14:1-12
Monday, May 3
1 Cor 15:1-8/Jn 14:6-14
9:00 a.m. Communion Service
Tuesday, May 4
Acts 14:19-28/Jn 14:27-31a
9:00 a.m. Keith Erickson
Wednesday, May 5
Acts 15:1-6/Jn 15:1-8
7:00 p.m. Mary Catherine Lavery
Thursday, May 6
Acts 15:7-21/Jn 15:9-11
9:00 a.m. Edward Hass
Friday, May 7
Acts 15:22-31/Jn 15:12-17
9:00 a.m. Thanksgiving Prayers Answered
Saturday, May 8
Acts 16:1-10/