Join the Kalamazoo 40 Days for Life Campaign as they pray and fast for an end to abortion from September 23rd to November 1st. Sign up to peacefully pray in front of Planned Parenthood (4201 W. Michigan Avenue) on the public sidewalk. You can sign up by visiting https://www.40daysforlife.com/kalamazoo, emailing 40daysKalamazoo@gmail.com or calling Joe Magalski (989-992-6085).

Did you know that there is a patron saint of computers? There is! His name is St. Expeditus!! Please join our Children's Faith Formation students on Sunday, September 20, 2020, at 1:00 pm on the grounds behind the Stanley Centre as Father Ben blesses our computers and Chromebooks for the school year. This blessing is open to teachers and students alike. We will gather behind the Stanley Center, near the Mary Grotto. Bring a chair and your computer. Displays featuring other patron saints of students will be on hand as well as some “COVID- cool” snacks. Masks and social distancing are required. Please note that in the event of rain, the event will be canceled. Questions? Please contact Karen Galloway (269-327-0861 or cff@stcatherinesiena.org).

We are happy to announce Confirmations for the 2020 Confirmation candidates (who were unable to be confirmed in June as originally scheduled) will begin at the end of September. Bishop Bradley has made a one-time exception to allow individual parishes to do Confirmation with their pastor during the Pandemic. All Confirmations that were delayed earlier this year will now take place at the 5:00 pm Sunday Masses with Fr. Mark starting September 20 and will continue through October 18. Due to Social Distancing rules, we will have to limit the number of youth confirmed each Sunday. Youth are asked to only bring their sponsor and no more than five other guests due to church capacity. Please pray for our youth as they are confirmed this fall!

Registration for 2020-2021 MOPS has begun! Due to current restrictions on activities at the parish, MOPS will meet virtually using Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm (beginning Sunday, September 27th). We hope you'll join us and Decide to Rise to the challenges we're all facing, embrace everything that's good, and celebrate what keeps us connected...TOGETHER! Want to know more about MOPS? Contact Kristin Beers (stcatherinesieanamops@yahoo.com or 616-893-9604) or join us tomorrow evening, Thursday, September 17th, from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm, at Latitude 42 on Portage Road in Portage for Moms Night Out! Come learn more about MOPS and meet some other moms!

We would like to express our thanks to the parishioners who were able to use the SignUp Genius to contribute to the Back-to-School Giving Tree donations this year. Your flexibility in adjusting to this new method of collecting items was appreciated and made it possible to carry out this project despite COVID-19 restrictions. Organizations that requested help and were the recipients of your generosity included Generous Hands, Family and Children's Services, and Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries. Many various school supplies and anonymous cash donations were also passed along. Thank you again for donating!

Beginning on Sunday, September 20th, the 9 am Sunday Mass will return in the GYM at the Stanley Centre. Due to the increased cleaning protocols we must follow in between Masses in the Church, we do not have enough time following the Sunday 7:30 am Mass to clean and disinfect the Church building in time for the 9 am Mass. To address this challenge, we've opted to hold the 9 am Sunday Mass in the Gym at the Stanley Centre. We will continue to live-stream Mass on Saturdays at 4 pm and Sundays at 9 am indefinitely. Because of our increased numbers at multiple Masses, we are now in need of more Ushers and Sacristan volunteers for all Masses, including the Sunday 9 am Mass in the Gym. If you are healthy and willing to help with one of these ministries, please contact Alana Murray at amurray@stcatherinesiena.org. Training for the position (including a detailed explanation of COVID-19 safety precautions) is provided. We are also in need of more AV volunteers to help us at the soundboard in Church. Since we are running a video feed to Marian Hall and/or the internet for many Masses, having a volunteer present to assist our staff at the soundboard or in Marian Hall is very helpful. Training is provided and volunteers sign up for Masses according to their schedules (we are not automatically scheduling any volunteers at this time). This is a great opportunity for high school students (accompanied by a parent) who need service hours and are comfortable with technology! We've had several great parent/student pairs serve in our AV Ministry over the last 15 years and would love to have you as part of our team! If you would like to help us with our AV needs during weekend Masses, please contact Kendra Stampor (kstampor@stcatherinesiena.org).

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on our local blood supply as many blood drives have been canceled during the pandemic. St. Catherine's will host a Versiti Blood Drive this Wednesday, September 16th, from 10 am until 4 pm in the Gym at the Stanley Centre. To sign up to donate, please visit https://bit.ly/SCSBloodDriveSept16 or click on the title of this article. Thank you in advance for helping save lives!

Registration for Children's Faith Formation Classes for Grades 1 through 5 begins today, Monday, September 14th. For 2020-2021, our Children's Faith Formation classes will take a hybrid approach with online instruction (offered through the Diocese of Kalamazoo) and in-person fellowships as they are scheduled. Registration will be online only using the registration form on our website: http://www.stcatherinesiena.org/cff2020registration. Classes will begin in October. The fee for 2020-2021 is $35.00 per family and is due at the time of registration. Please use our Online Giving and Payments Portal (https://www.stcatherinesiena.org/onlinepayment) to pay your $35.00 fee. Our parish accepts electronic checks, credit cards, and debit cards through our online portal. As a reminder, parents of first and second graders must enroll their child(ren) in Children's Faith Formation classes this year if they want their child(ren) to make their First Communion the spring of the child’s second-grade year. Sacramental preparation in our Diocese is a two-year program. If you have questions about this requirement, please contact Karen Galloway. This year’s third-graders are encouraged to use Saturday morning "drive-in" confessions (every Saturday from 11 am - 12 pm in the main parking lot ) for their First Penance. However, if this is inconvenient for your family, you can make an individual appointment with either Father Mark (frmark@stcatherinesiena.org) or Father Ben (frben@stcatherinesiena.org). If you choose to make an individual appointment, please contact Karen Galloway once the sacrament has taken place so that she can clear your family to sign up for First Communion. We look forward to welcoming our children back to Children's Faith Formation for 2020-2021! If you have any questions, please contact Karen Galloway (269-327-0861 or kgalloway@stcatherinesiena.org).

Join Women of the Word for their 26-week virtual study, "Touching the Divine: A Study of the Gospel of John" by Walking with Purpose. Weekly online classes will be held on Thursdays from 10 am until 12 pm beginning September 24th ("Young Moms Group" is also available on Thursdays) or on Sundays from 6 pm until 8 pm beginning September 20th. Registrations are due by tomorrow, Monday, September 14th, and the book must be ordered individually by each participant (available at http://www.walkingwithpurpose.com or https://www.amazon.com). Financial Assistance is available. To register, please visit http://bit.ly/wowfall2020. For general questions, please contact Janet Wheeler (rwhee28934@aol.com). For registration questions, please contact Katie Packard (km_packard@hotmail.com).

We wish to extend a warm welcome to our Parish family to all those baptized in August 2020. Congratulations, and welcome to our Parish Family! Please click on the article title to see a list of the newly-baptized members of our Parish Family.

Please help us welcome our new members who joined our Parish Family in August 2020. Welcome, everyone! We're so glad you're here! Please click on the article title to see the list of new members for August 2020.

The Pontifical Collection for the Holy Land, usually held on Good Friday, was transferred to Sunday, Sept. 13th with the approval of Pope Francis. The COVID 19 pandemic has added to the complex political, religious, and military challenges faced by Christian communities in the Holy Land. This collection, a sign of our solidarity, enables them to continue their evangelical presence, provide humanitarian aid to refugees, and maintain schools and social structures that assist all citizens with health care, education, and peaceful coexistence, attending above all to the weakest and poorest. For more information about Christians in the Holy Land, please click on the title of this article.

Today we remember the anniversary of 9/11, now nineteen years ago. Memories and emotions from that day and from the days that followed are still easily remembered and felt. These were hard times for our nation after suffering such an attack and loss of life on 9/11/2001. As we remember and reflect on this anniversary, let us do so in prayer: Lord, we remember that fateful day nineteen years ago that shook our nation. We remember all those who lost their lives suddenly. We thank you for all the brave men and women who rushed into buildings to aid the wounded and the dying. We still grieve, along with their families, for all those who lost their lives that day. Continue to be with us and our nation to protect us from acts of terrorism and violence. Protect us and all who continue to protect our freedom and serve our nation and peoples each day. We ask these prayers always through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Bishop Paul J. Bradley, along with The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has requested a second collection for United States Bishops’ Emergency Disaster Fund the weekends of Sept. 12/13 or 19/20. Checks should be made out to the parish with “United States Bishops’ Emergency Disaster Fund” written in the reference line. Funds collected will be distributed through the United States Bishops’ Emergency Disaster Fund to assist Catholic Charities USA and/or Catholic Relief Services, the official relief agencies of the U.S. Catholic Church, as they and their local agencies respond to immediate emergency needs for such necessities as water, food, shelter, and medical care, and aid in long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Laura, the California wildfires and other natural disasters. Funds also will be used by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church in the affected areas. To read the full news release from the USCCB, please click on the title of this article.

What is the Word of God telling us about today? It’s so important to focus on the Word and nurture your spirit during this pandemic. Please join Father Ben for an online Bible Study (using Google Meet) on “Reflections on the Gospel of Luke” starting Friday, September 11 at 6:00 pm. Each week will focus on a different book of Luke and you will learn about the different scriptures within the chapters. Please grab your Bible and join Father Ben to learn more about the Gospel of Luke. To register for this Bible Study and receive the link to the online event, please visit our website: https://www.stcatherinesiena.org/biblestudyform. If you have any questions, please contact Father Ben (frben@stcatherinesiena.org).

Join Women of the Word for their 26-week virtual study, "Touching the Divine: A Study of the Gospel of John" by Walking with Purpose. Weekly online classes will be held on Thursdays from 10 am until 12 pm beginning September 24th ("Young Moms Group" is also available on Thursdays) or on Sundays from 6 pm until 8 pm beginning September 20th. Registrations are due by September 14th and the book must be ordered individually by each participant (available at http://www.walkingwithpurpose.com or https://www.amazon.com). Financial Assistance is available. To register, please visit http://bit.ly/wowfall2020. For general questions, please contact Janet Wheeler (rwhee28934@aol.com). For registration questions, please contact Katie Packard (km_packard@hotmail.com).

The next session of GriefShare begins tomorrow, Thursday, September 10th at 12:30 pm via Zoom. What is GriefShare? GriefShare is a special weekly seminar and support group designed to help you rebuild your life after the death of a loved one. GriefShare will meet on Thursdays from 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm beginning Thursday, September 10, 2020, and running through Thursday, December 10, 2020 (no session on Thanksgiving). To register, please go to http://bit.ly/GSRegFall2020. Questions? Please contact Paula White (269-330-3762 or pwhitentc@mac.com).

Registration for 2020-2021 MOPS has begun! Due to current restrictions on activities at the parish, MOPS will meet virtually using Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm (beginning Sunday, September 27th). We hope you'll join us and Decide to Rise to the challenges we're all facing, embrace everything that's good, and celebrate what keeps us connected...TOGETHER! Want to know more about MOPS? Contact Kristin Beers (stcatherinesienamops@yahoo.com or 616-893-9604). You can also join us for our "Popsicles in the Park" events on Thursday, September 10th from 9:30 am - 10:30 am or Monday, September 14th from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm. Both events will take place at Flesher Park on 9th Street in Oshtemo. Or, join us for Moms Night Out on Thursday, September 17th from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm at Latitude 42 on Portage Road in Portage.

Children's Faith Formation classes for Grades 1 through 5 begin soon! For 2020-2021, our Children's Faith Formation classes will take a hybrid approach with online instruction (offered through the Diocese of Kalamazoo) and in-person fellowships as they are scheduled. Registration will begin on Monday, September 14, 2020, and will be online only using the registration form on our website. Classes will begin in October. The fee for 2020-2021 is $35.00 per family and is due at the time of registration. Please use our Online Giving and Payments Portal (linked to the title of this article) to pay your $35.00 fee. Our parish accepts electronic checks, credit cards, and debit cards through our online portal. As a reminder, parents of first and second graders must enroll their child(ren) in Children's Faith Formation classes this year if they want their child(ren) to make their First Communion the spring of the child’s second-grade year. Sacramental preparation in our Diocese is a two-year program. If you have questions about this requirement, please contact Karen Galloway. This year’s third-graders are encouraged to use Saturday morning "drive-in" confessions (every Saturday from 11 am - 12 pm in the main parking lot ) for their First Penance. However, if this is inconvenient for your family, you can make an individual appointment with either Father Mark (frmark@stcatherinesiena.org) or Father Ben (frben@stcatherinesiena.org). If you choose to make an individual appointment, please contact Karen Galloway once the sacrament has taken place so that she can clear your family to sign up for First Communion. We look forward to welcoming our 1st through 5th-grade children back to Children's Faith Formation for 2020-2021! If you have any questions, please contact Karen Galloway (269-327-0861 or kgalloway@stcatherinesiena.org).

In light of recent incidents of violence and racial tension in communities across the United States, Bishop Bradley joins with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to invite the faithful to unite in a National Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, the Feast of St. Peter Claver. Catholics are urged to pray and fast, attend Mass, pray the rosary or pray for the intercession of the saints who have fought for racial equality such as St. Peter Claver. For more information, please click on the title of this article. To download a prayer card from the USCCB, please visit https://www.usccb.org/resources/7-626-Open-Wide-Prayer-Card.pdf.