Dear Parishioners, Happy Pentecost! In the eyes of the Church, Pentecost is seen as a day of new beginnings; the day that the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and gave them the courage they needed to preach the Gospel. During this pandemic, the Feast of Pentecost has also been a day of new beginnings for our local churches. Last year, Pentecost was the first time we were able to celebrate Mass publicly in several months. This year on Pentecost, Bishop Bradley has invited everyone to return to Sunday Masses. (Please see a copy of this letter online at http://bit.ly/BPJPLetterMay2021. Also, view his video on the Diocesan YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/f2hmBw3vyok). We welcome back our friends and parishioners that, due to the circumstances of the pandemic, haven’t been able to join us. Please be assured that we continue to make our parish a safe environment to pray and attend Mass. As our numbers continue to grow, please note that we have made some changes to the location of some of our “temporary” Mass sites. The 9:00 am Mass will return to the main church building. Since the 11:00 am Mass has the largest attendance, we will offer two Masses at the 11 am time slot: one in the main church and the second in the gym. As our staff and volunteers have done throughout this past year, we will continue to monitor the attendance at the weekend Masses to see if we need to make any further adjustments. Our staff thanks you for your cooperation and patience during these unusual times. A special thanks to everyone who has pledged and given to support the work of the Church throughout our diocese by your donation to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. If we haven’t heard from you, please prayerfully consider a pledge. Thank for reading! Fr. Mark
Dear Parishioners, Sometimes we may feel just like the disciples: looking up at Heaven and wondering where is our Lord. But as the angels would remind the disciples, we do not have to keep looking for the Lord, for He is always here with us. We do not have to doubt or fear, for the Lord will never abandon us. As we find ourselves in these final days of the Easter season, and prepare ourselves for the great feast of Pentecost, may we never forget how the Lord is always near. As we continue to make progress towards our Bishop’s Annual Appeal 2021 goal, I would like to thank everyone who has helped us get to this point. I hope we can wrap up our pledge portion of this campaign within the next few weeks. If you haven’t had a chance to pledge or make a gift yet to support the work of the Church in our diocese, there’s still time. Please prayerfully consider a pledge; no gift is too large or too small. Pledge envelopes can be found at the entrance of the church and one can pledge anytime online at http://www.diokzoo.org (please click on the BAA 2021 link once you get to the site). May the Lord continue to bless all the ministries and outreach of the Church throughout these counties of Southwestern Michigan. Please continue to pray for our 1st Communion students. We wrap up our 1st Communions at the weekend Masses next weekend on Pentecost. As we have gradually reopened and returned to Mass a year ago at Pentecost, Bishop Bradley announced that the General Dispensation from Sunday Mass will expire on May 23, Pentecost Sunday 2021. Since this was just announced by the Diocese last week, we will have more details soon, but we wanted to get the word out as soon as possible. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark
Dear Parishioners, In this month of May, we honor the Mother of God, Mary most holy. As we try to spend a little time with our moms, grandmothers, even godmothers this weekend, also spend some time with the Blessed Mother. For her example is not only an inspiration to all mothers, but also to draw us closer to her son. She would have done anything for him. May the Lord bless all our moms today and always! This is also week number two for all the students receiving their 1st Holy Communion this spring. With two 1st Communion sessions each weekend (Saturday at 4:00 pm and Sunday at 5:00 pm), we are already at the halfway point of our schedule. Please continue to keep them in prayer. In all the years that I have done 1st Communions, I never tire of seeing the joy that fills the hearts of our youth when they receive the Lord for the first time in His Body and His Blood. Some of you may also be wondering when we are doing Confirmations at St. Catherine’s this year. We have a little different format this year as the Bishop has asked all confirmation students to join him for Confirmation at the Cathedral versus having them at the parishes. Our youth are scheduled for a Saturday at the end of June. Please keep these students in your prayers as well as they begin these final weeks of preparation. Happy Mother’s Day! Fr. Mark
Dear Parishioners, It’s 1st Communion time! This will be our second season of celebrating the Sacraments during pandemic times. Similar to what we did last year, that means that we will have to limit the number of guests at each 1st Communion celebration and spread out our students and their families over several Masses and several weeks. Of course, our students learned in a virtual format this year. Starting this weekend, we will have 1st Communions celebrated at both the 4:00 pm Saturday evening Mass and the 5:00 pm Sunday night Mass for the next several weekends (no 1st Communions have been scheduled for Memorial Day weekend). We will also be live streaming these Masses so that family members who are some distance away may participate in these 1st Communion celebrations. Please be aware of this when you are planning what Mass you attend and keep these students in your prayers as they prepare for their special day! We are now several weeks into our 2021 Bishop’s Appeal. Hopefully everyone has received their personalized pledge card and packet from the Diocese. The format for the Bishop’s Appeal is back to the normal time of the year and goals. Please help support our seminarians, our Catholic Charities and other ministries that this appeal sponsors each year. I ask each and every family to prayerfully consider a pledge to the Bishop’s Appeal. Your donation will make a difference. A special thank you to those who have already pledged and helped us begin this campaign. One final note, thank you all for your continued support of our St. Catherine’s Staff and many volunteers who truly work hard each week to make sure that everyone stays safe during this pandemic. We will continue to do as we have done with requiring masks, cleaning and sanitizing, and doing our best to maintain social distancing at Masses. We are glad that you are able to join us in person for Mass and look forward to the day when this pandemic passes us by. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark
Dear Parishioners, We celebrate this 4th Sunday of Easter, or as it is often referred to, Good Shepherd Sunday. Even though I spent a total of 10 years as pastor in two of our rural counties along the Michigan/Indiana border, I don’t profess a great knowledge of sheep or raising sheep. But I did see plenty of sheep in the show barns at the county fairs! But that’s the end of my expertise. The Gospel reminds us how important it is for us to hear and to follow the voice of the only Shepherd we should listen to: Our Lord Jesus. For the sheep know the voice of their shepherd and will follow the shepherd wherever he goes. The Universal Church also celebrates and sets aside this weekend as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. As the disciples were called by Jesus to follow Him, over three years, they learned the ups and downs of being disciples. But they were also called to be the first priests and Bishops of the Church. Every year during Holy Week, at the Diocesan Chrism Mass with the Bishop, all of your priests renew their commitment to their call to the priesthood and service to the Church. This annual renew of commitment is always very meaningful as we remember why Christ chose us to spread the Gospel. As I complete 28 years of the priesthood, I know that I’m not the young priest that I used to be. Perhaps that is why I always pray for vocations, as I know how the preaching of the Gospel never stops, nor do the celebration of the Sacraments. All of this may be a little more challenging during a pandemic, yet God never stops calling men to the priesthood or to the religious life. I ask that you make this part of your prayers this weekend on Good Shepherd Sunday. I also ask for your prayers and support as we are also in the first weeks of our Bishop’s Annual Appeal 2021. By now, I hope you have received your information packet and individual pledge card in the mail. If not, please feel free to go to the Diocesan website (http://www.diokzoo.org) and click on the Bishop’s Annual Appeal tab to donate. This annual appeal supports our seminarians and helps to educate them as they continue their journey to ordination and priesthood. I hope everyone can prayerfully consider supporting the work of the Church in this way. If you have already given, I thank you for your support! Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark
Dear Parishioners, It has been so nice these past few weeks to see many faces in church that I haven’t seen in a long time. Glad to see that more and more are able to receive the vaccine. Even in this most unusual time, our parish depends heavily on volunteers! From the ladies who put up and took down all the Lent and Easter decorations/flowers, the ushers who seat you at weekend Masses, those who assist with the counting of the collections, our sacristans who help us set up for Mass or others who help with the outdoor work around our campus—I am extremely grateful to all our volunteers! I want to thank our staff also who worked hard these past few weeks to make sure that everything was ready for Easter. It makes my work as pastor so much easier. Spring is here and it’s time for me once again to announce the Bishop’s Annual Appeal (BAA). Yes, BAA 2021 has started. Our goal is pretty much the same as it has been in years past. However, we have returned to the “normal” format that, as a parish, we need to make the entire goal before we see a refund back to the parish. Last year’s special BAA campaign was a one-time campaign that was meant to help out the parishes during the time of pandemic and the loss of financial support during uncertain times (after we reached half of our goal, the rest came back to the parish). I do appreciate all who contributed to BAA 2020 during these difficult times as we were able to benefit greatly from this arrangement. As we once again seek to support the works of the greater Church, I prayerfully ask you to consider a pledge to the Bishop’s Appeal 2021. Your pledge supports the work of the Church throughout our diocese and not just at the parish level. Please watch your mailbox for your personalized pledge card and additional information on this annual appeal. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark
Dear Parishioners, On April 22, 2001, the Universal Church officially began celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday. This year is the 20th Anniversary of this celebration. In every age of the Church, God shows His love. Almost 100 years ago, the Lord revealed Himself in the figure of the Divine Mercy for the Church and the world to contemplate. This was right before the start of World War II and the many crimes that were committed against human life. God saw the choices that the world and society were making. He knew we needed to see His constant love revealed to us in His Divine Mercy. The Divine Mercy chaplet has become a popular devotion prayed each day, especially at the 3:00 pm hour, so that we can be reminded of the love of the Lord and the need that each one of us has to be forgiven for our sinfulness. In the weeks after Easter, this is when we normally begin to talk about the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. As you read this, you may have a puzzled look on your face. Didn’t we just have a special edition of the Bishop’s Appeal a few months ago? Yes, we did! Last year was an exceptional year in all ways, including when the Bishop’s Appeal started and ended. I am extremely grateful for the support that was given to this and the fact that we did receive money back to help the parish at a time when we really needed it. However, this year we will be back to the normal format and our goal will be very similar to what it has been in the past. As we prepare to officially begin this, I ask all of you to prayerfully think about how you can support the work of the Church once again, in the midst of trying times, so that the good works of the Church can continue. More information about this will be arriving over the next few weeks. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark
Alleluia! He Is Risen! A message from Father Mark on this Easter Sunday: Dear Parishioners, In the weeks leading up to Easter, we have been waiting for this day. During Lent, we had the opportunity to reflect on what Christ did for us and how each day we can become more like Him. Now that Easter is finally here, we rejoice for He has risen from the dead and has shown us a new way of life! I always take a few minutes each time I celebrate Easter to pray for all my family members and friends who have gone before me in faith. For it is my hope, and all our hopes, that we will be able to join our loved ones once again in the promise of the Resurrection. As we look forward to the promise of the Resurrection, may you and your families enjoy this blessed day of rejoicing. A special thank you to all our volunteers and staff who make everything possible each weekend and throughout Holy Week. It takes a lot of extra work these days, during the pandemic, to make everything possible and for those who walk through our doors to remain safe. Thank you for all you do. If you hear a little noise coming out of the Marian Hall Kitchen, we have been able to move forward with some of the first steps of the renovation project that was started a few years ago. Permits were issued by the city and the Diocese gave permission for us to proceed. Money was collected a few years back and has been set aside for this project. We are starting with the ventilation system over the stove as it needs a major upgrade to bring it up to code. More to come on this project as we move forward with the other stages. Thanks for reading! Happy Easter! Fr. Mark
Dear Parishioners, In any Lenten Season, it feels like a great accomplishment when we reach Palm Sunday and Holy Week. This is one of those weeks where we walk with Jesus along the Road to Calvary, but in doing so, we discover that the Lord has been walking with us all the time. During Holy Week 2021, as I mentioned in my column last week, a few of our familiar customs and traditions during the Mass and on Good Friday will not be the same as in past years (due to the Pandemic). For those who are able to join us during the liturgies of Holy Week, we look forward to seeing you. Overflow will be available in Marian Hall in case we need it. We will be offering additional times for confession on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. On Good Friday, we will be doing the “Drive-in” confessions in the parking lot immediately following the Good Friday Service. On Holy Saturday, we will be having confessions at the normal 11:00 am-noon time slot. Please pray for our Catechumens and Candidates as they prepare to celebrate and receive the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil. I always look forward to this night as this is the primary time each year that we welcome people into the Church. I hope and pray that you will have a Blessed Holy Week. Please check the schedule in the bulletin and on our Website and Facebook page as to the times that we will have Masses for Holy Thursday, the Good Friday Service, and for the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark
Dear Parishioners, I need to take a minute and explain our capacity issues. It’s wonderful to see people coming back to Mass, but in recent weeks, even with our overflow area, we are having to turn people away and telling them to come back for another Mass time. As capacities start to open up in other places (restaurants, etc.), I am being asked many questions about church capacity. These are the diocesan protocols that continue to govern us right now: 1) 6-foot social distancing. 2) Need to wear masks. 3) Cleaning. With our curved pews, we cannot do every other pew as we would not be in compliance with the social distancing rule. We have added space in the overflow area in Marian Hall by packing up the parish library and putting it into storage. As a staff, we have also looked at some ways to add a chair here and there. The only other option we might have is to open another Mass time in the gym until some of these other things are relaxed. As we have announced at Masses the past few, please come early to get a seat. Or you may even want to consider a different Mass time (as the 11:00 am Mass fills up quickly). Please give some thoughts on all these things as you plan your Mass time for the weekend. After living through the past year with many different changes, here is a quick summary of what to expect for Holy Week liturgies and Masses: (and yes, Holy Week begins next weekend!) Palm Sunday: Yes, we will have palms! However, they will be self-serve and a table will be set up with the blessed palms on them for you to take home. In many parishes, a procession is typically done on Palm Sunday to remember when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Because social distancing and other practices are in place, the congregation will not be able to process for Palm Sunday. Holy Thursday: The washing of the feet will be omitted this year. There will still be time to pray privately before the Blessed Sacrament at the conclusion of Mass. Good Friday: The Veneration of the Cross will be altered this year to only the presider kissing the Cross. Those who wish to venerate the Cross, they will be asked to bow or to kneel before the Cross. Holy Saturday: Those who are to be baptized and/or receive the Easter Sacraments of Confirmation, and their First Communion, will do so. Due to safety protocols, the congregation will not be able to gather outside the Church for the lighting of the Easter fire. Easter Sunday: We will celebrate Easter Sunday the same way we have been able to celebrate our Sunday Masses. All safety protocols and cleaning will be in place and overflow will be available in Marian Hall. An additional Mass will be celebrated in the gym at the 11:00 am time slot. Our Easter schedule of Masses is posted on this page of the bulletin. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark
Dear Parishioners, I have often said that as a priest, one thinks about things and looks at the world differently. As soon as the New Year celebrations wrap up, most priests, especially those who are Pastors, start to think about Lent. Now don’t get too concerned. Lent doesn’t start for another three weeks. But one of the reasons that I am starting to write to you about these aspects is that some things about Lent will be a little different this year. It’s something that we have come to expect in this past year: Things will be different. The Bishop has just put out an updated set of guidelines for the parishes to use in the upcoming season of Lent and also for the celebration of the Sacraments for those who are becoming Catholic at Easter. As the Bishop referred to it, this is Plan A. Of course, we all know what happened last year during the season of Lent: Our plans changed overnight when we were shut down and had to stay home. We are hoping and praying that this doesn’t happen again to us this Lent! As far as the safety and cleaning things we do at St. Catherine’s, as well as capacity, none of these things will change. This will continue to be with us for a while. For the most part, we will only see some changes to how we do a few things during the Lenten season. I will meet with my staff and our priests to finalize our own schedules and the virtual Lenten talks we plan to offer. We will be publishing the Ash Wednesday Mass schedule and the schedule for the Stations of the Cross soon. My columns over the next few weeks and other parish media outlets will explain these things in greater detail. Stay tuned for all these updates. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark