VBS 2019: ROAR is coming! Monday, July 15, 2019 through Friday, July 19, 2019 from 9 am until 12 noon each day. Registration begins this weekend! For more information, and to download registration forms, please see the Facebook Event on our parish Facebook page or visit the Vacation Bible School page of our website: https://www.stcatherinesiena.org/vbs.

There are two VIRTUS training sessions coming up in our area. The first will be on Saturday, June 22, 2019, at 9:00 am at St. Joseph Parish on Lake Street in Kalamazoo. Parishioner Narcia Schultz-Acker will facilitate this session. The second training will be held on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, at 5:00 pm here at St. Catherine's in the Siena Conference Room (lower level). Narcia Schultz-Acker will also be the leader for this training session. If you plan to attend either training session, you must register online at the VIRTUS website (click on the title of this article to go directly to the VIRTUS site). Are you planning to volunteer for Vacation Bible School (VBS) or Children's Faith Formation classes? If so, you are required to complete a VIRTUS training session PRIOR to volunteering.

From the very beginning of our church, whether we met in homes or gathering spaces, the work of Christ—healing the sick, loving our neighbor, feeding the hungry, protecting the vulnerable—all was accomplished through the work of our hands. On Wednesdays in Eastertide, we will honor and celebrate those among us who are carrying on this work in Christ’s name and in the name of our parish. Please join us in Trinity Chapel at 6:30 pm on Wednesday evenings, beginning May 1st, and lasting through Wednesday, June 12th.

Many people have asked what they can do to help the Cathedral of Notre Dame recover from this week's devastating fire. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in solidarity with the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, is welcoming donations through a special online collection in the wake of the devastating fire on April 15, 2019. To read the full article, please visit the following section of the Diocesan website: https://www.diokzoo.org/news/national-shrine-sets-up-fund-for-notre-dame-rebuilding Donations in the form of a check may be sent to: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Attn: Monsignor Walter Rossi, Rector, 400 Michigan Avenue, NE, Washington, D.C. 20017. Checks should be made payable to "Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception"; indicate "Cathedral of Notre Dame Fund" in the memo portion of the check.

All of our Holy Week and Easter events and Masses are listed on our website calendar AND on a slide at the top of our home page. We also have created Facebook events for each of the Holy Week events and Masses, as well as Easter Sunday Masses. Below is a summary of scheduled Masses and events for the Triduum and Easter. We've also listed any "normal" events which are NOT happening this week. THURSDAY, APRIL 18th - NO morning Mass; NO Adoration prior to the evening Mass; 7:00 pm Mass of the Lord's Supper; Adoration in Trinity Chapel after Mass until 10:00 pm. FRIDAY, APRIL 19th - NO daily Mass; NO Adoration prior to the Celebration of the Lord's Passion/Veneration of the Holy Cross; 1:00 pm Celebration of the Lord's Passion/Veneration of the Holy Cross; 3:00 pm Stations of the Cross; 7:00 pm Reflections at the Foot of the Cross. SATURDAY, APRIL 20th - NO morning Mass; 11:00 am Blessing of Easter Foods in MARIAN HALL; NO 5:30 PM MASS; 9:00 pm Easter Vigil. SUNDAY, APRIL 21st - 7:00 am Easter Sunday Mass (Please note earlier time) - Father Basker with Cantor/Choir; 9:00 am Easter Sunday Mass - Father Bill with Choir/Sienas/Young Adult Praise Band; 11:00 am Easter Sunday Mass - Father Albert with Gathering Band; NO 5:00 PM MASS

We are offering several additional individual reconciliation (confession) times during Holy Week as we prepare for the Triduum. On Monday, April 15th, we will offer reconciliations from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm and again from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. On Tuesday, April 16th, we will offer reconciliations from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm. On Wednesday, April 17th, we will offer reconciliations from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm and again from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. All individual reconciliations will take place in the Reconciliation Chapel in Church.

On Saturday, April 20th, we will have the traditional Blessing of Easter Foods at 11 am in Marian Hall. Please join us!

Mrs. Anne Creagan, mother of our former Pastor, Father Bob Creagan, passed away this past Saturday, April 6th. For those who may wish to attend, the Visitation and Mass of Christian Burial for Mrs. Creagan will be held this Thursday, April 11, 2019, at Holy Family Church, Decatur. Visitation will begin at 9 am, with the praying of the rosary at 10:30 am. The Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11 am. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon her.

Are you looking for more ways to deepen your Lenten understanding and sacrifice? We've compiled some resources that you might find helpful as you continue your Lenten journey. We hope you find these helpful.

Following Stations of the Cross each Friday, at approximately 7:30 pm in the main Church, Jay Landry will show the first six segments of the Wild Goose Ministry videos (one segment on each Friday), and lead a brief discussion after the video. To learn more about the "Wild Goose" videos and The Ministry of the Wild Goose, please visit their website: https://thewildgooseisloose.com/about. For more information on each weekly video, please visit the Events section of our parish Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/stcatherinesiena/events.

During Lent, we will pray Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings at 6:30 pm in Church (please note that there is NO LENTEN MEAL on Fridays this year). All are welcome! Friday, March 8th will be led by Jay Landry. Friday, March 15th will be led by our El Sitio ministry. Friday, March 22nd will be led by Deacon Brian Kaluzny. Friday, March 29th will be led by Knights of Columbus, Council 6980. Friday, April 5th will be led by RCIA ministries. Friday, April 12th will be led by Father Albert Kemboi.

On each of the six Fridays of Lent, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will begin at 8 am instead of 10 am. Father Albert and Deacon Brian will be praying the Morning Prayer of the Divine Office at 8:30 am. All are invited to join them.

Due to weather and road conditions, our parish will be CLOSED on Monday, February 25, 2019. All scheduled activities are CANCELLED, including Daily Mass. If you have to travel today, please be safe!

On Saturday, March 9th, from 6:30 pm until 9:30 pm, Recipes for Change presents their 2019 dinner event: An Evening in Mykonos. Experience the tastes, sounds, and sights of the Greek Island of Mykonos without leaving the Stanley Centre! During this year's event, we would like to invite your donations for the renovation of the kitchen in the parish's Marian Hall. For more information about this project, please visit the Recipes for Change page of our website: https://www.stcatherinesiena.org/recipes-for-change. To donate to the Marian Hall Kitchen Renovation Project, please go to:https://www.stcatherinesiena.org/give and select "Marian Hall Kitchen Renovation Project" from the "Donation Categories" drop-down menu.

We have a Confirmation date from the Diocese! This year's Confirmation class will be confirmed at the 5:00 pm Mass on Sunday, June 16, 2019. If you have any questions about Confirmation, please contact Phillip Dezern (pdezern@stcatherinesiena.org).

On Sunday, March 3rd, there will be a Lenten Special for the Children's Faith Formation classes that meet on Sundays. This includes the families that participate in the online courses. This special activity starts at 3:15 pm and will be held in Marian Hall. There will also be a Lenten Special on Monday, March 4th for all Children's Faith Formation classes that meet on Mondays. Please note dismissal will be at 7:30. The program will be held in Marian Hall. Volunteers are needed to help the program be a success. Please contact Karen Galloway (kgalloway@stcatherinesiena.org or 327-0861) if you would like to help with either of these Lenten programs.

Just a reminder that there are NO Children's Faith Formation classes on Sunday, February 24, or Monday, February 25 due to Portage Public Schools Mid-Winter Break.

Join Jay Landry on Tuesdays at 10 am or 5:30 pm, both in Trinity Chapel, beginning March 12, 2019, for an introduction to Centering Prayer. In Centering Prayer, we allow the mystery that is God to gently embrace us, so that we rest in God, which allows us to live into our True Self. Whether you are new to Centering Prayer or not, please join us for the practice of contemplative prayer, where, in each session, Jay Landry will describe Centering Prayer and we will practice it. Each session will last approximately 40 minutes. You are welcome to attend all, or just some, of the sessions, as your schedule allows. For more information, please see the attached flyer or contact Jay Landry (jlandry@stcatherinesiena.org or 269-978-2331).

Join Jay Landry on Saturday, March 16, 2019, from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm, for our 2019 Parish Lenten Retreat - Stewardship: Becoming Sons and Daughters of God. Jay will lead two prayerful sessions on Biblical Stewardship. There will also be two talks on stewardship: one by Marci McCarthy, and the other by Father Ken Schmidt. Lunch will be provided ($5 suggested donation) and childcare is available. Please RSVP to Jay Landry (jlandry@stcatherinesiena.org or 269-978-2331) before March 14th (as soon as possible if you need childcare)

Join us in the Siena Conference Room (lower-level) on Sunday, February 17, 2019, at 12:30 pm to explore the effects of sleep on your mind, body, and spirit with our parish nurse, Paula White. Please feel free to bring a friend; you don't need to be a parishioner to attend!