Our fall 2019 session of Women of the Word begins the week of September 26th. There are 2 separate sessions: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm on Thursdays, or 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm on Sundays. If you would like to know more about our fall program, visit the Women of the Word page of our website or visit the Registration Table in the Narthex on the weekends of September 7-8 or September 14-15.

Alpha is a small group process that meets for a meal, video, and a discussion, inviting us to grow in relationship with Jesus Christ. The 11-week series begins on Wednesday, September 18th at 6:15 pm. If you are interested in learning more about Alpha, please stop by the registration table in the Narthex this weekend or next weekend after all the Masses or contact Jay Landry at 978-2331. Ready to sign up? You can register on our website - https://www.stcatherinesiena.org/alpha! Would you like to preview some of the Alpha videos and topics? Visit their website for more information: https://alpha-usa.squarespace.com/alpha-film-series-preview.

What is MOPS? MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers, and it's a group for pregnant mothers up to kindergarten children. Meet other moms who desire to serve, share lives together, and develop meaningful friendships. Want to know more? Our MOPS group is hosting an Open House next Wednesday, August 21st, from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm in the Stanley Centre. Light refreshments will be served. We hope you'll join us! Starting September 10, our MOPS group will meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month from 9:15 am -11:15 am in the Stanley Centre. Limited childcare is available. For more information, visit our website, view our flyer (http://bit.ly/StCatMOPS) or contact Liza Foley (StCatherineSienaMOPS@yahoo.com or 517-812-7279).

"Unplanned" is the inspiring true story of one woman’s journey of transformation. Abby Johnson just wanted to help women. As one of the youngest Planned Parenthood clinic directors, she was involved in upwards of 22,000 abortions, which led her to become a spokesperson, fighting to enact legislation. That is until she witnessed something that began a transformation, eventually making her a staunch defender of unborn human life. Please join us for one of two showings of “Unplanned” on Sunday, August 25 at either 1:00 pm or 6:30 pm. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. For admittance, we ask for a suggested donation of a bag of diapers (sizes newborn, 5 & 6, pull-ups 2-5T) for the Caring Network, a local crisis pregnancy center. Please contact Jay Landry (978-2331) with any questions.

The Children’s Faith Formation team is pleased to announce we are offering new textbooks this year courtesy of the local Knights of Columbus Council # 6980. Both our early childhood curriculum, Allelu!, and our older child curriculum, Alive in Christ, are published by Our Sunday Visitor. For more details on our new curriculum, please visit our Children's Faith Formation page.

In a letter to the Faithful, Bishop Bradley is calling for a diocesan-wide Day of Prayer for Peace and an End to Violence to be celebrated on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 2019. He writes, "Even in the face of these despicable acts, we must remain a prayerful, faithful and hope-filled people. Therefore, I ask that our entire Diocese designate next week’s Holy Day of Obligation’s celebration of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother into Heaven, as a Day of Prayer for Peace and an End to Violence. I am inviting all 59 of our Parishes to devote special prayers during their Holy Day Masses, as we all call upon the intercession of our Blessed Mother, and as we stand in solidarity for the protection of all human life. Next week, on August 15, 2019, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, body and soul, into her Heavenly Home. I feel this is a fitting time to once again turn to our Blessed Mother during these times of trouble to seek her protection, to ask for her intercession, and to know that she will stand with us and help us."

Next Thursday, August 15th, is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses for the Holy Day will be Wednesday, August 14th at 5:30 pm (Vigil Mass); Thursday, August 15th at 9:15 am, Thursday, August 15th at 12:10 pm (no music), and Thursday, August 15th at 7:00 pm. All Masses will be in the main Church. We hope you'll join us for one or more of these beautiful Masses!

Are you planning to volunteer as a Catechist for Children's Faith Formation classes? All volunteers who have contact with children MUST complete a VIRTUS training session PRIOR to volunteering. St. Catherine's will host a VIRTUS training session on Wednesday, August 14th from 6 pm until 9 pm in the Siena Conference Room (lower level). Participants must pre-register for this training session by visiting the VIRTUS registration site: https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/reg_list.cfm?theme=0.

Beginning Tuesday, August 6th, and lasting for four weeks, Jay Landry will offer a bible study on baptism - "Baptism - A Transformative Call to Discipleship & Mission." Sessions will meet at either 10:00 am or 6:30 pm, both in the Siena Conference Room (lower level). Please RSVP to Jay (978-2331 or jlandry@stcatherinesiena.org) and bring your bible!

Children's Faith Formation classes for children age 3 through 5th grade will be starting soon! As we prepare for the upcoming school year, please take note of two special Children's Faith Formation events coming up: • On Wednesday, August 28, 2019 at 6:00 pm in Marian Hall, Mike Hoyt from Our Sunday Visitor will conduct training for all catechists on our new textbooks. Please RSVP to Karen Galloway (269-327-0861 or kgalloway@stcatherinesiena.org). • On Wednesday, September 4, 2019, there will be an Open House for all registered Children's Faith Formation students and their families. This will replace the postings of class lists, so please be sure to attend! We will gather in Marian Hall at 6:00 pm for introductions and prayer. From there, we will move to the classrooms to meet and greet the catechists and get a peek at our new textbooks. Treats and a simple craft will be in each room for the children to enjoy. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to gather as a “communion of saints”!

Please join Bishop Paul J. Bradley for a special Mass of Reconciliation on Wednesday, August 7th at 6 pm in the Church. This Mass, rescheduled from earlier in the year, will provide an opportunity for our parishioners to come together in prayer and with hope for the future. Following Mass, there will be time for prayerful reflection and dialogue with Bishop Bradley. Our evening will conclude by 8 pm. We hope you can join us.

Children's Faith Formation classes for the 2019-2020 school year will begin the week of September 8, 2019. Registration forms for 2019-2020 Children's Faith Formation classes are now available on the Children's Faith Formation page of our website (see the Forms and Files section) and in the Front Office.  Please complete one form for EACH child you are registering.  Fees are payable at the time of registration and may be made via a check made out to St. Catherine of Siena.  Please write "Children's Faith Formation" in the check memo.  You may return your forms and payment to Karen Galloway via the Front Office or by leaving them in the dropbox outside the Front Office door. Please note that the deadline to take advantage of lower fees is Friday, August 23, 2019.  After August 23, 2019, registration fees will increase. 

Our weekly Migrant Ministry visits to the migrant camp in Grand Junction continue each Monday evening through August 5th. We hope you'll consider joining us in playing games, making crafts and providing drinks and snacks to the children at the migrant camp. We meet at 5:15 pm in the lower-level east parking lot (please park in the main lot) to pack the bus with supplies and depart at 5:30 pm. The bus returns to St. Catherine's at 9:30 pm (after a stop for ice cream). Students will need a permission slip and medical treatment form (both signed by a parent), one-time $20 bus transportation fee, extra money for ice cream (if desired). Forms are available outside the Front Office, as well as on the Migrant Ministry page of our website. Adult participants and Virtus-trained volunteers (to supervise students) are also welcome!

We've had a fantastic week at VBS: ROAR! Today's Wild Bible adventure talked about giving thanks and praise to God when good things happen. Miss Karen and Miss Alyssa decided to give thanks and praise to all of the adult volunteers who helped us with VBS this year, and crowned them with tiaras and presented them with gifts on stage in front of all of the children. When life is good, God is good!

Today at VBS, we learned that when life is sad, God is good. Wild Bible Adventure jumps forward to Jesus coming down to earth to teach us, but now his time is drawing near to leave us, and He and His family would be sad. Jesus says” take heart because I have overcome the world.“ Tomorrow, please have children wear their VBS t-shirts AND sunscreen (but please NO bug spray) and bring their water bottles!

Today at VBS, Wild Bible had us walking in the desert following Moses but God gave us manna and water. Children learned that even when life changes: God is good. And, as a reminder, tomorrow and Friday, please have children wear their VBS t-shirts AND sunscreen (but please NO bug spray) and bring their water bottles!

We had a great time on Day 2 of VBS! Today, God sent the plagues upon Egypt, and the children learned that even when life gets scary...God is good! For tomorrow, please have children wear their VBS t-shirts AND sunscreen (but please NO bug spray) and bring their water bottles!

The first day of VBS was a ROARing success! Children learned that when life is unfair... God is good! Thank you, Father Mark, Father Ben, and Father Jeff for coming to visit us today! For tomorrow (and the rest of the week), please have children wear their VBS t-shirts AND sunscreen (but please NO bug spray) and bring their water bottle!

Grieving the death of a spouse? Or, do you know someone who is? Your life has changed forever and the grief and sadness can seem hard to bear at times. Find help and support at our Loss of a Spouse workshop on Wednesday, August 14 from 7:00-9:00 pm in Rooms 9-11. Suggested donation of $5.00 covers the cost of your workbook and snacks. Contact Mary Beckley-Clark (978-2334 or mclark@stcatherinesiena.org) OR Paula White (330-3762 or pwhitentc@mac.com) for more information or to register.

On Tuesday, July 23, from 1 pm until 8 pm in Marian Hall, our parish will host a Michigan Blood (Versiti) Drive in honor of our dear friend and long-time employee, Mary Hunt. Mary helped coordinate a lot of blood drives during her time here and Michigan Blood would like to honor her for this. Appointments are preferred and may be scheduled on the Versiti website: http://www.versiti.org.