Have you ever asked someone to pray for you; or been asked to pray for someone else? As a Church, we pray for one another that the Lord continue to bless, guide, strengthen, and console us. One incredibly beautiful and ancient way we can pray for someone is to have a Mass offered for that person. It is a holy and devout practice to have Masses offered for a loved one, living or deceased. Masses may be offered on any day, but many offer them on a birthday, anniversary or for a special need. Payment for Mass Intentions are not required but are appreciated. Most Parishioners give $10 per Mass Intention. Our priests here at St. Catherine’s do not take the money for the Mass itself, but for the purpose of supplying the things necessary for Mass (hosts, wine, etc.) as well as for the support of the whole parish community. If you would like to have a Mass Intention said for a loved one, email our Front Office at FrontDesk@stcatherinesiena.org with the name of the person for your Mass Intention and your requested date(s). Please include a few alternative dates if possible. Contact our Front Office at 327-5165 or email us at FrontDesk@stcatherinesiena.org with any questions.

Please join us this coming Saturday, August 15th, at 9:15 am in Marian Hall as we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While this is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation this year, we hope you will still consider joining us! Please use the Marian Hall entrance when you come for Mass; Marian Hall will be open at 8:45 am on Saturday morning.

Our annual Back-to-School Giving Tree project kicked off this weekend and will run through the month of August. We've made a few changes to the project due to COVID-19. We'll still be collecting requested items for Family and Children Services, Generous Hands, and Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries, but rather than asking people to take paper tags during this time of pandemic, we have created online donation lists for each organization on SignUpGenius.com. To see full details about the project, learn more about the organizations participating in this project, or view the lists of requested items for each organization, please visit the Giving Trees page of our parish website: https://www.stcatherinesiena.org/giving-trees and scroll down to the 2020 Back-to-School Giving Tree Project Information. As in the past, you may drop off your donations in the designated boxes in the church vestibule. Please label the bag or item with the name of the organization it goes to, if possible, to assist us with sorting and inventory. If you have questions about this project, please contact Marianne Verner (mverner@stcatherinesiena.org). If you would like to volunteer to help deliver the items at the completion of the project, please contact Collette Gushurst (gushursts@yahoo.com). There are also printed lists of requested items for each organization (as well as a description of each organization) available in the vestibule of the church (between the two sets of main church doors). On those printed lists, you will also find a QR code. If you scan that QR code with your smartphone, it will take you directly to the online SignUpGenius list for that organization where you can volunteer to donate specific items. Thank you in advance for your assistance and generosity!