Dear Parishioners,

Fr. Joseph and I are back now from a few days of Convocation with the Bishop and the priests of the Diocese of Kalamazoo. It’s nice to get away, and also nice to see the progress that continues to be made on the construction around the campus while we were gone.

Of course, when the priests are away and out of town for something like the convocation, that means that we don’t have a normal sacramental schedule at the parish such as Masses, confessions, and other sacraments. Several years ago, when we had more priests, we could possibly leave one behind. That’s not possible anymore because our numbers have continued to shrink and Bishop Lohse wants all of our priests to attend. Therefore, we actually asked priests from areas surrounding the diocese, such as Grand Rapids, the Lansing area, and even the parishes that are over the border in Indiana, to cover for us. 

That brings me to another topic: The Sacrament of the Sick. Before Vatican II, there was a different understanding of the Sacrament. It was only for those who were close to death. With the Church Council, the understanding and practice of the Sacrament has changed. Not only is it still intended for those who are close to death, but it is also meant for anyone who is going to have surgery, has a serious illness, or had an accident with injuries which required hospitalization. As I write about this, I just want to remind everyone to not wait until the last moment, because it might be difficult for a priest to make it in time. There have been a number of times where I don’t make it before the person passes away. If you have someone that needs to be anointed, please call the office if it’s a 

non-emergency or the after-hours emergency line if something has happened and it is an emergency situation. 

Now that we have reached the middle of October, we are just weeks away from the start of the extraordinary Jubilee year of 2025. I will have additional information about this in the coming weeks. But you can always check out the official website from the Vatican: iubilaeum2025.va

Thanks for reading!

Fr. Mark