Join Bishop Bradley at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, January 22nd at St. Monica Parish, Kalamazoo for a Mass in observance of the National Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. All are welcome to join as we gather to pray for the unborn, for those who carry the wound of abortion, and for a renewed respect for the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. Participants are invited to bring a donation of diapers and baby wipes to support the ministry of Caring Network. For more information contact Lisa Irwin at 269-903-0177 or lirwin@diokzoo.org.

All are invited to the annual Prayer for Life service this Saturday, January 18th, at 2:00 pm on the front steps of St. Augustine Cathedral Parish, Kalamazoo, to pray for a peaceful end to abortion. A short program with refreshments will be held in the Crowley Center following the prayer service. Participants are invited to bring donations of diapers and baby wipes to support the work of Caring Network and Alternatives of Kalamazoo. In case of inclement weather, the prayer service will take place in the Crowley Center. For more information, please contact Lisa Irwin (lirwin@diokzoo.org or 269-903-0177).

All weekend Masses WILL continue as scheduled.

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 with Parish Nurse, Paula White, on Sunday, January 19th from 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm in the Siena Conference Room (lower level). A suggested donation of $5.00 covers the cost of your workbook and snacks. For more information or to register, please contact Paula White (pwhitentc@mac.com or 330-3762).

Please join us on Sunday, Jan. 19 at the 11:00 am Mass where Andrea Wilkey Klotz will become a catechumen in the Rite of Acceptance, and Angelica Murray will become a baptized candidate in the Rite of Welcome. Please pray for them as they embark on this powerful journey of following Jesus Christ. If you are interested in exploring becoming a Catholic, please contact Jay Landry (269-978-2331 or jlandry@stcatherinesiena.org).

During this season of giving, please consider giving the Gift of Life by donating blood. On Tuesday, January 14, 2020, from 12 pm until 6 pm in Marian Hall, Versiti will be conducting a blood drive. Please register online for an appointment: http://bit.ly/SCSBloodDriveJan14. Thank you in advance for considering this important gift!

The El Sitio Committee members & Father Albert, visited the El Sitio community (our sister parish) this November. St. Catherine’s parishioners have generously supported this ministry, donating over $20k in the past nine months. We used these funds to improve the health of the villagers, to educate their youth and to improve their economic sustainability. We returned from our trip with posters, signed by the children, thanking all of you for your support. We encourage you to view the posters and photos of the trip now displayed in Marian Hall……….and from all of us Thank you &……“Que Dios te bendiga a ti y a tu familia”.

Join Bishop Bradley this coming Sunday, January 5th, at 11:30 am at St. Augustine Cathedral for the Opening Mass of our diocesan Year of the Eucharist. Bishop Bradley has written a letter to the Faithful on the Feast of the Epiphany and the Opening of the Year of the Eucharist 2020. You can read the Bishop's letter on our website: http://bit.ly/BishopBradleyEpiphany. Copies will also be available at this weekend's Masses. To view the special Prayer Card for the Year of the Eucharist, please visit http://bit.ly/2020EucharistCard. Learn more about the Year of the Eucharist on the Diocesan website: https://diokzoo.org/eucharist.

Primetimers are people 50 years old and over and their friends and caregivers who enjoy eating out. We meet at an area restaurant on the 1st Monday of each month at 11:30 am. Each person picks up their own bill. January's luncheon will be on Monday, January 6th at 11:30 am at Olive Garden, 6700 S. Westnedge Ave, Portage. Please join us! Questions? Please contact Paula White (269-330-3762 or pwhitentc@mac.com).

Next Wednesday, January 1st, is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, a Holy Day of Obligation. We will have Masses on Tuesday, December 31st at 5:30 pm (Vigil Mass) and Wednesday, January 1st at 10:00 am. Both Masses will take place in the Church. Our parish offices will be closed on Wednesday, January 1st in observance of the holiday; our offices will reopen at 9:00 am on Thursday, January 2nd. Also, because of the holiday week, there will be NO Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursday, January 2nd or Friday, January 3rd.

Please consider joining us for one of our Christmas Masses this year. We'll have Masses on Tuesday, December 24th at 4:00 pm, 6:30 pm, and 9:00 pm. On Wednesday, December 25th, there will be one Mass at 10:00 am.

Just a reminder that there are no Children's Faith Formation classes for Age 3 through Grade 5 until Sunday, January 12, 2020. We wish all of our Children's Faith Formation students a very Merry Christmas and a fun and safe Winter Break! See you in January!

Join our Parish Nurse, Paula White, on Sunday, January 12, 2020, at 12:30 pm in the GLP Conference Room, for a presentation on the topic of sleep and rest. We all know it is important, but by attending this workshop, you will learn just how much we now know about the amazing and necessary things that happen to our mind, body, and spirit when we rest, and...the problems that can arise when we squeeze rest out of our daily schedule. Questions? Please contact Paula White (269-330-3762 or pwhitentc@mac.com).

Join Jay Landry on Sunday, January 26th, 2020, from 12:15 pm – 1:30 pm in the Siena Conference Room (lower level) to learn how to pray the rosary. Jay will include a history of the rosary and the Hail Mary, and together, we'll pray the Luminous Mysteries (added by St. John Paul II in the year 2000). Families with children are welcome. Please RSVP to Jay by Friday, January 24th, 2020 (jlandry@stcatherinesiena.org or 978-2331). Please bring a bible and a rosary with you. If you don't have a bible or a rosary, we'll have some available for you to use. Since this event begins right after the 11 am Sunday Mass, food will be served. Please consider bringing a dish to share.

Join Jay Landry for a Bible Study on the Gospel of Matthew beginning Wednesday, February 5, 2020. This Bible Study will meet either on Wednesday mornings from 10:00 am - 11:30 am OR on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Both groups will meet in Marian Hall. Please bring a bible and a friend or family member. Please RSVP to Jay (jlandry@stcatherinesiena.org or 269-978-2331) by Monday, February 3, 2020, if you would like to attend. Early RSVPs are appreciated. Childcare is available for the morning session. Please RSVP to Jay by Wednesday, January 29, 2020, if you need childcare. Small group options are available to do this in homes. Please contact Jay for details. You can view the complete flyer for this Bible Study on our website: http://bit.ly/GospelofMatthew2020.

Please consider joining us for one of our Christmas Masses this year. We'll have Masses on Tuesday, December 24th at 4:00 pm, 6:30 pm, and 9:00 pm. On Wednesday, December 25th, there will be one Mass at 10:00 am.

To help us prepare our hearts for Christmas, our parish priests will be offering several additional reconciliation dates/times, in addition to our normal weekly reconciliation days/times. Please click on the title of this news item to see the full list of available dates/times for reconciliation between Friday, December 20th and Monday, December 23rd.

During the season of Advent, priests in the Kalamazoo-area parishes will be working together to offer a communal penance service schedule that meets the needs of many people. Rather than every parish having its own service, and trying to find priests to assist at each one, we are going to offer services throughout the area and priests will be available at the end of each service for individual confessions. Everyone is invited to come to the location that best suits their needs. St. Catherine's will offer an Advent Penance Service on Tuesday, December 10th at 6:30 pm in the Church. For other area locations and dates, please see the list below.

Our parish staff would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are grateful for each and every one of you! If you are traveling during this holiday week, we wish you safe and smooth travels! In observance of the Thanksgiving holidays, we have a few changes to our parish schedule this week. Please click on the News title to see the complete list of changes.

Our Children's Faith Formation program is pleased to invite the parish to our Christmas program on Sunday, December 8th at 2:00 pm in the Stanley Centre. Our Children's Faith Formation students will be presenting the play "Happy Birthday Jesus". Come celebrate the birth of Our Lord with scripture and song as we highlight the talent of our children. Light refreshments will be served after the performance.