Holy Land Adventure Registration

St. Alphonsus presents Holy Land Adventure! We will be traveling to Egypt and will visit Joseph. June 14 ~ 18, 2010 from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Registrations due by June 1, 2010. Limit of 120 students. Cost $20 per child; $40 for two or more children from the same family. See the registration form for additional details.

Registration Form

St. Al’s Cooking Class – April 26

The last St. Al’s Cooking Class of the season is Monday, April 26th at 6:00 pm in the St. Al’s kitchen. This month’s focus is all about getting ready for Cinco de Mayo.

The Schrums will start us off with a special Jicama Salad. The Fortiers and Sheas will teach us how to prepare the rest of the delectable dishes for a Mexican fiesta!

You can taste it all for a class fee of $10. Contact Dayna Bearss at gdriders@att.net or 365-1988 to reserve your seat. Reservations must be made by April 22nd. Seating is limited, so RSVP soon. The $10 fee will be collected at the door.

Hope

Dear St. Alphonsus family,

According to today’s Gospel of John, seven of the disciples went fishing one evening after the Resurrection of Jesus, but caught nothing that night. Early the next morning, Jesus (whom they had not recognized) called out to them from the shore:

“Haven’t you any fish?” When they replied “No”, Jesus responds: “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” After doing so, “they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”

Realizing the identity of Jesus, John said to Peter, “It is the Lord!,” at which Peter jumped into the water to meet him, while the remaining disciples followed in the boat, towing the net, which proved to be full of large fish.  Jesus then cooked and ate some of the fish with the disciples.

What a story of hope! It teaches us that the Lord calls us, sends us forth, and gives us everything we need!  Since it is the Lord who invites us and we generously say “Yes” to Him, we must believe that He always has, always does, and always will give us everything we need to live our vocations as married persons, mothers, fathers, single persons, religious, priests, and deacons. We really need to listen to and follow His directives!

God bless you!  Fr. Ed

Newness

Dear Parishioners,

I would like to thank my fellow Redemptorists and the Staff at Saint Al’s for the wonderful job they have all done keeping the Parish running during my recent illness and recovery.  At the present time, I feel the best I have felt in a long, long time.  I can’t say that these three months have been much fun, but they bring me to a new place and a new excitement as I look out and see what lies ahead for the future of Saint Al’s.

What is it that Christ’s rising from the dead brings us?  It brings us renewal and newness.  If we truly celebrate the Easter Season, from Lent until Ascension Thursday, we should find ourselves renewed and refreshed in our relationship with the Risen Christ.

The Easter Vigil Mass is truly one of the greatest celebrations as it brings newness to all Catholics around the world. Easter brought with it a wonderful sense of growth as four new people were welcomed into our faith and an additional 13 were brought into full communion with us as well as into our Parish.  When I heard the bells ringing during the Gloria they called each and everyone of us to “wake up” and receive this new and glorified Christ into our lives.

We are only a short time away from our First Holy Communion children coming to Christ’s table to receive the precious gift of Christ’s Body and Blood for the first time.  Come! Come to a meal that will never leave you hungry or thirsty again.

All Saints Academy will graduate its second class and our children will experience a wonderful right of passage as they leave the confines of our school and go off to meet new friends and challenges as they go forth to new places of learning.

On a different front, Catherine’s Health Care Center is about to take its capital campaign public.  To date, they have raised over one million dollars.  What does this mean to Saint Al’s?  It will change the face of our Parish Center as Catherine’s new home will be in our former school building.  It also moves us into a new phase of our capital campaign.  We will join with Catherine’s in preparing the building for a facelift which will become a medical clinic serving many in great need.  Catherine’s is hoping to be in its new space prior to the next flu season.

Helping to get Catherine’s started, places our parish in a position of moving forward with our own endeavors.  These include; the installation of an elevator to make the parish centers handicap accessible; situating our Food and Clothing Pantry in close proximity to the clinic creating a synergy between Catherine’s and ourselves serving the whole human being; upgrades to our mechanical and electrical services; and potential upgrades for kitchen safety. All in all, there will be a lot going on in 2010.  As far as the Church is concerned, we will be inspecting the interior of the church throughout the year 2010 targeting April 2011 as a potential starting date.

Just writing this letter makes me feel stronger as we respond to Jesus’ call to serve.  Remember Christ took off his garments and girded himself in a towel, this symbol of servitude.  These are exciting times, and I am eager to answer this call.  There will be much to do and many hands will be needed as we answer this call.  Let Christ’s call open you to this newness.  COME!

Blessings, Fr. Denis

St. Alphonsus Men’s Golf League

The St. Al’s Men’s Golf League will begin play on May 4 at North Kent Golf Course. We are looking for a few more players. If you are interested in playing, please contact Bob Thiel at 913-4403 or bthiel@catholicweb.com.

Alleluia

Dear Parishioners,

Alleluia, Alleluia, the Lord is risen!

Wow! What great news for all of us and for all people everywhere. We are so loved by God, that he gave us His only Son as friend and companion; as redeemer and savior. God invites us into his family and shares with us His eternal inheritance of love. Wow! What truly wonderful and welcome news!

Last night at the Easter Vigil, we welcomed 17 new members into the parish family. We thank them for following God’s loving plan for them and promise to encourage them, as well as ourselves, in remaining faithful to God’s call. As the Lord has risen into new life, they also have entered into a new beginning on their journey to eternal life. Welcome and God bless!

Today, after the 11:00am Mass, we invite all children of the parish to participate in the Easter Egg Hunt. You must be 12 years old or younger to join in the fun. The eggs will be scattered over the front lawn, in front of the rectory and next to the church and parish center. Looking forward to seeing you there; happy hunting and a great Easter for all.

Yes, the Lord has risen!

Fr. Andy

He’s alive! Christ has risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! May the risen Lord be with you every day of your lives!  Easter blessings from the Redemptorist and staff of St. Alphonsus Parish.

St. Al’s Parish Garage Sale – April 23 & 24

The 2nd Annual St. Al’s Parish Garage Sale will be held on April 23 and 24 in the Parsh Center Gym.  Please see the flyer for more information on purchasing a table or donating items. All proceeds will go to St. Alphonsus Parish.

Garage Sale Flyer

St. Al’s Cancer Support Group – April 13

St. Alphonsus Catholic support group is a ministry of faith support through prayer and inspiration for adults who have cancer, are cancer survivors, or who are caregivers of a loved one who has cancer.  All are welcome.

Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Carrier Crest Building, 205 Carrier St. NE.  The next meeting is April 13 and the topic will be “Forgiveness vs. Anger through Cancer.” Contact Br. Andy Patin, C.Ss.R. at 616-913-4413.

In Memoriam

Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the family of Sister Mary Margaret Miller, O.Ss.R. who died March 19, 2010 at the age of 102 at Liguori, Missouri. She is the sister of deceased Redemptorist Fathers Donald, Raymond, Louis and Ernest Miller and are all originally from St. Alphonsus Parish. May her soul and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace.

Easter Duty

Every year as Easter draws near, I am approached by any number of people asking me the same question: “Father, what exactly is my “Easter duty”? The answer to this question is actually quite simple and straightforward. Your “Easter duty” is one of the five Precepts of the Church that all Catholics are bound to fulfill. Specifically, the third precept states,“You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.” This precept guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian Liturgy.

For the sake of completeness, the other four Precepts of the Church are as follows:
1.) “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.”
2.) You shall confess your sins at least once a year.”
3.) “Easter duty”
4.) You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.”
5.) You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church, each according to his/her own ability.

The obligatory character of the positive laws (precepts) decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth of love of God and neighbor.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church: #’s 2041-2043)

Fr. Bernie Carlin, C.Ss.R.