Did You Know…

Dear Parishioners,

This came across my desk and I wanted to share it with you. Excerpts of an article written by non-Catholic Sam Miller, prominent Cleveland Jewish businessman:

“Why would newspapers carry on a vendetta on one of the most important institutions that we have today in the United States, namely the Catholic Church?   Do you know – the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million students everyday at the cost to that Church of 10 billion dollars, and a savings on the other hand to the American taxpayer of 18 billion dollars. The graduates go on to graduate studies at the rate of 92%. The Church has 230 colleges and universities in the U.S. with an enrollment of 700,000 students.

The Catholic Church has a non-profit hospital system of 637 hospitals, which account for hospital treatment of 1 out of every 5 people – not just Catholics – in the United States today.

But the press is vindictive and trying to totally denigrate in every way the Catholic Church in this country. They have blamed the disease of pedophilia on the Catholic Church, which is as irresponsible as blaming adultery on the institution of marriage.

Let me give you some figures that Catholics should know and remember. For example, 12% of the 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted to sexual intercourse with a parishioner; 38% acknowledged other inappropriate sexual contact in a study by the United Methodist Church, 41.8% of clergy women reported unwanted sexual behavior; 17% of laywomen have been sexually harassed. 

Meanwhile, 1.7% of the Catholic clergy has been found guilty of pedophilia. 10% of the Protestant ministers have been found guilty of pedophilia. This is not a Catholic problem.

A study of American priests showed that most are happy in the priesthood and find it even better than they had expected, and that most, if given the choice, would choose to be priests again in face of all this obnoxious PR the church has been receiving.

The Catholic Church is bleeding from self-inflicted wounds. The agony that Catholics have felt and suffered is not necessarily the fault of the Church.  You have been hurt by a small number of wayward priests that have probably been totally weeded out by now.  Walk with your shoulders high and you head higher. Be a proud member of the most important non-governmental agency in the United States.  Then remember what Jeremiah said: ‘Stand by the roads, and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is and walk in it, and find rest for your souls’.  Be proud to speak up for your faith with pride and reverence and learn what your Church does for all other religions. Be proud that you’re a Catholic!!! 
 
God bless, Fr. Bernie Carlin

Fr. Ed – New Appointment

Dear St. Alphonsus family,

I wish to share some news.  Back in January, I started a process of personal spiritual discernment.  It included a heartfelt dialogue with my Redemptorist Provincial superiors regarding the possibility of ministry in the Archdiocese of Detroit.  The reason is to facilitate my presence and aid for my ailing parents. With the permission of our Redemptorist leadership, I began the months – long process of exploring possibilities with representatives of the Archdiocese.  As a result, if all goes as planned, Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit will appoint me associate pastor of two parishes: St. Joseph and St. Timothy, in Trenton, MI, effective July 1, 2010, for the period of one year.   I will be assisting Fr. Brad Forintos, who is pastor and administrator of both parishes. Our Redemptorist superiors are in the final negotiations with the Archdiocese.  I will continue to be a member of the Redemptorist community of St. Alphonsus in Grand Rapids, with residence in Trenton, MI.

It is good to know that I will not be the only Redemptorist in the Detroit area!  Deacon Fawaz Kako, CSsR, also of our Grand Rapids community, will be ordained a priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church on July 3, 2010.   It is the Eastern rite Church into which he was baptized in his native Iraq.  He will be associate pastor in residence in the vicinity of Warren, MI where a new parish, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, has been established by the Chaldean Eparchy (diocese) of St. Thomas the Apostle.  A third member of our Grand Rapids community, Fr. Rich Luberti, CSsR, is associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Maybee, MI and resides there.  He is very skilled in American Sign Language and works with the deaf in Atlanta, GA each month. So we will be three Redemptorists in the Detroit area, in special circumstances, and coming together fraternally from time to time.  The Redemptorists have been in Detroit and its environs since our arrival in the USA, in 1832.

All Redemptorists – brothers, deacons, and priests, are missionaries.  We all are sent forth in the name of the greater Redemptorist Congregation to live and minister in local Churches (dioceses).  Gratefully, I ask for your kind prayers for my new ministry. Please continue to pray for me and for my family.  Stay tuned for more information.

Many blessings, Fr. Ed Vella, C.Ss.R

Fr. Ed’s mailing address as of June 24

St. Timothy Church, 2901 Manning Drive, Trenton, MI 48183-3498

Mother’s Day

Dear Parishioners,

“The world is alive with the grandeur of God.”  This line is from “God’s Grandeur” by Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.  Each time I hear or say this phrase it encourages in me so many possibilities. Hopkins writes about his poem, its words and thoughts, like this: “God is so deeply present to everything that it would be impossible for him but for his infinity not to be identified with them or, from the other side, impossible but for his infinity so to be present to them.”  (Hopkins POEMS, p57)

Being a photographer, I look at so many different things and see so much wonder that I can’t really help but think that my photography is prayer, direct communication with God.  At this time of the year, I don’t really need a camera as newness returns to us in the form of spring and the awakening of the earth from winter’s hibernation.  The most obvious is the return of flowers as they blossom and the earth’s grandeur shows forth.   

The earth spruces up for the changing season and beauty comes to us.  Today we celebrate this wonderful day of beauty in each of our lives, Mother’s Day.  I remember as a child that I always thought my mom was the most beautiful woman in the world and to me she is.  As I grow older, my idea of beauty changes and all of the interiority that my mother shared with me makes her more beautiful.  She shared the things that to her were important to pass on to me, one of her five children:  the Broadway Theater, walks in the rain, watching an angry sea, cooking and independence and so much more. Through her ways she taught me her own gateways to God and her world lives on in me.

I can’t say thank you enough to God for all of the grandeur of my Mom and all other women who live on and in my daily life. Thank you all so very, very much.

On this special day, open your hearts to these wonderful women who live in and live on in your lives. 

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

 Blessings and love, Fr. Denis

First Communion

Dear Parishioners,

This Sunday we celebrate First Communion for 23 children of our parish at the 11:00am Mass. They have been preparing for this day for several months and finally their Eucharistic day has come. Just a few short weeks ago we welcomed 17 adults into our parish family. At the Eucharistic banquet there is room for all and we gladly welcome these new participants to the table.

As we participate and pray with the new comers, maybe we could take a few moments to remember that day when we were welcomed to the table of the Lord. I was the age of these children today, that day many years ago in my home town parish of St. Colette, when I made my First Communion. I remember that there were close to fifty of us and we were all dressed in white – the girls in dresses and the boys with red ties. We were cleaned up and proud as we walked up the center aisle. I don’t recall now, much of what happened that day, but do remember how close I felt to God and how much Jesus loved me. I have felt that same way on a few occasions in my life: when I was confirmed; when I made my vows as a Redemptorist; and when I was ordained; and at my father’s funeral mass. On those special days, I felt alive in Christ love and protected in his embrace. I sensed that Jesus was with me in his totality and all things were possible. I felt special and I knew that I was loved by God.

Hopefully, all of you have similar remembrances and look back to your First Communion day as one of the greatest days of your lives. Hopefully, that same experience of God’s love and oneness in Christ still fills your heart every time you receive the Eucharist. And hopefully, for these children today the memory lingers forever and ever.

God loves us all and may all of us have a great Eucharistic Day!

Fr. Andy

Catholic Services Appeal

Ah Springtime! We usually associate this time of the year with new life, the annual Tulip Festival and finally more moderate temperatures that allow us to put away our winter coats and to throw open some windows in our homes and let in the beautiful fresh air. There is another side to Springtime, that we would all just as soon avoid. This darker side of Spring inevitably brings hours of backbreaking yard work, IRS taxes, road construction and the annual Diocesan Catholic Services Appeal (CSA).

The CSA is a poignant reminder to us as a parish that we belong to something much greater than just the outreach of our parish of St. Alphonsus. We belong to the family of Mankind of which the Diocese of Grand Rapids is a part. As an integral part of this family, we are called upon to share in its mission and ministry to the eleven counties making up the Catholic Church in Western Michigan. Perhaps you wonder at times how the funds collected for CSA are used. Here are some of the ways that the CSA funds are used: Your gift to the Catholic Services Appeal helps support the necessary financial needs of our schools, parishes and programs in the diocese. Your gift touches the lives of the unborn, the student, the educators, the infirmed, the elderly, the homeless and those suffering from injustice. Your gift underwrites ministries serving the People of God throughout eleven counties.

During these difficult financial times, we here at St. Al’s., are uncomfortable asking you to keep digging into pockets already stretched to their limit. So many of you have already been so extremely generous to our Capital Campaign and we thank you for this tremendous generosity. All the while, you continue your generous weekly Sunday donation. Again, a heartfelt “Thank You” is in order! If the CSA was not so vitally important to the Church in Western Michigan, of which we are a part, we probably would not push it. But it is that important for the future of the Kingdom in these parts, so we humbly ask you to do the best you can.

Keep in mind the experience of the Apostle Andrew in Jn 6: 8-9: Confronted with feeding a large crowd that had followed Jesus, Andrew said: “There is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many?” Any gift, no matter how large or small, when placed in the hands of Jesus and blessed has the potential of doing great things! After feeding 5,000 men there were twelve baskets of fragments left over. Praise the Lord!

Please be as generous as you can be, leave the rest up to Jesus!

The Pastoral Staff

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

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.

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.

Thank You

Thank you parishioners for making the Parish Mission a true success. As we walked along with Christ on our Lenten journey, we reflected on the meaning of Christian service, acknowledged some of the crosses we bear, confessed our dependency on Christ and allowed Him to heal us. We supported each other in prayer and fellowship while all laughing at some good (?) jokes. The mission was a success because of all of you. We had many volunteers who worked during, before and after the mission. We had all the lectors and ministers helping and the choirs keeping us all in tune. It was truly a good parish endeavor and one in which everyone will benefit. The Redemptorist express their sincere heartfelt thanks for the generous offering of $3,010.00 made at the end of the mission. As we continue our journey of faith together may God bless and guide all of us.

Thank you, Redemptorist Community

« Previous Page — Next Page »