A very happy and blessed Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers! Thank you  for your gentle  and loving ways as you care for our families. Thank you for giving us life and bringing us into this world. Thank you for always being there in times of sickness and worry and crises. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you for being YOU, Moms!  We love you! And may  God bless you and surround you with His deep peace and love always!

Next Sunday (the 20) at the 9:00 am Mass we will honor our High School Seniors during the liturgy. After Mass we will dedicate the special cross made from tiles created by our students and staff from the last year our St. Al’s School was open.  This cross will hang in the stairwell between the 2nd and 3rd floors in our Parish Center.

Also next Sunday is our parish breakfast and we invite all members of the parish to come and enjoy a FREE BREAKFAST in honor of our graduating seniors and all  the wonderful people of St. Al’s! This morning will be a great time for us all to gather and remember our parish school, tell stories, enjoy good food, and make new memories about St. Al’s! Do come one and all!

I want to thank  you for your contributions to CSA 2011 through the yellow envelopes. We have finally paid off the 2011 balance! Thank you for your sacrifices and generosity!

Now we can concentrate on the CSA 2012. Thanks to those who have already made a pledge or contribution.  Blank pledge cards are available at the exists of the church or use the ones you received in the mailing. It would be great if we could get most of this done before summer comes. The CSA does reach many poor people in our western Michigan area and many programs and ministries are funded through the CSA. Again, I thank you for your generosity and sacrifices to the CSA as well as to St. Alphonsus Parish!

May our Mother of Perpetual Help keep us close to her Son Jesus.

Gratefully, Fr. Pat, C.Ss.R.

Congratulations to 27 of our children who are making their First Holy Communion this weekend during the 11:00 am Sunday Mass. This is the first of many times they will have the honor of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. I pray they come to Mass every weekend and let Jesus fill them with His love and joy! Thanks to their parents for fulfilling their baptismal promises in being the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith. Your children will follow your example, parents. May they always  be grateful for your love and devotion in sharing your faith and passing it on to them. God bless you all!

Next Sunday after the 11: 00 am Mass we will have  our May crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary statue in front of the church. May is a special month to honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus. This could be a month for us to reflect on our devotion to Mary and the important role model she is for our faith in Jesus.

In the May-June issue of Liguorian (our Redemptorist publication) there is a wonderful little reflection written by Rev.  Matthew Allman, CSsR. I would like to quote a couple paragraphs:

            “Mary can help us when we want to get our balance right. (Understanding the divine and human natures of Jesus.) No one could know the humanity of Jesus better than  the Mother who nursed him at the beginning of his life. And no one could know Christ’s divinity better that the woman who conceived him as a  virgin.

            Mary’s close relationship with her Son from the moment of his conception to his resurrected glory makes her the best director we could ask for when we want an authentic perceptive on Christ, the one person with two natures. So may our Mother of Perpetual Help correct our sight if it has  grown faulty, and may she lead us to her Son as we become new creations.”

Those are good words to ponder. Pray the rosary while you reflect upon them.

Joyfully, Fr. Pat, CSsR

By now many folks have noticed the chill in the air when they come into church. Two weeks ago our church steam boiler died. And there is no resurrection for that boiler. It cannot be repaired. So, we are looking at all our options as to the best heating system for the church, the costs involved, and the time-table to have a heating system ready by autumn. We will keep you informed of our progress and the decisions that we must make in a timely fashion.  In the meantime just bring a sweater on these chilly mornings. (Thank heavens the boiler lasted as long as it did…….we got 35 years out of a 25 year old system.)

Last Monday in the mail I received my CSA So Faith May Flourish  envelope. I presume that all registered parishioners also received their pledge cards and letters. Again, I believe that if we all do our part, no matter how large or small, the parish can make its goal of $ 124,533. Please try to return your pledge or donation as soon as possible, either by mail or by placing it in the offertory collection. THANK YOU for your generosity not only to the programs of the Diocese, but also to St. Al’s parish through your regular offertory contributions and the Capital Campaign  gifts. God bless you for your sacrifices and giving.

Remember that next Sunday, May 6 we will be having First Communions for 27 of our children during the 11:00 AM Mass. Pray for these children and their parents at this wonderful moment in their faith development.

On Sunday May 13, after the 11:00 AM Mass we will have our May crowning of the Blessed Virgin. May is that special month to practice  our devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. St. Alphonsus reminded us Redemptorists to “go to Jesus through Mary!”  Good advice.

Have a joyful week and pray for your fellow parishioners!

Gratefully, Fr. Pat, C.Ss.R.

PALS (Parishioners Actively Loving and Serving) is a wonderful ministry here in our parish. It is an opportunity for a one-on-one meeting with a fellow parishioner in need of assistance. At all our masses this weekend, Ann Lepech and Jayne Cotten will tell us more about this ministry to the needy among our fellow parishioners and how we can bring Christ to them. Thank you, Jayne and Ann, for your guidance and direction of this special outreach ministry in St. Al’s.

Another way we can reach out to help the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves is through Catholic Charities of West Michigan. More than 20, 000 families are touched directly by Catholic Charities and over 200,000 people are fed and clothed through diocesan-affiliated agencies.

When all the parishes of the diocese join together and pool their resources, then more people are assisted and helped. All this is accomplished through the Catholic Services Appeal So Faith May Flourish. Each parish in the diocese is assessed based on their income. St. Alphonsus’s assessment for the CSA 2012 campaign is $124,533. This is almost 12% of our parish’s assessable income. It is through your pledges and donations that our parish contributes to the CSA. What is not generated by these means is compensated through our ordinary parish expense.

Please read all the materials you will receive in the mail during this week. And then trust the Spirit to guide you in making your pledge/donation to the CSA. I am confident that together we as a parish can make our goal. It is my hope that more parishioners will join this effort. No offering is too small or insignificant. But with more of us joining the effort, great things can be accomplished. (By the way, we Redemptorists also make a pledge/donation to the CSA. I will not ask anything of you that we are not willing to do as well.)

Commitment weekend is April 28-29 during which we are asked to return our pledges, donations, envelopes. I ask that we try to do this as close to this weekend as possible and that will save more follow-ups and mailings.

THANK YOU all for your continued generosity to our own beloved parish of St. Al’s. And thank you for your willingness to reach beyond our own parish to meet the needs of the wider diocese and church through out the world.

God bless you with the Easter peace and joy of the Risen Lord!

Gratefully, Fr. Pat, C.Ss.R.