Newsletter for Friday, April 3, 2020
Warm greetings on this spring Friday in Ann Arbor! As temperatures finally begin to rise, it is more important than ever to adhere to Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order to keep our community safe. If you are able to get outside and enjoy the spring air, please keep 6 feet between you and those outside your household.
During this pandemic we are all learning new things. We are finding God in unexpected places. The daffodils are blooming, the trees are reawakening, and seeing the faces of friends and family on a screen brings us so much joy. Padre Patricio has begun daily reflections in Spanish here for the Hispanic/Latino community, as Fr. Mark continues his daily reflections in English here.
As campus minister Brian Cerabona wrote in his reflection last weekend, the pandemic “has made all of us think about how we can be there for one another, comfort each other, and continue to row together in this boat through the storm… We must have the faith, as Pope Francis says, to not just believe He is with us, but that we can trust Him.”
We continue to be in awe of your generosity to us and to one another. Read below for liturgical updates for the Easter Triduum, ongoing stewardship, and more spiritual resources, including an audio interview with Fr. Michael Rozier, S.J.
SUNDAY MASS, EASTER TRIDUUM, AND SPECIAL INTERCESSIONS
We will continue to live-stream mass on Sundays. English mass at 9 a.m. will stream live on our website, followed immediately by Spanish mass at 10 a.m. Recordings will be available immediately following the masses at the same location: https://www.
Scheduled mass intentions will be offered by the Jesuit Community, but not necessarily on the scheduled date.
If there is a need for you to receive Communion at your residence, or you need to schedule confession, please call our parish office 734.663.0557 ext. 0 and leave a message.
EASTER TRIDUUM
The schedule for the Easter Triduum is as follows:
April 9, Holy Thursday: 7:00 PM
April 10, Good Friday: 3:00 PM (with bi-lingual stations of the cross at 1:30 PM)
April 11, Easter Vigil: 8:30 PM
All Easter Triduum services will be live-streamed on our website https://www.
SPECIAL INTERCESSIONS
Let us pray for all the sick who have been entrusted to our prayers. We pray especially for Margie Warrick, David Armstrong, Will Hutchens, and Joey Parins. May they all be comforted and cared for in their suffering.
For those who did not cling to their state, but emptied themselves for others during life, and have recently died, especially: Marion Wissman. We rejoice for now they praise God with the full assembly of heaven.
If you would like a name added to either of these special intercessions, please email [email protected].
ONGOING STEWARDSHIP
Thank you for your generous support of our work here at St. Mary Student Parish. We are only able to do the work of ministry because of your generosity. As we strive to meet the needs of our parish and ministries during this pandemic, we want to make it as easy as possible for parishioners and friends to continue to support our ministries, though we are not able to gather together for Sunday mass in person.
OPTIONS FOR GIVING
Personal Check: These can be sent in our offertory envelopes or in another envelope with a note for allocation, such as offertory, Sunday mass, etc. These can be sent to our mailing address:
St. Mary Student Parish
331 Thompson Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Please use precautions in the process to prevent the spread of viruses (washing hands, not licking to close the envelope, but using a sponge blotter or glue stick to seal the envelope, etc.). While our parish office is not open to the public, a few staff members are keeping up with essential administrative tasks.
Online Giving: Many of you have signed up for online giving, which is a great help to us. Thank you. Whether you would like to make a one-time gift or use/create an account to make recurring gifts, please use this link: https://www.myowngiving.com/
Venmo: St. Mary Student Parish is on Venmo @SMSPumich. Join many students and parishioners who use this payment app on their smartphone to send money from their bank account straight to the offertory each week.
MARCH MATCH MADNESS
One final push for our annual matching fundraiser! We are thrilled to share that we’ve raised $44,176, and with our match, this totals $88,352! We are just $5,824 short of our goal and it’s not too late to donate. Please consider an online gift today at https://www.
YEAR TO DATE OFFERING REPORT AS OF 3/29/2020
Annual Budget Goal $1,020,000
Year-to-Date (YTD) Goal $763,000
Amount Collected $767,462
Above (below) YTD Goal: $4,462
SUNDAY OFFERING REPORT AS OF 3/29/2020
March Budget Goal: $18,000
Sunday 3/29/2020 (Week 39): $16,903
Above (below) YTD Goal: -$1,097
CROSSROADS EASTER MEAL
*The date of this event was moved to Sunday, April 19 to comply with Governor Whitmer’s first Stay-at-Home executive order. We continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as necessary.*
On Sunday, April 19, the St. Mary community will prepare and serve dinner at Crossroads Soup Kitchen in downtown Detroit www.crossroadsofmichigan.org. Donating and/or volunteering is a great way to share in and celebrate the love of the Easter season with Detroit community members and other St. Mary parishioners!
We have already raised $6,001 – thank you to those who have generously donated! The number of people Crossroads has fed over the last couple of weeks has grown, so they expect to serve even more Easter meals than we have in past years. If you would still like to make a donation, you may do so on our website: https://www.
Questions about Crossroads? Check last week’s email newsletter for more information or contact [email protected].
OTHER SPIRITUAL RESOURCES
FAITH RESOURCES FROM THE IGNATIAN FAMILY ON COVID-19
https://jesuits.org/
During this time of isolation, lockdown and quarantine, it is more important than ever to continue finding God in all things. This webpage includes an audio interview with Fr. Michael Rozier, SJ. who is now a public health professor at St. Louis University. He discusses approaching the coronavirus as a health professional and priest, Catholic social justice teachings that apply to responses to the pandemic, and the fascinating history of Catholic healthcare.
FINDING GOD… IN A PANDEMIC
The Ignatian phrase “finding God in all things” is an invitation to encounter God’s presence in each moment, to become aware of God’s beauty in everything, and to notice God’s action in all the events of our lives. This article in America Magazine highlights many of our own experiences finding God during this pandemic. But it also reminds us that there is reason to hope. Where have you found God in these last few weeks?