2016
2016 Diocesan Services Appeal
Thank you to everyone who has shared the many blessings they have received, with your generous gift to our Diocesan Services Appeal. As of today, we’ve raised just over 12% of our $73,468 goal. We invite you to watch the 2016 DSA video below, and “see that you also excel in this grace of gliving.”
Our gifts to DSA will support adoption services, counseling services, services for the aging and the blind and sight impaired… programs for those who are deaf and hard of hearing… programs for those who are struggling in their marriage – as well as exciting programs like our Diocesan Youth Leadership Camp, training teens in our diocese to serve as Disciples of Christ. These are but a few of the more than 100 ministries in our diocese that are made possible by our contributions to DSA.
If you have not yet made a gift or a pledge, we invite you to join the faithful of our parish community who have taken an active role in the mission of the Church. Your gift to our Diocesan Services Appeal will enable our diocese to continue providing the vital services and ministries that help bring the love of God to those who face hardships.
To give online, click here and select Diocesan Services Appeal as the fund you are supporting. You may also contribute by picking up a donation card or dropping off a donation at the parish office.
2016
Michigan Water Crisis: A Town Hall Meeting
Jesus calls us to give drink to the thirsty. Water is life; water is a necessity; water is sacred. All too often our sacred right to clean, safe water is denied as we tragically see happen to our neighbors in Flint and Detroit.
On Thursday, May 26th from 7:00 pm-8:30 pm in Donnelly Hall, we will gather as a community to listen to the stories of those intimately affected by the water crises in Michigan. Featured speakers will include Father Tom Firestone, pastor of St. John Vianney Catholic Church and Sister Carol Weber, founder of St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center. Both are dedicated advocates for the people of Flint. Participants of our Flint ASB trip will also share their experiences and there will be opportunity for questions and conversation.
We will be collecting hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes at this event to donate to the community in Flint.
Come and be inspired to give drink to the thirsty and to advocate for justice. All are welcome.
View our calendar event and contact Bill Alt, Campus Minister for Social Justice, for more information.
2016
Bulletin for May 15 & 22, 2016
Sunday May 15th is Pentecost. Join us for one of our 5 Sunday masses and a reminder for Anita Bohn’s appreciation reception at 6 PM. Grad/YPs, Soul Food is back Monday at Arbor Brewing. Also May marks the start of our DSA campaign. See page 4 for details on how our diocese supports Flint.
2016
Bulletin for May 1 & May 8, 2016
May is here and the summer schedule has officially begun. Please note these important changes: no 9 PM Sunday mass and no Sunday evening confessions. Check the bulletin for more information. The Grad/YP mass & dinner is back tomorrow, May 2nd at 7 PM. See page 2 for a reflection on Alpha House and an invitation to sign up to help May 16-22.
2016
Bulletin for April 24, 2016
This weekend we are celebrating our final masses of the 2015-2016 academic year. Take a look back at this past year on page 2, and we’d like to remind graduating seniors our Baccalaureate Mass is Friday, April 29 at 5:10. We are also hosting a farewell to Fr. Eric during the coffee and donuts following the 10 AM mass in Newman Hall. Lastly, we will begin our summer schedule next weekend – see page 7 for more information.
2016
Bulletin for April 17, 2016
Don’t forget, the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner is next Sunday, April 24th from 6 to 7:30 PM! SMSP is blessed with amazing volunteers who make this parish the special community that it is. See page 2 of the bulletin for a list of the ministries and events our volunteers devote their time to!
We’ve almost reached our March Match Madness goal! Help us complete the last stretch by donating on our website (use the online giving website and select March Match Madness from the list) or picking up a donation card.
2016
Bulletin for April 10, 2016
On March 30th, this year’s student interns presented their final project at the Michigan Theater. Pieced Together: The Bigger Picture is an original short film that showcases how a portrait of the body of Christ is composed of our own individual images of joy and suffering. See page 2 of the bulletin for a guest pastoral perspective by Kelly Dunlop, director of the intern program, about this year’s cohort and project. If you missed the premiere or want to watch it again, click here!
Make sure to mark your calendars for the annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Sunday, April 24th from 6-7:30 PM. The time and talents you share as a volunteer are what makes St. Mary so special, so we hope you will join us! RSVP to Susan Maulbetsch by phone or email.
2016
Bulletin for April 3, 2016
At this year’s Easter Vigil, seven people were baptized and thirty people were confirmed in the Catholic faith here at St. Mary. See page two of the bulletin for the names of these Elect and Candidates, and join us in welcoming them into the Catholic Church with open arms and hearts!
We will be hosting a Healing and Anointing service on Wednesday, April 13th at 7 PM. This is the perfect opportunity for all of those seeking freedom from past hurts and losses.
2016
The Joy of Easter
Written by Fr. Ben Hawley, SJ on Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of the Lord
So, go to Walgreen’s and look at the Easter cards. I bet that some will say “Happy Easter!” and some will say “May the Joy of Easter be yours!” I will also bet that the “Happy Easter!” cards have bunnies, green grass, flowers, and jelly beans on the front. And the “Joy of Easter!” cards will have the Risen Jesus, perhaps with some disciples, in the foreground and the hill of Calvary with its three crosses silhouetted in the background against the rising sun.
Well, maybe I am wrong about the cards. But the happiness that we can experience in this human life comes and goes, often because the circumstances around us change. We respond to those changes with the wide variety of emotions that are a natural part of our lives. But the joy of Easter is unchangeable because it is independent of our circumstances. It is a gift from the God who loves us. It is a gift from Jesus who was once a human being like us, who faced unbelievable suffering and whom the Father led through that suffering into a new way of being that transcends human suffering.
When Jesus completed that transformation, he felt the joy of the Father’s divine love and shared it with his friends. They of course did not feel the joy immediately. They were too astonished, too unable to believe, too caught up the trauma they had so recently experienced. But the joy dawned on them – like the dawn after a dark night, like the coming of spring after winter.
Once they experienced that joy, though, their lives were transformed. The external circumstances of their lives may not have changed – the poor were still poor. But they knew inside themselves that their lives now had meaning and that they had worth in God’s eyes and hope in their own future.
The joy of Easter may not remain with us as joy as a permanent emotion. But it will remain as a deep assurance, a deep affirmation to which we can return at any time, especially in time of need. So, I hope your Easter Sunday and Easter Season will be happy. But much more I hope that the joy of the Risen Christ will continue to be your lifeline and inspiration today and in all the days to come.
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Fr. Ben Hawley, SJ
Fr. Ben, as Jesuit priest, has served as Pastor and Director of Catholic Campus Ministry since August 2010. As pastor his ministry focus is helping the parish be “the field hospital for the wounded,” per Pope Francis, where people discover Jesus’ liberation and healing. He also leads a communion service each game day for UM players and coaches of the football team. Following his ordination in June 2000 Fr. Ben served as President of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School of Indianapolis until 2006. Prior to becoming Catholic in 1988, Fr. Ben worked for the Agency for International Development, the foreign assistance program of the US Government.
Email: [email protected]
2016
Bulletin for March 27, 2016
We would like to wish you and your loved ones all a very blessed Easter Sunday! As today begins the 50-day celebration of the Easter Season, Fr. Ben Hawley leads us all in reflection on page 2 of what this season really means.
Join us this Wednesday, March 30th, at the Michigan Theater for the SMSP interns’ final project entitled, “Pieced Together: The Bigger Picture.” This is an original short film that showcases how a portrait of the body of Christ is composed composed of our own individual images of joy and suffer. The event will be from 5-6:30 PM, and doors to the theater will open at 4 PM.
Seniors, join us Saturday, April 16th from 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM for LAUNCH! This gathering is a great way to reflect on your experiences at SMSP and the University of Michigan as college comes to a close. Sign up here!