Bulletin

Newsletter for Friday, April 17, 2020

Our weekly newsletter opens with an Easter letter from Fr. Jim:

Happy Easter to all. May we see the risen Christ in the many small acts of love and kindness we experience each day. I pray for you and your family. May God hold you close and keep you safe and healthy.

We will continue to live stream Sunday Masses. So many of you have sent words of encouragement and appreciation. Thank you. It is amazing how many of us are praying together in these Masses, all over the country, and in several Spanish-speaking countries around the world.

In this crisis, you continue to love and to be generous. We are so happy that we met our March Match goal of $100,000. As you know, these funds go into our campus ministry programs. Thank you for your love and generosity.

Thank you for also participating with the Steier Group planning study. As you know, we contracted with the Steier Group before this terrible pandemic. It is hard to think of the future when the present is so challenging. The data we are collecting will serve us well in the future when life becomes a new normal. The participation rate in this study, given the circumstance, has been incredible. This is the last week to participate by returning the survey. We will receive a summary of their findings next week. Thank you for being so passionate about our mission here at St. Mary Student Parish, and if you haven’t taken the survey, you can click here to learn more and do so today.

Fr. Jim
—
Read below for our weekly updates and scroll all the way to the bottom to read about an advocacy opportunity for those experiencing homelessness right here in Ann Arbor.

Haga clic aquí para ver las noticias parroquiales en español.

SUNDAY MASS 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 10:10 a.m. Recordings will be available immediately following the masses at the same location: https://michigancatholics.org/smsp-news/

Scheduled mass intentions will be offered by the Jesuit Community, but not necessarily on the scheduled date.

SPECIAL INTERCESSIONS

For all those who are sick and suffering, especially Jane Monahan and Annie and Justin Siciliano. May they receive healing hope and tender love, we pray to the Lord.

That God may give eternal rest to all whom he has called from this life, especially Mark Kolevar, Thomas Van Meter, Marcos Cristobal Barba Andrade, Redencion Montalbo-Hernandez, Ron Karczewski, José Sebastián González Cervantes, Joy Ross, and Bernard H. Bichakjian we pray to the Lord.

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/Default.aspx?cid=583.

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.

YEAR TO DATE OFFERING REPORT AS OF 4/12/2020

Annual Budget Goal $1,020,000
Year-to-Date (YTD) Goal $813,000
Amount Collected $815,840
Above (below) YTD Goal: $2,840

SUNDAY OFFERING REPORT AS OF 4/12/2020

April Sunday Budget Goal: $25,000
Sunday 4/05/2020 (Week 40): $18,750
Above (below) YTD Goal: ($6,250)

UPDATES FROM FAITH DOING JUSTICE

“Inspired by Ignatian spirituality, we live a faith that does justice, reaching out to the marginalized.” Our parish mission remains at the heart of all we do. If you’d like to give directly to St. Mary parishioners affected by this pandemic through unemployment and other risk factors, please email Anna Boesch [email protected].

CROSSROADS EASTER MEAL

Due to the extension through the end of April of Gov. Whitmer’s Executive Order, the Crossroads Easter Meal originally rescheduled for this Sunday, April 19, has once again been delayed. Funds raised for this event will be used to serve dinner with Crossroads in Detroit at a later date. We will keep you posted.

RESOURCES

SMSP COVID-19 Resources Webpage
Our new webpage features a local guide of organizations offering free food, healthcare support, and financial assistance, along with links to spiritual resources and updates from Governor Whitmer.

Huron Valley COVID-19 Mutual Aid Form
Whether you’re requesting a need or offering a service – this is the form for you.

Mental Health Care: Coping with COVID-19
The University of Michigan shared these ideas for caring for your mental health and your loved ones! Even if you’re feeling okay, you’ll find creative ideas on checking in on loved ones and neighbors.

ADVOCACY

Homelessness in Washtenaw County during COVID-19
Peace House (MISSION) and the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County have invited us to be advocates for our community members experiencing homelessness by writing emails and/or letters to public officials. Local shelters are crowded leaving guests unable to socially distance. Furthermore, there’s not enough space available for folks to shelter-in-place. The purpose of these letters are to make sure hotel rooms are accessible and to establish a moratorium on tent evictions during the pandemic. Below are sample letters to public officials in Washtenaw County:

Sample Letter to City Council and/or Mayor
Sample Letter to County Officials
Sample Letter to Sheriff’s Department

Thank you for your prayers and advocacy!

Newsletter for Friday, April 10, 2020

“By His wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

On this Good Friday, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we are more acutely aware that our world is in need of healing: spiritually, mentally, and physically. And we remember why Jesus gave up his life – to save us and to reveal God’s love and mercy.

Easter is coming; Jesus will rise. There will be no lines down William Street. Our seats will be empty. But we will celebrate in our homes and look toward the future with hope that only the risen Christ can bring.

The Diocese of Lansing has extended the suspension of public masses through April 30 and explains that our annual and Easter duties to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist can be fulfilled at another time this year. Together, we can protect “the health and well-being of the most vulnerable in a time of global pandemic.”

Our weekly updates continue below with the addition of a Faith Doing Justice section at the bottom of the email. As we continue to pray together, let us remember those who are in need of our support during this time.

Haga clic aquí para ver las noticias parroquiales en español.

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://michigancatholics.org/smsp-news/

Scheduled mass intentions will be offered by the Jesuit Community, but not necessarily on the scheduled date.

EASTER TRIDUUM

The Easter Triduum continues:

April 10, Good Friday: 3:00 PM (with bi-lingual stations of the cross at 1:30 PM on Facebook Live)
April 11, Easter Vigil: 8:30 PM
April 12, Easter Sunday: 9:00 AM English, 10:00 AM Spanish (see Sunday Mass above)

All Easter Triduum services will be live-streamed on our website https://michigancatholics.org/smsp-news/. Recordings will be available immediately following the services at the same location.

SPECIAL INTERCESSIONS

Let us pray for all the sick who have been entrusted to our prayers. We pray especially for Margie Warrick, David Armstrong, and Will Hutchens. May they all be comforted and cared for in their suffering.

For those who believed their life was hidden with Christ in God during life, and who now have recently died, especially: Marcos Cristobal Barba Andrade, Mark Kolevar, Marion Wissman, Thomas Van Meter and Ron Karczewski. We rejoice for they peacefully await resurrection, we pray to the Lord.

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/Default.aspx?cid=583.

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

We are excited to announce that we’ve reached our goal! A total of $101,538 was raised for campus ministry through March Match. Our deepest gratitude to those who donated and to this year’s match by the Ann Arbor Jesuit Community and an anonymous local donor. We are truly humbled by your continued love and support during this challenging time.

YEAR TO DATE OFFERING REPORT AS OF 4/05/2020

Annual Budget Goal $1,020,000
Year-to-Date (YTD) Goal $788,000
Amount Collected $797,090
Above (below) YTD Goal: $9,090

SUNDAY OFFERING REPORT AS OF 4/05/2020

April Sunday Budget Goal: $25,000
Sunday 4/05/2020 (Week 40): $29,628
Above (below) YTD Goal: $4,628

UPDATES FROM FAITH DOING JUSTICE

“Inspired by Ignatian spirituality, we live a faith that does justice, reaching out to the marginalized.” Our parish mission remains at the heart of all we do. If you’d like to give directly to St. Mary parishioners affected by this pandemic through unemployment and other risk factors, please email Anna Boesch [email protected].

RESOURCES

SMSP COVID-19 Resources Webpage
Our new webpage features a local guide of organizations offering free food, healthcare support, and financial assistance, along with links to spiritual resources and updates from Governor Whitmer.

Huron Valley COVID-19 Mutual Aid Form
Whether you’re requesting a need or offering a service – this is the form for you.

Mental Health Care: Coping with COVID-19
The University of Michigan shared these ideas for caring for your mental health and your loved ones! Even if you’re feeling okay, you’ll find creative ideas on checking in on loved ones and neighbors.

ADVOCACY

COVID-19 poses danger to the immigrant detainees in ICE detention centers. An open letter signed by over 3,000 medical professionals has been addressed to ICE to express their grave concern about a COVID-19 outbreak in its facilities, an eventuality that will create a health crisis for the detainees, staff, and surrounding communities. Efforts have recently been galvanized across the country to seek the release of immigrant detainees.

A St. Mary parishioner, currently detained, told his wife that a man in his facility was recently removed due to heavy coughing. We have no further information and worry for the health of everyone in the facility.

Please call your US Senators and congressperson and ask them to press local ICE officials to release immigrant detainees in Calhoun, Monroe, St. Claire, and Chippewa County detention centers. Leave a message if you cannot talk directly to a staff person. One of our immigration team volunteers drafted this letter. Use it to help guide your message, and if you want to do more, send them your own version through the mail!

Your congressperson’s contact information can be found here: https://www.house.gov (for most of us, this is Debbie Dingell)
US Senator Gary Peters: 313-226-6020
US Senator Debbie Stabenaw: 313-961-4330

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.stmarystudentparish.org/smsp-news/

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.stmarystudentparish.org/smsp-news/. Recordings will be available immediately following the services at the same location.

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/Default.aspx?cid=583.

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.stmarystudentparish.org/about/give/ or through Venmo.

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.stmarystudentparish.org/about/give/. When completing the information under “Gift Information” chose “Lent-Crossroads, Detroit” for the Fund.

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/coronavirus-covid-19
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?

Newsletter for Saturday, March 21, 2020

Welcome to St. Mary Student Parish’s first weekly newsletter!

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Mary Student Parish has suspended all public masses, closed the church, and closed our parish office. If you need to reach us with an emergency, please call 734-531-7993, leave a message, and someone will return your call as soon as possible.

While all scheduled events at the parish have been cancelled, there are still many important updates we’d like to send to our parishioners and friends.

SUNDAY MASS STREAMING & MASS DETAILS

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://michigancatholics.org/smsp-news/

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.

ONGOING STEWARDSHIP

The necessary decision to suspend public masses for the greater health of our community deeply affects our parish finances.  Like everyone, parish leadership is faced with difficult decisions on how to cut expenses and pay the bills, while mitigating the financial consequences for our parish staff.

Just under 50% of weekly offerings come through the basket during mass. Without mass, we rely solely on online donations.  In addition to weekly giving, there is still time to give to our annual March fundraiser.  To date we have received just over $8,000, which is just a fraction of our goal to raise $100,000 for Catholic campus ministry.

The parish depends on your continued help and support through the immediate crisis, and as we look with hope toward the year ahead.  We ask you to think carefully about what you are able to offer during this challenging time.

Please consider giving online today: https://michigancatholics.org/about/give/. We are also on Venmo @SMSPumich.

CROSSROADS EASTER MEAL

On Easter Sunday, April 12, 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! The number of people Crossroads has fed over the last couple weeks has grown, so they expect to serve even more Easter meals than we have in past years.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are only seeking monetary donations and volunteers. This will limit the individuals that will need to go out to purchase items. (If you have already purchased items, we will accept them – please contact [email protected] to arrange this donation.)

Make a Monetary Donation
Your financial support of this communal meal with our brothers and sisters in Detroit is what makes it happen. Our preferred method of receiving donations is through our website https://michigancatholics.org/about/give/. When completing the information under “Gift Information” chose “Lent-Crossroads, Detroit” for the Fund.

Volunteer at Crossroads
Good Friday
+ Transport food/supplies to Crossroads
Easter Sunday
+ First Shift: 8:15am-12:00pm (Meal Preparation)
+ Second Shift: 11:15am-3:30pm (Dinner Serving)

If you would like to volunteer, please e-mail [email protected] with the following information: your preferred shift, a contact phone number, if you need a ride to Detroit or, if you can, the number of additional people you can transport.

To comply with current guidelines provided by the CDC, all meals will be made “to go” and handed out at the door. Because these guidelines continue to change, volunteers will follow what is recommended at the time of the meal.

LENTEN HOME-STUDY MATERIALS (SMALL CHURCH COMMUNITIES)

In the absence of parish events, we invite you to review our Lenten Small Church Community materials on our parish website: https://michigancatholics.org/parish-life/scc/. With three Sundays remaining before Easter Sunday, these materials offer reflection, meditation, and discussion on the Sunday readings. You do not have to be a Small Church Community participant to benefit from these materials – all parishioners are encouraged to take advantage of this parish resource.

Bulletin for March 8, 2020

Undergrads: a reminder that the Intern applications are due March 10 and that you are invited this Friday to the Laser Tag Party at Zap Zone. Our annual fundraiser for campus ministry is back: March Match Madness! Contributions to campus ministry during the month of March will be matched and your gift will be doubled! All are invited to an evening of Ecumenical Taize here at St. Mary’s tomorrow evening. We also will be hosting a Lenten Mission with the theme being the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius presented by Fr. Michael Rossman, S.J. on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.  All are invited to Stations of the Cross led by the Family Faith Formation program this Friday at 7:30 pm in the church. The Discussion Group will be meeting next Sunday to hear from Amy Ketner, our parish Hispanic/Latino Ministry Coordinator.  All are welcome, we will begin at 3:15 pm. Next week, we will have a special event for all engaged and married couples based on the Five Love Languages, Thursday, March 19th.

Bulletin for March 1, 2020

See the bulletin for this week’s adjusted Spring Break office hours. Next weekend following the 8:30 am mass all are invited for coffee and donuts as a way to celebrate Catholic Sister’s week, and our own Sr. Carol celebrates 70 years of vocation.  Per her request, no gifts please. All parishioners are invited to volunteer for our men’s overnight shelter week of service March 9-16.  There are various ways to help, small to large.  All are invited to an evening of Ecumenical Taize here at St. Mary’s Monday, March 9^th  at 7:00pm. Enrich your Lent by attending this year’s Lenten Mission with the theme the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius presented by Fr. Michael Rossman, S.J. on March 11^th and 12^th.

Bulletin for February 16, 2020

See inside for info on our student internship program, the Disciple Maker Index Survey, Retreat in Daily Life and our Annual Men’s Rotating Overnight Shelter in March.