2016
Chapter One: All Children of God
“But there was no evidence against [Walter] McMillan—no evidence except that he was an African-American man involved in an adulterous interracial affair, which meant he was reckless and possibly dangerous, even if he had no prior criminal history and a good reputation. Maybe that was evidence enough.” Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy
Just last week, a series of racist flyers were posted around campus—one of which was entitled “Why White Women Shouldn’t Date Black Men”. It listed several “reasons”, such as that black men are abusive, will give you STDs, and other incredibly hateful things. Worse yet, these fliers were posted for all to see in academic buildings where students walk by each and every day Needless to say, this flyer and the other flyers caused a great deal of hurt to the campus community.
Not long before that, racist messages were spray painted on the wall of an academic building at Eastern Michigan University, just a short drive away. It didn’t help that this was happening around the same time headlines were made that more unarmed black men became victims of police brutality such as Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott. What’s more, there was a protest on campus of a debate led by a student organization regarding the effectiveness of the Black Lives Matter movement.
And all of this happened within the span of two weeks…barely.
Bottom line, many people do not feel safe on their own campus—a place for scholarship and growth and a place where they should be able to be themselves and reach their potential. However, many have felt as though their hurt, pain, and struggle are not validated.
Walter McMillan didn’t feel safe in his own environment, either. In fact, he was sentenced to death row for a murder he didn’t commit. An otherwise decent person, the evidence that he was “bad news” was the fact that he was romantically involved with a white woman. Walter McMillan wasn’t given a voice in this ordeal and was unable to have anyone advocate for him.
While we as a nation have come a long way, it is far too clear that tensions are unfortunately strained. Divisions seem starker than ever. There is a long road ahead towards the improvement of race relations as well as our greater sense of justice and unity in this world. In the Year of Mercy, may we stand in solidarity with those who are suffering in any way, and be truly compassionate. May we all be one in Him, acknowledging that our differences are beautiful and that we are all children of God.
Jenny Ozor is a senior and is on the intern cohort for 2016-17 as the Social Justice intern. She enjoys blogging, volunteering, and puns!
2016
Introduction: You are more
“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy, p. 17
This summer, I had the immense pleasure of interning for a federal judge. A large part of my internship was to observe anything that took place in the courtroom. This included criminal sentencing. This was the part of the job I was least looking forward to. As an aspiring public defender and current criminal justice reform advocate, the idea of watching people being sentenced to prison had always left a bad taste in my mouth. However, I will never forget the time that, during one sentencing, the judge quoted Bryan Stevenson, saying, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” This line stuck with me the first time I read it, but it will never mean the same after hearing a judge say it to a convicted criminal, encouraging him to not let his conviction define the rest of his life. If this is not the exact definition of just mercy, I am not sure what is.
Think for a minute about who Jesus surrounded himself with. We hear in the Gospels about how Jesus would preach to the tax collectors and sinners, but do we really think about that? When we do process that Jesus went out to the margins, do we feel called to follow the example? How many people do we look at as Jesus did and remember that they are more than the worst thing they have ever done? Who do we refuse to see as more than the sum of their actions? Who do we hold grudges against?
When we mess up, how long do we let our mistakes ruminate in our minds before we are willing to forgive ourselves? How many times do we drive ourselves crazy with regrets and pain? Say it aloud. I am more than the worst thing I have ever done.
Being merciful does not mean pretending that nothing happened. It does not mean that we have to let people walk all over us. But just mercy—the type of mercy we see from Jesus, the mercy that we should strive for during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, and the mercy that is the center of this book—is based on this central, very significant sentence. Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.
Maggie Larin
Maggie is a Junior at the University of Michigan studying Sociology with a focus in Law, Justice, and Social Change. She hopes to one day become a criminal defense attorney, defending those without representation and, if the need continues, those on death row.
2016
Just Mercy Reflection Series
“Jesus’s concern for the care of the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, and prisoners sought to express the core of the Father’s mercy. This becomes a moral imperative for the whole of society that wishes to maintain the necessary conditions for a better common life. It is within a society’s capacity to include the poor, the infirm and the imprisoned, that we see its ability to heal their wounds and make them builders of a peaceful coexistence.” – Pope Francis to prisoners at Centro de Readaptación in Juarex, Mexico
Welcome to St. Mary’s reflection series on Bryan Stevenson’s book Just Mercy. Whether you’re just beginning Just Mercy, finished it six months ago, or have it on your to-read list for winter break, it is our hope that this series of reflections is relevant and meaningful to you, and moves you to think about mercy, compassion, and our justice system in new ways; we want this space to be the starting point of a parish-wide conversation about the collective responsibility we have to create a more merciful and just world.
Pope Francis consistently calls each one of us to stand in solidarity with the incarcerated people of our world. He celebrated his first Holy Thursday as Pope at a juvenile detention center in Rome, and in 2015, celebrated Holy Thursday mass at the Rebibbia Prison in Rome. During his visit to the United States, Pope Francis spent time visiting and praying with prisoners at the Curran-Cromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, telling them “I am here as a pastor, but above all as a brother, to share your situation and to make it my own.” What a beautiful invitation to each of us to stand as brothers and sisters with the imprisoned.
On behalf of the Social Justice Ministry at St. Mary’s, thank you for reading, and we look forward to the start of a transformative dialogue!
If you are interested in gaining some background before reading the series, we encourage you to watch this moving 20 minute TED Talk by the author of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson:
2016
Annual CROP Hunger Walk
Join us for the 42nd Annual CROP Hunger Walk Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016.
Help raise awareness and money to alleviate hunger by joining the St. Mary Student Parish CROP Walk team. Sponsored by the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, this annual ecumenical, interfaith walk raises funds for local as well as international hunger fighting agencies. Donors can designate Catholic Relief Services as a recipient if desired.
Registration for the walk begins at 1:00 pm, send-off service and walk begin at 2:00 pm at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church at 1400 W. Stadium in Ann Arbor.
Click here to join our team or donate online!
Can’t join the walk? Please consider supporting our team with a donation via the website or drop off a check in the parish office (made out to CWS/CROP). Thanks for your support and prayers.
For more information, contact Lisa Hirsch at mcdfam5@sbcglobal.net or 734-741-1235.
2016
Help Us Wrap Up 2016 DSA!
Over the last three weeks, we’ve received many generous donations for the Diocesan Services Appeal. To date, we’ve raised 70.25% of our goal of $73,468! Your generosity makes a huge difference here in our community, but it also reaches far beyond to those in need throughout the
Lansing diocese.
Read more on the ministries and programs supported by our diocese here:
If you are still prayerfully discerning your 2016 DSA gift, we invite you to make your gift over the next few weeks by giving online at https://donate.dioceseoflansing.org/16dsa/dsa-2016-donations- or by simply dropping off a check at the parish office with 2016 DSA noted in the memo.
We need your help to reach our goal. Thank you for your unwavering support of our parish and diocese.
2016
Volunteer at HOPE Clinic
Saturday, August 6th 12:00-2:00 PM
All parishioners are invited to help spruce up the grounds at HOPE Clinic on Saturday, August 6th from 12:00-2:00 PM! If possible, bring gardening tools with you to their location:
518 Harriet St
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
734-484-2989
Tours of the clinic will also be available.
HOPE Clinic provides compassionate care and practical help for those in need. Some of their services include a medical clinic, dental clinic, food pantry and baby closet. During the summer months, their shelves tend to get empty and they are in great need of donations from area churches and organizations.
To help with this, St. Mary Student Parish will collect food and personal care items this week (through Friday, Aug. 5). Donations could include:
Pasta and pasta sauce
Hearty soups
Canned tuna and chicken
Peanut butter and other nut and seed butters
Brown rice
Breakfast cereal
Spices and spice blends (low sodium)
Other items not available with food stamps include:
Toilet paper
Kleenex
Shampoo and conditioner
Lotion
Deodorant
Soap
Laundry detergent
Dish soap and other cleaning products
In addition, the dental clinic and medical clinic could use toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, bandages and other small items, including glucometers with at least 50 unexpired strips.
Please drop off items in the baskets located in the church atrium (off Thompson Street). Volunteers will take the items to Hope Clinic on August 6.
For more information, please contact Lisa Hirsch.
2016
Art Fair Updates
The annual Ann Arbor Art Fair is around the corner! July 21-24, the fair has shifted back one day and will begin on Thursday and end on Sunday. Here are the major details:
Mass Schedule & Parking – Sunday, July 24
Mass Schedule 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM (spanish), 5:00 PM
Parking on Sunday The fair begins at 12 noon on Sunday and ends at 6 PM. If you wish to attend a morning mass, you should expect to be able to park at the Maynard Street lot (using the entrance on Thompson). However, we know that structure will fill quickly. The city is reserving overflow parking specifically for our parish at a University of Michigan parking structure located 2 blocks south of the parish on Thompson, at the corner of Thompson and Jefferson.
During the art fair, parking at all parking structures is $20, paid upon entry. The city has produced a voucher specifically for St. Mary that we will hand out beginning Sunday, July 10. Vouchers are valid at any parking structure in the city and will admit one vehicle (for free) on Sunday, July 24. We sincerely hope our parishioners will take advantage of the free parking to join us for mass and enjoy the fair!
Should you need assistance or need to drop off a parishioner who requires assistance, Thompson Street will be open in front of our parish. You are able to use this area as a drop off / pick up, but you will need to park your vehicle at one of the nearby structures. Please plan accordingly or call the parish office to schedule assistance in advance.
We need your help! Volunteers needed to help with parking on Sunday — see below.
Art Fair Tent on William Street
New this year, St. Mary will be hosting its own tent on William Street (right in front of our church)! We’re excited to have a presence at the fair and we will also be selling Michigan Catholic t-shirts, cookbooks, and bottled water. Proceeds from bottled water sales will be donated to the water crisis in Flint.
Volunteer With Us
We need your help! Click the Sign Up Genius link below, or simply stop by the tent to say hi and show your support.
Susan Maulbetsch will be managing the tent, and additional volunteers are needed on Sunday to help direct traffic to the appropriate parking structures. All volunteers are encouraged to wear their Michigan Catholic t-shirts, and if you don’t have one let us know. We’ll get you one before your shift!
Please contact Brittany Tobias with questions or comments relating to the 2016 Art Fair.
2016
Campus Connection – Spring 2016
The spring 2016 edition of Campus Connection is out! Click to read stories of faith in action, what the year of mercy means to our parishioners, alumni updates, and more! We’ve also included a link to order our Michigan Catholics t-shirt and Susan’s cook book – they are both listed on our online giving webpage.
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.