FALL 2018 New Pastor Installed Celebrating Welcome Father Mike Alber 30 Years
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ST. PATRICK PARISH & ALUMNI NEWS FALL 2018 New Pastor Installed Celebrating Welcome Father Mike Alber 30 Years On Sunday, September 9. 2018, at the 11:30 Mass, Father Michael Alber was formally Can you believe that The Shamrock installed as the 17th pastor of St. Patrick Parish. Bishop David J. Walkowiak officiated at newsletter is beginning its thirtieth year the Mass before a congregation that packed the church. of publication? It’s been an amazing 30 years! Here’s a little trivia from that first year: It was Holy Week of 2017 • Deacon Dale Hollern and when Father Mike Alber, Pastor of Barb Tichvon were the principal Wyoming St. John Vianney, drove and assistant principal at St. Pat’s. to Detroit to visit the Solanus Father Richard Van Lente was the Casey Center. Father Mike didn’t pastor. know much about Father Casey, • The Father Flohe Foundation was just getting off the ground and but he had a curiosity about the had assets of only $296,000. simple man who was scheduled to • Randy Hodge was barely be beatified later in the year. He out of high school; Al Schrauben went to confession at the center, had just one runner-up title under prayed the rosary, and enjoyed his belt; and Bryan Scheurer was playing Little League. the peaceful atmosphere that he found there. The first issue of The Shamrock was As he drove back home after only four pages long and contained a the visit, Father Mike noticed total of five articles. We were still typing Portland. “Seems like a nice little everything on a typewriter and doing town,” he thought. “cut and paste” sessions with scissors Father Mike recites the vows during his installation and a glue stick to prepare it for the Several weeks later, Father Mass. print shop. Mike heard that Father Larry King But, as technology changed, so did would be retiring to Senior Priest we. status, leaving Portland St. Pat’s without a pastor, so he let the board know that he In February 1994, the parish office would be interested in an assignment there. got its first fax machine. We published In February 2018, Father Mike became the pastor at St. Pat’s. Because Father the fax number and made it into a Larry’s retirement didn’t align with the normal cycle of assignment changes, Father contest to see who would send the first newsletter-related fax. On February 11, Mike also remained the pastor at St. John Vianney until the end of June, spreading 1994, Steve Schrauben barely edged himself thin as he managed two parishes located 40 miles apart. out Doug Willemin and Denise Weeks Father Mike grew up on the west side of Grand Rapids. He attended St. James to win the contest. Elementary School and West Catholic High School. He is the youngest of seven Four years later, on May 30, 1998, children, with 20 years separating him from his oldest sibling. we announced our first email address During his junior year of high school, he began and, once working for his uncle’s electrical business, and by age (continued on page 15) again, made (continued on page 13) I’ve always been a leader, but I never realized it and stepped up to fill the role until I was asked to be one of the leaders of the Ambassador Team.” As school begins this fall, the Student Ambassador Team has taken on a new name and will be known as Campus Ministry. Veronica will continue to use her God-given strengths and talents to be actively involved with projects taken on by the group. St. Patrick High School gained a great leader in Veronica White. She is a driving force in our effort to “Unite the school behind Christ-centered values and actions, Veronica White take it to the parish, and extend it to the area.” Class of 2020 he journey that brought the White Tfamily, including their oldest daughter Veronica, to Portland is most certainly one that clearly illustrates how when one door is closed, God opens up another door of opportunity. To the editors: After a visit to St. Patrick School, which was over an I want to say thanks to Paul Pung for calling me “Coach.” hour away from their home, (See article in the Fall 2017 issue.) Frankly, I was hired by Fr. Bob and Jessica White began Flohe to only coach basketball. Sister Walter added a full day to ponder the possibility of moving their seven children to of teaching along with coaching baseball and being the Athletic St. Pat’s. Director. When Fr. Malewitz was at St. Pat’s we added golf to An unexpected setback, that could have been viewed as the program. The cross country and golf were primarily the traumatic, instead opened up this new door and the decision jobs of the AD for scheduling and transportation. was made to move to a new town and enroll all their sons and Great job on The Shamrock. At age 86 I read “In Memory daughters at St. Patrick Catholic School. of” first!! Another opportunity would present itself only two years Best to Paul and all the young and old Rocks. later. Veronica would become one of the founding members of the Student Ambassador Team and Students for Life Ken Johnson chapter at Portland St. Patrick High School. Veronica was 5105 Keyes Lake Drive already leading the singing at parish and school Masses. Florence, WI 54121 Though just beginning her sophomore year, it was clear that Veronica possessed a vision and the decisive leadership skills that would propel the Ambassador team to many successes in that first year. Veronica has a unique ability to set challenging goals and then map out a clear plan to achieve those goals. Even more important in terms of leadership development, Veronica is willing to listen and learn, all the while intent on building up the people around her and adding more leaders to our combined teams. Veronica describes her view of leadership in this way. “Being a leader involves working with and learning from those you are leading. And sometimes, you need to step back and let them lead you. That’s hard for everyone, especially me. www.portlandstpats.com Ruth (Platte) Ritzema Ruth Platte graduated from St. Patrick School in 1987 and received her degree in elementary education from MSU. She began her teaching career in Lowell where she met Evan Ritzema, who became her husband in 1993. Little did she know that a life-changing experience would lead her down a different path and to a very rewarding career away from the classroom. In 1998, Ruth and Evan were overjoyed to find out they document the family’s NICU journey. were expecting twins. Katrin and Rebecca were born at 23 • Pictures of Hope is a collage of pictures that show then- weeks gestation, with a 25% chance of surviving and a grim and-now photos of former NICU patients. These photos are outlook if they did. Katrin on display on the unit. Rebecca is featured with pictures of lived for 12 days. Rebecca both her and Katrin. (https://www.bronsonhealth.com/bronson- was in the NICU for health-foundation/news-and-events/nicu-pictures-of-hope/) 104 days, endured many • Kangaroo Care promotes the benefits of skin-to-skin surgeries, and nearly lost contact with the little ones. As part of this program, Rebecca her battle three times. But, and one of the doctors hopped around the unit in kangaroo the little girl was a fighter, costumes handing out kangaroo-themed books. and she survived. While • Ruth is organizing a walk/run to raise funds to support she has cerebral palsy, the unit combined with a reunion of families. is legally blind, and has • Ruth and Rebecca will be speaking at the Vermont lower than average IQ, she Oxford Network (VON) Conference in Chicago. VON helps has graduated from high hospitals throughout the world with quality improvement school and lives on her projects. The conference they are attending is specifically for own. Most importantly, NICU professionals. when she looks at herself “The cool thing about my position is that while it seemed in the mirror, she sees that I set aside my career in teaching to be Rebecca’s mom, it herself as a confident has come full circle young woman and not a Ruth and Evan Ritzema leave the to using everything premie-baby. hospital with Rebecca in 1999 after I have learned From the get-go, a 104-day stay. along the way to Rebecca saw an alphabet help these families soup of specialists and therapists. She became involved in during their time nearly every therapy that was available, including downhill skiing in the NICU. The and horseback riding for strength and coordination. Many of more that I help these activities are available at little or no cost to families to help people, the more their children become the best they can be. that they help me Mama Ruth learned along the way and has used her own heal and grow.” experience to help other families. “No one chooses the Ruth and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as their birth plan,” Evan are also she said. “Families in the NICU go through intense trials and parents of two jubilations daily and sometimes hourly.” sons Richie, age Ruth’s current work provides programming and support for 13 and Ryan, age those NICU families at Bronson hospital in Kalamazoo: 9. They recently • She coordinates a good quality dinner twice a month celebrated their The Ritzema family surrounds Rebecca at for the NICU families.