Weekly Bulletin
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St. Raymond-Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church Detroit, Michigan Sunday May 2, 2021 thru Sunday May 30, 2021 The 5th Sunday of Eater through Pentecost and the Most Holy Trinity REFLECTIONS WITH FATHER MICHAEL : We are the Catholic Com- "ARE WE THERE YET?" munity multicultural family of St. Raymond- Those of you that are parents are probably very familiar with the Our Lady of Good Coun- enigmatic question by kids during a long trip, "Mom, are we there yet?" In sel parish of Detroit. We some ways, some of us are asking that question during this troubled peri- share the love of Jesus by welcoming and serving od. We are wondering aloud when we shall mark the end of the ongo- friends and strangers, ing pandemic. It hasn't been easy. young and old, rich and For the past one year and counting, the Church in the United States poor. We are called to be and in most parts of the world has been on lockdown as a result of the the light of Christ in our ubiquitous Covid-19 pandemic. Described by some as the worst neighborhood, strength- ened by prayer and pandemic in living memory, it has killed not less than two million people worship, especially the in the world, and more than half a million here in the United States. What Eucharist. a pandemic! And, what a prolonged struggle to overcome it! The picture We see ourselves as a is not pretty. rock in our community. We are dedicated to grow As we mark one year of lockdown, we like little children on a long in unity with God and one tiresome trip, ask: "Are we there yet?" Indeed, we all do wonder again and another. We invite all to again when this ordeal would be over, and life return to normal. In other join with their time, talents words, judging from the ongoing emergence of the Covid-19 "Variants," and treasures in the jour- can anyone say with certainty when we may witness the end of the cur- ney toward building God’s kingdom. Under the rent pandemic. guidance of the Holy But, all hope is not lost, because we now have the Vaccines that are Spirit, we are dedicated to effective and prevent death, and severe Covid related illness, if people keep a would follow science-based directives rather than emotional or political Catholic presence in our neighborhood. instincts. Some people are already losing their patience. They can’t wait to go out freely, travel wherever they wish, and socialize without any ST. RAYMOND- OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL restrictions whatsoever. Wow! Are we there yet? The short answer is, PARISH "Yes" and "No". Adopted: June 26, 2011 REFLECTIONS WITH FATHER MICHAEL : “Are We There Yet?” (continued form front cover) "Yes", because we are almost there, thanks to the vaccines. Therefore, there is light at the end of the dark tunnel. But, we can also say, "No," because to return to the normal life we left behind in 2019, we all have to agree to make some sacrifice in the areas of patience and perseverance when it comes to fighting this dangerous virus. There are no short cuts to this. We must ALL roll up our sleeves and take the vaccines, and follow the relevant guide- lines to make sure the common enemy is defeated. After-all, who doesn't want to see the virus vanquished? None! Believe it or not, we all are facing an existential problem, a problem which if not adequately handled, has the potential to threaten the very existence of so many people we know and love. Even if some of us assume that we have the magic solution, and are shielded from the ravages of the Corona virus, we should still for the sake of our loved ones and those around us exercise some degree of patience as we collectively wage war on this ugly enemy. In the words of an African adage, "When a dangerous animal runs dangerously towards you, it is no time for picnic." I agree. Such a move calls for concrete and decisive action! In the same vein, Covid-19 is running menacingly towards us, is it time to let down our guard and return to "normal life"? I don't think so. My fellow reflectors and friends, let us continue to follow science-based, and basic common sense guidelines, like wearing our masks in public and indoors among strangers, as well as, observing social distance during any reasonable gathering, and handwashing, etc. Most importantly, every eligible person should endeavor to take one of the approved vaccines as soon as possible. Remember, the sooner we all get vaccinated, the sooner we can begin to socialize and picnic in the future. If we don t defeat the pandemic, some will die, and a dead person doesn't socialize, eat chicken, hamburger, chili, nor do they attend church! Simply put, there is a time for everything. Let's defeat Covid-19 first, no matter how long it takes, then we can party later! Now, however, the truth is, we are not there yet. As we mark the one year anniversary of the lockdown, let us thank the Lord for safeguarding us thus far despite our impatience or ingratitude. May Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ continue to guide and bless our efforts to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy, because Christ Jesus tells us, "Without me you can do nothing." (Jn. 15:5) Let's remember that as people of faith, our faith challenges us to discipline our appetites and use our reason during this challenging time rather than our emotions. The good Lord won't abandon us in our fight to defeat the common enemy, COVID- 19. Have a blessed Easter season, and be safe! And, let's get ready for our first general gathering (virtually) as Families of Parishes, on Saturday evening May 8, at 6pm – 8pm. 2 ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS PERIOD OF May 2--May 30, 2021 1. It is that time of the year again, time for annual budget submission, as well as CSA contribution for the year 2021. Because time is of essence for the submission of the annual budget to the Archdiocese, a joint Parish Council and Finance Council meeting for each of our three families of Parishes will be held as follows: Monday May 10, at St. Jude, at 7pm; Tuesday, May 11, at Our Lady Queen of Heaven-Good Shepherd, at 6pm; Thursday, May 13, at St. Raymond-Our Lady of Good Counsel, at 6pm. All these meetings will be held via teleconference, including St. Raymond-OLGC's meeting. The book-keeper will be presenting the draft budget, seeking the inputs of Council members for the final version. Council members, please, endeavor to attend this important meeting. Like in the past, the teleconference number and code will be provided a few days before the meeting. Thank you. *****2. As we are aware by now, the 2021 C.S.A. season has kicked off. It officially begins today Sunday May 2 throughout the Archdiocese. We thank all the parishioners who made it possible for our church to reach its C.S.A. quota last year. You deserve commendation for enabling our parish reach its goal. May you be blessed by the Lord! Now we are again facing the 2021 C.S.A. contribution. It is our hope that all will chip in what they can afford, to enable our church to make its target again this year, and avoid having to make up any short-fall from the church's savings. Please, send your contribution to the parish office or directly to the Archdiocesan C.S.A. office, as was done last year. Kindly indicate on your check that your gift is for C.S.A. 3. The Igbo Mass which was postponed for more than a year now due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resumed this month of May! We thank God for that, and hope that it continues, as in the past monthly, and increase to twice a month before long. Please, keep the Igbo Mass in your prayer for divine guidance. ***4. After the first General Gathering of our three parishes, as Families of Parishes, on Saturday, May 8, by zoom, at 7pm, the next zoom Gathering will be in June. Please, watch out for more information in the coming weeks. Many thanks to all who will participate actively at all the sessions. ***5. Let us not forget that the annual "Good Times Festival" at Our Lady Queen of Heaven -Good Shepherd parish will take place on Sunday June 13, starting with the 10 am Mass followed directly by raf- fle drawing. All are encouraged to lend their support to OLQH-GS for a successful festival and fundraiser. May you be blessed as you lend your support by purchasing or selling some raffle tickets. ***6.As was reported in the previous bulletin (March 28/Easter Edition) a parish-wide general survey was being conducted at St. Jude to obtain the inputs of parishioners on the proposed plan to sell St. Jude com- munity center, known as Fr. Ording's Center. The surveys have now been taken, and the results will be published in our June bulletin, when we shall have received majority of the mailed out surveys. Please, let's keep this important process in our prayer. 7. We are glad to announce that a date has now been chosen for St. Raymond-OLGC 2021 annual Apple Festival. The date is, Sunday September 26.