Blessed Carlo Acutis – 3 May 1991 – Milan, 11 October 2006 — Fr
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ST. MARY PARISH FAMILY NEWSLETTER Published quarterly by and for ST. MARY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 210 West Main Street PO Box 249 Manchester, MI 48158 (734) 428-8811 [email protected] www.StMaryManchester.org ADVENT 2020 “I have chosen you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit” (JOHN 15:16) Blessed Carlo Acutis – 3 May 1991 – Milan, 11 October 2006 — Fr. Bosco Padamattummal — enerable Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager and would tell her that they could tell that the Lord had a V computer programmer who died in 2006, was special plan for her son. “Carlo really had Jesus in his beatified on the October 10, 2020 in Assisi, Italy by heart, really the pureness… When you are really pure Pope Francis. If canonized, he will be the first of heart, you really touch people’s hearts,” she said. millennial saint. Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi said, Bl. Carlo Acutis was born in London in 1991 where “Young Carlo distinguished himself with his love his Italian parents were working at the time. Not long for the Eucharist, which defined as his highway to after his birth, they settled in Milan, Italy. He heaven.” received his First Communion at the age of seven and At school, he defended other kids against bullies. became a frequent communicant. He made it a When one of his friend’s parents were getting priority to visit Jesus in the tabernacle along with divorced, he made a special effort to include him in going to confession every week. His mother said: his own family life. Along with his holiness, Blessed “As a little boy, especially after his First Carlo was a normal kid. He loved to hang out with Communion, he never missed his daily appointment friends, play video games (only one hour per week), with the Holy Mass and the Rosary, followed by a and play soccer. moment of Eucharistic adoration.” At the age of 15, Carlo contracted leukemia. He In his own family, he was the one who helped chose to offer his suffering for Pope Benedict XVI convince his family to go to Mass more often. Carlo’s and the Church. When a doctor asked him about the mother, Antonia Salzano, said that “Jesus was the pain, he responded: “There are people who suffer center of his day.” She said that priests and nuns much more than me!” — continued on p. 2 > > > > “Since he was a child, he had his gaze turned to Jesus. Love for the Eucharist was the foundation that kept alive his relationship with God” (Cardinal Vallini, from his homily at the Fr. Bosco beatification of Carlo Acutis) became a naturalized U.S. CITIZEN in December 2015 Page 2 NEWSLETTER • ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH ADVENT 2020 —Fr. Bosco’s article, continued from page 1 In his last months, he chose to make a website to categorize every Eucharistic miracle in the Church, all 136 of them. You can take a virtual visit of the sites where these miracles took place and download the panels at www.carloacutis.com or www.miracolieucaristici.org (click the button for English). Bl. Carlo Acutis shows a path toward holiness in the modern world: a love for the Eucharist and a life for God. He said, “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.” Another beautiful quote from him is: “Our destination must be what is infinite, not what is finite. Infinity is our homeland. We have been expected in Heaven since time immemorial.” He also said: “All are born with their own originality, but many die as photocopies” Pope Francis recalled the 15-year-old Italian teenager as “a young man in love with the Eucharist.” Carlo placed the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the “When we face the sun heart of his own life. He called the Eucharist “my highway to heaven.” we get a tan ... but Blessed Carlo Acutis’ example, the Pope added, shows young people that when we stand before “true happiness is found in putting God in the first place and serving Him Jesus in the Eucharist in our brothers and sisters.” Following the beatification of Carlo Acutis in we become saints.” October, Pope Francis invited young people to look to the late Italian teenager as a model of holiness. He also urged Catholics to take part in a Rosary campaign led by “Aid to the Church in Need.” The witness of Blessed Carlo Acutis indicates to today’s young people that true happiness is found by putting God in first place and serving Him in our brothers and sisters, especially the least. Bl. Carlo Acutis lived a life of heroic holiness, despite only living to age 15. Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi highlighted that “In these recent months of solitude and distancing [due to Covid-19], we have been experiencing the most positive aspect of the internet – a communication technology for which Carlo had a special talent … The love of God can turn a great crisis into a great grace” by using the modern communication technology of the internet especially by the young as Blessed Carlo did by Blessed Carlo Acutis, please spreading the Good News of the miracles of the Holy Eucharist. pray for the youth of Heaven has no age limits! Sainthood is for people of any age! Here are St. Mary, Manchester some of them, all below the age of 25… Blessed Chiara Badano (age 18) Saint Stanislaus Kostka (age 17) Saint Teresa of the Andes (age 19) Saint Clelia Barbieri (age 23) Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (age 24) Saint Dominic Savio (age 14) Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (age 24) Saint José Sánchez del Río (age 14) Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto (age 11) Blessed Pedro Calungsod of The beatification Mass for Carlo Acutis Visayas (age 17) October 10, 2020 Antonietta Meo (age 6) ADVENT 2020 NEWSLETTER • ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH Page 3 What Is “Realigning Resources for Mission”? — Dcn. Dennis Walters — y the time this newsletter goes to print, a significant meeting will have taken place at St. Mary’s. B A team from the Diocesan committee on Realigning Resources for Mission will have visited us to share Bishop Boyea’s vision for the future of the diocese, explain what the committee has been doing, and collect from us our questions, desires, and concerns. That meeting will have taken place on November 19th. The committee will conclude its parish-by-parish meetings by mid-December and submit a report to the bishop sometime after Easter next year. EARLIER THIS FALL, the committee met with all the (the Disciple Making Index survey we completed in priests of the Diocese of Lansing to share with them the February), garnering responses from 21,000 vision that is beginning to form from all the data the parishioners, and have surveyed both priests and key committee has been collecting. This article is based on parish leaders about their parish experiences. All this an interview between the chair of the committee, Fr. and more data has given the committee a very good Matthias Thelen, and David Kerr, head of the Diocesan view of how the diocese is faring. Office of Communications. To watch the whole TWO RESULTS SEEMED TO STAND OUT to the interview, follow this link: dioceseoflansing.org/ committee. One was that how parishioners view their news/watch-diocese-lansing-podcast-11-realigning- pastor strongly influences whether they would resources-mission-father-mathias-thelen recommend their parish to outsiders. The other was that, WHY REALIGN ANYTHING? Bishop Boyea has been even though parishioners indicate a deep love for their concerned that an initiative he started eight years ago to faith, they don’t tend to share it with others because move parishes from maintaining what they have to they feel that they don’t know it well enough. forming missionary disciples has not borne the desired WHAT SEEMS TO BE EMERGING SO FAR is a very fruit. You may recall a series of three diocesan-wide preliminary vision of what a restructured diocese might conferences: the first to strengthen the household of look like. The goal would not be to restructure so as to faith; the second to reach out to the lost sheep (former keep what we have and make it better; rather, the goal Catholics); and the third to engage “the court of the would be to combine resources among parishes in a Gentiles” (those with little or no faith). Nonetheless, the given region so that each parish is better served by declines in Mass attendance have continued, and fewer priestly ministry and equipped and trained to do persons are being received into the Church (indeed, mission. almost as many are leaving the Church as are entering THE GENERAL PICTURE MAY INVOLVE FORMING A it). Efforts to reach out to the “lost sheep” have not KIND OF “SUPERPARISH” with one central church brought many back. And there is little concrete serving two or three churches in a region, all of which evidence that disciples with missionary zeal are being would remain open as member churches of the larger formed among the laity. parish. Several priests under the leadership of one SO, OVER A YEAR AGO, THE BISHOP FORMED A pastor would concentrate on providing a level of GROUP OF PRIESTS, DEACONS, AND LAITY to pray and pastoral care for parishioners that doesn’t now exist. investigate how to restructure the whole diocese for Parish staff (including office staff, teachers and mission. The committee has engaged in a year-long, catechists, social justice workers, etc.) could be paid a wide-ranging data-gathering effort. They’ve consulted wage commensurate with others in similar occupations other dioceses who have attempted similar restructuring and be trained to form and equip laity to do the work of for mission, and even consulted their consultors.