ST. MARY PARISH FAMILY NEWSLETTER Published quarterly by and for ST. MARY ROMAN 210 West Main Street PO Box 249 , 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 – 3 May 1991 – , 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 , by heart, really the pureness… When you are really pure Francis. If canonized, he will be the first of heart, you really touch people’s hearts,” she said. millennial . Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi said, Bl. Carlo Acutis was born in in 1991 where “Young Carlo distinguished himself with his love his Italian parents were working at the time. Not long for the , which defined as his highway to after his birth, they settled in Milan, Italy. He heaven.” received his 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 , 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 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” 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 .” 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 (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 (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. social outreach and evangelization as lay apostles. Through the Catholic Leadership Institute, they have THIS VISION IS VERY VAGUE AS YET and is far from disseminated surveys to all the diocese’s 72 parishes implementation. The committee — continued on p. 4 > > > > Our parish church through the years… Page 4 NEWSLETTER • ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH ADVENT 2020

SANCTUARY LAMPS: I would like to again talk about EXTRA STUFF: This year there is no the sponsoring of a Sanctuary Lamp/Candle. I have Christmas in the Village. So the noticed that there are a good number of weekends Altar Society will not be sending out Raffle where none are sponsored. I know that there are very Tickets to be purchased/ There will be no Bake Sale few open Mass dates, especially for the weekends. If at the Manchester United Methodist Church either. the Mass date you would like is taken, consider Thank you to all the bakers who have supplied the sponsoring a Sanctuary Lamp instead. All of the goodies in the previous years. Hopefully next year candles are lit on Saturday and burn for a week. If it the things that have been cancelled this year will be happens that the candle is not finished burning, it is back. then placed in one of the globes that is sitting a side A great big THANK YOU to all who support us in altars to finish burning. The cost to sponsor a candle any way, which also includes the Holiday Wreath is $12.00. This is a great way to celebrate birthdays, Sale. Without you, we would not be able to buy the anniversaries, the remembrance of someone special altar candles, Advent candles, or Easter candles – or even the birth of a child. Please give this some which saves money for the church. consideration. Thank you also, to all who say “yes” when I call CEMETERY NOTES: It is now time, if you have for funeral food. Unless you have experienced it family members buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, to firsthand, you have no idea just how much the plan on how you want to decorate the grave for family appreciates what we do. winter. Remember that the winds can blow with LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Phone numbers and great gusto, so make sure the decorations are well addresses and email addresses… Have any of these secured and cannot blow away. numbers for you changed? If so, please contact the CHRISTMAS BLOOD DRIVE: Are you a blood donor? parish office and let them know of your change. St. Mary’s is again hosting the Christmas Blood Drive to be held on Monday, Dec. 21 at the Parish In ending, I want to wish ALL of YOU, Center, from 1pm until 7pm. If you are interested in a very Blessed Christmas and a HAPPY 2021. donating, please call me at 734-428-9506. Marja Warner • 734-428-9506

[Dcn. Dennis’ article continued from p. 3] stresses that it has no blueprint for restructuring. Whatever shape that blueprint takes will depend on the results of the consultations taking place now, and on how the bishop decides to proceed. But any such vision will obviously mean looking anew at what a parish is, including its relationships with other parish churches and with the bishop. WHATEVER THAT NEW VISION IS, it will affect St. Mary’s. Like other parishes our size, we revere our pastor and prize our “independence.” We regard ourselves as a welcoming parish; we are financially stable, are blessed with dedicated long-time parishioners, and eager to be involved in the Manchester community. There are many positives to our present configuration within the diocese, ones we would be loath to give up. Yet the DMI results validate what we can see for ourselves: our parish membership is elderly (the median age is over 60 years old) despite the presence of some young families. We have seen few people join us through RCIA or other avenues. We have no school of our own, and a struggling Religious Education program with few youth to educate. For various reasons, including our rural location, we have almost no formal way of doing mission with CLINTON neighboring parishes. FREEDOM THERE IS A SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLE THAT SAYS THAT NO ONE

BROOKLYN CLARK’S LAKE CAN KEEP WHAT HE IS UNWILLING TO GIVE AWAY. That’s another way of saying that one who strives to keep his life will lose it, and one who loses his life for Jesus’ sake will save it (Mark 8:35). Our parish doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to Jesus. In any realignment of the diocese for mission, St. MANCHESTER TECUMSEH Mary’s will both lose something and gain something – just what is hard to say at the moment. For our own sake, we need IN THE EARLY YEARS OF OUR PARISH, we joined with to be willing to accept that things will change, and pray other nearby parishes, sharing priests and resources… earnestly that the Holy Spirit will guide that change for our the grouping being considered “missions.” benefit, that of the Church in this diocese, and His glory. ADVENT 2020 NEWSLETTER • ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH Page 5

How We Keep Advent by Benjamin Dahl, Music Director s the uncertainties of this remarkable year 6th, this understandably very popular saint never A continue, I believe we should make a habit of fails to shower many gifts and goodies in and among falling back on the certainties of our faith. My last all these shoes. Next, we enjoy on that same morning parish newsletter article focused on the certainty of a hearty breakfast of gingerbread pancakes. We death and Christ’s Second Coming, and the penitential find that St. Nicholas’ presents on his feast day in season of Advent dovetails with this second topic. The early December lets us look forward to Christ’s birth word advent, in fact, means coming; appropriately in on December 25th rather than presents brought by Advent, we continue to await the coming of Christ. the man in red on that same day. We can do this in many ways, such as having an The Marian feasts in Advent are also important Advent wreath on the dining room table, and lighting a markers of the season for our family: without Mary’s new candle each week to mark the ever shortening yes to God, we would have no Christmas. In Advent approach of the Lord. In our house, we await Christ’s we observe the SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE coming through simple practices like these that CONCEPTION OF OUR LADY on December 8 and the reinforce our faith. Here is a glimpse of our family feast of OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE on December 12. customs during this time of year. I and my family have also been fortunate enough in Our Christmas preparation begins on the FEAST OF recent years to attend a special Marian Mass called a ST. ANDREW, NOVEMBER 30. This day not only begins RORATE MASS at a neighboring parish. A Rorate the 25 day countdown to Christmas, but it’s also when a Mass is a votive sung Mass to the Blessed Virgin famous novena starts, known as the “St. Andrew Mary beginning about a half hour before dawn Novena.” Starting on this day, we pray the following inside a church completely darkened except for prayer: candles lighting the sanctuary. It’s hard to convey in Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which words the wonder of experiencing this Mass. Picture the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin the hushed church interior punctuated with dozens of Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In flames while the day gradually gets lighter and lighter that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer with the coming of the sunrise. The experience and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior visually surpasses any Christmas light display. Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen. Another high mark for us in Advent is GAUDETE This prayer anticipating the moment of Christ’s birth SUNDAY, or translated from the Latin, “Rejoice” into our world goes well beyond the typical nine day Sunday. On that day around the Advent wreath lit novena. It is supposed to be said everyday until with the two purple and single pink candles, we sing December 25, and not just once a day, but 15 TIMES. with gusto the refrain of “O Come, O Come We try to remember to say the prayer as a family every Emmanuel” in Latin: Gaude, gaude Emmanuel! morning and evening in Advent; throughout the day I Captivum solve Israel! We also enjoy singing the will try to fit in the other 13 times, but, I confess I Advent Carol “People, Look East” on this day, a sometimes lose track of how many times I actually say song which aptly describes preparing one’s house for it a day. Nonetheless, similar to the repetitions of “Hail the nearing Christmas festivities. It is also usually Mary’s” in the rosary, it’s a good way to orient one’s after three fourths of the Advent season, that I go in thoughts to the importance of the culmination of the search of our Christmas tree which we will put up Incarnation in the moment of Christ’s birth, that pivotal during the final week before Christmas. moment in history where God became Man and dwelt In the final day of Advent, we prepare for among us. I like to connect the St. Andrew Novena to celebrating Christ’s imminent coming with a few the proclamation of Christ’s birth sung at the beginning more activities. We bake dozens of Christmas of midnight Mass in church on December 25. cookies to share with friends and family during the The next major Advent observance in our house is coming 12 days of the Christmas season. On DECEMBER 6—ST. NICHOLAS’ FEAST DAY. On the eve Christmas Eve after I come home from the of this feast, our children each lay out a 5:00pm Mass, we eat a simple meatless couple pairs of shoes by the fireplace dinner consisting of home-made in expectation of having them filled by butternut squash-filled ravioli pasta as a Jolly Old St. Nick. And on the morning of the way to observe the end (Continued on page 6) Page 6 NEWSLETTER • ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH ADVENT 2020 FINANCIAL UPDATES by Bill Kwolek, Finance Council • October 21, 2020 WEEKLY COLLECTIONS IN STEADY DECLINE parishes like ours were typically “linked” to other Our weekly collections are down to 87% (-$11,000) parishes. The words used to describe this linking are of our yearly goal and they are falling. The average collaborative, in solidum, merged, clustered or even number of envelope donations per week has decreased closed with parishioners reassigned to other parishes. to around 40. Last year we averaged around 70/week. These words mean a major restructuring of parishes This is a significant shortfall. No doubt the decline and ministries. The bishop and his priests met on Oct correlates to Covid lockdown restrictions and fewer 1st to discuss and discern what the RRM will involve. people attending Mass on the weekend. But PLEASE The RRM parish meetings are the next phase. By next continue to donate even if you are not able to come to March, the data collected from these two phases will Mass. There is no end in sight to restrictions and if this be discussed and the restructuring plan will be decline continues, we will need to draw from our developed by the RRM committee in Lansing. The diocesan savings account. If we begin to dip into plan will then be presented to the bishop for savings, it will signal to the Diocese of Lansing the discernment and implementation. We will probably onset of financial weakness. This will factor into the know what is in store for St. Mary’s sometime in the changes our parish will face when the Realignment spring of 2021. decisions are presented to Bishop Boyea next March. The potential changes for our parish might include Fr. Bosco is encouraging safe distancing and masks sharing a priest, staff, religious education, sacraments, at all three Masses. He distributes Holy Communion to parish programs and ministries. As in other small each individual by walking down the empty pew parishes, we may see a reduction in daily or weekend separating every occupied pew. Current statistics are Masses. We stand to lose autonomy, but to what extent clear, Covid is not going away, but serious cases of the – we must wait. The decision is not in our hands. virus are far lower and the mortality rate is a small It’s important to understand that during the past fraction of what it was during the springtime peak. number of years, the Catholic Church has been losing REALIGNMENT OF RESOURCES FOR MISSION (RRM) members, has been rocked by the abuse scandal, has — PREPARE FOR CHANGE retired many priests, has declining vocations, and has Our RRM meeting was rescheduled for Thursday, too many parishioners who are not financially Nov 19 at 7-8:30pm. This meeting might be history by supporting their parishes. All of this has been the time you read this newsletter. But the accelerated by the Covid lockdown, unemployment consequences of the meeting will begin to impact our and the rise of anti-God and anti-Catholic rhetoric and parish in the spring of 2021. The RRM will extend actions. well beyond priest reassignments. After reviewing the THE NEED FOR PRAYER statements from Bishop Boyea and the program The realities experienced by the Catholic Church director Fr. Mathias Thelen, we can expect significant will be coming to Manchester Catholics whether we changes. Anyone can view these statements online: want them or not. It was Providence that we were Overview from Bishop Boyea: https://youtu.be/ named St. Mary of the Assumption. I encourage all of o5ChZtrktJQ and the interview with Fr. Mathias us to pray the rosary daily, not with mere words, but Thelen: https://www.youtube.com/watch? from the heart. Pray that God’s Will be a blessing for v=KBdwCvwIHxg&feature=youtu.be our parish and that He provide wisdom to the RRM When I did some research, available from the committee and Bishop Boyea. Amen Dioceses of Lansing, Saginaw, and Kalamazoo, small

(“How We Keep Advent” continued from page 5) to the penitential Advent season before the high feasting begins. We then all hop in our van and drive around Manchester to view the luminarias lighting the way for Mary and Joseph to find lodging before the birth of the Christ Child. All these little family traditions help us keep our eyes fixed on the Lord’s Advent. May His Coming shine on you and your family in spite of all this life’s dark uncertainties. > ADVENT 2020 NEWSLETTER • ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH Page 7 ather Charles E. Irvin served St. Mary Catholic F Church, Manchester from 1997 to 2002. Below is an Looking “A Gift of Faith,” excerpt from an article entitled, “A Gift of Faith,” that he wrote for Faith Magazine in January 2000. This article by Betty Cummings, seemed appropriate for Advent and the celebration of the Back Archive Coordinator coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Father Charlie was the founding editor of Faith Magazine. “God gifts us with the power of faith that we might live it love, faith, purpose, truth, goodness and, above all, beauty. in communion with others. We are to care for each other, Faith, through our sharing, is strengthened. And in the not just ourselves. Salvation isn’t individualized… But we strengthening, it is renewed… Faith is brought to life by cannot share what we don’t have, or which we may only moving from what is mine to what is ours. dimly see… “That is the way, the truth and the life of Jesus, the One “Being made in the image and likeness of God, we exist whom we all love and want to follow, the One who in beauty in relationships with each other, relationships consisting of sings His love song to our hearts and souls….” May you be richly blessed and have a holy and joyous Christmas 2020. Our Parish Knights from Randy Dieter School Supplies Report Grand Knight At the end of August/beginning The Manchester Knights of of November St. Mary parishioners Columbus are happy to be an joined with the Knights of active part of the St. Mary’s Columbus, Fr. Edwin A. Fisher Church family! Our Council Council 4354, in a project to members have helped out with collect school supplies for many events such as Manchester Community Schools. the Lenten Fish Frys, This year, all donations went to the annual Ice Cream Social, Riverside Intermediate School. our semi-annual breakfasts for In just four weekends, St. the church members, Mary’s parishioners donated many, Superintendent of schools and helped out with the Parish many much-needed supplies to Riverside Intermediate principal, garage sale, and assist those young students most in Dr. Brad Bezeau (right), and Mark worked on the Parish Center need of the necessities for an Ball (left), who organized the school renovation. elementary school education. We have also had our very supplies donation program through Donated were the obvious things successful “Apple Pie Sale” our local K of C council. like pencils, paper, crayons, program to support the Youth programs within markers and tissues. But, some other great ideas like our Parish. sanitary wipes, pencil cases, folders and backpacks were Our K of C Council activities include our very collected as well. recognizable “Tootsie Roll” (Mentally Impaired Drive) that we do twice a year to help the mentally Those items still don’t tell the whole story, though, as impaired people of our community and state. We countless other thoughtful supplies were generously just recently had a drive where members turned in given so that many less fortunate young students have receipts from bottles & cans to help in the cost of access to items that others take for granted. our seminarians throughout the state. Programs like this are the foundation of what makes We just purchased a case of 12 winter coats that living in a small, caring community so rewarding. will be given out to kids in the community; so they Thank you fellow parishioners for joining us with this aren’t cold this winter. We have also just finished program. our annual “School Supplies for Kids” program Look for more programs sponsored by the K of C in (see report on this page) where we picked up the future like youth contests in soccer and basketball, a donations after the Sunday Masses to help buy Tootsie Roll Drive to raise funds for intellectually needed school supplies for the kids at the disabled persons, and assisting St. Mary’s in the return Manchester schools. of our famous Fish Fries during Lent before Easter. Page 8 NEWSLETTER • ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH ADVENT 2020 THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS [Editor’s note: Fellow parishioner Marja Warner recalled this article, written by our then-pastor Fr. Charles Irvin, from our January 7, 2001 parish bulletin, and suggested sharing it again. The 12 Days of Christmas traditionally refers to the days from Christmas until the celebration of the Epiphany, all 12 days being days to celebrate Christmas! But here Fr. Charlie offered an additional meaning…] an you imagine a time when you could not wish anyone C “Merry Christmas”? There was such a time, back in from 1558 to 1829. During those years Catholics were forced to conceal their beliefs. Recusant Catholics disguised their beliefs by describing them in code words and phrases. Thus the happy and seemingly nonsensical song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” was actually a catechetical device employed in order that Catholic children could remember their lessons in the Faith. Christ is depicted as the “partridge in a pear tree,” the crucified one on the tree of the Cross. And the “true love”? He is God, himself. The symbolism is inescapable: when death (Evil) approaches, the mother partridge feigns injury in order to decoy the predators away from her little ones, just as Christ has done so for us on the Cross. Two turtle doves – The Old and New Testaments Three French hens – Faith, Hope and Charity Four calling birds – The four Evangelists Five golden rings – The first five books of the Old Testament presenting the theological history of our fall from grace Six geese a-laying – The six days of Creation Seven swans a-swimming – The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit Eight maids a-milking – The eight Beatitudes Nine ladies dancing – The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit Ten lords a-leaping – The Ten Commandments Eleven pipers piping – The Eleven faithful Apostles Twelve drummers drumming – The twelve articles of faith in the Apostles Creed These days it is more politically correct to wish people “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” Some school children are now taught that we’re celebrating “Winter Festival” – not Christmas. Will it soon be considered unacceptable to wish folks “Merry Christmas”? Perhaps the day is coming when “The Twelve Days of Christmas” may be sung again for its original purpose. — Fr. Charlie

SUNDAY MASSES: ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH MISSION St. Mary Church NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION Saturday 5pm, Sunday We the people of God of St. Mary Roman Catholic Parish, 210 W. Main St • P.O. Box 249 U.S. POSTAGE 8:30am and 10:30am guided by the Holy Spirit, are called to continue the Mission Manchester, MI 48158 PAID SACRAMENT OF of Jesus Christ. We dedicate ourselves to the personal MANCHESTER, MI PENANCE: Saturday 3:30- responsibility of fulfilling this mission by: 4:30pm; Sundays 8- • proclaiming the good news of God’s life, love and PERMIT NO. 15 8:15am and 10- mercy • seeking nourishment in God’s Word and the Most 10:15am; First Fridays • serving those in need in a spirit of 8-9pm; and during justice and mercy, flowing from a love of Jesus • passing Lent, after Stations of on our Catholic heritage through fellowship in the parish the Cross community and through worship, prayer and the guidance COMMUNION at HOME of the Bishop of Lansing, in union with the Pope, the and SACRAMENT of the Bishop of . SICK: call 428-8811 Responding to and relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, MARRIAGE / BAPTISM: By we pledge to accept and live the teaching of Jesus Christ, appointment thus being living witnesses of God’s presence in the world.