ST. PETER CATHOLIC CHURCH 95 MARKET STREET MOUNT CLEMENS, MICHIGAN 48043 April 26, 2020 Phone: (586)468-4578 Website: stpetermtclemens.weconnect.com My Dear Friends, Well, so far it has been a questionable year. It is not only the matter of the coronavirus but of the weather. I mean we are in the middle of April and we are still getting snow showers! I realize that we live in Michigan but even the birds do not know what to do with this stuff. Now, having said that, I would like to share with you a few things that are on my mind. The first thing is the issue of peoples’ live versus the economy. I realize that both are very important. I also know that you cannot divorce one from another. However, in that marriage, lives have to be the priority. This is why I cannot understand the Governor of Georgia this past week saying some- thing to the effect that the economy is more important than lives. I never thought that I would hear something from that from a supposed leader. This is just like one of the pseudo television doctors saying two weeks ago that we should just reopen the schools and accept that 23% of the children would probably die. I realize that we are in the midst of something that we have never seen before but where have our values gone? I want to get back to work the same as everyone else. Yes, I do know people who are at the end of their rope without having an income to pay the bills, health care coverage to protect their families and a sense of worthlessness because they cannot do anything to protect their loved ones. Being a priest does not separate you from being a human being. In fact being a priest makes you more sensitive to these problems because you see them every day in some form if you are a part of your people and care about them. We are going to get through all of this! This nation has gotten through many things that challenged us to the enth degree. What about the Depression, World Wars 1 and 2, Ebola, H1N1, 9/11 and a few other things? Each and every time we have encountered and been faced with something of this nature we not only came through it, we became stronger because of it. This is because we are who we are, Americans, and with the grace and help of God and each other. A true leader is someone who not only says this but who honestly believes it. It would be nice if we had more true leaders and fewer talkers. How can anyone actually say that the economy is more important than life and that losing 23% of our children is acceptable? This gets me to another issue. Everyone is asking where will we be when we get through this. I have a better question. Who will we be when, in fact, we do get through all of this? Having invested so much of ourselves in protecting our loved ones by listening to the doctors, scientists and true leaders by quarantiningourselves, keeping a safe distance from one another and being patient, the issue is not where will we be but who will we be. What will we have learned? The world will never be quite the same. What Page 2 St. Peter Parish, Mount Clemens about all of the technology we have been forced to use? What about learning about what is really a Dear Parish Family: distraction and what is important? Having faced and In this me of 'social distancing' Fr. Mike and the St. endured the deaths of so many, will we cherish life a Peter Parish Staff and St. Mary School Staff are sll bit more? Having had time to spend with our loved here for our Parish and School Families. While the ones will we spend more time with them, listen to them more deeply and cherish them more dearly? Will parish office is now closed to the public, you may we have learned how complex life really is that a virus reach us by phone at 586R468R4578Vmessages will can bring the world to its knees? Not being able to go be checked throughout the day, email us at to church and spend time with God and one another, [email protected], will we desire to be return to those sacred acts we have shared and which define us as believing people? check our website at Will we have seriously learned and grown or will there stpetermtclemens.weconnect.com and be sure to be a great temptation to try to return things back to the follow us on Facebook at way they were when we know that we cannot? facebook.com/StPeterCatholicChurch or Instagram at stpetermtclemens Finally, when we do get a chance to be together again will we take the opportunity to see these times as Thank you and being sacred or will have gotten used to “watching” God Bless! Mass, for an example, rather than coming together to “celebrate” Mass together? There is a great scene in the classic movie THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN. Please consider signing up for Online Giving so that The newly elected Pope meets with an emissary of our Parish and School are sll supported. We are the Russian Chairman who hade been his adversary connuing to reach out to you with informaon and when he, the new Pope, had been held in the bitter resources to keep our Parish Family connected cold of Siberia as a political prisoner for many years. during this difficult me. The emissary of the Russian Chairman presents a symbolic gift to the new Pope. It is a small box with Go to our parish website some earth in it along with some seeds. Long story stpetermtclemens.weconnect.com and scroll down short he tells the new Pope that the earth is sacred for to the “We Share Donate” buon on the rightRhand it is our home. The seeds are sacred because they side. You can opt for monthly hold life. This is the symbolic meaning of the gift. The question still stands. Will we understand the sacred- or weekly giving. Thank you ness of all that God has given to us and the sacred so very much. gifts we are to one another when the sun shines again? We Pray for our Deceased There are so many questions that remain to be Mary Schmidt answered. There are many days we still have to go Mary Welling through. We and our world will not be the same Joe Baehr regardless of the answers we come up with the Tim Delaney treasure. Let us all pray that our answers are the right Brian Sinegar ones. Mary Joan Schulte Please know that we will get through all of this together. This is what I believe and this is really what all of us who are older have experienced before. Please have a blessed week. Know that God is with us. That is the Promise of Easter. God Bless. Love, Peace & Joy, Fr. Mike St. Peter Parish, Mount Clemens Page 3 The Third Sunday of EasterNApril 26, 2020 “God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father.” (Acts 2:3233a) Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass ©2001, 1998, 1970 CCD. Readings for the Week of April 26, 2020 Sunday: Acts 2:14, 2233/Ps 16:12, 5, 78, 910, 11 [11a]/ 1 Pt 1:1721/Lk 24:1335 Monday: Acts 6:815/Ps 119:2324, 2627, 2930 [1ab]/ Jn 6:2229 Tuesday: Acts 7:51N8:1a/Ps 31:3cd4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab [6a]/Jn 6:3035 Wednesday: Acts 8:1b8/Ps 66: 13a, 45, 67a [1]/ Jn 6:3540 Thursday: Acts 8:2640/Ps 66:89, 1617, 20 [1]/ Jn 6:4451 Friday:Acts 9:120/Ps 117:1bc, 2 [Mk 16:15]/Jn 6:5259 St. Joseph the Worker: Gn 1:26N2:3 or Col 3:1415, 17, 2324/Ps 90:2, 34, 1213, 14 and 16 [cf.17b]/ Mt 13:5458 Saturday: Acts 9:3142/Ps 116:1213, 1415, 1617 St. Peter Catholic [12]/Jn 6:6069 Church Next Sunday:Acts 2:14a, 3641/Ps 23:13a, 3b4, 5, Mission Statement 6 [1]/1 Pt 2:20b25/Jn 10:110 St. Peter Parish, a viable faith centered community, gathered We will work with you to around the Eucharist strives reschedule your Mass ~to serve the growing people of God spiritually and Intentions when Masses can sacramentally be publically celebrated again. ~to proclaim the Word of God in the context of Thank you and God Bless! Catholic tradition ~to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in calling forth our gifts of time, talent and treasure ~to reach out to the community joyfully as living symbols of God’s presence in Mount Clemens Like us on Facebook to see daily updates! www.facebook.com/St.PeterCatholicChurch Follow St. Mary Catholic We are on Instagram! Follow us at: School on Facebook: @stpetermtclemens @stmarymtclemens www.facebook.com/stmarymtclemens Listen to Fr. Mike’s Homilies & watch “Chats from the Lazy Boy”, as well as “From My Kitchen to Yours” with Fr. Dale. Visit: youtube.com/c/StPeterParishMtClemens Page 4 St. Peter Parish, Mount Clemens ADVENTURES IN STEWARDSHIP by Bob Petitpren, J+M+J+L IMMACULATATE HEART OF MARY (IHM) – Since 1845, the Sisters, Servants of the IHM have served along the River Raisin in Monroe, Michigan as educators, activists and Catholic pioneers.