The Spotlight Immaculate Conception Church Ira Township, Michigan May 24, 2020 The Ascension of The Lord Enter for Worship, Depart for Service “All power in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Mt 28:18b-19 Immaculate Conception Parish, Ira, Michigan May 24, 2020 Page 2 Mass Times & Information IMMACULATE CONCEPTION PARISH 9764 Dixie Highway, Ira Township, MI 48023 Phone: 586•725•3051 Fax: 586•725•8240 MEMORIAL DAY Church Building Is Open MON 7am-7pm .............Church open for Monday - Saturday 7am - 7pm 25 Private Prayer Sunday 8am - 1:30pm 9:00am................. Mass MASS SCHEDULE Saturday 4:30pm Acts 19:1-8/Ps 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab [33a]/Jn 16:29-33 Sunday 8am | 10am | 12pm Monday 8:30am 7am-7pm .............Church open for Tuesday 6:30pm TUES Private Prayer 6:30pm .................Mass Wednesday No Mass 26 Thursday 8:30am Friday 8:30am Acts 20:17-27/Ps 68:10-11, 20-21 [33a]/Jn 17:1-11a PARISH OFFICE TEMPORARILY CLOSED 7am-7pm .............Church open for SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION WED Private Prayer NO MASS Thursday 9am 27 Saturday 3:30pm Acts 20:28-38/Ps 68:29-30, 33-35a, 35bc-36ab [33a]/Jn 17:11b-19 ANOINTING OF THE SICK / HOMEBOUND THU 7am-7pm .............Church open for Call the parish office to arrange for anointing for someone Private Prayer who is seriously ill or preparing for surgery. NO Commu- 28 8:30am................. Mass nion for the homebound is available at this time. 9:00am .................Confessions PARISH REGISTRATION Acts 22:30; 23:6-11/Ps 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 [1]/Jn 17:20-26 Registration forms are available in the parish office or you may register online at iccatholic.org. 7am-7pm .............Church open for PARISH DATABASE FRI Private Prayer Immaculate Conception invites you to create your own 8:30am................. Mass member account. You may contact the parish office with 29 your e-mail address and we will send you a link to join our Breeze system where you may update your personal infor- Acts 25:13b-21/Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab [19a]/Jn 21:15-19 mation and start or adjust online giving. (ic.breezechms.com) ONLINE OR TEXT TO GIVE 7am-7pm .............Church open for For your convenience we offer Online Giving. You may SAT Private Prayer contribute using a checking or savings account, credit, or 3:30pm .................Confessions debit card, and you may update or cancel at any time. You 30 4:30pm .................Mass may make a one-time donation or set up a repeating schedule. We also offer Text-to-Give — just text your dona- tion amount to 586-435-0011. To give online just visit Acts 28:16-20, 30-31/Ps 11:4, 5 and 7 [cf. 7b]/Jn 21:20-25 iccatholic.org/e-giving, call the parish office, 586-725-3051, if you need help. 8am-1:30pm ........Church open for SUN Private Prayer 8:00am................. Mass 24 10:00am ...............Mass 12:00pm ...............Mass Acts 2:1-11/Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 [cf. 30]/1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13/Jn 20:19-23 Immaculate Conception Parish, Ira, Michigan May 24, 2020 Page 3 10. Everyone in the sanctuary (the priest, deacon, sac- Fr. Joe’s Jottings ristan, lector, and any altar servers) will practice social dis- Welcome back! After some ten weeks, public Masses tancing, but need not wear masks. are now allowed in our Archdioceses once again—a rea- 11. The ushers will not pass baskets for the collection son for us to give thanks to God. basket; instead, baskets will be available near the doors of Our regular Mass schedule resumed this past Tuesday, church for your envelopes. and now we are having our first weekend liturgies since 12. There will not be an Offertory procession (the Of- March 7-8. During these past few months, I have been fertory gifts of bread and wine will already be in the sanc- saying one or more private Masses every day, keeping up tuary near the altar). with all the scheduled Mass intentions. 13. For Holy Communion, only the Host will be dis- Archbishop Vigneron writes, “I pray you have felt the tributed—not the Precious Blood. loving comfort of Christ as you awaited the day you could 14. Social distancing must be practiced in coming for- return to His Real Presence in the Eucharist. And I rejoice ward for Communion; your mask should be removed as with you and thank God today as we move toward the you come near the front of the line, and—if you are receiv- gradual reopening of our parish communities.” ing Communion in the hand—your gloves as well. As we resume weekend Masses, there are certain 15. Even if you are not kneeling down to receive the things to be aware of: Host, please stand directly behind the kneeler. 1. If you are ill (including any symptoms of a cold or the 16. You may receive Communion either in the hands flu), please—as a matter of justice to others—do not come (not while wearing gloves) or on the tongue. to church. 17. If receiving Communion on the tongue, please (a) 2. Everyone in a high-risk category (over 65, or experi- do not extend your tongue (rather, keep it inside your encing respiratory difficulties, or caring fort the sick) is ex- mouth, ideally touching the tip of your tongue to the back cused from attending Mass. Also, anyone worried about of your lower lip); and (b) do not move your head or your the possibility of contracting an infection in church is dis- tongue while receiving. pensed from the obligation to attend Mass. (This dispen- 18. If the priest or Minister of Communion accidentally sation remains in effect until September 6.) touches your tongue while giving you Communion (regard- 3. Everyone attending Mass is expected to wear a face less of whose fault it is), he or she will have to stop and mask of some sort; gloves are optional, but recommended. wash his/her hands before resuming the distribution of (It’s up to parents to decide whether their children will wear Communion. face masks in church.) 19. Social distancing must be practiced when leaving 4. To prevent possible infections, the “busy bags” for church after Mass (in other words, wait in the pew, if nec- children have been removed. essary, until it’s safe to exit). 5. The holy water fonts will remain empty for the fore- 20. If the priest, deacon, ushers, or anyone else is out- seeable future. side church greeting people after Mass, this is to occur 6. Social distancing remains in effect. In practical without the shaking of hands. terms, this means (a) only persons from the same house- These restrictions will be in effect indefinitely. They hold should sit near each other, and (b) every other pew may seem strange or uncomfortable; however, in the will be roped off. The church will be cleaned by our main- words of Archbishop Vigneron, “As we move forward, we tenance staff after each of the weekend Masses. Please must remember God’s unending love for us and His ability note: After the 8am and 10am Masses, the cleaning to bring good from our trials. He created each of us to live crew will need half-an-hour to prepare for the next in this moment, during this pandemic so that we might give Mass (so please don’t interfere with this process if you witness to our confidence in the good news of the Lord’s come early). victory over suffering and death.” 7. Attendance at Mass is limited to 25% of the seating * * * * * capacity (about 110 persons). In case more people than Tomorrow’s Mass for Memorial Day (Monday, May that number arrive, the parish hall will be set up to ac- 25) will be at 9am (not 8:30am). commodate the overflow (with live-streaming of the * * * * * Mass available there). At Communion time, Holy Com- A new auto-parts store has a special deal for customers munion will be brought to those persons in the parish hall. over the age of 65: with every purchase, they throw in a 8. The entrance and closing processions at Mass will free replacement bulb for burned-out turn signals. be simplified and scaled-down. * * * * * 9. There will be little if any singing at Mass (due to the Thought for the Day: difficulty in singing while wearing a mask, and to avoid Try to gather more frequently to celebrate God’s Eu- handling the hymnals). If you do use a hymnal, please charist and to praise Him. For when you meet with fre- leave it on the pew (rather than putting it back in the rack) quency, Satan’s powers are overthrown and his destruc- so it can be sanitized after Mass. tiveness is undone. --St. Ignatius of Antioch Immaculate Conception Parish, Ira, Michigan May 24, 2020 Page 4 Faith Formation The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults 52 Sundays RCIA is the process by which Catholics EXPLORE THE SUNDAY GOSPEL invite those who are interested in becom- The Commissioning of the Disciples ing Catholic or those interested in com- MT 28:16-20 pleting the sacraments of initiation; Holy The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the Communion and Confirmation. mountain to which Jesus had ordered God calls each of us in His own time and them.