August 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2016. Weekly Seven Sorrows of Mary Devotions at Our Lady of Sorrows. See the July newsletter for complete information of these devotions. They include recitation of the special rosary, a short homily by each of the priests chosen for the occasion, a prayer for vocations, meditation on each of the sorrows, and benediction. Homilists for August will be Fr. Patrick Jegar Fickel, Fr. Thomas Cavera, Deacon Pietro Conigliaro, and Fr. Donald Weber, in that order.
August 6, 2016. The Transfiguration of the Lord.
August 8, 2016. Monthly Evening Meeting, 5:30 p.m. at the University Club. Board Meeting preceding at 4:30 p.m.. We will have dinner at the University Club and then go on to St. Mary's Parish 423 First St. NW, for the Taize Service, which has been scheduled in place of a regular speaker. See below for more information about Taize.
August 15, 2016. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Check your parish bulletins as to whether there will be a special Mass on that Monday.
August 24, 2016. St. Bartholomew, Apostle.
September 12, 2016. Monthly Evening Meeting, 5:30 p.m. at the University Club. Speaker will be Cynthia Bailey of Our Lady of Sorrows on the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Cynthia is a Third Order Carmelite and a Toastmaster. She will be accompanied by her sister Mary Stanley, who is instrumental in planning and carrying out the Seven Sorrows devotions, and another Toastmaster.
November 5-12, 2016. National Vocations Awareness Week. It's not too early to start planning for your Parish. See the serraus.org website for materials to download.
About Taize.
Complete information about the prayer service may be found on the website of St. Mary Parish.
Prayer in the spirit of Taize (pronounced teh-ZAY) is an ecumenical form of prayer, for Christians of all traditions, modeled after a monastic community in Taize, France. It is a ery different experience from a "normal" church service. No one stands up in front; there is no sermon. The church is lit by candles. The simple monthly service is meditative in character, consisting of songs, scripture, a service of light, an extended period of silence for meditation, and prayers for the world.
"May the Peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, be in your hearts and minds!"
Priests' Anniversaries for August.
Fr. George Darling, August 11, 1984.
Fr. Stephen Dudek, August 11, 1984.
Fr. Dennis Morrow, August 24, 1975.
Fr. Dennis O'Donnell, August 20, 1983.
We Mourn the Passing of Two of our Parish Priests.
During July, 2016 the Diocese of Grand Rapids lost two of our priests, Fr. Donn P. Tufts and Fr. Philip Salmonowicz.
Father Donn P. Tufts, age 70, retired Roman Catholic Priest in the Grand Rapids Diocese, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. He was born July 2, 1946 in Muskegon and was ordained as a priest on August 2, 1980. During his career he served at St. Francis DeSales,as head chaplain of Blodgett and Butterworth Hospitals, at Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. James, St. Mary's of the Woods, Our Lady of the Assumption, St. John the Baptist and St. Michael's parishes in Edmore and Stanton, and Christ the King. He was still very active in his retirement. He started the Blessing of the Jeeps at Silver Lake. Memorials to Oceana County Animal Shelter or the Johnson Cancer Center of Mercy Health Partners would be appreciated. As we note, he woud have celebrated his anniversary this coming Tuesday.
Father Philip Salmonowicz entered into eternal life on July 21, 2016 following a long battle with cancer. He was the current pastor of the clustered parishes of St. Michael, Muskegon and St. Francis DeSales, Norton Shores.
"Father Phil was an energetic pastor and preacher who kept serving his parishioners throughout his illness up to just a few days before his death," said the Most. Rev. David J. Walkowiak. "His zeal for his priestly work and care for his people have had a profoundly positive impact on the lives of many."
Father Salmonowicz was born in Mt. Clemens, Michigan on December 19, 1948. He was ordained a priest on June 7, 2003. Prior to his appointment in Muskegon, Father Salmonowicz served the parish communities of St. Charles Borromeo, Greenville, with the Mission of St. Margaret in Harvard. He was appointed the dean of the Muskegon Community Deanery, and a a member of the Presbyteral Council.
May God grant them both eternal rest and peace!
We also pray for eternal rest and peace for the mother of Martha Pareles Clark, longtime SI translator and office assistant.
Dan Grady notified us of the death of Martha's mother Rebecca who passed away on Sunday morning. Please keep Martha and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
St. Junipero Serra Relic Venerated in Honolulu.
Serra's vocations mission was featured in the Diocese of Honolulu's monthly Holy Hour for Vocations at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa with the very special presence of a first-class relic of our patron, St. Junipero Serra, on display for veneration. Attendees received a holy card to touch to the relic so they could create their own third-class relic. The holy hour took place on July 6, just five days after Saint Serra's feast day and two days after the Serra International Convention in St. Louis.
Bishop Larry Silva presided over the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by silent prayer, rosary for vocations, and Benediction.
Aid to the Church in Need.
Once again we urge you to spend a few minutes at the ACN site. One of the very worthy projects was assisting youth from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East to attend World Youth Day 2016, which took place this past week in Krakow, Poland. The young people from the Middle East represent churches that are coping with great suffering in countries like Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Palestine. Their presence personifies both the hope of the early centuries of Christianity and the courageous faith of the present-day descendants of the erly Christians. ACN also sent youth from Sudan and Bangladesh to Krakow, to represent two more countries where Christians daily face discrimination and violent attacks. Let us pray that WYD provided rich soil for vocations, as it often does.
This project was only one of the many which have received help in a variety of ways to our suffering brothers and sisters in need.
A Message from our President.
Dear Fellow Serrans:
August marks the anniversary o the death of our namesake, Saint Junipero Serra, on the 28th. Next month will be the anniversary of his canonization. In Pope Francis's homily at the canonization mass, September 23, 2015, he reminded us of Saint Junipero's motto "which inspired his life and work: Siempre adelante! Keep moving forward!" Serra was the embodiment of a "church which goes forth." Having left his native land, Serra was excited about blazing trails, going forth to meet many people.
We do not have to leave our native land, however; we are called to go forth and meet people. The primary topic of most if not all of our recent meetings has been focused on membership. Our immediate past president, Weldon Schwartz, has graciously assumed the role of Vice President of Membership. He has received the Bishop's blessing to approach Diocesean parishes to seek new members. Let us all do what we can to support this endeavor, and siempre adelante!
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us.
What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8.
