June 2018

SPECIAL REPORT:

PLANNING TOMORROW’S CHURCHES

Update on 2008 report

Develop an

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE Accompany people

WITH PATIENCE AND CHARITY

1

YOU

ARE MADE FOR

HAPPINESS

DIOCESE OF LANSING ASSEMBLY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018

EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION 9:00 A.M. TO 11:30 A.M.

INSPIRING SPEAKERS

1:00 P.M. TO 4:30 P.M.

ALL DIOCESAN MASS 4:30 P.M.

Join thousands of Catholics from across our Diocese at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing and the Breslin Center in East Lansing as we gather in prayer, witness and worship to celebrate the reason God made us – for happiness with Him in this life and the next!

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

FREE ADMISSION. REGISTER TODAY!

WWW.MADEFORHAPPINESS.ORG

FROM THE BISHOP

BISHOP EARL BOYEA

is the fifth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing @BishopBoyea

Carlson Productions

EVERY PERSON IS A GIFT

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I pray that my nephew and his wife have safely delivered their first child, a daughter. As I anticipate a “great” niece, for whom I will become a “great” uncle (I am sure all my nephews and nieces think of me as “great”!), I am struck by what a “gift” a child is. We celebrated Mother’s Day last month and will honor Father’s Day this month, but my thoughts turn to a child.

A first reflection is that a child is an embodiment of love. Now I know that there are occasions when violence has led to conception or a child is not really wanted, but even in those cases, that baby embodies God’s love who has given life not just to that child but to those who will care for him or her.

The notion that a child is a gift is not something that is reflected in a lot of talk about children these days. Instead, it seems like we think about a child more as a product or as something to which I have a right, something that is owed to me. This could tend to treat a child as a piece of property rather than as a being with a human dignity granted by our Creator. We see this most clearly in our contraceptive mentality or in the availability of abortion or in our search to find new ways to conceive children apart from the God-given method.

This leads us to a second reflection especially focused on those who would love to receive the gift of a child from God but are unable to do so for any number of reasons. This can be a cause of great suffering. Again, solutions that are sought must respect the child as a gift and not as a commodity. And solutions must also respect the natural union of man and woman such that a child is truly the fruit of God’s call to humanity to be fruitful and multiply.

A third reflection is that any child is both an expression of and a call for parental generosity. This is not just a whimsical generosity, but a sacrificial one. One of the biggest sacrifices is that marriage is no longer about just you and me. Married love becomes other-focused. And even those who suffer infertility can join their sacrifices, their sufferings, to the tremendous love of our savior, Jesus Christ. The fruit of Jesus’ suffering was The fruit of Jesus’ suffering was salvation for us; the fruit of all sacrificial offerings, salvation for us; the fruit of all both of those who are parents and those who are sacrificial offerings, both of those who not, can be an increased dedication to the human dignity of all those we meet. For, not only is every are parents and those who are not, child a gift, but every person is a gift. The other can be an increased dedication to the side of that equation is that we are also a gift and human dignity of all those we meet.” it is in giving ourselves away that we truly receive.

A blessed summer to all of you.

3

FROM THE EDITOR

FAITH HELPS

DADS CAN SURPRISE US M

Y DAD USED TO TELL ME that, as an engineer, he would much rather deal with machines and math than with people and their emotions. He will note that the world in which I live and minister is sometimes a mystery to him, since I am often faced with assisting people in very challenging situations, when their emotions and feelings can be on full display. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that, following my mom's death three years ago, my dad has become something of an accomplished grief counselor.

T.Gennera

At the time of Mom's death in 2015, my parents had been together for just shy of 60 years. When they married, Mom was working as a registered nurse, and my dad worked as an engineer for General Motors. When I came along, Mom made the transition from her nursing career to the full-time work of stay-at-home mom. Toward the end of FATHER my time in high school, Mom returned to full-time nursing at a local DWIGHT EZOP hospital. Throughout those years, Dad remained in the workaday world is the editor of as his career took him to a variety of locations around the United FAITH Magazine States and eventually overseas. Mom and Dad were utterly devoted and pastor of to one another and shunned a more gregarious social life in order to St. Mary Parish, spend time with one another and with family. As their parents aged, Charlotte and Dad and Mom both stepped in to assist with their care. Throughout St. Ann Church, it all, Mom and Dad grew in love and in friendship for one another.

Bellevue Although both of them had friends, they much preferred being in the Email: editor@ company of one another. They were two peas in a pod.

FAITHpub.com.

As my mom's final illness unfolded and eventually took her life, both my brother and I were concerned about how Dad would adjust to not having Mom around. Following Mom's death in 2015, we made sure to take extra time with Dad and tried to make sure that he had some resources to help him with his grief. One of my priest friends made sure that Dad received a series of faith-filled booklets that are designed to help a surviving spouse make their way through grief over the course of a year. My dad found these booklets to be helpful, but he would often share that he found his own personal faith and his daily prayer to be much more helpful. Dad's faith has always been rock-solid, and his trust in God is very open and honest. As one who reads the Scriptures daily, Dad is pretty clear on God's promises to us, and so he trusts that Mom is being well-cared for in her transformed life. He also trusts that one day he and Mom will be together again, joined in a communion of love with all the faithful departed. Dad's faith is pretty straight-forward: what God says is true, God is worthy of our trust and God will fulfill his promises. So, although he readily admits that he misses Mom each day, his faith gives him great comfort and a positive way to help him deal with Mom's death.

Dad's strong faith and simple trust in God have allowed him to become an able grief counselor to a number of people in his parish who have lost their spouses. Somehow, God seems to steer grieving folks to my dad, and in turn Dad is able to share his story and his faith, bringing comfort and healing to others who, like him, are grieving. The man who once shied away from the world of emotions seems to be doing a great job navigating not only his own, but assisting others in charting a course through their grief.

Even in his early eighties, my dad continues to surprise me. His combination of trusting faith and surprising ability to share that faith are an inspiration to me and an assistance to others. Just when I thought I had my dad figured out, he managed to surprise me in a wonderful way. Perhaps you have seen or sensed something similar in your dad through the years. Make sure to let him know – especially as Father's Day approaches this year.

And so, our journey in FAITH continues.

4

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

DISCIPLESHIP

For personal reflection or small group discussion Marriage Matters • What priorities do you both have for your children during their summer break? Discuss and prayerfully discern a plan to incorporate both of your priorities.

Grow+Go – Grow • Sheri Wolfert encourages us to have an attitude of gratitude.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind about being thankful? Begin your day with Psalm 118 and write down this one thing. Try this for a month, adding another thing you are thankful for each day.

Grow+Go – Go • Brian identifies the importance of patience and charity in accompanying others on their journey to knowing Christ. How do you rate yourself on modeling these qualities when it comes to encouraging others to know Jesus? Read Luke 15:11-24 for inspiration on waiting to welcome someone “home” to Christ

Feature – Morgan Morrison • Morgan was initially drawn to Catholicism by his search for knowledge. Looking back on your life, what first motivated you to learn more about your faith and seek a relationship with Jesus? What has been the biggest help in growing in your relationship with him?

FIND MORE ONLINE GO TO FAITHPUB.COM TO FIND ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND RESOURCES

INSIDE JUNE 2018

COVER STORY “WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO TO BE BITTER?” GINGER’S FAITH HAS HELPED HER COPE WITH POLIO P. 14

P. 13

YOUR LIFE

YOUR FAITH

6 marriage matters

He says: ‘The kids’ summer is too structured.’ She says: ‘I don’t want them sitting in front of a screen.’ What do they do?

YOUR STORIES

8 grow Develop an attitude of

18 my story ‘Just go for it’ – Why Morgan became Catholic

gratitude

9 go Accompany people with

20 DSA Teen issue of FAITH magazine used as a classroom tool

patience and charity

7 parenting journey My kids always whine for things at the grocery store work life My procrastination is affecting my job performance P. 7

10 in the know with Father Joe How do I love someone I can’t stand?

12 discipleship 101 Spiritual seeking

PLUS 13

FOLLOW FAITH PUB SHARE YOUR FAITH WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS

special report

Gaudete et Exsultate: P. 10

Rejoice and be glad! The call to holiness

22 planning tomorrow’s churches

Update on 2008 report

30 popewatch 5

YOUR LIFE

MARRIAGE MATTERS

SHE SAYS:

I don’t want them sitting in front of a screen With both Daniel and me working, the kids need to be somewhere safe and structured. Camp is fun and also keeps them corralled.

I'm afraid a baby-sitter will just sit around drinking our soda and eating us out of house and home while the kids are sitting in front of a screen all summer.

HE SAYS:

The kids’ summer is too structured It's almost time for the kids to be home all summer, and Kate has them registered for so many summer programs they're not getting a chance to enjoy childhood. I think we should just hire a baby-sitter.

6

CALLING MARY POPPINS! Seriously, there are baby-sitters out there who can provide children with happy summers filled WHAT DO not only with structured activities and adventures, both in and THEY DO? outside of the home, but also with healthy doses of unstructured time for fun things like swimming, lying around reading books, playing board games or staying up late and waking up at the crack of noon.

To find such a baby-sitting gem, you might need to do some home and leg work. But maybe right there in your own parish there’s an empty-nester, stay-at-home mom who loves and misses the fun of taking care of kids – someone who drives and who could use some extra income. Or maybe there’s a responsible, energetic and creative college student home for the summer. Whoever it is, though, be prepared to pay him or her well.

It’s a valuable skill you’re looking for.

Now, this is not to say that more traditional, structured summer group experiences such as camping, day programs or sports clinics can’t also be great options. Many Catholic dioceses offer excellent faith-enriching camping programs, and most parishes offer week-long Vacation Bible Schools every summer.

The best scenario would be some combination of all of the above, hopefully also to include a family vacation. It’s also important, if your children are old enough, to include them in your planning and decision-making.

One last thing, since you brought it up,

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

Kate. You wisely expressed concern about your children not “sitting in front of a screen all summer.” Screen addiction is indeed an epidemic and year-round problem, especially for the still-forming brains of children. If this is going on with your children, help them break the habit, and STEVE AND lead by your own example.

BRIDGET PATTON Keep in mind that hold master’s your overarching goal, degrees in whether your children theology and are with a baby-sitter, on counseling and a camping experience or serve as family with you, is to guard and life ministers for shepherd them – bodies, the Diocese of minds and souls – into Sacramento. healthy relationships with God. Proverbs 4, a parent’s litany of wisdom offered to their child, is summed up beautifully in verse 23: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”

YOUR LIFE WORK LIFE

YOUR LIFE WORK LIFE

My procrastination is affecting my job performance

Q:

A:

The most memorable supermarket meltdown in our family happened when my daughter was 18 months. I didn’t buy the treat she desperately wanted during checkout. My attempts to calm her at a bench didn’t work and she threw herself to the floor in a tantrum. It didn’t last too long, but it seemed like forever as other shoppers walked by giving me understanding looks or glares.

When we give in to children’s crying or whining in public places, it is usually because we are embarrassed or concerned about what others might be thinking. Giving in to inappropriate behavior in order to avoid embarrassment is never a good plan!

lways s are a id k at y M hings g for t in in h e w stor – ocery t the gr to shu ive in do I g up? them

T. GENNARA

Reinforce positive behaviors. Getting a treat is positive reinforcement for children. “If I behave this way, I get something good!” Negative reinforcement leads to a behavior being repeated, too; something negative is taken away which feels good. If you give in and buy a treat, then you are taking away their whining and your own embarrassment, which feels rewarding. But you are setting up a pattern of unhealthy behaviors.

DR. CATHLEEN MCGREAL

is a psychology professor and certified spiritual director.

Plan for success. A weekly shopping list makes shopping efficient. Shopping after a meal with well-rested children helps, too. Decide how to respond to requests and stick to your decision. With younger children, be clear that you understand the request. “I know that you want candy, but we aren’t buying candy bars today.” Older children can bring their own chore money to make purchases. When it comes to spending their own money, kids often become more discerning consumers!

If shopping with the kids is overwhelming, then home-delivery might be worthwhile. But shopping can be an opportunity to guide your children in the development of self-control. Choose a Bible verse to center yourself when the kids act up: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Rom 12:12)

Q

hurting my job performance. How can I

break out of it?

A

Let me think about it and get back to you later …

Procrastination is a habit of mind, lodged in our subconscious. It seeks to delay JIM BERLUCCHI and avoid the unpleasant, the is the executive difficult and the painful. We director of the don't delay on things that Spitzer Center delight us. We delay on things for Visionary that repel us.

Leadership.

It's also a failure in fortitude.

Fortitude is the habit of mind that conquers adversity. It specializes in attack and endurance.

So how do you change your character? Change your mind. Begin (a unpleasant word for a procrastinator) by meditating on God’s character.

While slow to anger, he is otherwise swift.

T. GENNARA

My kids always whine for things at the grocery store

My habit of procrastination is really

• He sends forth his word to the earth and swiftly runs his command. (Ps 147:15) • The word of God is swift and powerful.

(Heb 4:12)

•T he word of God moves swiftly; he is not won by the lukewarm, nor held fast by the negligent. Let your soul be attentive to his word … for he is swift in his passing. (St. Ambrose) • Where there is correct timing, there is also advantage. (St. Irenaeus)

The Lord directed St. Joseph in two dreams.

When he awoke, he immediately acted. Put on the mind of Christ. Change your mindset and selfimage. Replace the thought “I’m a procrastinator” with: “I’m an achiever. I enjoy moving quickly. I conquer unpleasant tasks. I overcome hardships.”

As you change your thinking, your self-talk and your self-image, your behavior and character cannot help but follow. You’ll be transformed from a delayer to a doer.

7

YOUR FAITH

GROW

as a disciple of Jesus

GETTY IMAGES

Develop an attitude of gratitude

Lord, it is good to give thanks to you ...

Psalm 92:2

A

S A LITTLE GIRL, my daughter once thanked God for her dad, blue popsicles and not making our skin the color of crocodiles.

It may have seemed silly, but it was sincere and the Lord reminds us that it is good to give thanks, because it’s practice for what we will be doing in heaven: praising, thanking and worshiping our Creator. The Father is asking us to notice him in everything. He wants us to know the things we should be thankful for are not random happenings – they are the touch of one who loves us profoundly. If you’re a little rusty in the gratitude department, here are some ways to live more thankfully.

in order to develop an attitude of gratitude, begin and end each day with the words, ‘Lord, I thank you.’”

8

•D on’t be jealous! Jealousy is the opposite of gratitude, so when you find yourself feeling jealous, stop immediately and list five things you’re thankful for.

• Be generous! God can’t be outdone in generosity, so the more you give the more you will be blessed.

I love the story of the day Mahatma Ghandi was getting on a train and one of his shoes fell down between the platform and the tracks. There was no way to reach the shoe, so he quickly threw the other shoe down onto the tracks, too. Puzzled, his companions looked at him and asked, why? He said that one shoe would be of no value, so he might as well leave the pair.

• Be the creator of thankfulness. Why not be the one who does great things today and gives others something to be thankful for?

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

•B e the most thankful in the middle of the yucky, hard and ugly stuff. Thank God for being tired because it means you’ve had the ability to work hard.

Thank him for your mistakes because they teach us lessons.

Thank him for your weakness because that’s when he shows his strength. Thank him for not getting what you want because he wants to give you something perfect. Thank him for the suffering because that’s how we learn to depend on him. Thank him for the worry because that’s how we learn to trust. Finally, thank God for spoiled plans because that’s how we learn who is really in charge.

One final thought, in order to develop an attitude of gratitude, begin and end each day with the words, “Lord, I thank you.”

PRAY EVERY DAY: A great theologian once said, “If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” Spend the next few weeks adopting this simple prayer. Start a list today of all the things for which you are thankful so your eyes can be opened to the ways the Lord is working in your life.

STUDY THE FAITH: Read and ponder Psalm 118 and allow it to build your spirit of thankfulness.

ENGAGE IN PARISH LIFE: Send a thank-you note, or expression of thanks, to your pastor or someone in your parish who gives of their time and talent to serve the Lord.

SERVE OTHERS’ NEEDS: Give something away that will make someone else thankful. It can be a close parking spot, your place in line or the last cup of coffee in the pot.

SHERI WOHLFERT

is a Catholic school teacher, speaker, writer and founder of Joyful Words Ministries.

Sheri blogs at www.joyfulwords.org

GO

evangelize

Accompany people with PATIENCE AND CHARITY

Brian Flynn is the director of the Middle School and High School Ministry for the Diocese of Lansing. Outside of work, God calls him to evangelize through music and his family life.

PRAYER: Prayer is really the biggest thing – there’s a person in our family who has been away from the Church for a very long time.

She’s someone that we’ve all prayed for and, of course, tried to witness to as well. While my family and I were filming the Divine Mercy Chaplet for EWTN – recording a devotional – we were all praying as we sang, and the filming required several takes.

We kept touching base in between takes, asking each other what was coming to mind in prayer. The Lord was putting the same person on each of our hearts to be praying for.

That was a powerful reminder of the role of prayer.

INVITATION: I’ve learned, especially with witnessing and invitation, that we are sometimes afraid to be true to where we’re at because we fear rejection or don’t want to stir the pot. I’ve found that if we’re living authentically and say, “Here’s where I’m at and I’d love to see you come back to Church,” people respect that.

Because I’m a musician, there have been many opportunities for inviting people to enter deeper into worship and praise. Also, there aren’t many musicians where I live, but several years ago there were a few guys who caught my attention, and I was in a position of mentoring them. I asked them to be a part of this band, and that invitation was an avenue to continue inviting them to a deeper place in their faith lives, and their discipleship has helped me to grow deeper in my faith as well.

ACCOMPANIMENT: There’s a need for patience and for charity. It’s hard to see people living in ways that are hurtful to them, or that aren’t

healthy for them. And so I can tend to be like, “come on already,” but being patient and charitable – loving them through that – is part of authenticity. As Christians, we need to be able to ask questions to try to understand more of what they’re struggling with so we can walk with them instead of just telling them where they need to be.

I’ve tried to accompany the guys in my band through their journeys, and they have, in turn, been accompanying me. We’ve been playing together for 10 years now.

At our rehearsal the other night, we barely played music at all – we just talked about the Scripture passages that the songs were based off. It’s been a spiritual growth process for all of us. The band is really, in part, a discipleship and faith-sharing group.

WITNESS: I think that, outside of ministry, it is my family life that has been a witness. And maybe even more so because of my job. People need to see that those of us in ministry are striving for discipleship – that our family is attending faith-based events; that we go to confession; that we pray a rosary in the morning; that we bring the kids to Mass. If anything, being in ministry means there’s even more of an obligation to witness outside of ministry. If I’m telling anyone else, “Here’s what’s good for you and here’s what is going to help you in your faith,” but I’m not living that out, I have no credibility. There can be an assumption that those who work in ministry have it all together. I also need the saving power of Jesus Christ in my life and in my family. I’m not in ministry because I’ve already achieved sanctity and I just want to pass that along to others; it’s because I need that, too.

Visit TINYURL.COM/DOLPLAN to develop your personal evangelization plan.

BY MARY GATES | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM GENNARA

9

GETTY IMAGES

How do I love someone I can’t stand?

Q

DEAR FATHER JOE: I know Jesus says we have to love everybody, but I really can’t stand one of the people I work with; we simply can’t work together. I’ve prayed about it, but no matter how hard I pray, I get angry just thinking of them. How can I love them?

YOUR FAITH IN THE KNOW WITH FATHER JOE

10

A

First things first, you are not alone! This is a very common problem that, I would imagine, everyone experiences at some point.

As Christians, we recognize how utterly important it is that we love. When Jesus was giving his last series of speeches before his Passion and death, he reiterated this over and over: “This I command you, love one another.” I think most of us know that, but we forget the end of that sentence: “like I love you.”

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

Jesus isn’t simply giving us a command to love. He is telling us that our love needs to change and grow so that it looks just like his love – powerful stuff. If we don’t embrace that, we end up slapping the “love” label on everything we agree with and everything we want, until we hit the brick wall of people we don’t like. Then things can get very, very confusing.

So, let’s go step by step and see if we can’t figure out a way to love people we don’t like.

It seems to me that the first step has to do with that distinction – love vs. like. In that distinction, we find something I assume you’ll view as good news: As far as I can recall, Jesus never commanded any of us to like anyone.

To like someone normally indicates that we want to be around them. Maybe they make us happy, maybe we share hobbies or have complementary personalities – who knows? Whatever it is, there are people we run into or work with whom we want to be around. These are people we like.

Love, however, is something different.

When we are called to love one another as Christ loves us, then we want to make sure that we are adapting what we feel, what we want, to what Christ shows us. Love is not a feeling, it’s a commitment. I think the best way to think of it is this: When we love

such thing. What we don’t want to do is pretend that our personality conflict means anything of value. Until the person we do not like proves that they are evil or untrustworthy, we should be awfully careful not to pretend that our dislike has any real value. We should be careful not to ascribe awful motives to the persons actions or decisions.

Second, make sure you are meek in regard to them. To be meek means to refuse to do harm, and that is what you need to do. Remember – you don’t have to volunteer to be around them any more than your work requires. You don’t have to give them your time or your inner self in the same way you do a friend. You just need to make sure that you are not letting your personality conflict interfere with their life. Don’t sabotage them, don’t undermine them.

Third, no gossip. Don’t talk about them behind their back or get dragged into collecting horror stories about them. Don’t spread malicious talk or speculation.

Finally, pray for their well-being and salvation. Ask God every day to bless them and guide them home to the kingdom of heaven. When they irritate you or get on your nerves, ask God to soothe you and to strengthen your commitment to act for their benefit.

So there it is! A guide to help us to love those we do not like.

May God bless our efforts to be the people he created us to be. Enjoy another day in God’s presence.

T. Gennara

someone, we desire what is best for them. When we love someone, we act and move in a way that helps them get to heaven.

When you think of your co-worker, you feel irritation, anger, discomfort – things like that. That’s OK; you can’t help it. What you want to do is make sure that those feelings do not compel you to sabotage them or be apathetic when they need your assistance or support.

To be clear, you do not have to choose to be around them. You don’t have to pretend you like them. You don’t have to volunteer to hang out with them or be “besties.” What your faith in Jesus requires is that you love them.

What I’d like to do now is offer you some suggestions as to ways you can love them without liking them.

First, I want to be clear about an important distinction. It may be that the reason we don’t like someone is because they are wicked or they act wickedly. If that is the case, we simply avoid them and make sure we don’t put ourselves in a position to be hurt by them. Keep the treasure that is you safe from evil, narcissistic people – I believe that is common sense. What I am dealing with here are the people we don’t like simply because our personalities clash, or they have different priorities than us, or different world views. I invite you to remember that your dislike doesn’t mean they are bad, dishonest, evil or any

FATHER JOE KRUPP

is a former comedy writer who is now a Catholic priest. @Joeinblack

When we love someone, we desire what is best for them.

When we love someone, we act and move in a way that helps them get to heaven.”

11

YOUR FAITH DISCIPLESHIP 101

GETTY IMAGES

Israel, Christ and the Church, and the Holy Spirit and the soul. People in the grip of spiritual seeking are no longer speculating about interesting questions with no stake in the outcome. On the contrary, they are now wrestling with a life decision that really matters. They want, they need, to come to a conclusion. Seeking feels like a quest.

Spiritual seeking

I

N 2018, FAITH CONTINUES TO OFFER the column Discipleship 101, based on Sherry Weddell’s books, Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus (2012) and Fruitful Discipleship: Living the Mission of

Jesus in the Church and the World (2017). Sherry is a leading voice in the Catholic world in the field of forming missionary disciples – engaged Catholics who strive to grow as disciples of

SEEKERS SEEK JESUS The seeker seeks Jesus Christ and not just God in a general sense or as the “divine,” an “impersonal force,” or a “Higher Power.” Seeking is centered on the possibility of committing oneself to follow Jesus of Nazareth as his disciple. At the same time, seeking is not yet intentional discipleship. You are only seriously thinking about dropping your nets and following Jesus into the unknown. Your nets are still very much in your own hands. However, seekers do begin to count the cost as Jesus commanded we do: Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:25–28)

Jesus and go evangelize, sharing the Gospel with others.

‘DATING WITH A PURPOSE’ From the outside, being open can look like seeking. And some people assume that just being “open to the universe” – that is, not being closed – is the same as actively seeking. But it isn’t.

Being “open” is a fashionable twenty-first-century stance, especially in places like Seattle. For instance, I once saw an eye-catching ad in an alternative Seattle newspaper. For a paltry sum, you could participate in a session with a Vashon Island guru who was, he assured you, receiving the “incoming patterns of the universe.” Many postmoderns are very comfortable with the idea of being “open” as long as there is no expectation that they will have to reach a conclusion.

But that sort of openness is light years away from the inner experience of spiritual seeking. To enter into the threshold of seeking requires a certainty that a personal relationship with God is possible, because that is, after all, what one is exploring. Seeking is like “dating with a purpose” but not yet marriage. In both these relationships, the questions being asked are very analogous: Is this person the One? Should I give my life to this One? Marriage is precisely the image that Scripture uses again and again to describe the relationship between God and 12

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

Seekers realize that following Christ has personal implications: it will make real demands on their priorities, time, money, relationships and all other areas of life. They grasp the fact that discipleship is not just “fire insurance,” nor is it mere “mental assent” to a few religious ideas or values.

By the time a spiritual traveler has crossed into seeking, he or she feels comfortable spending a lot of time with Christians.

While the inquiry period of RCIA is ideally suited to people in the thresholds of trust, curiosity and openness, the seeker threshold is the perfect time to enter the formal catechumenate. Initiatory catechesis is incredibly fruitful for seekers, because they are urgently asking the questions that catechesis is intended to answer. It is as a seeker that many begin to pray seriously, become aware of personal sin and feel the need for personal repentance.

(Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus, Sherry A. Weddell, Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2012, pp. 172-174) SHERRY ANNE WEDDELL created the first charism discernment process specifically designed for Catholics in 1993. In 1997, she co-founded the Catherine of Siena Institute, an affiliated international ministry of the Western Dominican Province, and currently serves as Executive Director. Sherry has developed numerous unique formation resources that are used around the world.

SPECIAL REPORT

Pope Francis warns against a faith that is barren, urging us to allow ourselves to be loved by God, guided by the Holy Spirit, and become the “salt of the earth and the light of the world.”

WARNING AGAINST ANCIENT HERESIES IN A MODERN WORLD Pope Francis cautions against two heresies that can seduce those on the road to holiness: gnosticism and pelagianism.

These heresies lead to “narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby, instead of evangelizing, one analyses and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.”

Hoping to avoid having the life of the Church becoming “a museum piece or the possession of a select few,” he reminds the faithful of an often overlooked Church teaching, saying the gift of grace “surpasses the power of human intellect and will.”

JESUS CHRIST: THE ROLE MODEL

GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE:

Rejoice and be glad! The call to holiness

POPE FRANCIS’ THIRD AND LATEST apostolic exhortation makes the case for holiness for everyone. With the title drawn from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:12), the document was released in early April.

In the introduction, the Holy Father acknowledges that he wants to re-propose the call to holiness for all in a practical way for our own time, with all its “risks, challenges and opportunities.”

GROWING IN HOLINESS, EACH IN HIS OR HER OWN WAY Through actions great and small, the pontiff says, we can each grow in holiness, encouraging particular attention to the “small gestures” of everyday kindness, patience, prayer and love.

The exhortation, calling on the wisdom of Pope Benedict XVI, states that, “In the end, it is Christ who loves in us; for holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full.”

GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE IN BRIEF There are five main themes in the apostolic exhortation.

1. T he Call to Holiness is for all. We are each called, in our own way, to grow closer to Christ and to more actively live out his mission through small gestures and great challenges.

2.

Subtle enemies of holiness attract us. Gnosticism,

BY PEGGY DEKEYSER

the lure of intellect above all, and pelagianism, the lure of justification by one’s own efforts, are still present today, even though they were decried as heresy in ancient times.

3. The road map to holiness is the beatitudes, in spite of the difficulties of living them out in the modern world. It is important to not separate the Gospel demands from our personal relationship to Christ, or

We needn’t look very far for the perfect role model, the pope says. In the beatitudes (Mt 5: 3-12), we find a “portrait of the Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives.”

Citing St. John Paul II, he calls on all to see Christ in the poor and the suffering.

The Holy Father also cautions against two errors, telling the faithful not to separate the demands of the Gospel from their personal relationship with Christ. He warns us not to become suspicious of the social engagement of others, and not to relativize it, as though the only thing that counts is one’s own favorite issue or cause.

COMMUNITY AND PRAYER ARE AT THE CORE The Holy Father makes it absolutely clear that the devil is real and still prowls about, to “poison us with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy and vice.” Stressing that as an antidote to evil, the call to holiness is best answered from within community, saying, “Growth in holiness is a journey in community, side by side with others.” And “holiness consists in a habitual openness to the transcendent, expressed in prayer and adoration.”

Pope Francis concludes the exhortation with a tribute to the Blessed Mother, because “she lived the beatitudes of Jesus as none other … She teaches us the way of holiness and she walks ever at our side.”

to relativize the social engagement of others.

4.

The signs of growth in holiness are perseverance, patience and meekness, joy, a sense of humor, boldness and passion. We grow toward holiness best in community and through constant prayer.

5.

The devil is not a myth. Evil is real and prowls among us. We must remain alert, discern carefully and trust in the Lord and in his mercy.

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION OR ENCYCLICAL? An apostolic exhortation is a type of communication from the pope that encourages a community of people to undertake a particular activity, but does not define Church doctrine. An encyclical is a letter that is generally more important than an apostolic exhortation, often clarifying or explaining a specific doctrine in greater detail.

13

COVER STORY

14

FAITH Magazine | JUNE MONTH 2018 2017| WWW.FAITHPUB.COM | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

15

YOUR STORIES

four years old, “I was

lying in my parents’ feather bed, burning with fever and unable to raise my head or legs. My dad scooped me into his arms, wrapped me in my pink blanket and carried me to Mom waiting in the car. But when we got to the emergency room at the University of Michigan hospital, the attendant turned us away.

Ginger Stands Her Ground is available in paperback or Amazon’s Kindle, or from the Holy Spirit Church Gift Shop in Brighton.

16

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

“I’m sorry, sir,’ he told my father.

‘A contagious disease is on the rampage, and we’re taking all precautionary steps. You’ll need to take her to the isolation building.’ He pointed us to the hospital laundry they had converted into a quarantine facility with 24 beds.

“As I sank in and out of consciousness, I remember excruciating pain from the spinal tap which confirmed my diagnosis. Polio.

“I woke in a baby bed in a sterile room. Unable to move, I looked around to see my parents watching me through a window. They were crying.”

Virginia (Ginger) Ford pours out this and other stories from her life as a polio survivor in a memoir titled Ginger Stands Her Ground. While the first four pages might break your heart, her stories of family, faith and love will pull it back together – just as they did her little body. Reflecting on her life and her book, Ginger sits in her recliner surrounded by photo albums of her family and looking out over Portage Lake, where she has lived for nearly 50 years.

“My mother was Virginia Mary, so my parents named me Virginia

Marie. My father used to call her ‘Gin’ and he called me Ginger.

‘That’s a root stock,’ he used to say, ‘sturdy and strong.’ I liked being a root and having a spicy name,” Ginger laughs as she recounts stories from her life and book.

“I remember pea-green walls, radiators bubbling and spurting, sucking and hissing of the iron lung machines just outside the room. They terrified me at first, but before long they melded into my days, just like the therapies I endured to bring life back to my legs. Massages, hydrotherapy, stretching and the awful Sister Kenny treatments. They put searing wool packs on my back and legs to let the heat loosen my muscles. To this day, when I smell hot wool, my skin starts to itch!

“But the isolation from my family was worse. Seeing my mom through the window but not being able to touch her or hear about my brothers and sisters – oh! That was hard. Mom was allowed one 10-minute visit with me during my quarantine. I felt devastated when she couldn’t hold me or take me home, but her love enveloped me and gave me hope. She said, ‘Jesus is with you, he’ll give us both the courage we need.’ Knowing she was praying for me and waiting to bring me home gave me hope.

“I knew every night that, during family rosary time, everyone was praying for me and that I was included in all their prayers and their acts of charity to our church. I had two sisters and five brothers then, plus Grandma. That’s a lot of prayers!

“It must have worked, because after six months I left the hospital in leg braces. I used crutches to walk and began the arduous process of regaining my strength and mobility.

“I had a well-worn path to my grandma’s house to visit while she went about her day. She taught me our family history and the role of our Catholic faith in our lives. Every Friday evening, she and my mother took me to St. Mary Church in Pinckney for the Sorrowful Mother Novena. Over the years, it switched to the Perpetual Help Novena, but it always ended with the song “Good Night, Sweet Jesus.” That became my theme song through all my surgeries and ordeals.” Ginger sings softly from that faraway time, “Good night, Sweet Jesus, good night, good night. Waking or sleeping, keep us in sight. Dear Gentle Savior, good night.

“Through my six surgeries, I knew Jesus and my family were watching over me. Our priest from St. Joseph in Dexter, Father Walsh, used to visit me in the hospital. He always brought me Whitman’s chocolates, which I love to this day. Those bright yellow boxes brightened my hospital room like sunshine.

“When I made my first Communion and couldn’t get up to the altar, Father Walsh assured me, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll bring Jesus down to you.’ I just knew Jesus was with me when I needed him.

That was a very big help.

“When my differences got the better of me and I wondered why I had to go through all this, Father Walsh encouraged me to offer it all up. ‘We all have our crosses,’ he said. ‘When we offer them up to Christ it helps us connect with God and bring his mercy to this world.’ I understood that Jesus did what he did so I can do what I have to.

“You can either be bitter or better,” Ginger shrugs. “What good does it do to be bitter? Still, that was hard to remember when teen magazines told us to get upset about something like crooked teeth or acne. I remember girlfriends with such negative attitudes

BY NANCY ROSEBUSH SCHERTZING | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM LUNING

about their bodies, and I could never understand it because they could walk. They could play kickball!

“The polio vaccine came out when I was 10. Everyone celebrated and began looking to the future when polio would be gone.

In a way, though, it left survivors behind because no one wanted to talk about or try to understand the experience of those of us living with it. We were expected to get on with our lives.

“I did – by strategizing all my moves to make sure I didn’t slip or trip, arriving close to an entrance, finding accessible buildings before trying to get in. I made it through high school, then college and graduate school. I had a full career as an elementary teacher in Dexter, married Eric and raised our children, David and Marietta, at our house on Portage Lake. My faith was strengthened so many times along the way by powerful encounters with Christ’s love and presence through our home parish, St. Mary Church, and, later, Holy Spirit in Brighton.

“When I made my First Communion and couldn’t get up to the altar, Father Walsh assured me, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll bring Jesus down to you.’ I just knew Jesus was with me when I needed him.”

“Often in the Bible, God says, ‘I have given you a stern struggle’; and ‘Be steadfast in your efforts. Trust the Lord.’ But over and over, it also says, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ Every time there was a barrier I couldn’t get over, I found a way around or through.

“This book took me 10 years to write. So many times, I thought, ‘How am I going to do this?’ But when the time was right, God brought me the people and circumstances to get it done.

“In John’s Gospel, Chapter 6 verse 9, Andrew asks, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’ Jesus takes that little bit of food and feeds thousands.

“This is my loaves and fishes,” Ginger says. “I feel like I am taking my story to Jesus and he’s taking it to heart. Hopefully this memoir will inspire people to grow as dynamic disciples in the Lord, so we can share the faith in love and joy!”

17

’ T I R O F O G T S U ‘J

YOUR STORIES MY STORY

c i l o h t me Ca

a c e b n a g r o M Why

LEARN MORE

Do you have questions about becoming Catholic, or do you know someone who does? Contact your local parish to learn about the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program.

BY MARIA SERVOLD PHOTOGRAPHY

BY TOM GENNARA

18

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

CONVERSION OFTEN BEGINS in the heart – a tugging, an inkling, a flash of something that leads to an exploration of the Catholic faith.

COURTESY PHOTO

For Morgan Morrison, it was the other way around.

The 19-year-old joined the Catholic Church at Easter this year, receiving the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and first Communion at the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Anthony of Padua in Hillsdale.

Morgan, a freshman at Hillsdale College, says he’s been drawn to Catholicism for several years, and that his conversion began intellectually – with unanswered questions about Christianity.

“I always went to a Protestant Christian school, but I never really took it as my own,” he says. “I was pretty much agnostic. It always felt like it was up to me to make my own religion. It was up to me to build a relationship with Christ, and I was super uncomfortable. I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t even know what to say when I was praying.”

One day, Morgan read Humanae Vitae, and his many questions about Christianity began to be answered. It was the first time he was introduced to a Catholic viewpoint, and he thought, “maybe they’re onto something here.”

Thanks to the accessibility of Church documents online and several high school teachers who encouraged his intellectual questioning, Morgan started to believe in the Church and its teachings. He found answers and arguments to his questions about free will, Scripture, human sexuality and many other topics.

“I was convinced of it in my head, but at that point I had never even been to a Mass. There’s something about the human spirit that wants ritual. I was never against it, but I never saw myself joining. [But then] over the summer, I went to Mass with a friend. The big turning point was witnessing Mass and seeing that it is actually a sacrifice. The Mass is of itself a sacrifice. That was a turning point for me.”

Once he arrived at Hillsdale to begin his freshman year of college, he began attending Mass every week and hasn’t stopped since. He also joined St. Anthony’s Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) class a few weeks into the school year. He began to develop a prayer life, a challenge for someone who “had never said a Hail Mary.”

Morgan, who was unbaptized, quickly found a home at St. Anthony’s among others in RCIA, and some of his

cross country teammates who were already Catholic.

“A lot of the team is Catholic and they’re all really great people,” he says. “We go to Mass together and pray together, it’s really great.”

A handful of other college students were among those being baptized at St. Anthony’s this year, in addition to those receiving confirmation and holy Eucharist. In all, more than 20 people entered into the Church at Easter Vigil.

“You can tell there’s a lot of love in our community, and a lot of it comes from Father David [Reamsnyder],” Morgan says. “He’s an amazing priest and you can tell he loves every person and he gives everybody time to talk. He’s a man of prayer. St. Anthony’s is a loving place; it’s a joyful place.”

Before the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday, Morgan donned a simple brown tunic. Just before his baptism, he and the other catechumens processed barefoot around the church as their confirmation saints’ names were chanted in the Litany of Saints.

As Father David poured water over his head three times, Morgan says he felt “purification.”

“For the first time in your life, it is actually a fresh start,” he adds. “You’re completely purified of your sins.” Bill Lundberg, a beloved former cross country coach at Hillsdale College, stood by Morgan as his sponsor.

The two met when Morgan ended up in Bill’s physical wellness class in the fall semester.

“His conversion and commitment to the Catholic faith have been an amazing and inspiring journey – I have been honored to walk alongside him,” Bill says.

Now that he is fully welcomed into the Church, Morgan is full of hope.

“I especially look forward to every Sunday and every daily Mass,” he says. “I just look forward to it. I’m full of hope. Reality does hit – you still have to pray every day, you still have to resist temptation. But it’s certainly a better reality than not being Catholic.”

While Morgan admits it can be very scary to think about conversion and it’s often hard to take that first step, he encourages everyone to “just go for it.”

“It’s not an easy thing to do, but you shouldn’t allow the difficulties of it to hold you back.

“We’re not Christians because of what we get out of it,” Morgan says. “We’re Christians because we love God. That should be our motivating principle. In this short year that I’ve been pursuing Catholicism, I’ve been more at peace than I ever have in my life.”

We’re not Christians because of what we get out of it,” Morgan says. “We’re Christians because we love God. That should be our motivating principle.”

19

2018

RACHEL MATERO

Diocesan Services Appeal

Teen issue of FAITH magazine used as a classroom tool T TAKES A SPECIAL PERSON to work with middle-school kids, an age group that experiences rapid and complex changes to their entire being. Their emotions can see-saw from one minute to the next, and things that were simply accepted earlier in life are often questioned. These emotions are what Mary Margaret Utess enjoys about working with middle-school students. “When I began working with them in 1991, I was as scared of them as they were of me. I’ve come to enjoy the happiness and challenge of their honesty. They can’t hide anything because, even if they can’t express what they are feeling in words, their emotions show on their faces.”

I

20

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

To make your DSA gift today, visit our secure giving page at

WWW.DIOCESEOFLANSING.ORG.

Simply click the “Make a Gift” tab or the 2018 DSA logo.

share the entire issue with them.” Because the 45-minute class period only allowed showcasing prominent points of the issue, Mary Margaret assigned her students a task: They were to write Father John a thank-you note, specifically referring to an article that spoke to them. To do this meant each student had to invest time in reading the content. “I know this experience was important to them because it is months later and I often see the magazine in their planners. Some will still get it out and refer to it.”

As an avid reader, using print materials to supplement curriculum is not new for Mary Margaret. “I will often bring up something I’ve read that relates to an area we are studying.

I tell the kids they are asked to read Scripture every day, so whatever article I bring in, I relate it to Scripture.” This includes relevant articles in other issues of FAITH, which is funded in part with DSA contributions.

To help foster their relationship with God, Mary Margaret is looking forward to next fall’s teen issue of FAITH so she can share this diocesan tool which assists her students in forming their faith.

PATRICK OBRIEN

As an eighth-grade religion teacher at Immaculate Heart of Mary–St. Casimir in Lansing, Mary Margaret works hard to make faith relevant to their individual lives, and felt immense gratitude when her pastor, Father John Byers, gave her 20 copies of the teen edition of FAITH magazine last fall. Quickly finding additional copies, she gave one to each student and spent a class period highlighting the key content of each article. Knowing her students as she does, she was able to zero in on topics that might relate to particular student issues.

“This was their initial introduction to FAITH, so I didn’t want to just hand it to them and possibly have them toss it aside.

Together, we went page by page. The kids were attracted to the question and answer advice section, and enjoyed Father Joe Krupp’s sense of humor. It was a unique experience to

TO GIVE

BY ROSE ROBERTSON

2018 Diocesan Services Appeal

THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

www.dioceseoflansing.org

Ave Maria University Seeking Volunteer Football Scouts: Do you enjoy high school football? Would you like to help young Catholic men have an opportunity to attend an authentic Catholic university and play football? If so ‌ Ave Maria University (AMU) could use your help! AMU is developing a scout network in Michigan to help identify Catholic football players from all schools (public / private / Catholic) in this area.

Generous scholarships are available.

For more details, please contact Dr. Gary Jackson, Michigan Scout Coordinator, at gjackson@ avemariafoundation.org or 734-516-9615.

SPECIAL REPORT

PLANNING TOMORROW’S CHURCHES Update on 2008 report

I

n 2008, a diocesan coordinating commission appointed

by Bishop Carl Mengeling examined the pastoral and sacramental needs of the diocese, then made recommendations regarding how these needs might be met over the next several decades. Ten years later, those recommendations have been enacted. Here is an update on parish statistics.

•S t. Mary Parish, Charlotte, and St. Ann Oratory, Bellevue • St. Mary Parish, Durand, and St. Joseph Oratory, Gaines, to St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish • St. John Vianney Parish, Flint, St. Mary Oratory, Flint; and St. Michael Oratory, Flint* * The Catholic Community of Flint is an example of a cluster of parishes formed as a result of the 2008 restructuring. Here, St. Michael, St. Matthew, St. Mary and St. John Vianney are served by one pastor, Father

CLUSTERED PARISHES •S t. Robert, Flushing and Good Shepherd, Montrose • Sacred Heart Parish, Hudson, and Saint Mary on the Lake, Manitou Beach • Sts. Charles & Helena, Clio, and Saint Francis, Otisville • Queen of the Miraculous Medal Parish, Jackson, and Our Lady of Fatima, Michigan Center • St. John Vianney, Flint; St. Matthew, Flint; and Our Lady of Guadalupe, Flint • St. Mary, Mt. Morris and Holy Rosary, Flint PARISH MERGERS •S t. Mary, Star of the Sea Parish, Jackson, and St. Stanislaus Kostka Oratory, Jackson • St. Elizabeth Parish, Tecumseh, and St. Dominic Oratory, Clinton • St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, East Lansing, and St. John the Evangelist Church and Student Center, East Lansing • St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Blissfield, and St. Alphonsus Parish, Deerfield, to Light of Christ Parish • St. John the Evangelist Parish, Jackson, and St. Joseph Oratory, Jackson • St. John the Evangelist Parish, Davison, and Blessed Sacrament Oratory, Burton 22

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

Tom Firestone.

MERGERS IN PROCESS • • • •

t.

S St. St. St.

Isidore, Laingsburg and Holy Family, Ovid Paul, Owosso, and St. Joseph, Owosso James, Mason and Ss. Cornelius & Cyprian, Leslie Joseph, Adrian and St. Mary, Adrian

PARISH CLOSINGS • Sacred Heart Parish, Flint • St. Agnes Parish, Flint • St. Luke Parish, Flint • St. Leo the Great Parish, Flint • Holy Cross Parish, Lansing • Transfiguration Parish, Ypsilanti • Holy Trinity Parish, Ypsilanti, to oratory status; September 22, 2014 – decree of relegation for profane, but not sordid use • All Saints, Flint, to oratory status; June 25, 2017 – relegated to profane, but not sordid use (closed) PARISHES WITHOUT A RESIDENT PRIEST •S t. Joseph, Adrian • St. Joseph, Ypsilanti

SAINT OF THE MONTH

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA June 13

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA, the “finder of lost articles,” was born into a wealthy family in Portugal in 1195, and first joined the Augustinian order. After he had been ordained into that order, he was inspired by the simple lifestyle of some Franciscans he encountered.

He then obtained permission to leave his order, and joined the relatively new Franciscans.

As a Franciscan, he spent most of his time in prayer and studying the Scriptures.

So it came as a great surprise when this quiet humble man stepped in at the last minute at an important ordination and gave an inspiring, memorable sermon. His years of study with the Augustinians prepared him for this preaching assignment, and his voice and manner of speaking made a deep impression on his audience. The combination of his holiness, knowledge and speaking ability made him famous.

Preaching became his life’s work, and

St. Anthony embarked on a mission of teaching other friars how to give sermons, becoming the first teacher in the Franciscan Order.

Why do we invoke St. Anthony’s help when searching for something lost or stolen? Why do we say, “St. Anthony, please look around; something is lost and must be found”? Because St. Anthony’s valuable book of psalms went missing one day – a book with handwritten notes that he used to guide his students – and he prayed hard for its return. The thief, a novice who had decided to abandon the order and take the psalter with him, was eventually moved to not only return the book, but return to the Franciscan Order.

After becoming ill in the spring of 1231, St. Anthony died on June 13, and was canonized less than a year later – making his canonization one of the quickest in history – and in 1946, Pope Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church for his passion for the word of God.

WHO WILL SERVE THE PEOPLE OF THE DIOCESE OF LANSING OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS? 2018 DIOCESAN PRIEST STATISTICS Current number of priests:

71 PRIESTS FOR 77 PARISHES

6:

TERMINOLOGY:

14:

Closed parish: A canonical declaration by the bishop of Lansing, in consultation with the Presbyteral Council, that a parish ceases to exist.

Parish members join one of the neighboring parishes.

number of candidates for priesthood in major seminary (graduate program) over next four ordination years (2018-2021)

number of men in undergraduate college level of seminary (2022-2026)

PRIESTS

BY AGE Number of priests eligible to retire in next 10 years (2018-2028):

39

20-29:

6

30-39:

10

40-49:

13

50-59:

19

60-69:

20

Pastors: 56 | Pastoral Administrators: 2 | Parochial Vicars: 13

70-79:

3

Cluster: A grouping of two or more parishes served by one or more priests. The parishes retain separate identities, but collaborate in the sharing of ministers and resources.

Merged parish: A parish joined with two or more parishes into a single new or consolidated parish. A merged parish may have two or more worship sites.

23

“REDEFINING”

24

MARRIAGE?

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

IN THE CURRENT DEBATE over gay marriage, people sometimes ask: Who should define marriage? Democrats or Republicans in Congress? The Supreme Court? Should it be put to a referendum, allowing the majority to choose a definition?

MAKING SENSE OF BIOETHICS

from the radical complementarity of a man and a woman.

Sexual intimacy between men and women involves the possibility of children. No other form of sexual or erotic interaction encompasses this basic, organic, and complementary possibility. Without parsing words, Professor Jacques LeClercq put it this way more than 50 years ago:

We can identify two kinds of “definitions” when it comes to marriage. The first touches on the essence, the objective “The human race is divided into two sexes whose reality, or the truth about marriage. The second involves reason for existence is physical union with a view to a legal or political position, advanced through the media, continuing the species.” More recently, Professor Robert judicial decisions, or other legislative means. While these P. George similarly described marriage as “a union that secondary definitions of marriage can be of interest, their true takes its distinctive character from being founded, level of importance is properly gauged only in reference to unlike other friendships, on bodily unity of the kind that the first and objective definition. sometimes generates new life.” There are many kinds Notable errors are sometimes made in these secondary of love, ranging from maternal love to brotherly love to definitions of marriage. In the mid-1960’s, to consider but one love of friends to love of neighbor to romantic love, but example, prohibitions existed in more than a dozen states only one that is proper and integral to marriage, namely, which outlawed persons of different races from marrying one spousal love with its inscribed complementarity and another. A white man and a black woman could fall in love in potential for human fruitfulness. those states, but could not legally tie the knot. The Supreme Court overturned those restrictions in 1967, recognizing that Marriage teaches us that men need women and women the ability to enter into marriage doesn’t depend on the skin need men and that children need both mothers and fathers. color of the man and woman getting married.

In this sense, marriage and the family Gay marriage advocates today represent foundational realities, not sometimes attempt to draw a parallel constructs that can be invented, defined, between such mixed-race marriage legislated, or determined by popular laws and state laws that would prevent vote or culture. Marriage, in fact, is the two men (or two women) from getting Marriage is a given reality “primordial first institution,” flowing married to each other. They suggest that we come to discover out of the intimate and creative union that legally forbidding two men from in its authentic design, not of male and female. It precedes other getting married stigmatizes those men a concept for us to ‘define’ societal institutions and conventions, in much the same way that preventing and is essentially ordered towards a black man from marrying a white according to our own agenda creating and caring for the future in the woman stigmatized both of them. Yet or desires.” form of the next generation. Marriage is there is really no parallel at all between a given reality that we come to discover the two cases. While marriage as an in its authentic design, not a concept for objective reality is certainly color-blind us to “define” according to our own agenda or desires. to the racial configuration of the spouses, it can never be Gay marriage proponents deny these foundational truths “genital-blind,” because male-female sexual complementarity about marriage. Through vigorous legislative efforts, they are stands squarely at the heart and center of marriage itself. striving to impose a profoundly false redesign for marriage upon To see this fundamental point about marriage, however, society so that, in the words of Professor George, marriage we have to step beyond the cultural clichés that suggest that becomes “an emotional union for the sake of adult satisfaction marriage is merely an outgrowth of emotional and erotic that is served by mutually agreeable sexual play,” thereby companionship. The institution of marriage does not arise undermining its intrinsic connection to complementary bodily merely out of loving sentiment. It is born, rather, from the depths union between men and women. This forced reconfiguration of of the commitment assumed by a man and a woman as they marriage is no more defensible than the efforts of those who enter into the total communion of life implied in the procreation socially or legislatively attempted to impose a notion of “racial and education of children flowing from their union. To put it purity” upon marriage or society in former times. another way, marriage arises organically and spontaneously

REV. TADEUSZ PACHOLCZYK, PH.D. earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, MA, and serves as the Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org

25

YOUR COMMUNITY

LOCAL NEWS

PRIEST ASSIGNMENTS Bishop Boyea announces the following pastoral appointments – effective June 27 unless otherwise noted.

•R ev. James Gartland, SJ, administrator of St. Mary, Ann Arbor from Oct. 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

•R ev. Michael Kuchar, from pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish, Grand Blanc to senior priest status.

AGENCIES WORK TOGETHER TO OPEN LENAWEE COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER The Lenawee County Child Advocacy Center, a program of Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties, is now open at 122 S. Broad St. in downtown Adrian. “We’re excited about this because the community needs this,” says Sue Lewis, executive director for Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties. Lewis said the advocacy center is there to provide solutions to the increasing problem of child sexual abuse and severe physical abuse in the Lenawee County community.

The center is a collaboration of Catholic Charities, the Lenawee County Prosecutor’s Office, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Child Protective Services, Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority, all law enforcement agencies in Lenawee County, ProMedica and the University of Michigan Child Protection Team. “This truly is a community collaboration,” Sue says. The center primarily will be offering a safe, comfortable place for child victims to find help and provide their stories to the necessary authorities and guide them to ongoing services they may need.

26

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

•R ev. Mr John Machiorlatti, parochial vicar at St. John, Davison after priesthood ordination on June 9, 2018.

•R ev. Thomas Nenneau, from pastor of St. Mary, Morrice to senior priest status.

•R ev. Duaine Pamment, from pastor of St. Isidore, Laingsburg and Holy Family, Ovid to senior priest status.

•R ev. Pieter vanRooyen to canonical pastor of St. Joseph, Whitaker. Father Pieter remains on the faculty of Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

•R ev. Joseph Wagner, SJ, currently parochial vicar (campus chaplain) at St. Mary, Ann Arbor, to administrator of St. Mary, Ann Arbor from Aug. 1, 2018 until Sept. 30, 2018, then remains as parochial vicar.

•R ev Tom Wasilewski, from parochial administrator to pastor of St. Patrick, Ann Arbor.

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE SCHOOL WILL INSTITUTE CLASSICAL CURRICULUM In the fall of 2018, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School in Ann Arbor will institute a classical curriculum. Father William Ashbaugh, pastor, says this change “will provide a solid foundation for success and growth as we look to the next 150 years. We are committing ourselves to a future of authentic, classical Catholic education for the families who seek it in the Ann Arbor area and surrounding region.” For more information, contact Larry Nienhaus, director of development, at 734.794.2077 or lnienhaus@sta2.org.

REQUIESCAT IN PACE Father Tom Butler died on May 3 at the age of 69 in Hillsdale. He was ordained in 1982 at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing by Bishop Kenneth Povish.

Father Tom graduated from St. Edward University in Austin, Tex. and earned his master of divinity degree from Pope John XXIII National Seminary in 1982.

He began his priesthood at Christ the King Church in Flint in 1986. In 1989, he moved to Charlotte to lead St. Mary Parish.

He then returned to Flint in 1991 to Holy Rosary Church, where he remained until 1993. He found his home in 1993 at St. Anthony Parish in Hillsdale where he served for 18 years. After leaving Hillsdale in 2011, Father Tom served at Sts. Charles and Helena in Clio.

LOCAL NEWS

MICHAEL ANDREWS IS NEW CHANCELLOR OF THE DIOCESE Can you explain the duties of the position of chancellor of the diocese?

Many people associate the position of chancellor with St. Thomas More, who defended the rights of conscience and the teachings of the Catholic faith with his words and actions, to the point of martyrdom. In fact, it was already an ancient office by More’s time, tracing its origins to the courts of ancient Rome. Its historical roots can perhaps provide the clearest context in which to describe the duties of a chancellor today.

Anciently, the chancellor’s duty was to inscribe the sentence of the tribune into a permanent record and to make certain that the sentence was carried out according to the prescriptions of the law. Eventually, more juridical and administrative responsibilities were delegated to the chancellor, who became a leading officer of state.

From the days of early Christianity, the Church adopted the general outlines of this system, purifying it by the light of the Gospel, so that, in the Church, the role of chancellor became a role of ministerial service in collaboration with the ministry of the bishop, particularly in certain administrative matters. Today, these include gathering, arranging and safeguarding the deeds, proceedings and records of the diocese.

Additionally, the chancellor certifies official documents, and, by delegated powers, grants certain permissions and dispensations, among other responsibilities, that assist the bishop as the point of connection between the local church and the universal Church.

How has this role been fulfilled previously in the Diocese of Lansing?

Canon law requires the appointment

that there are so many people in these 10 counties who are very well-grounded in their faith and seek to serve others in Christ’s name with marvelous generosity, whether as catechists, cantors, teachers, administrators, prayer leaders and the like; and also as parents, co-workers and actively engaged parishioners. I believe that this is a special sign of God’s favor, which also implies the responsibility to deepen these gifts to serve the design that God has for us all. Bishop Boyea’s Pastoral Letter, Go and Announce the Gospel of the Lord, provides a common focus for these efforts. I look forward to fulfilling the part God has in mind for me that will help advance his purposes for the salvation of his people.

of a chancellor for every diocese. In fact, a few months after the Diocese of Lansing was established in May 1937, Bishop Albers appointed Monsignor Joseph Byrne as chancellor, who thus became the first diocesan official.

Up to 1983, canon law required the chancellor to be a priest. Pope Saint John Paul II dropped this stipulation when he introduced the current Code of Canon Law. My immediate predecessor, Deacon John Cameron, was our first chancellor who was not also a priest. I wish to add that Deacon Cameron has been a great help and resource to me during the current transition, as well as throughout the years we’ve worked together. Prior to Deacon Cameron, this office has been held by a series of excellent, sterling priests of our diocese, including most recently, Bishop Steven Raica, Monsignor Robert Lunsford, and Bishop James Murray.

What are you looking forward to in your new position as chancellor?

The priests, deacons, religious, lay ecclesial ministers and faithful of the Diocese of Lansing have been blessed with a great variety of gifts for building up the Church. It’s always impressed me

You were the director of the Office of Worship for the diocese; how do you anticipate this position will be different?

At first glance, it might seem that these two positions are unrelated, after all, the chancellor has few specific liturgical functions, and these are only on rare occasions, such as at the installation of a bishop. But this view is too superficial. We can see with greater clarity by turning to the opening sentence of the last encyclical of Pope Saint John Paul II, in which he wrote: “The Church draws her life from the Eucharist.” In other words, the Church has her source in Jesus’ death and resurrection; the Church is itself the answer to his commission “Do this in memory of me.” The Church is communion, the communion of the Word and the Eucharist, as well as the communion in God among all the peoples on earth, forming us into one people, and so we are Catholic, or universal, with a mission to all people everywhere, and embracing all that is true. While the work of the Worship Office emphasizes the sacramental actualization of these truths, the work of the chancellor is at the service of those realities that the Eucharist brings about, especially as the Eucharist is the sign of unity and the bond of charity. All of this finds full expression in the local church in the sanctifying, governing and teaching ministry of the bishop.

27

THINGS TO DO June 2, Knights of Columbus Mason Council #9182 is sponsoring a Vocation Golf Outing for Seminarians, cost is $70 per golfer and includes 18 holes with cart, coffee and donuts, two drink tickets, lunch, goody bag, New York strip steak dinner plus prizes.

For information, contact Norm Puma at 517.663.3670 or Chris Knudstrup at 517.676.1566.

June 3, 9 a.m., Corpus Christi feast and Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church, 6340 Roberta St., Burton, celebrated by Father Bob Bacik and followed by eucharistic outdoor procession and a family brunch in the parish hall. All are welcome! For information, call the parish office at 810.742.3151.

SHARE YOUR FAITH FOLLOW FAITH PUB ONLINE

June 5, 12, 19 and 26, 6 p.m., St. Therese Parish, 102 W. Randolph St., Lansing, will host the Catholic Information Series for couples preparing to celebrate the

sacrament of marriage in the St. Francis Room. To register, please contact Deacon Dave Borzenski at 517.487.0478 or borzenskid@gmail.com.

June 8, 10 a.m., shotgun start, Lansing Catholic High School will have its 30th annual Cougar Classic at Timber Ridge Golf Club. Player fee is $135. Join us for an enjoyable day of golf. This fundraiser will help more than 500 high school students. For more information or to register, please contact Paula Wilcox at 517.267.2121 or paula.wilcox@lansingcatholic. org; or Colleen Murray at 517.267.2109 or colleen.murray@ lansingcatholic.org.

June 9, 5:30 p.m., St. Mark the Evangelist, Grand Blanc, will have a Polka Mass as part of its 40th anniversary celebration featuring Virgil Baker and the Just for Fun Band. This is followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and dancing from 7:3010:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for the reception at the door in the parish

CATHOLIC CHARITIES CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF JACKSON, LENAWEE AND HILLSDALE COUNTIES, JACKSON: 517.782.2551 or ADRIAN: 517.263.2191 ADRIAN or CATHOLICCHARITIESJLHC.ORG •A ug. 3, 6-9 p.m., and Aug. 4, 9 a.m.-noon, a We C.A.R.E. marriage preparation class will take place at Queen of the Miraculous Medal, Seton Hall, 606 S. Wisner St., Jackson. Both classes must be attended. Cost is $75 per couple. Registration forms are available on the website: catholiccharitiesjlhc.org. Preregistration with payment is required.

• Catholic Charities now offers caring grief support services: Are you suffering from the loss of a loved one? Do you know anyone dealing with the heartbreak of losing someone very special?

With the support of peers in a safe, welcoming environment, today could be manageable and tomorrow offers hope. Now provided under the services of Catholic Charities, A.D.A.M. (another day, another memory) program offers grief and loss support. Since 2009, A.D.A.M. has helped bereaved families.

There are groups for children 4 and older, teens and adults.

There is no cost to attend.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SHIAWASSEE AND GENESEE COUNTIES, FLINT: 810.232.9950 OR OWOSSO: 989.723.8239 or CCSGC.ORG •T his summer, volunteer with Catholic Charities. For information, call 810.265.7025 ext.713 or estebbins@ccsgc.org.

• Loving foster families are urgently needed. Please consider opening your heart and home to a child in need. For more information, call the Catholic Charities’ Children Services Department at 810.232.3418.

28

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

center. To RSVP, call the parish office at 810.636.2216.

June 9-10, Catholic Engaged Encounter of Mid-Michigan in DeWitt: CEE is a Christian marriage preparation ministry based on Catholic teachings and values. It emphasizes the relationship of the couple in terms of their sacramental commitment. For more information, contact Sue and Wayne Fransted at 517.740.4132, info@lansingcee.org or www.lansingcee.org.

June, 10, 1-4 p.m., St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Community in Grand Blanc will host an Open House/Birthday Party/Senior Status Reception honoring Father Michael W. Kuchar in the parish center at 7296 Gale Rd. June 14-15, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and June 16, 8-11 a.m., St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 2250 E. Stadium, Ann Arbor, will host its annual rummage sale. For more information, call 734.769.2550 or visit stfrancisa2.com.

•J oin us in prayer: On the third Thursday of each month, everyone is welcome to celebrate the 8:45 a.m. Mass with us in the chapel of St. Michael Oratory, 609 E. Fifth Ave. in Flint, for the prayer intentions of Catholic Charities’ clients and staff.

• Donate your rummage sale remains to Catholic Charities’ Community Closet. It provides free clothing, bedding, towels, furniture and appliances, as well as household goods and toiletries, to those in need. All donations are tax-deductible.

Drop-off hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Center for Hope, 812 Root St., Flint, or call the North End Soup Kitchen at 810.685.6911 to schedule a furniture/appliance pickup.

CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES OF WASHTENAW COUNTY, 734.971.9781 or CSSWASHTENAW.ORG LIVINGSTON COUNTY CATHOLIC CHARITIES, 517.545.5944 or LIVINGSTONCATHOLICCHARITIES.ORG •M ark your calendars: Aug. 9, Livingston Region Catholic Council on Aging Mass and picnic will be held at Holy Spirit Church in Brighton. The members from the eight parishes in the Livingston Region plan annual activities, including: a Lenten Retreat, CCA picnic, the Senior Appreciation Mass and luncheon; and the Thanksgiving gathering. While specifically directed toward the Catholic community, all older adults, age 50+ are welcome to attend. For more information, please call your parish representative or Catholic Charities.

• Save the Date: Sept. 23 is Catholic Charities 4th annual Cooking for a Cause celebration. You won’t want to miss this golden opportunity to taste the finest cooking in Washtenaw County while supporting our critical services and programs.

Event sponsorships also are a great way to support CSSW – and advertise your business. For more information, contact development@csswashtenaw.org or 734.971.9781 ext. 313.

June 18-22, 9 a.m.-noon, St. Michael Parish in Grand Ledge will have Vacation Bible School. The theme is "Cathletics, Training to be Champions For Christ." Cost is $25 per child, ages 4 through grade 5 are invited to attend. For more information, contact the parish office at 517.627.8493 ext. 14.

June 22, 7-10 p.m., Holy Spirit, 9565 Musch Rd., Brighton, will host an acoustic music jam every fourth Friday of each month: musicians who play guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, violin, dulcimer or other acoustic instrument at all levels are welcome; many different genres of music are presented. Those who wish to listen also are welcome. For information, call 810.923.3179.

June 25-29, St. Agnes, Fowlerville will have Vacation Bible School for children ages 4 through grade 5.

The theme is “Shipwrecked.” For information, call 517.223.8684.

July 11, 18 and 25, 7 p.m., St. John the Baptist, Howell will have Basic Catholic Teaching Marriage Prep.

To register, call the parish office at 517.546.7200.

July 13-15, Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat: The pain of abortion runs deep and long, but the unconditional love, mercy, forgiveness and hope of our Lord is available to all who seek him.

Abortion touches the lives of the mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, friends and medical staff. All are welcome to attend this weekend retreat. Please contact Beth at 734.879.0427 or toheal4give@outlook.com.

July 21, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., St. John Catholic Church, Howell will host its annual Classical Car Show.

A family day to see great cars, enjoy scrumptious food and fun entertainment. All are welcome to attend. For information, call the parish office at 517.546.7200.

July 25, 26 and 27, 9:30-11:30 a.m., St. John the Baptist, Howell will have Vacation Bible School.

Cost: $20/person and $40/per family. Registration is available at: stjohnhowellvbs.eventbrite.com.

Aug. 3-5, St. Casimir Corn Roast Festival. Please join us for great food, that famous corn on the cob,

beer tent, dancing, raffles and children’s games. Aug. 3: 5-9 p.m., a DJ and from 9 p.m.-midnight, adult night and dancing to a live band.

Aug. 4: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., a blood drive – 4 p.m.-9 p.m., children’s area – and 9 p.m.-midnight, dancing to a live band. Aug. 5: 12:30-3 p.m., be sure to purchase your raffle tickets: $10 ticket to win $2,000 in cash – $10 ticket to win a big screen TV – and $1 ticket for cash prizes.

For more information, please call 517.482.1346.

maximize your business potential with one of mid-Michigan’s largest magazines

Aug. 12, noon, St. Cornelius and Cyprian Parish, Leslie will host the 80th annual Sant’ Ippolito Festival at the church, which includes an outdoor celebration of the Mass and procession of the statue of Sant’ Ippolito with a family picnic following and special activities for the 80th festival. For information, contact the parish office at 517.589.8492.

Save the date: Aug. 12, St. Mary, Williamston’s Knights of Columbus invite you to golf in their charity outing held at Wheatfield Golf Course. For information, contact Bill Pulling at 517.410.4581 or pullingbp@gmail.com.

Save the date: Sept. 29, a Caregiver Retreat at St. Francis Retreat Center with Tony Sperendi as the keynote speaker. For information, contact Margaret Grima, coordinator of specialized ministries for the Diocese of Lansing at 517.342.2555.

Contact Tom Gaskin to learn more about advertising in FAITH Phone: 517-853-7648 | E-mail: tgaskin@faithcatholic.com www.FAITHpub.com

Save the date: Feb. 4-17, 2019, Journey to Antarctica aboard the National Geographic Explorer with Father Andrew Czajkowski. Enjoy 24 hours of sunlight and absorb the sights and sounds of marine life stretching across ice-covered mountains for more than 5 million square miles in the world’s last great wilderness. For information, call St. John the Evangelist, Davison at 810.653.2377.

RETREAT CENTERS ST. FRANCIS RETREAT CENTER, DEWITT, STFRANCIS.WS or 866.669.8321 July 8-14, Silent Ignatian directed retreat built around the elements of Lectio Divina and the Examen prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Cost is $620 per person and includes all meals, materials and lodging.

WEBER RETREAT AND CONFERENCE, CENTER, WEBER. ADRIANDOMINICANS.ORG or 517.266,4000 July 16, 2 p.m. to July 20, 1 p.m., Private directed retreats are available at Weber Retreat Center in Adrian. Experience the

SHARE YOUR NEWS SEND YOUR LOCAL NEWS STORIES TO EDITORIAL@ FAITHPUB.COM

serenity and clarity that comes from listening to the Holy Spirit within you, guided by daily spiritual direction to help you explore and share your journey. Call the retreat center at 517.266.4000.

DOMINICAN CENTER AT MARYWOOD, GRAND RAPIDS, DOMICANCENTER.COM or 616.514.3325 June 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Creative Transformation: Quiet the Voice in your Head program is facilitated by art therapist Leara Glinzak, who guides participants through mindful, creative steps toward healing and growth in times of transition and change. No artistic experience required. Cost is $20 per person.

Registration available by contacting the center.

29

CREDITS

SPECIAL REPORT:

The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing

PLANNING TOMORROW’S CHURCHES

Update on 2008 report

Develop an

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE Accompany people

WITH PATIENCE AND CHARITY

JUNE 2018 VOLUME 18: ISSUE 5

www.FAITHpub.com Most Rev. Earl Boyea PUBLISHER

Rev. Dwight Ezop

1

FIND US ONLINE AT FAITHPUB.COM

EDITOR AND CHAIRMAN

CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH JESUS AND HIS CHURCH WWW.FAITHCATHOLIC.COM

Patrick M. O’Brien

Newly ordained priests lie prostrate as Pope Francis leads a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, April 22

PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Elizabeth Martin Solsburg VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Kayla Simon CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Ann Jacob MANAGING EDITOR

EVANGELIZATION MEANS ‘GET UP AND GO’

Cynthia Vandecar DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

Marybeth Hicks MARKETING DIRECTOR

Patrick Dally ART DIRECTOR

Mike Jones DIRECTOR OF TECH AND DIGITAL MEDIA

Michelle Hildebrandt CREATIVE DIRECTOR WEB

Lindsy Sambaer WEB AND DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

POPE WATCH WHAT POPE FRANCIS HAS BEEN SAYING AND DOING RECENTLY

Jillane Job EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Jim Berluchi | Mary Gates | Rev. Joseph Krupp | Dr. Cathleen McGreal | Steve and Bridget Patton | Rose Robertson | Nancy Rosebush Schertzing | Maria Servold | Sherry Weddell | Sheri Wohlfert CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Carlson Productions | Shane Folkertsma | Mike Frieseman | Tom Gennara | Sarah Moore Kuschell | James Luning | Rachel Matero | Gretchen Mathos | Don Quillan CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Most Rev. Carl F. Mengeling FOUNDING PUBLISHER

Rev. Charles Irvin FOUNDING EDITOR For advertising information, contact Tom Gaskin Call 517.853.7648 or email tgaskin@faithcatholic.com

“The Church is young because the Gospel is its

lifeblood and

regenerates it constantly.”

For subscription information: Call 1.866.76.FAITH

FAITHTM (USPS 019993) is a publication of FAITH Catholic, Diocese of Lansing, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48906-5550. FAITHTM is a membership publication of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing and is published monthly except for February and August. To purchase a subscription, log on to FAITHpub.com. If you have a change of address, please contact your parish. Periodicals postage paid in Lansing, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FAITHTM, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing MI 48906-5550. ©2017 FAITH Catholic. FAITH is a trademark of FAITH Catholic.

30

@pontifex April 15

In recent homilies, Pope Francis has continued to encourage Catholics not to be shy in their evangelization efforts. “A ‘couch potato’ evangelization doesn’t exist,” he says, “get up and go! Be always on the move. Go to the place where you must speak the Word.” He uses three key phrases to explain evangelization: get up, draw near and start with an actual situation. The Holy Father reminds us, however, that any efforts at bringing others to the faith will not work without the guidance and gifts of the Holy Spirit. He says, “It is the Spirit that pushes us to get up, to approach others and to begin from their situation.”

BENEDICTINE CONVENTS AND MONASTERIES CAN BE “OASES” IN TODAY’S WORLD In marking the 125th anniversary of the Benedictine Confederation, Pope Francis encouraged the Benedictines gathered to continue offering their hospitality and “oases of silence and peace” to a busy, hectic world. He says many people today “do not have enough time to listen to God’s voice.” In light of that, Benedictine abbeys and monasteries "become like oases where men and women of all ages, origins, cultures and religions can discover the beauty of silence" in order to be "in harmony with creation, letting God re-establish a proper order in their lives.” Pope Leo XIII created the confederation in 1893 to help promote unity among the various autonomous Benedictine monasteries and congregations.

FAITH Magazine | JUNE 2018 | WWW.FAITHPUB.COM

2 018 K N IGH T S FA M I LY N IGH T to celebr at e vocat ions F R I D AY, A U G U S T 1 0 , 2 0 1 8 AT C OOLEY LAW SCH OOL STADIUM Last year, roughly 2,000 Roman Catholics from around the Diocese of Lansing enjoyed a game with Bishop Boyea!

Thanks to everyone who participated!

For more information, visit lansinglugnuts.com. To be added to the email list, contact: Eric Pionk, Lansing Lugnuts group sales manager, 517.485.4500, ext. 256.

JOIN US FOR GOLF M O N D AY, A U G U S T, 2 0 , 2 0 1 8

Hawk Hollow and Eagle Eye 15500 Chandler Rd, Bath Twp, MI 48808 10:00 a.m. shotgun start on both courses

Honorary Hosts Knights of Columbus Councils of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing

For registration and sponsorships, call 517.342.2503 or email mhufnagel@dioceseoflansing.org.

Membership Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing Want to receive FAITH Magazine? Visit FAITHPUB.COM Follow FAITH Pub The Way to Happiness Is Jesus Find out more at DIOCESEOFLANSING.ORG Find a Catholic Church at MASSTIMES.ORG Serving Ann Arbor, Flint, Jackson, Lansing And Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Shiawassee and Washtenaw counties

DIOCESE OF LANSING ASSEMBLY

FATHER JOE KRUPP

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018

EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION 9:00 A.M. TO 11:30 A.M.

INSPIRING SPEAKERS

FATHER MIKE SCHMITZ

1:00 P.M. TO 4:30 P.M.

ALL DIOCESAN MASS 4:30 P.M.

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

FREE ADMISSION. REGISTER TODAY! WWW.MADEFORHAPPINESS.ORG

JENNIFER FULWILER DEACON LARRY ONEY