Easter Sunday         March 27, 2005 

Rejoice! Death is conquered! Jesus Christ is Risen!! Alleluia!! Alleluia!! 

  In the midst of a world that continues to rely on violence and war, Easter proclaims the power of healing and peace.  In the midst of a nation and culture that too often focuses on transitory values and goods, Easter strengthens us to seek after that which is eternal. In the midst of lives that grow weary and discouraged, Easter proclaims to us that God is a God of life and to trust in that God. 

   God the Father and Source of Life has raised Jesus from the grave.  May the risen Christ and the Spirit of God that flows from that event give you and your families the strength to persevere in faith, pray together in hope, and act in loving and forgiving ways.  

A Blessed Easter from the SS. John and Paul Parish Staff 

Fr. David Buersmeyer, Pastor

MaryAnn LaRaia, Parish Secretary

Kathy Mollon, Christian Service Coordinator

JoAnne Owens, Pastoral Associate

Linda Bauer, Coordinator Faith Formation

Carl Reyes, Music Minister

Karen Peters, Associate Coordinator Faith Formation

& Youth Ministry

Paula Klozik, Business Manager

Bob Lerczak, Maintenance

Fr. Ron Sayes, Weekend Associate 

Operation Rice Bowl

Easter Sunday 

  Alleluia!  We celebrate new life in Christ as people around the world celebrate the great feast of Easter.  We also celebrate with them their newfound hope because of the assistance they receive through our efforts directed to them by way of Operation Rice Bowl.  Our prayers do make a difference.  Our fasting has helped us become aware of our brothers and sisters in need around the world.  Our almsgiving has generated funds for Catholic Relief Services to continue to assist people in the areas of agriculture, water and sanitation, microfinance, healthcare for mothers and children, and education projects.  We join with our brothers and sisters around the world in singing “Alleluia!” for the wonders we have wrought through Operation Rice Bowl.  Thanks to all who participated during this past Lenten season. 

Funeral Ministry Team 

We are looking to expand our funeral ministry team. Our needs vary depending on the number of funeral requests we receive.   

  We presently have a team of seven that take part in the vigil service, the funeral mass, or the cemetery committal service. A team member chooses to be part of one aspect or all three depending on the time frame. As a participant at the vigil service, a team member would assist the presider as reader. At the funeral mass, the team member would assist in set-up, as a Communion minister or lector, and possibly as an acolyte. At the cemetery, an assistant acts as reader.  

  Training is done by a present team member and/or Fr. Dave or JoAnne. If you are interested or need further explanation of the different roles, please call JoAnne at the parish office, (586) 781-9010. 

News from the Knights of Columbus 

  Knights of Columbus Council #7018 has two (2) one thousand dollar ($1,000) tuition scholarships available to St. Clement or SS. John & Paul students planning to enroll in a Catholic grade school or high school in the fall of 2005. The scholarship award will be based on the financial need of the student applicants. Application forms are available in the parish office. Those interested in applying should return the completed forms to the parish office no later than April 30, 2005. 

  The Knights would like to thank everyone who contributed to making their 2005 fundraising drive for the mentally handicapped a huge success. Your continued support of their activities is appreciated. 

Macomb County Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers — The Advantages 

  The SS. John & Paul community will soon be implementing a liaison program with Macomb County Interfaith Caregivers.  The IVC program is a network of congregations in Macomb County that have joined together to provide volunteer support for the older and disabled adults in our community who need just a little extra help to get by at home.

There are many advantages of establishing a chapter for Macomb County Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers here at SS. John & Paul.  A comprehensive, yet flexible, model for outreach to our older and disabled parishioners and neighbors would be implemented along with opportunities to share resources with neighboring congregations.  Association with MCIVC would afford us the opportunity to share and develop this caregiving ministry with members of our congregation which would, in turn, increase our congregation’s ability to serve.

 In addition, liability insurance would be provided for all program volunteers, as well as community-wide trainings and workshops for all volunteers and interested congregation members.  Also, if there are needs of an older or disabled adult that we cannot meet, being a liaison of MCIVC provides us with a link with local services agencies which can facilitate more comprehensive assistance for those in need.

Finally, being linked with the MCIVC program provides us with an opportunity to be part of an active community-wide interfaith project.

As you can see, there are a number of advantages as part of the MCIVC.  Please keep watching the bulletin for more information on what services will be offered here at SS. John & Paul and how to become involved in this ministry. 

CHRISTIAN FAITH FORMATION

2004-2005

Religious Formation

Program 

Early Childhood — Sunday

(ages 3-4-5 years)

During 9:30 a.m. Mass

Sessions: April 3, 10, 17  

Grades 1-6 — Tuesday

4:45-6:00 p.m. & 6:30-7:45 p.m.

No Session: March 29

Sessions: April 5, 12 

CELEBRATION OF

FIRST EUCHARIST 

    Watch here weekly for the children who will receive their First Eucharist at the following Masses.  We ask that you keep the following children in prayer as they take another step in their journey continuing to grow in their faith and in relationship with our Lord.   

April 2  

5:00 p.m. - Gregory Antoine,

Stephanie Peters

 April 3

8:00 a.m.  -  Emily Sova

9:30 a.m. -  Jennifer Pries

11:30 a.m.  -  Felicia Vitale,

Deanna Krumholz,    

April 9 

5:00 p.m.  - Michael Migliore 

April 10

8:00 a.m. - Maranda Smith

11:30 a.m.—Tyler Sinicki

Scotty Smith  

Making the leap of faith 

  We may sometimes envy the first disciples for they had the advantage over all later Christians because they were present at the events from the Gospels.  They saw the risen Jesus with their own eyes, and touched him with their hands.  Faith was easy for them.  And we may believe that it would be easy for us, too, if we could personally see Jesus, or see for ourselves the miracles he performed as the first disciples did. But did all this really make their faith any easier?  When they looked at Jesus, they saw a human being much like ourselves.  To believe that he was the Son of God required a huge act of faith.

     Many who heard Jesus speak and saw him act did not believe in  him.  Even the apostles themselves who had been with him are shown to be slow to believe.  Seeing is not necessarily believing.

      The shock caused by his passion and death on the cross was so great that the apostles were slow to believe in the news of the Resurrection.  When Jesus appeared to them on Easter evening, he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

     So what about us?  We can’t see Jesus the way the apostles saw him.  We can’t be present in the upper room going over the events of Holy Week when Jesus drops in.  We can’t put our finger in the wounds of Jesus.  We can’t look into his face and say, ‘My Lord, and my God.’  We must live by faith, not by sight.  Yet if we would believe in Jesus, we must see him somehow.  But just how may people like us see Jesus?  What must we do in order to believe?

      We are disciples at second hand in which things are harder in some ways, but easier in others.  Things are harder because twenty centuries have gone by since Jesus walked the earth.  On the positive side, the notion that the Son of God walked the earth has become in some ways easier to believe.    But at the end of the day, all disciples are essentially equal—all have to make the leap of faith.  We become disciples through faith.

       The friends of Jesus saw him and heard him only a few times after that Easter day, but their lives were completely changed.  And by sharing their faith, our lives will be changed, too.  We are able to travel in hope because we know that good will triumph over evil, and life will triumph over death, because Jesus is risen.  

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:  

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

“Serengeti Trek” 

Week of August 1 –5     

We will be joining St. Clement of Rome this summer for VBS; however, we need many, many volunteers such as:  STATION LEADERS (adults),   CREW LEADERS (teens),  SNACK volunteers to bring a part of the snack for the week and  DECORATING / ARTIST for set-ups.  The program will be offered twice a  day….HOWEVER, you need only sign up for morning or evening, whichever fits  your schedule.  For more information please call Linda Bauer in the Religious Formation office at 586-781-9488 ext. 14. 

Highlights of Worship Commission

Meeting of March 14, 2005 

¨         25th Anniversary Mass:  Concensus was that everything went very well. The mass was well attended.

¨         Lent:  Lectors, Communion Ministers and ushers are in place. Church will be cleaned on March 23 after 9:00 a.m. Mass.

¨         Picnic:  Ushers have begun work on the picnic.

¨         A hand rail for the stairs leading to the altar is being considered. 

Soup kitchen news 

  Thanks to everyone who participated and donated food for February 15, 2005.  Dan Frechette did a great job leading the group after a last minute call to fill in for Pat.  Thanks, Dan! 

  Our next meal served will be April 19, 2005.  We will serve a spaghetti lunch with salad and fresh fruit.  Donated items should be delivered to the parish kitchen before April 19th.  Please mark your bags SOUP KITCHEN. 

  We are looking for more people to donate food items for the Soup Kitchen.  If interested, please call Pat Sagert (586) 781-7035 or Barbara Jarzembski (586) 336-1450.  The group meets the day of the luncheon at SS. John & Paul at 8:30 AM and car pools at 8:45 AM to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen.  

Baptisms

Congratulations to the newest little additions to our parish family who were baptized March 27, 2005: 

Lauren Gabriella Lee

Jaxon Robert Radtke 

Meijer community rewards

  Meijer’s is running a new promotion in March: for every new member that signs up for the Meijer Community Rewards program in March 2005, the parish will earn $3, in addition to our monthly earnings! Ten parishioners need to enroll and use their Community Rewards card by April 30 in order for us to earn this bonus. If you haven’t signed up yet for this free fundraising opportunity, please do so this month. There are two ways to register: 

¨         enroll online at Meijer.com/rewards, click “Join”, then “Meijer Guest Card”

¨         OR pick up an application at the parish office

¨         Our organization number is 617883 

  The rest is easy—just swipe your Rewards card before the last item is scanned. Meijer’s does the rest. There is no cost to you or the parish to join or use this program. Funds raised in 2004-05 are earmarked for the purchase of a new parish sign on 28 Mile Road. Thank you for supporting our parish.   

 Teen News         

We had a Lock -In on March 11th where we had 19 teens attend.  Our theme for the Lock- In was Social Justice.  There were many different activities that the teens experienced that brought the teens a little closer to this issue.  The team of adults Rick & Judy Giffin, Bob & Darlene Jiannuzzi, Kristen Arnold, Kathy Franks, Mary Adkins, Deane Maue, Laura Hester, Naomi Radcliffe and Stan & Selena Tan were all a huge part of this process.  We thank all the teens and the adults who helped make this night such a success. 

  March 20th was the last night for 7th & 8th grade religious education class.  The teens wanted to give the 8th graders a warm welcome, and an invitation to join their group by providing hospitality, ice-breaker games, and conversation.  This night could not have been made possible without all our adults, Nicole Peters, and Stan & Selena Tan who helped organize and run the ice-breaker games  & group conversation.  A special thanks to:  Dayna Peters, Danielle Peters, Colleen Krumholz, Michael Macha, Dante Bugli, Jeff Pyke, Jon Kretchman, Pam Hester, Michelle Radcliffe, Rachel Eggert, Sarah Malzahn, Abby Franks, Audrey Becker, and Adam Loyson, who gave up their time to set up, help with clean up, and welcomed the 8th graders with lots of fun and excitement.  We had terrific help from: Donna Michalski, Kay Trainor, Emily Tabenske, and Ashley Peters who volunteered their time and help make our program a success.   

  The teens enjoyed putting on the Stations of the Cross with Jesus on the Road to Calvary. This took place on Tuesday, March 22nd for both the religious education sessions.  The readers for the stations were Colleen Krumholz and Sabrina Palombo.  Our actors for the stations included Hannah Picklo, Michelle Figurski, Attea Gilbertson, Philip Graziani, Tim Seidel, Jeff Pyke, Abby Franks, Sarah Malzahn, and Kyle Zapczynski.  All the teens did a GREAT JOB! 

   Thank you to Pam Hester who offered to cantor  for the Good Friday Stations; Colleen Krumholz, Jeff Pyke, and Dante Bugli who read the stations; Hannah Picklo & Sabrina Palombo who were the candle bearers; Alex Simonetti & Michael Klakulak who were the cross bearers; and Sarah Malzahn, Abby Franks, Michael Macha, Ryan Compeau, Devon Compeau, Rebecca Eggert, Sarah Eggert, Rachel Eggert, and Jon Kretchman  were the station bearers.  These teens gave up a lot of time to make this such a moving experience for our community and we really appreciate it.   

  Thank you to Kristen Arnold, Jill Antonine, and Sharilyn Kaniuk who helped the teens with the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 26th.  What an exciting event for all involved.  

  The 9-12 grade teens have been busy this month, and if you missed any of these events, please don’t miss any more.  Mark your calendar for April 10th  for our next meeting here at the church from 6:30-8:30.  Remember all 8th graders are invited to this meeting. 

Pastor’s Perspective  

*Parish Goal Setting and the Next Step: Your Input

  On April 16th at 6 p.m. (after the 5 p.m. Mass) and on April 17th at 10:45 a.m. (after the 9:30 Mass) the Parish Pastoral Council is seeking your feedback on the results of the goal setting process thus far. 

  Parish groups and commissions met and prioritized a large number of suggested goals.  The  council has refined these further into five major goals and a number of sub-goals.  Once finalized they will guide parish priorities over the next few years, including the spending of money.  Are we missing some important focal points?  Are we giving too high a priority to some items?  Are there things that can be done that will accomplish the major goals that are missing? 

  We need your input, since it is your parish and you provide the resources that will be spent.  Plan on attending one of the two presentations the weekend of April 16/17th.  I will be sending you a letter shortly on this with more details.   

*Little White Books

  We continue our seasonal prayer books with the “little white book” which takes us through the Easter season to Pentecost.  Please take one and use it for personal reflection.  They are a great way to do a little Scripture reflection and prayer on a daily basis, fitting it in a few minutes here and there.  Along with our Scripture studies, adult formation topics, the FAITH magazine we send to your home, Taize prayer and other prayer experiences, a fair amount of resources go into adult formation in the parish.  Be sure to let us know what is of help to you. 

*The Terry Schiavo Situation (continued from last week)

  Because Terry Schiavo does not have an underlying pathology that is directly leading to death, her case and others like hers raise more difficult and contentious ethical issues.  It is important to understand the Church’s moral wisdom here, lest we think the goal is to keep all such people on assisted nutrition and hydration indefinitely and needlessly, and so in the end lead people to think that assisted suicide or euthanasia is the only alternative.  At the same time we need to understand that moral wisdom, lest we too quickly withdraw such assisted feeding out of a genuine compassion but one that equates a person in what is called a “persistent vegetative state” with someone who is as “good as dead anyway.”  That is not true. 

  Catholic medical moral teaching has debated this issue for many years.  Many moral theologians point out that feeding tubes and the like are medical procedures with possible side effects and burdens, and must be morally judged like all such medical procedures, on a case by case basis.  Thus, such situations fall under the prudential judgment of a particular family whether it is truly extraordinarily burdensome or is simply ordinary care to continue the assisted nutrition.  And in some cases (even many, especially after it is clear that the higher brain functions are atrophied and have no chance of recovery, as is the case with Terry Schiavo), a number of theologians and bishops have taught that it can be morally permissible to remove all nutrition and hydration.   

  Others questioned that approach.  Because there is no underlying pathology that is directly leading to death, these theologians argued that one has a moral obligation to keep a person in a vegetative state on assisted hydration and nutrition, now that it has become a much more ordinary and less burdensome process.  To do otherwise is to directly help the dying process, akin to euthanasia, since the person will now die of dehydration/starvation and not anything else.  Moreover, those in favor of not withdrawing such means, point out that the value of a person is not simply in whether they will recover enough to interact in some way.  They are still our aunts, uncles, parents, children, brothers, sisters, neighbors and friends, and that is a non-negotiable, intrinsic good that needs to be preserved, unless and until it is clear that the person is in the dying process in a more direct way.

   The Catholic debate on what is the authentic Church wisdom in this area has been further stimulated by Pope John Paul II’s  address to physicians last year, in which he talks specifically of the situation of PVS patients (March 20, 2004, go to: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2004/march/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20040320_congress-fiamc_en.html).  He said that the presumption in such situations should be that basic, assisted hydration and nutrition are ordinary treatments and are not to be removed.  They are not in the dying process, and so basic nutritional care is to be provided, even if by so-called “artificial” means. To remove such care, says John Paul II, is to in effect cause their death.  A key paragraph states:

“I should like particularly to underline how the administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act. Its use, furthermore, should be considered, in principle, ordinary and proportionate, and as such morally obligatory, insofar as and until it is seen to have attained its proper finality, which in the present case consists in providing nourishment to the patient and alleviation of his suffering.”

   This gives clear moral guidance on a general level, in principle, which then needs to be applied to specific cases like Terry Schiavo’s.  To do that, our Catholic moral wisdom takes  several other things into consideration.  I will look at what goes into such a moral decision next time. 

  Fr. Buersmeyer

Almsgiving

  The third pillar of our Lenten journey 

   Jesus teaches us to look beyond ourselves and make the needs of others our own.  Through the Gospel, we are specifically called to take action on behalf of the most vulnerable members of society.  As a community of faith, we have the obligation to reach out to those most in need.  When we give alms, we give something of ourselves, whether it be material resources, time or talent, to help support the needs and rights of our brothers and sisters, without thought of recompense or recognition.   

  The Agape Center is located on the grounds of St. Clement of Rome in Romeo and is a collaborative effort created by Catholic Services of Macomb and the North Macomb Vicariate, of which SS. John & Paul is a member.  The center currently houses A Friend’s House (an adult day care service), behavioral health counseling for individuals, family, couples and groups, Hispanic Ministry, St. Clement of Rome food bank and Vicariate offices. 

Throughout the year, SS. John & Paul parishioners support this center by purchasing requested gifts from our Sharing Tree for A Friend’s House, providing lunch to A Friend’s House clients two months a year, biannually remitting donations which support the operation of Agape Center, donating food and commodities to the food bank, and helping to staff and feed the children during the summer day care program “Mundo Divertido”.  

The clients of The Salvation Army in Mount Clemens are recipients of a delicious lunch every other month which is prepared and served to them by the members of our wonderful Soup Kitchen Ministry.  Volunteers teams give of their time and culinary skills and other parishioners donate the many needed items that go into making our famous spaghetti lunch.  

Thanks to all who give monetarily and also of their time and  talent to these and the many other recipients of our almsgiving here at SS. John & Paul  

Saturday and Sunday

March 19-20, 2005

Isabelle Grajewski by Krieg Family

Frank & Jean Quayhackx by Family

Celestino & Paqsquale DePalma

By G. DePalma

Vito Nicola & Theresa Bavora & Family

By G. DePalma 

Monday, March 21, 2005

Thomas Pascoe by Family

Donald & Oreste Vazquez by Family 

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Alex Schrader by Family 

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Catherine Ertzbischoff by Havener Fam.

 Thursday, March 24, 2005

For the parishioners 

Saturday and Sunday

March 26-27, 2005

For all deceased members of SSJP and deceased relatives