| SS. John
& Paul
July 17, 2005 |
A community of believers united and growing in Christ to serve as generous and loving stewards of God's love. | ||
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Pastor’s
Perspective
Alfred Eppens will become our new music minister, starting
the first weekend of August. Al has
extensive background with choirs, both adult and children, vocal and handbells.
As with all new staff, there will be a period of adjustment as we get to
know him and he us. I think you will
find him very knowledgeable about liturgical and other music, open to
suggestions, and easy to interact with. He
has lived in the New Baltimore area for many years, raising three children, and
has been the music minister for the last ten years at St. Philip’s Episcopal
Church in Rochester. For the last
couple of years he has been taking theology and liturgy classes and has been
seeking a position that can combine his own Catholic background with his gifts
and talents. I think we are that
parish. I have asked him to share a
bit more in the weeks ahead via the bulletin.
I know you will make him feel welcome when he begins his new position in
August. *New Fiscal Year Began July 1st
On July 1st of each year, we begin a new fiscal year.
The parish budget for this year is again based on an average of $11,600
per Sunday. We have been meeting
that figure and even exceeding it many Sundays up through June.
With the summer months on us, please try to be consistent in that Sunday
giving. Two ways make that easier:
sign up for our Electronic Sunday Offering, which allows you to set the amount
and timing of the donation, and sends a direct transfer to our account monthly
or twice a month. The forms are in the literature racks at the back of church
and at the office. Or, use the extra
envelope included with your packets each month (it is pre-addressed to the
parish) and send it in when you are on vacation.
Consistent Sunday stewardship is the key to the parish’s financial
health.
In the coming year, we will pay for some
assessment of the church building and land so that we can plan for the needed
repairs to the parking lot and perhaps an expanded entrance on 28 Mile Road, and
start thinking about when and how to maximize existing worship space.
Religious Formation for our children grades 1-6 will have an expanded
option of meeting not just on Tuesdays but Mondays as well.
Early Childhood will continue to meet on Sundays during the 9:30 a.m.
Mass and junior high and high school will still center on Sundays.
All areas of parish life have been given a little extra money so that
they can continue to grow, and we will be looking to the Parish Goal-Setting
results to help direct that growth.
*Teaching
Some of you have asked me to share some of the
things I’ve been teaching in my sacramental theology class.
Actually, I have done so over the years, especially a year or two ago
when we were looking at the Eucharist and how to celebrate it according to the
new General Instruction. But if I
had to pick out some key points that I hammer on, again and again in this class,
I think it would be the following few. First,
overcoming the quantified and mechanical view we too often have of ‘grace.’
The sacraments confer grace. That is Catholic dogmatic teaching.
But what does that mean? What
is grace? It is not a quantity of
spirituality or holiness that enters our soul.
It is not a thing. Grace is, first and foremost, God’s own
communication of Godself to us. God
freely entering into relationship with us. Not some aspect of God or some
emanation of God or God-like reality. God. Since
grace is relational it does no good to be superstitious about how we pray or ask
God for things. We want to ‘grow
in grace’? Then we must grow
deeper in relationship to God through prayer, liturgy, involvement in community,
care for God’s creation and the people on the margins.
Secondly, I invite students to think of the seven sacraments less as
individual events and more as a unified whole. The sacraments are our entry into
sharing the core mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Our life, struggles, joys and sufferings and eventual death are connected
to Jesus’ paschal mystery. Jesus
is the sacrament of God. The seven sacraments help us experience first and
foremost the risen Jesus himself. Also,
the Church doesn’t ‘have’ seven sacraments.
First and foremost the Church itself is a sacrament. The seven sacraments
make present the community of salvation gathered in Christ’s name.
Thirdly, the sacraments aren’t mostly about us as individuals.
We tend to think of what we get out of them: our children are baptized;
we get sealed with the Spirit; we receive communion; we get anointed,
reconciled, married, ordained and so forth.
That is all certainly true. But even more importantly, the sacraments are
communal events. They are about
being Church more than what individuals get out of celebrating them.
The child or adult who is baptized is brought into the ecclesial
community of salvation by that action, but God can save that person any way God
wants. God is not dependent on the
sacraments. The Church is. The
Church cannot be the Church of Jesus Christ without celebrating the baptismal
event. Eucharist is not so much
about receiving communion as to become re-membered as the body of Christ so we
can be communion for others.
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Otherwise,
why not just have simpler, easier communion services and pass out the communion?
In fact, even anointing which seems so personally connected to the sick
person is really more about the community. The
person who is seriously ill witnesses to the community of their faith that even
illness can be an occasion to experience the presence of Christ.
The community, in turn, is challenged to be an inclusive community, never
forgetting its most vulnerable members. The
sacraments need to pay attention to the human needs of each person, but we
celebrate sacraments because we are not the Church of Jesus Christ unless we do.
At least that is the Catholic understanding. So,
whether communion is under both the form of bread and the form of wine, it is
still the whole risen Lord. Yes, but that leads shortly to deciding most of the
time we don’t need to receive under both forms, even though Jesus himself
clearly told us “Take and eat…Take and drink.”
Whether the priest celebrant whisks through the Mass in record time or
the prayers are prayed prayerfully or not really doesn’t matter, for in the
end we all receive the same Jesus in communion, right? Yes, that Eucharist is
considered valid, but how sad that we have turned Eucharist into a thing that
gives us a guaranteed result, rather than trying to maximize each sign, each
symbol, each gesture and each ritual.
The fifth point I push has to do with the Holy Spirit and the sacraments.
Do we see the sacraments as complete actions unto themselves?
Do we leave any room for the Spirit of God to surprise us, to stretch us,
to get us out of our comfort zone? Are
the sacraments complete in themselves or are they essentially incomplete until
we take that newly celebrated identity and gift to try to transform our world?
Do we place more emphasis on the letter of the rituals than on the
meaning behind them? Sometimes, it
seems to me, we don’t really want to breathe in that Spirit, which is so full
of joy and surprises, but want something we control. That is not God. Remember,
the sacraments bring us into an encounter with God.
Be prepared to miss the point, if we sit back and control how God’s
Spirit is supposed to work.
The final point I emphasize in the class is what the Second Vatican
Council considered the key criteria for how liturgy is to be celebrated: full,
conscious, and active participation of all the faithful.
Want a sacramental experience that seems to do nothing, is boring?
Sit back and be a spectator. Want
to be pushed out of our comfort zone? Actively
participate. Sing, not because you
have a good voice but because a community that sings fully always sounds
beautiful. Enter into the prayers.
Actively listen. Participate. If
we actively participate, liturgy is not something done by others that I have to
sit through or watch. It is also
about each of us and our lives, joining all the “saints and angels” and
giving God praise and thanksgiving.
The Catholic sense of life, the Catholic imagination, moves in a
sacramental way. The risen Jesus can
and does break into our life through ordinary signs and symbols.
In that sense anything can be an occasion for a sacramental experience.
But through the centuries the Catholic Church has discovered seven
essential ways that the Church must celebrate sacramentally keeping it faithful
to Jesus’ mission and ministry. May
our involvement in the key sacrament of the Eucharist give us the openness to
experience God in and through the ordinary events of our life. Fr. Buersmeyer
Ice Cream Social next week Please
join us for a cone or ice cream sundae at our annual parish Ice Cream Social on
Sunday, July 24, from 12:30-2:00
p.m. |
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Summer Taize
Reminder!! Our next Taize prayer followed by conversation and
refreshments will be on July 26 at 6:30
p.m. Weather permitting, we will meet outside. Hope to see you there. The Lord is good and
forgiving In His patience, the Lord allows both weeds and wheat to grow together, both saints and sinners, to respond to salvation in the Kingdom. The Lord does not leave us alone on this journey to the Kingdom. He is with us. He wishes to share our destiny to the very point of identifying with us. We pray that the Holy Spirit will transform us that we might be the flesh and blood presence of Christ forgiving others as we ourselves are forgiven. |
Golf committee needs you…
First as a player—registration forms are in the literature racks and in
this bulletin. Please don’t make us wait… register
now so that we can better plan this annual event. Golf outing is August 28 at Bruce Hills Golf Course at 1:00 p.m. Secondly—we
need prizes for our raffle. If you have any
you could donate, please bring it to the parish
office. Thank you! God is merciful…
The great mystery of this Sunday’s readings is that God is powerful
enough to be merciful; “Your mastery over all things makes you lenient to
all.” (Wisdom 12:16)
God knows what is in our heart. God understands.
God forgives. God allows
sinners and saints to live together and grow together right up to harvest time.
It is too hard for us to separate the weeds from the wheat without hurting the
wheat.
No one is perfect. Everyone
makes mistakes. That’s why it is God’s job to separate the weeds from the
wheat. It’s not our job. Let’s allow God to do it. But it is our job to
become wheat and not a weed.
If a survey were taken of the people who know you best, would most of
them cast you as a weed or a wheat? Why
do you think so? What would be said
about you? Hand bell donations
We still need more donors for handbells to
complete the full fourth octave. You may memorialize a loved one or donate a
bell anytime over the course of the year for the cost of $250, payable in
installments. The handbell choir would be ever grateful for enriching the music
program! Please see the bulletin board in the hallway for a donation form. Thank
you.
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CHRISTIAN FAITH FORMATION |
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2004-2005 Religious Formation Program Early Childhood — Sunday (ages
3-4-5 years) During
9:30 a.m. Mass Grades 1-6 Monday:
4:45-6:00 p.m. Tuesday:
4:45-6:00 p.m. &
6:30-7:45 p.m. Grades 7-8 Sunday: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saints and Sinners Mt.
13:24-43
The issue of
sinners in the Church was a big one for the early Church.
The question was how to approach this.
Some were for weeding sinners out, but others turned to the example of
Jesus for guidance.
They had his practice to guide them.
Not only did he not exclude sinners, he welcomed them.
He declared that he had come, not to call the just, but sinners to
repentance. They had his teaching to guide them.
The parable about the field in which wheat and weeds grow together until
the harvest was a response to this very question.
We are very complex beings. We
can’t be divided into the good and the bad, as though we were two completely
separate classes of people. There is
no line which would neatly separate the good from the bad.
Any such line would go right through each of our hearts, for there is
good and evil in every heart.
All of us are a mixture of good and bad.
People we call ‘good’ may have terrible things in them—vices,
jealousies, pride, and sins of all sorts. And
the people we call ‘bad’ may have in them sorrow, repentance, pity, and
sacrifice.
As far as we are concerned, the best thing we can do is take a good look
into our own field. If we find some
weeds there, as no doubt we will, there is no law against trying to get rid of
them ourselves. We will discover
what a very painful process this is.
As far as others are concerned, we should try to act towards them as
Jesus acted. He had no trace of
weeds in him, but he could be so understanding towards those who failed to
measure up. He didn’t weed out
Judas and he didn’t weed out Peter. He
saw the weeds in Peter’s life, but he saw the wheat too.
He knew that with encouragement the wheat would prevail.
And it did.
The Church can do no better than this.
It has to be big enough and loving enough to hold sinners in the fold.
If it didn’t do this, it would not be the Church of Christ.
It would be like a hospital accepting only people who are well, or a
repair shop accepting only things that are whole.
The Church is a learning center for sinners.
The Church is a temple with a hundred gates and people entering from
every angle. Through every door, and
from all kinds of paths, we enter the house of God.
It is for those who feel good and most especially for those who know they
are not. While we can clearly see the difference between good and evil, we must try to be as understanding and tolerant as God is. Judgment time is not yet. The Kingdom of God is still growing. Now is the time for conversion. People can change. We can change. |
STILL LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS Catechists
& Assistants for: Early Childhood-Sun.
Morning (1) for
3 & 4 yr. olds (1)
for 4 & 5 yr. olds Grades 1-6 Tuesday
Evening: (1) Gr.
3 (1)
Gr. 4 (1)
Gr. 6 Monday
Afternoon: (1) Gr.
5 (2)
Gr. 6 Do you feel a slight tug at the heart? Maybe ‘Someone’ is trying to tell you something! You don’t need to have experience...just a love for our kids and the desire to share your faith with them. You will receive all the support you need. All catechists and assistants are in teams of two. For more information call Linda Bauer at 586-781-9488. A harvest prayer... On the day of the harvest the straw is set aside, the chaff is blown away by
the wind, and the weeds are consigned to the flames.
But the wheat, like sacks of gold, is gathered into the barn.
Lord, on the day of death, the harvest of my life will be poured out
before you, wheat and chaff and weed together.
Let your wise hand sift through it; then
keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of your kindness, blow the rest
away. |
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Teen News Mark your calendar for July 20th for the next teen gathering. All teens in grade 9-12 are welcome to attend a scavenger hunt/bon fire on July 20th beginning here at the church at 7:00 p.m. After the scavenger hunt we will car pool to Jordyn McIntyre’s for a bon fire, hot dogs, chips, and smores. If you are interested in attending this teen gathering, please stop by the office for a permission slip. This will be a wonderful way for our teens to catch up on the happenings of the summer. If you should have any questions please contact Mrs. Peters at 781-9488. Baptism preparation
Baptism preparation will take place
every other month, no longer every month. This means that you must
notify the office sooner so as not to miss the preparation session.
A schedule of meeting dates will be available if you call the
parish office.
Prior to the preparation session, you must call the office to set
a time to register your child for the Sacrament.
The registration takes only 15-20 minutes and can be done Monday through Thursday, morning or afternoon. 25 years ago in
July… ...Fr.
John West, “son” of SS. John & Paul celebrated mass at SSJP ...An
Ice Cream Social/Bake Sale was held at the parish house (which used to be
on Campground Road—now the site of the Orchards Golf Course) ...SSJP
co-sponsored Vacation Bible School with Washington and Davis United
Methodist and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches. National Marriage
Encounter
Is it time for you and your spouse to be
alone together, away from the distractions and tensions of everyday life?
Consider a Marriage
Encounter weekend. Marriage
Encounter is open to
couples of all faiths. The next weekend will be held August 5-7. For
details, visit www.nationalmarriageencounter.org or call 888-799-LOVE. Covenant Love
The Covenant Love Marriage Preparation Weekend, sponsored
by the Archdiocesan Office for Family and Life offers engaged couples an
overnight, weekend experience as a special preparation, not just for their
wedding, but for their lifelong marriage in Christ. The next weekend
scheduled is July 30-31. For a brochure with full info, call Janet Gruley
at 734-414-1104 or email: gruley.janet@aod.org. Bethany Bethany
is a Catholic organization providing peer support to divorced and
separated people of all Christian faiths. For details, visit
www.bethanyofsoutheastermichigan.org or call Carol at 248-390-7771 or
Michelle at 313-996-8644 to locate a chapter near you. Project Rachel
One of every four women in the United States has had an abortion.
Many of these women find living with its memory difficult. Oftentimes,
they feel separated from God, their families and even themselves.
Donations to the Catholic Services Appeal allow the Archdiocese of
Detroit to help women, men, families and others who have been touched by
an abortion experience. Project Rachel, a confidential healing ministry,
provides help, support and compassion of Christ through the Church to help
people deal with the feelings of loss, guilt, anxiety, depression and
loneliness that are common following an abortion.
For more information on Project Rachel, please call 888 RACHEL5 or
email projectrachel@aod.org. Senior
cards Vacation
Bible School crew meeting Confirmation
candidate interviews Ice
Cream Social Taize
prayer/Conversation/Refreshments Blood
Pressure Check Vacation
Bible School set-up |
Motorcycle charity show
On Sunday, July 31st
at Stony Creek Metropark (Baypoint Beach), the newest fundraising event
for Samaritan House will take place.
This will be a wonderful family day for all.
The day includes:
9:00 AM
Display for show bikes
until NOON Registration
and display for motorcycle corral
11:00
AM Opening Ceremonies
Voting begins for people’s choice
Registration for children’s future
biker fashion contest
Registration for motorcycle games
NOON
Motorcycle demonstrations
1:00
PM Children’s future biker fashion show and contest
Judging of motorcycles —
Antiques/Classic/Custom/Stock/Rat
Slow Race, Barrel Push
There will representation by the Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter 154, Christian Motorcyclists Association, United Methodist
Motorcycle Enthusiasts and the Macomb County Sheriff’s Motorcycle
Division. Admission is $5.00 for adults and
children are free (this does not include $4.00 park admission).
Crank’s Catering will provide the food.
All proceeds to benefit Samaritan House.
For additional information, contact Dan Frechette at (248)
576-1182. Please come out and join us as we
enjoy this fun-filled day! Widowed Friends
Losing a spouse is one of the most life
altering experiences that life has to offer.
Going out into a safe, comfortable, friendly environment is
instrumental with healing and new growth as we enter our new life.
Coordinated with “Widowed Friends”,
the SS. John and Paul community would like to create a group within our
area to help support and address the spiritual, educational and social
needs of all widowed. For
interest, comments or questions please call Sue at (248) 651-3411. In the next few weeks there will be a casual, informative meeting about “Widowed Friends” and how our parish can become involved in the Archdiocese-wide ministry. Sunday brunch for
widowed
Widowed men and women of all ages are
welcome to join Widowed Friends, a
peer support group in the Archdiocese of Detroit, for brunch,
conversation, and support on Sunday, August 7. Meet at noon at the
Brookshire Room of the new Royal Park Hotel, 600 University Drive, just
east of Rochester Road in Rochester. $20 is the approximate cost for
lunch. Shopping in downtown Rochester is optional. RSVP to Ginnie
586-752-7826 by August 1. If only children came with guarantees… As
Christian parents, we hope to teach our children to lead productive
lives in God’s friendship. The reality is we can’t anticipate all
the chances they will have to veer from the course we set. Our best
defense is to fill their spiritual toolbox with enough skills to help
them cope no matter what. Teach them to pray.
In prayer, God counsels us, teaches us, comforts us, and helps us
persevere. Strong prayer habits will help carry children through even
the darkest of times. Pray beside your children often. As they grow,
invite them to pray with you. Teach them to love.
Our homes are where children first learn about love. We must act
out of love, teach love, and model love so that children will learn how
to love themselves and others. Teach them to care.
Every child can do something helpful for the family, and each
should do as much as he/she can. Contributing to the family is the first
step in contributing to the larger family of God. No child is too young
to start. Teach them to trust.
Let your children witness your trust in God. Love God with all
your heart and let God be your guide. If you do that sincerely, God will
bless even your flawed efforts. A Family Perspective by Bud Ozar The Gospel today tells us that the Kingdom of God is like yeast that changes dough into bread which sustains human life. Our families are meant to be yeast that transforms society, enabling the world to sustain all human life. Release the Kingdom of God hidden within your family. |
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Together
In Ministry Parish
Picnic Committee
What a blast this year’s parish picnic was celebrating 25 years
of parish life for SS. John and Paul!
It took lots and lots of busy hands and feet to provide the fun,
food and fellowship that was had by all who attended.
Over 500 people enjoyed one another’s company with the help of
great music, singing, and warm, dry weather.
But...it doesn’t stop here.
We are already gearing up to form a committee for next year’s
event. It doesn’t need to
be quite as elaborate as this year’s (due to our celebration of our
25th anniversary), but that doesn’t mean it won’t be as much fun.
But then again that depends on you!
Yes, I said you. Up
to now, our parish ushers have graciously planned and provided all the
hands needed to pull off this special day.
But it is time that we share the load and thus…we are forming a
new committee called the “Parish Picnic Committee.”
This committee will be a subcommittee of our parish Hospitality
Committee. We will begin to
outline what this means as part of next week’s “Together in
Ministry” article. |
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| Eucharistic Prayer Requests Saturday and Sunday July 16-17, 2005 Marie Gugilmetti by J. Martino Rod Blonde by Family Katherine Richardson by S. Schima Dolores Radzitowski by Family Dan & Martha Brown by Brinker Family Monday, July 18, 2005 Fr. John West by Peters Family Tuesday, July
19, 2005 Catherine Karl by Family Wednesday, July 20, 2005 Robert Leadley by Puzzuoli Family Saturday and Sunday July 23-24, 2005 Nick Pelino by R. Ginste Family Isaac Giffin by Gaffke Family Leslie Geno by D. Bernia Stanley Materka by Klakulak Family |
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