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We’ve all been anxiously awaiting those beautiful first signs of spring — the glimpse of the crocus breaking through the ground; the robins’ early morning chirping and nest-building; and the additional minutes of daylight brightening our morning and evening walks. The earth in all its splendor will soon be renewed and treats us to an array of colors and sounds to soothe our senses.

“CAN I HAVE MY PIE NOW?” The plea came from my best friend. We had embarked on a decluttering project in her house and to keep us motivated we had established a reward system: finish all our assigned chores and we indulge in the scrumptious Marie Callender Razzleberry pie.

When sharing our faith, my friend always wants to argue about how wrong it is that Catholics worship Mary. How can I respond to him?

Every morning Toni Newell laces up her running shoes and hits the pavement — and chances are if you want to keep up with her daily schedule, you’ll need a good pair of running shoes, too.The self-described obsessive runner is the newly appointed Executive Director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo. The agency’s programs offer a wide array of social services that enrich the lives of people at every age and every stage. Oftentimes, though, people seem surprised by the depth and breadth of the services offered and the number of people Catholic Charities serves. Toni hopes a newly refocused vision and strategy and a stronger connection to the parishes will turn this hidden gem into a shining beacon of light.

As my beloved, Tony, and I drove to a Valentine’s retreat for couples this year, we had little to share with each other during the long trip. We had risen very early in the morning, and it was still dark outside. Our communication centered primarily on praying the rosary, all four sets of mysteries (joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious).

On March 8, 2023 the Diocese of Kalamazoo entered a historic moment in the life of the Church. Bishop Bradley officially opened the first-ever diocesan synod on Priestly Life and Lay Ministry with the opening Mass celebrated at St. Augustine Cathedral. Synod delegates, which include all priests in active ministry as well as delegates representing the diaconate community, religious life and lay leaders from all five deaneries attended.

In the summer of 2011, thanks to the support of Bishop Paul Bradley, parish pastors, the Hispanic ministry office, mentors and the Catholic Extension organization, a three-year program designed for the Hispanic community of the diocese was launched with great acceptance.

In the fall of last year as COVID restrictions eased and people began to resume some of their normal prepandemic activities, Deacon John and Martha Lohrstorfer looked around and noted an alarming trend at their beloved parish, St. Basil Parish, South Haven — empty pews. Parishioners still seemed reluctant to come back to Mass. Instead of accepting this trend as inevitable, the two set out to launch an initiative to inspire not just St. Basil’s parishioners to come back but all of the church-going South Haven community.

The Advent Season calls us to continue “waiting in joyful hope” for all that God intends to do for us, and the Christmas Season urges us to be filled with Joy as we celebrate Jesus’ Birth, God with us forever. Even in the face of the tremendous disappointment that many of us experienced in the recent mid-term elections when the prolife agenda seemed to be overtaken by a more radical pro-abortion mentality, we must heed St. Paul’s advice: “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, and persevere in prayer.” (Rom.12:12) As we approach the joyous celebration of Christmas, when Jesus came into the world as we all did, we need to keep in mind that throughout his earthly ministry Jesus said, “Do not be afraid!” Jesus has won the ultimate battle over sin and death. Jesus has defeated the binding power of the Evil One. Jesus has promised us that He has “built His Church upon Rock, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18) That is the reason why we can rejoice in hope. As followers of Christ, we know the end of the story — God’s ways will ultimately prevail, and so we endure in these current afflictions. Jesus has shown us the power of prayer in His own life, and He has urged us to pray always; therefore, even now, we must persevere in prayer.

It was a covert operation. Outfitted in our black hats and hoodies, my then-eight-year-old son and I took off on our mission: to deliver a Christmas tree to our friend Sharon. She had decided to forgo having a Christmas tree that year since she’d be away visiting out-of-state family. When Jay overheard us talking and she mentioned she didn’t have a tree, he was horrified, indignant even, in the starry-eyed, Christmas-waiting way that eight-year-olds can be. “But Sharon must have a tree! It’s just not right!”

A time as exciting as the holiday season growing nearer every year (it seems), and yet there is a certain melancholy in the air because we will be celebrating with one less member in the family this time.” These words were shared by a dear family friend who had recently lost his spouse of more than 50 years. What do you say to someone who loses a spouse, a child, a friend, a family member, just before the holidays? How can we find consolation as many still grieve a recent loss and find participating in the merriment of the holidays challenging? For answers we can first look to our faith.

‘My mom paid to have a Mass said for my dad on his birthday — what does that even mean?’

Liz Ryan is one of those people who lights up a room with her ever-present smile and endless positivity. So much so that her exuberance makes some people suspicious. “What is it that you do that makes you happy all the time,” is a question Liz says she gets asked a lot. Her response? “It’s God. Not a big secret — knowing his joy is my joy.”

The Catholic faith has been an important aspect of the life of southwest Michigan for a long time — from Chief Pokagon walking to Detroit to beg for the spiritual needs of the region and requesting a priest to be stationed here, to Msgr. O’Brien establishing Borgess Hospital and bringing the Sisters of St. Joseph to the region. Every day and age has had its own challenges and needs. The Church consistently desires to meet those needs. Today is no different.

Just eight years ago, Deacon Don Bouchard, D.O., and his late wife, Theresa, created Holy Family Healthcare as a mobile unit. Their mission was to serve the migrant and local communities with Catholic-based family healthcare, treating the whole person. Now, thanks to the generosity of donors and a matching grant from Catholic Extension, the organization is operating from its new 4,000-square-foot offices in downtown Hartford, increasing its capacity to serve surrounding communities.

Hundreds of households in our nine-county diocesan area face difficult decisions between having heat and paying for other necessities like food or medicine each winter. From its inception in the early 1980s until now, the Home Heating Assistance Program has given more than $2.2 million and aided more than 13,000 families in our diocese to make that decision a little easier.

When we hear the word “renewal,” the first thoughts we have may be of mundane tasks like renewing our license plates or our library cards. Or we may think about renewal as in going on a vacation and taking a break from our everyday tasks, chores and work. However, when we speak of spiritual renewal, it’s a more complex, deeper process, one where we strengthen our relationship and undergo a conversion of heart. Many beautiful renewal occasions happen within our faith lives. We renew our baptismal promises at Easter Mass. Our 50th anniversary couples renew their sacred wedding vows and their sacramental commitment to each other at our annual diocesan Mass. As priests, we renew our priestly promises at the annual Chrism Mass and at Ordination Masses.

Dear Father: I have major surgery coming up and my friend suggested I get anointed by our pastor. I thought that that sacrament was used only when one is about to pass away?