News - February 2019 RSS Feed

As a young bride, Amy Huntington Cupp always knew she wanted a strong faith practice to be at the center of her family. Little did she know then that twenty years after her own conversion to Catholicism not only would she witness her mom, Mary, joining the Church but she’d also be her sponsor. And while their faith journeys had them arriving at the same destination, their journey getting there was markedly different.

How does a former Lutheran music major and IT professional find his way to the Catholic Church and the priesthood? For Father Craig Lusk, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Marshall, and St. John the Evangelist Parish, Albion, the seeds of his faith journey were planted during his childhood, years ago in his quaint South Redford, Mich. (suburban Detroit) neighborhood.

It was standing room only as the St. Clare Parish community gathered with Bishop Bradley and honored guests for the dedication Mass of the new church building. Despite the blustery winter day, the joy-filled occasion was the culmination of more than two decades of the community’s perseverance and dedication to realize its vision for a new and expanded church home.

Muchas veces pensamos que ser misionero implica viajar a un país diferente, pero ¿qué pasaría si fuéramos misioneros en nuestro propio país o, mejor aún, en nuestra propia diócesis? Durante los meses de verano en nuestra diócesis tenemos trabajadores agrícolas migrantes que vienen a trabajar para cosechar los cultivos. Llegan a los condados de Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph y Van Buren: Los nueve condados que forman la Diócesis de Kalamazoo. Hay aproximadamente 300 campos. ¿En qué consiste el ministerio con migrantes? En brindar juegos, lecturas, estudios bíblicos y más para adultos, niños y jóvenes, o la oportunidad de simplemente estar presentes escuchando a la gente. Las visitas se realizan una vez a la semana durante el fin de junio y durante todo el mes de julio y/o agosto, y duran aproximadamente una hora.

Many times you think that being a missionary involves traveling to a different country, but what if you were a missionary in your own country or, better yet, in your own diocese? During the summer months in our diocese, we have migrant farmworkers who come to harvest the crops. They come to Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties, the nine counties that form the Diocese of Kalamazoo. There are approximately 300 camps. And what does migrant ministry entail? Games, readings, Bible studies and more are provided for adults, children and youth, or the opportunity to just simply be present, listening to the people. The visits are done once a week during the end of June, and for the entire month of July and/or August, and last about an hour.

When you pull into the parking lot of The Ark Shelter, your first impression of the facility is probably anything but homey. Its orange brick exterior and looming façade seem more like a typical 1980s office suite than a safe haven for youth in crisis. 

Cursillo is more than the weekend retreat it appears to be. “The Cursillo weekend is the doorway into the movement,” said Rev. Daniel Hyman, pastor, St. Thomas More Student Parish, Kalamazoo, and the English Cursillo spiritual advisor, who made his Cursillo in 2013. “The weekend is just the beginning of what is to come.”

As we know, this holy season of Lent is a time when we focus, in a devoted way, on the three pillars of the penitential season: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Certainly these are practices we should be observing all of the time; however, Lent gives us a short window of 40 days to concentrate more intensely on these three areas to remind ourselves of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

“Please forgive me…” are three little words that can be very hard to pronounce on a regular basis, especially in marriage.

While it may seem contradictory to write about spring in the midst of battling the frigid Michigan winter, the season of Lent is our own “Spiritual Springtime.” The word “Lent” is derived from an Old English word (lencten) that means “spring.” Just as the natural world begins its own renewal, likewise Lent is a time when we are called to a season of spiritual renewal — for a conversion of heart. One way we are accustomed to observing this penitential season in an intentional way is through the three spiritual pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving/works of mercy.

A FEW YEARS BACK my young family was settled in our pew in our packed church ready to kick-off another Holy Week. This particular Palm Sunday was like many others I’d participated in with its large crowd and fidgety children with palms in hand. When it came time for the Gospel reading the presiding priest, deacons and lectors took on their respective roles and we in the pews were the designated “crowd” — the ones ultimately condemning Our Lord to his death on the cross.