News - August 2020 RSS Feed

Durante los primeros días de la orden “Quédese en casa, manténgase seguro” comencé una rutina diaria de dar un paseo por la tarde por mi vecindario. En un soleado día de primavera volví de mi caminata para encontrar una maravillosa sorpresa: un vecino amable, muy probablemente un niño, había escrito con tizas de colores en mi entrada, “Te amamos”. Este gesto de amabilidad iluminó mi día. Y es un gran ejemplo de cómo nuestras palabras, nuestra consideración hacen la diferencia.

During the early days of the “Stay Home, Stay Safe Order,” I began a daily routine of taking a late afternoon stroll around my neighborhood. On one sunny spring day, I returned from my walk to find a wonderful surprise — some thoughtful neighbor — most likely a child — had written in colorful chalk on my driveway, “We Love You.” This gesture of kindness brightened my day. And is a great example of how our words, our thoughtfulness make a difference.

Q: Dear Father: How do we receive the body and blood of Jesus if we can only receive the host? A: If someone had told me a year ago what it would be like today, I would have never believed them. None of us would have. We couldn’t have imagined that schools, stores, bars and restaurants would be closed. Who would have thought we’d be “social distancing,” unable to visit family and friends, or experiencing “contactless” shopping or deliveries? And if those things weren’t enough, we would soon face the necessity of suspending public Mass; only being able to celebrate Mass on TV or via social media. It makes me wonder what things will be like three months ... or six months ... or a year from now.

This year 2020 has been proclaimed as the Year of the Eucharist in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. What perfect timing for us all, and especially as married couples, to build a Eucharistic marriage. But what does that mean?

I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE. It’s one that’s been met with utter shock and disbelief, especially by many of my friends as well as my favorite boss. I never really liked the fan favorite, Broadway musical legend Les Miserables until just this past winter when a stunning performance captured my heart and changed my mind.

Have you ever wanted to study the Bible and to understand better the sacred texts from a Catholic perspective? Then the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan may be for you.

My dear friends, as we all are painfully aware, we’re living in a very tumultuous, anxious, and greatly divided time in our country. Tensions are high, anger is great, peaceful protests against racism and social injustice are widespread, and sadly, some of those protests have turned violent, and destructive, including here in our own community. I’m reminded of St. Paul’s words to the Corinthians, and us, to “mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11).

Estos meses han sido un gran reto para todos pero al mismo tiempo una oportunidad para aprender y emprender nuevas vías que antes ni siquiera hubiéramos imaginado comenzar. Su Oficina del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Kalamazoo, también ha hecho todo lo posible para seguir apoyando a las parroquias y a la comunidad en general durante este tiempo de pandemia.

These months have been a great challenge for everyone but at the same time an opportunity to learn and embark on new ways that before we would have never even imagined starting. The Office of Hispanic Ministry at the Diocese of Kalamazoo has also done everything possible to continue supporting parishes and the community in general during this time of pandemic.

As we journey through times of uncertainty, disrupted schedules, new guidelines and health concerns it is natural to feel extra stress and anxiety trying to navigate the new normal. Trauma Recovery Associates has created a new program in response to the current pandemic, in response to our new, troubling normal, to help people recover from the stress and anxiety of the pandemic, RENEW.