News - August 2022 RSS Feed

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?

“It's so awesome — can we tell people about this?!" That was Heather Hicks’ question after learning about the online faith formation courses offered through the diocese’s Institute of Missionary Discipleship (IMD). The newly appointed Director of Religious Education for St. Cyril Parish, Nashville, was embarking on completing her catechist certification and was enthralled with the online courses, which are offered through a partnership with Franciscan University of Steubenville.

The daily life of a priest may surprise you. If you’re Father José Haro, activities can range from celebrating Mass to unclogging a toilet to even contending with a wild turkey. In this diocesan “Year of Priestly Spiritual Renewal and Prayer for Vocations,” I caught up with Father José, the pastor of St. Mary Parish, Kalamazoo, and Director of Vocations for the Diocese to get a better glimpse into a day in the life of a priest.

This year’s two distinguished honorees of the Bishop Paul V. Donovan Founder’s Society Award for Outstanding service are Msgr. Michael Hazard, Vicar General and hospital chaplain, and Margaret Mary (Peggy) Gallagher, retired religious education director of St. Joseph Parish, St. Joseph. Honorees are chosen who exemplify tireless service in the name of Jesus and who reflect a love for God through service to the Catholic Church and the members of the Body of Christ. The 2022 recipients were honored during the Feast of St. Augustine Mass on Aug. 28, 2022, at St. Augustine Cathedral, Kalamazoo.