News - Your Stories RSS Feed

It’s a rare block of uninterrupted time on Don Bouchard’s calendar when we sit down together at Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo’s offices. The busy physician not only guides the agency as its Executive Director, but he also runs his six-year-old practice, Holy Family Healthcare, and serves in his diaconate ministry for St. Augustine Cathedral Parish, Kalamazoo. It’s a demanding schedule that keeps him busy with stops all around Southwest Michigan, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Each Easter Vigil thousands of people across the world enter into full communion with the Church through the sacraments of initiation. Southwest Michigan Catholic interviewed Jessica Woods, a 27-year-old Ferris State University pharmacy student and parishioner of St. Mary Parish, Marshall, who was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church last year.

Kathy finds healing at Rachel’s Vineyard retreats Kathy Dey had been on a hero’s journey through death and shame, until a spirit led her to a life of love and greater joy than she ever imagined. As with the best adventures, this one revolves around an unlikely hero.

Living the Mission of the Eucharist - For a group of neighborhood children, living the mission of the Eucharist meant turning an otherwise ordinary summer day into a way to help other children.

Living the mission of the Eucharist - Last month, Bishop Paul J. Bradley began the first of 26 pastoral visits to the 26 Parish Collaboratives in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. The first stop on the “Loving God and Your Neighbor” pastoral tour was on Feb. 28 when Bishop Bradley visited St. Mark Parish, Niles. The day began with a series of meetings with Parish and Finance council members as well as the clergy serving St. Mark’s. The day also included the celebration of the Vigil Mass followed by a parish dinner featuring a talk by Bishop Bradley. The pastoral visit concluded with Benediction.

Living the Mission of the Eucharist - Volunteering is nothing new for Kathy Keagle. The St. Ambrose Parish, Parchment Parishioner has been generous with her time since her days as a Girl Scout leader and volunteer at her parish while raising her three children. Recently the retired medical technologist was invited by a close friend who was a volunteer for Ascension Borgess to give volunteering at the hospital a try.

 La Diócesis de Kalamazoo les da la bienvenida a las Hermanas Delia Aurora Ibarra, Paubla Jaritza Garcia, y Daysis Evangelista Uriarte de la Congregación de las Hermanas Siervas del Divino Rostro. Ellas son una comunidad joven, fundada en Nicaragua por la Madre Teresita Ortez para servir en la Iglesia a los más pobres, a los niños abandonados.

The Diocese of Kalamazoo welcomes Sister Delia Aurora Ibarra, Sister Paubla Jaritza Garcia and Sister Daysis Evangelista Uriarte of the Congregation of the Siervas del Divino Rostro (Servants of the Divine Face). They are a young community, founded in Nicaragua by Mother Teresita Ortez to serve the poor and abandoned children in the Church.

​​​​​​​On any given day, you may encounter Angelica Valdes dropping her 10-year-old daughter Alexa off at school; or volunteering at the migrant camps; or participating in a Bible study with her fellow “Women of the Word” parishioners at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Portage; or helping to run the diocesan San Agustin Institute for Hispanic Lay Ministry Formation Program.

En cualquier día, encontrará a Angélica Valdés dejando a su hija de 10 años, Alexa, en la escuela; o como voluntaria en los campos migrantes; o participando en el estudio Bíblico con sus compañeras del grupo de “Mujeres de la Palabra” en la parroquia de St. Catherine of Siena; o ayudando a coordinar el programa diocesano, Instituto San Agustín Programa de Formación Pastoral y Liderazgo.

When the calendar announces that December has arrived, we immediately feel that it is the season for celebrations, feasts, and, especially, meditation on who are the real protagonists of this season: Baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the Magi and the simple shepherds of Bethlehem.

Cuando el calendario nos anuncia que llegó Diciembre inmediatamente sentimos que es un tiempo que nos lleva a pensar en celebraciones, fiestas, tradiciones y especialmente nos lleva a meditar en los verdaderos protagonistas de este tiempo, el Niño Jesús, La Virgen María, San José, Los Reyes Magos y los sencillos pastores de Belén.

For years, Jay Landry described his approach to life as “being on a treadmill to make my life worthy of God’s love. It was, and remains, an illusion that only took life from me.” His participation in the diocesan Trauma Recovery Program helped him realize that “God loves us first. I don’t have to prove my worth to God whose love empowers us to be good.” Jay attributes that lifelong feeling of unworthiness to a childhood trauma he experienced when he was just two years old.

Sitting across from bespectacled Josh Ingraham, it’s hard to imagine that he was once “quite a handful,” as he calls it. The earnest young man, a junior this year at St. Philip Catholic Central, seems more interested in discussing his latest adventure camping trip than in causing trouble. But it was his troublemaking, he says, that got him kicked out of two public schools before second grade — a series of events that led his mom, Renee, to enroll him at St. Joseph Elementary School in Battle Creek.

This October, the legendary coach Lou Holtz will come to Kalamazoo for an evening of inspiration and words of wisdom. Southwest Michigan Catholic spoke with Holtz who shared an interesting tie to Kalamazoo and insight into how his Catholic faith has been at the center of his life.

It might have been helping out at the Tootsie Roll Drive or delivering baskets to the homebound. Whatever the reason, it was Brother Fred Cabras’ love of service, cultivated from the time he was a young boy tagging along with his parents, that eventually drew him to consider joining the Capuchins.

Hispanic Ministry exists today thanks to the efforts, love and dedication of many people who were pioneers in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. The Hispanic Ministry forms part of the Secretariat for Parish Life & Lay Leadership. M. Veronica Rodriguez, Associate Director, Sister Maryud\ Cortes-Restrepo, Associate Director, Dr. Angelica Valdes, Coordinator of St. Augustine Institute, and Maria Trumm, Support Specialist, make up the Hispanic Ministry team.

Before anyone calls them “Father,” priests are brothers, cousins, friends, sometimes even uncles or godfathers. But always, their first title is: son.

Have you ever found yourself longing for the community and support of life in a religious order but know life as a priest, sister or brother is not what you are called to?

Each year, Caring Network, a program of Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo (CCDOK), provides services for more than 350 pregnant and parenting women and families with needs ranging from parenting classes to clothing, diapers and baby equipment.