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  CONFIRMATION: Congratulations to the 34 young people from Queens who will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit this weekend from Bishop Earl Boyea at Our Lady of Fatima in Michigan Center. Pray for them. The youth of today face many challenges as they grow and go out into a world where God is not at the center where He should be. We pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will inspire these youth to stay close to their faith during their high school and college years, in hopes they will one day raise faith-filled families of their own.  HURRICANE HELP: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, prompted by the recent hurricanes, is offering an opportunity to donate to the Bishop’s Emergency Disaster Fund. Funds collected in this special appeal this weekend will be used to support efforts of the USCCB for pastoral and reconstruction needs for the Church and Catholic Charities USA/Catholic Relief Services, the official relief agencies of the US Catholic Church. These funds will provide for immediate help on the ground in Florida – necessities such as water, food, shelter, and medical care and aid in long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts. This is an ongoing Fund set up several years ago to help support the Church and the humanitarian needs arising from current and future disasters. To help us respond as a unified Church, please give as you are able. Here is a story from the Diocese of Venice in Florida that covers the area hardest hit by the winds, rain and storm surge of Hurricane Ian detailing how some Catholic nuns rode out the storm as the waters rose around them: https://dioceseofvenice.org/total-devastation-parish-church-and-monastery-on-fort-myers-beach-a-shambles/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=total-devastation-parish-church-and-monastery-on-fort-myers-beach-a-shambles For those who already use our Queens Online Giving Program, you can make a gift for Hurricane Relief here: https://www.osvhub.com/queen-of-the-miraculous-medal/giving/funds Otherwise, place cash or check in an envelope marked ‘Hurricane Relief.’ Checks should be made payable to ‘Queens.’ Gifts can be placed in the offertory basket at Mass marked for this special appeal. We will not have a second collection.  ALL SAINTS DAY: Tuesday November 1st is a Holy Day of Obligation – All Saints Day. There is NO Monday Vigil Mass because of Halloween. On the holy day, Queens will have Mass at 6:45am, an All School Mass at 9:00am and 5:30pm. In next week’s bulletin, we will share the holy day schedule for other area parishes so you can pick the option that best fits your schedule. I remind everyone that holy days of obligation carry the same weight as the obligation to attend Sunday Mass. All of us should be enthusiastic in our celebration of this feast day, as one day we hope it will be our feast day as well, celebrating all the saints of heaven who once walked the earth.  REMEMBRANCE OF THE DEAD: Each year, we welcome the families of those buried from Queens over the last year to come to a special Mass to honor our faithful departed. Queens hosted 53 funerals over the past year and we will gather those families to mourn with them and pray with them for the repose of the soul of those they love. Join us for the All Souls Day Mass of Remembrance Wednesday November 2nd at 6pm. We are mailing out invites to those who have lost a loved one buried from here. Every family will light a candle when the name of their loved one is called out. An opportunity to light candles will also be given to all those who are mourning a loved one, regardless of where their funeral was. Others may choose to record the names of their deceased relatives and friends in the Book of Remembrance. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.  THE 39TH ANNUAL MEN’S CLUB TRUCK RAFFLE is coming up on Saturday November 5th in the Queens School Gym to benefit Queens School. The first prize is $10,000 and every tenth number pulled wins a prize. Truck Raffle tickets are on sale now at the parish and school office and from any member of the Queens Men’s Club. Dinner tickets are $150 per couple. Cash, check, credit or debit card accepted.  Queens parishioners and Lumen Christi Alumnus Madigan Gannon will be at the elevator entrance this Sunday after the Masses to collect donations for a Mission Trip with 25 students from Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. They are going to Guadalajara, Mexico to build a house for a very poor man and they will be going door-to-door to evangelize. This is an expensive venture but one that is also worthwhile. Please help if you are able. For more information or to see how you can help, write madigan.gannon@christendom.edu. PROPOSAL 3 – READ IT FOR YOURSELF: On the ballot, you see a 95-word summary of the proposed constitutional amendment. The actual amendment is 323 words, put together clumsily in a way that is confusing and has lots of loopholes. On the actual ballot, this proposal is listed as “22-3.” Click on this attachment to read the full text of the amendment, including a commentary about what each section means. Share this with others: https://mcusercontent.com/2f1b094cff6af8c06dee3de81/files/4735cbcf-9460-c3bd-06b1-472d7aa2900a/Proposal_3_Explanation.pdf Click on the link below for more information and talking points that will help you explain to others why Proposal 3 is Pure Evil for Pure Michigan: https://www.micatholic.org/advocacy/focus/2022/protect-life-vote-no-on-proposal-3/ Proposal 3 at a Glance (from www.micatholic.org)Proposal 3 would allow:Abortion at any time in pregnancy for any reason.Children to undergo abortion or sterilizing transgender procedures without their parents’ consent.Elimination of the state’s partial-birth abortion ban and late-term abortion ban.Anyone to perform an abortion—even those without a medical licenseAbortion providers to be shielded from consequences for injuring or killing women.Elimination of all current health and safety regulations on abortion clinics.LAWS AFFECTED BY THE ANYTHING GOES ABORTION AMENDMENTBecause Proposal 3 seeks to create a constitutional “right” to “reproductive freedom,” this amendment could have negative implications for dozens of state laws protecting life and regulating abortion.Below are examples of laws that could be revoked or limited if Proposal 3 were to pass:Increased penalties for later term abortions when babies are fully formed.Law requiring babies born alive during an abortion be protected and cared for.Conscience rights of hospitals and doctors who decline to take unborn human life.Ban on taxpayer-funded Medicaid dollars to pay for abortions.Ban on school employees from helping a child obtain an abortion.Informed consent provisions for an abortion, such as a 24-hour waiting period, information on fetal development and abortion procedures, and ultrasound viewing.Respectful disposal of fetal remains.“Let’s not pretend that this constitutional amendment is simply about creating a so-called right to an abortion. It goes much, much farther than that.”John Bursch Former Michigan Solicitor General All of this explains why the bishops of our seven Michigan Catholic dioceses have dubbed this proposed law ‘The Anything Goes Amendment.’ Proposal 3 is Pure Evil for Pure Michigan and the Catholic Church is the only group big enough and organized enough to stop it, IF we can actually convince all Catholics that they should vote and to vote pro-life.  TAKING IT TO THE STREETS: ProtectLifeMI invites adults to come to St. John School for training for Proposal 3 Door Knockers. This will take place every Saturday until election day. The hope it to knock on thousands of doors in and around Jackson. The diocese’s internal polling shows that these personal encounters are changing minds and hearts. We need more ambassadors for life to take to the streets and get the word out. Volunteers are sent out two-by-two, just like the disciples. This is the Schedule for Saturdays October 15, 22, 29 and November 5: 8:30 Breakfast and Training 9:30 Morning Door Knocking 12:30 Lunch and Training 1:30 Afternoon Door Knocking 4:30 – 5pm Prizes and Dismissal Show up or sign up: Haili Gusa – haili@protectlifemi.org.  QUEENS ROSARY RALLY – NOON SATURDAY OCTOBER 15TH: Sponsored by America Needs Fatima and led by Queens Parishioner Katie Kreger, you are welcome to come to the Queens Memorial Garden for a Rosary Rally at noon tomorrow, Saturday October 15th. This fits well with the Fight Like Heaven 54 Day Rosary Novena and the battle to defeat Proposal 3. We pray for our country and for a return to the rule of law and adherence to the tenets of Absolute Truth and Natural Law, where what is right and wrong is determined by God and the Bible rather than one’s own feelings and world view which can often and easily be distorted. Learn more at www.anf.org.  ‘NO ON 3’ RALLY ON THE CAPITOL STEPS: While 1,000 women will be at the Catholic Women’s Conference tomorrow, Saturday October 15th at the Lansing Center, a hopefully larger crowd will gather up the road on the steps of the Capitol Building from noon – 3pm for a Prayer Rally to Defeat Proposal 3. This event is endorsed by the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Diocese of Lansing. Street parking is free in downtown Lansing on weekends.  QUEENS TO HOST DIOCESAN TOWN HALL: Are you or someone you love on the fence about Proposal 3 or even think you might vote yes? Are you concerned that women will not be able to get the vital life-saving care that they’ll need in cases of ectopic pregnancies or miscarriage? Do you have questions and would like to hear from doctors, lawyers, or just someone who aligns better with your political convictions, people that aren’t on the Right? Please attend and bring friends and relatives to The Diocesan Town Hall Meeting scheduled in Queens Church on Tuesday October 18th at 7:00pm and get clarity on what Proposal 3 will mean for the State of Michigan. EQUIPPING LIFE WEBINAR VIDEO: On September 29th, Queens was a host site for The Equipping Life Webinar, featuring leaders from the church, medical and legal communities discussing the ramifications of Proposal 3. You can watch a rerun of the program here: https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/lay-equipping-webinar Citizens to Support MI Women and Children is the coalition formed by Right to Life and The Michigan Catholic Conference to fight back, but they are being outspent. Please consider making a donation to bolster their ability to buy tv ads which are most expensive leading up to an election: www.supportmiwomenandchildren.org/donate/  Archbishop Allen Vigneron writes: “To vote in favor of this proposal would be to actively participate in the promotion and expansion of the intrinsic moral evil of abortion.” This is not a political issue. This is existential. It is about humanity. If we don’t stand for something, we are likely to fall for anything and this proposed amendment is bad for our state. It is hard to be ‘Pure Michigan’ if we become a mecca for abortion tourism if we pass the most permissive abortion laws on the planet. We are not just fighting against something, we are fighting for something – something far more important than any of us may realize. Unless or until the right to life is guaranteed for all people, then every other right remains under threat. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Jesus, protect and save the unborn Fr. Tim MacDonald Pastor |