We rejoice that Our Holy Father’s medical team successfully removed the cancer in the Holy Father’s lung freeing him from the prospect of further treatment. It must help when more than a billion people pray for the same thing. I hope we do that more often.

THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION will be conferred on the 9^th grade students from all parishes in the Jackson Deanery this Sunday October 25^th at 2pm by Bishop Earl Boyea.  Pray for the 37 young people from Queens who will be with the group of 79 receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit as they complete their Christian initiation. 

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. 
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

For those who called asking for a certification card for Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministry, your ID card will be available for pick up after Mass this weekend in the server sacristy. You are asked to present this when seeking Holy Communion for a loved one, especially during Mass, and in particular when you visit other parishes where the priest may not know you.

I stopped by my mother’s grave and then went to see my dad on my way back from the Convocation in Frankenmuth a couple days ago. My dad and I were discussing his upcoming concert here. Be our welcome guest at 2pm on Sunday November 1st (this was announced in some places as beginning at 3pm but 2pm is the correct time). No tickets or reservations are required. We will take up a free will offering to support the music ministry here at Queens.

My father will be playing movie soundtracks from famous films and taking your requests. Afterwards, during a reception hosted by the Guild in Vincentian Hall, there will be a book signing of his 4th book, Oscar Snubs. Copies of the book will be available for purchase, or you can use the Amazon link below.

Dad’s two great passions are music and movies, and he loves to research and write about music and film. In this book, he looks at the movies that he feels should have won Oscars but didn’t.

Laurence MacDonald’s other published works include The Invisible Art of Film Music (1998), 100 Greatest Film Scores (2018) and Best Picture: A Critical Look at the Academy Award Winning Films 1927 – 2022 (2024).

ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS:  All Saints Day (November 1) is a Holy Day of Obligation.  This year the date falls on a Sunday so you won’t be making an extra trip to Mass.  The day after that, November 2^nd, is the Commemoration of All the Souls of the Faithful Departed, better known as All Souls Day.  Where All Saints Day celebrates the victory of our loved ones who have made it home to heaven, All Souls Day is a chance for us to pray the more recently deceased home to heaven, that their time in Purgatory will be brief. 

Each year Queens hosts a Mass of Remembrance to pray for the repose of the souls buried from our parish over the last year.  Those families who held funerals here should have received a letter of invitation.  All are invited to this year’s Mass of Remembrance on Monday November 2^nd at 6pm in the Church (note – this was announced previously as starting at 7pm but it begins at 6).  We will call the names of the recently deceased, family members will be invited forward to light a candle for them.  Once those names are read, anyone mourning the loss of a loved one or friend will also be invited to come light a candle for them.  A reception hosted by the Guild will follow in Vincentian Hall.  The next Holy Day of Obligation is Tuesday December 8^th, the Immaculate Conception.  After that, besides Christmas, is January 1, Mary the Mother of God on New Year’s Day.  Both Christmas and New Year’s fall on Friday, meaning we will have Mass on Sunday.  It should be interesting! 

So far the feedback I have been receiving about the Queens Parish Page on Hallow has all been positive. The church has made a major financial commitment and investment in Hallow to make this content available to you. I hope you are taking advantage of it. If you didn’t, regret it, want in, but don’t know how, let us know and we will help you to claim your free parishioner subscription.

At all the Masses on Sunday November 8^th, we will hear from Hallow speaker Rick Grinstead, National Associate Director of Alpha Youth Catholic and Hallow event speaker, who has served in parish ministry for 30 years. His work centers on forming leaders and building diocesan and parish partnerships that help people encounter Christ through prayer and stay rooted in the Church. He speaks regularly to parish leaders, youth ministers, and DREs around the country. Rick and his wife Stephanie have been married 25 years, have eight children and live right here in Michigan. 

Rick will be available to help you with any Hallow App questions or issues you have after Mass.  At 12:15pm, Rick will give a brief talk called ‘What happens when you pray?’ to inspire even more people to connect with God and with each other with the use of the Hallow App.  Please plan on sticking around and joining us.  There will be coffee and donuts that weekend.  You can run down to the hall for a quick pick me up and then join us for Rick’s presentation. It will be in Vincentian Hall directly after coffee & donuts, starting approximately 12:30pm. In the bulletin this weekend, I said Mr. Grinstead would speak in the Church but there will be baptisms going on in there so we are making this change.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching” (Heb 13:8-9).

Fr. Tim MacDonald

Pastor