I apologize for the typos in the last message that went out a few minutes ago.  It was sent prematurely, before it was done being edited.  I think I have caught everything this time!  Sorry!!         – Fr. Tim

Last Sunday, 42 Queens second graders made their First Communion.  It was a wonderful day for their families and our parish family!  For those who would like to take a look, parishioner Coley Kennedy took some amazing photos during the Mass.  You can see them all in the link below:

Thanks for the beautiful pictures Coley and congratulations to our second graders!  

This weekend we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus and the 40th Day of Easter.  The Season concludes next weekend May 18-19th with the Descent of the Holy Spirit with a mighty wind and tongues of fire at Pentecost, the solemnity hailed as the Birthday of the Church.  For centuries, Catholic Christians have prayed the Novena to the Holy Spirit.  The world and the Church so desperately need a new and fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to renew our faith and the troubled world we find ourselves stranded in.  Use the link above to begin praying the Nine Day Novena Prayer invoking the Holy Spirit of God in advance of Pentecost.  

The Faith Formation End of Year Party is a recent addition to our annual spring calendar and it is becoming a great event to close out the school year.  ALL the children of the parish and their families are invited to attend.  Last year, I got quite tangled up in the inflatable obstacle course.  Come and see if I can find my way out of that rubbery maze this year!  Or just stop by for a fruity flavored snow cone when the Kona Ice Truck pulls up.  Everything is free!

Volunteers are needed to help serve the lunch and make the event run smoothly.  We have different duties and times that might suit your ability and availability.  Please visit the Sign Up Genius Link here to find out more and take a shift.  Help is badly needed at this point as the sign ups for helpers thus far has been slow going.  

The next big event for the children of the parish will be SCUBA – Queens Summer Vacation Bible School, July 8 – 12.  Be watching for more details in the coming weeks.  Sign ups are starting soon.  Volunteers are needed in a variety of capacities, including students who need service hours.  Contact ‘Bible School Betsy’ to get involved:

bkoval@queenschurch.com

The Easter Season winds down with a 4-week series of important feast days:

May 12  The Ascension of the Lord

May 19  Pentecost

May 25  The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity

June 2  Corpus Christi – the Sacred Body and Blood of Jesus

Corpus Christi features outdoor Eucharistic processions, a tradition stretching back over 750 years since the first celebration instituted by Pope Urban IV in 1264.

This year, Corpus Christi has special significance as there are four separate nationwide Eucharistic processions that will soon be making their way from the north, south, east and west heading toward the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, July 17-21.    Most of us won’t be able to participate in that.  Bishop Boyea has instead asked each Deanery in the Diocese to work together for a more robust celebration of Corpus Christi this year, to publicly manifest our shared Eucharistic faith, and to throw our support behind the upcoming Eucharistic Congress.

That is why the parishes of the Jackson Deanery are joining forces with the Jackson Catholic Schools to have a Eucharistic Procession on a scale never before seen in this area. 

The 2024 Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession will take place at 3:00pm on Sunday June 2nd at Lumen Christi Catholic School on Spring Arbor Road.

There will be an outdoor procession with the Most Blessed Sacrament, stopping to pray at four handsomely decorated outdoor altars with hymns of praise, children ringing bells and dropping fresh flower petals in the path Jesus will travel with us that day.  

By having this event at Lumen Christi, we are hoping to engage people from all our parish and school communities, especially young families who have never attended before.  It is the pastors’ express hope that this year’s First Communicants will be in attendance dressed once more in their beautiful suits and dresses.  

After benediction, everyone is invited inside the school for a farewell reception for Lumen Christi Chaplain Fr. Brian Lenz who will be leaving in June to become the pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Church and School in Flushing. 

Please join us at Lumen Christi on Sunday June 2nd during the Great Hour of Mercy, 3 o’clock, and experience the wonders and mysteries this special event has to offer.  

Parishioner Pat Kiessling brought in the above photo when she heard we would have a youth group again.  These are Queens kids she and others took on a retreat down to Notre Dame back in 1980.  Look at how many there were?!  It inspires me to think that we might again enjoy such successes as we reboot and relaunch high school youth ministry. 

This will be our first effort in the Jackson Grouping to work together with St. John and St. Mary.  The new Director of Youth Discipleship, Jake Gerber, has already begun work.  His office is at Queens though he has responsibility for serving youth of all the city parishes.  ALL teens will be welcome and encouraged to participate in these youth events.  This includes those at Lumen Christi AND all local public school districts, private schools and homeschoolers.

I joined the youth group in my parish in Flint right after I was Confirmed and stuck with it all throughout high school.  It helped not only to keep me in the faith but it made my faith grow and I built some great friendships along the way. 

Parents of high schoolers, please encourage your kids to get involved in the youth group.  This is a difficult time in the life of a teen, and the positive peer environment offered by faith-filled, like-minded friends can only be a plus.  

The first event will be a picnic and cookout on the beach at Vandercook Lake on the afternoon of Saturday June 22nd.  See the ad below.  The Knights will be grilling. There will be games, music, fun and making new friends.  It is all free and it will be fun!  Youth can use the QR code to get signed up to attend.      

The success of this event and the new and improved youth ministry program in the Jackson Grouping that combines the three city parishes will depend on volunteers stepping forward to assist Jake Gerber in making more events like this happen.

If you are a young adult or parent of high school aged youth who realize that this often overlooked age group in the Church needs our help, time and attention, please consider signing up to be a volunteer in the Jackson Catholic Youth Ministry Program.  Volunteers need to complete a brief online safe environment workshop and have a background check.  This can all be facilitated through our parish office at no expense to you.  Please consider becoming part of this new ministry and making a difference in the life of a young person, many of whom are at risk of losing their faith during their high school years and especially once they go off to college.

If you are willing to undergo the simple steps mentioned above and volunteer with the Youth Ministry Team, please contact Jake Gerber at the Queens parish office, 517.783.2748 or write him at:

youth@queenschurch.com.

“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

Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church

606 S. Wisner St.  Jackson, Michigan 49203

(517) 783-2748  www.queenschurch.com