This e-mail contains the complete listing of all Lenten events and activities.  Please look at it carefully and read all the way to the end where there is some important information about the parish.  

February 11th is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of Prayer for the Sick.  To observe this occasion, there will be a Mass for the Anointing of the Sick at 8am tomorrow, Saturday February 10th.  Anyone seeking healing and health in their lives is welcome to seek this sacrament.  Please sit every other pew from front to back, as I will pass through the pews during the Mass with the holy oils.  If you’re coming to Mass but not seeking the anointing, just wave me off.  

Sadly, the Lions will not be in Las Vegas competing in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium this Sunday evening.  We’ll get ‘em next year!  In the meantime, you can still participate in the Annual SOUP-er Bowl of Caring this weekend.   Bring cans of soup with you to Mass and leave them in the entryways.  These will fill the pantries that feed the hungry in and around Jackson this winter and spring.  Next weekend, February 17 – 18, bring your returnable cans and bottles from your Super Bowl party.  The Boy Scouts will collect them to raise funds for their activities. 

What a rare milestone?!  Eileen’s family was planning to have her at the 10:30 Mass this Sunday and receive a special blessing and then invite everyone to join them in Vincentian Hall for a reception.  Sadly, Eileen is now ill and will not be attending, but her family is still coming to celebrate her.  I will bless her through the lens of the livestream camera and they will patch Eileen in electronically via Zoom to the party in her honor, so feel free to join us and wish Eileen a Happy 100th!  Join us at the 10:30am Mass and for the reception afterward as we hail Eileen’s centenary.    

On Ash Wednesday, February 14th, Queens will have Masses with ashes at 6:45am, a school Mass at 9am and the final Mass is at 5:30pm.  There will be NO 5pm holy hour on Ash Wednesday.  At 12:15pm there will be a brief service, not a Mass, with ashes only in the church.  Everyone abstains from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent.  Those of a certain age must also fast, which means reducing our intake of food.  Fasting and abstinence are not synonymous words to describe the same thing.  They are different. 

Here are the rules for fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday:

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics.  In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.  For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59.  When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards (source: www.usccb.org)

There is no medical excuse for people not being able to abstain from meat.  Those who must take food with medicine should do so.  Those who become ill or faint when fasting should be mindful of their condition when planning the menu for days of fasting. 

Give alms in Lent 2024 and make a big impact on our community by taking part in the Ladies Guild Blessings for Better Beginnings program.  Your donations will help people through Birthline, the Lyle Torrant Center, The AWARE Shelter, St. Vincent de Paul and the Center for Women.  

See the ad in this week’s bulletin detailing how you can donate new clothing and hygiene items to benefit babies, children and adults all across our community.  Donations of cash and check are also welcome.  There will be bins at the church doors starting February 17th thru March 24th, all the Sundays of Lent.  

The Stations of the Cross will be prayed in the Church on Fridays at 2:15pm with the school children and at 7pm for families.  Note, the school is off Friday February 16 and Friday March 22.  There will be no 2:15pm Stations on those days.    

“We adore you O Christ and we praise you because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”  

Join us for the Friday Fish Fries in the Queens School Gym each Friday of Lent:  2/16, 2/23, 3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/22.  The Knights offer dine-in, drive thru and takeout options.  Please note: the fish dinners begin at 4:30pm and end at 7:00pm, not 4:30 to 7:30 as indicated on page 3 in this week’s bulletin.  

Cor is the Latin word for heart.  The Knights of Columbus Councils across Jackson are sponsoring a new program called COR:  Prayer, Formation & Fraternity for Men.  You don’t have to be a Knight to participate.  COR will begin Saturday, February 17 and meet weekly on Saturdays from 7-8 AM (doors open at 6:30 AM) at St Mary Star Hall (church basement). This is for all men – young, old, single, married, Catholic or not. 

Catholic fathers need to be followers before they can be leaders.  COR aims to help Catholic men of all ages to become more faithful and confident in their knowledge of scripture and church teaching to help them reclaim their role as the spiritual head of the household.  COR is free and open to any man.  No pre-registration is required.  This is not just a Lenten program.  Hopefully it will be the start of a new and longstanding effort to reclaim and rekindle the faith of Catholic men all across the area.    

I also hope many men from Jackson will register for the Diocesan Men’s Conference – Accept the Challenge, Saturday March 16th at the George Gervin GameAbove Event Center at Eastern Michigan University.  The cost is $45 per person.  There is a full schedule from 9am – 5pm and the event ends with a Mass celebrated by the Bishop that counts for Sunday.  Learn more and register using the link below:     

There are many adults in the Catholic Church who somewhere along the way missed receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Confirmation completes our Baptism and our initiation into the Catholic faith.  Therefore, those who have not been Confirmed are missing an important sacrament that places an invisible, eternal mark on the soul.  We are hosting an adult confirmation class for six weeks on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 8:00pm in Seton Hall at the parish office.  The class is free and open to people from other parishes.  It starts this Tuesday March 13th!  Participants must have received Catholic Baptism and celebrated their first Holy Communion in the Catholic faith.  Contact Faith Formation Director Betsy Koval, 517.783.2748 or bkoval@queenschurch.com for inquiry or to get signed up.  

Ms. Merrill will make the soup and the buttered rolls.  I will be presenting on Themes of the ongoing national Eucharistic Revival.  The Simple Suppers will be Wednesday evenings after the 6pm Mass in the Queens School Social Center/Cafeteria.  They begin February 21^st and run through March 20^th: 

2/21 Chicken & Noodles

2/28 Cheeseburger Soup

3/6 Lasagna Soup

3/13 Gnocchi Soup

3/20 Beach Bar Tomato Soup

On the Second Sunday of Lent, February 24-25, you will be invited to make a pledge or one-time gift to support the 2024 Diocesan Services Appeal that helps to fund 100 programs and ministries.  This year’s Theme is from the Old Testament Book of Sirach:  “The offering of the just enriches the altar.”  The Diocese seeks to raise $5,750,000 across the 71 parishes of the Diocese.  Queens goal is $220,214.  Last year, Queens blessed the Diocese with $270,925 in pledges,  the second highest total raised in the Diocese.  It’s always important to meet the goal, but it’s even more important to bring more people onto the team that gets us there.  I will be looking for all the donors to DSA 2023 to come back and I hope that those who can’t remember the last time you made a DSA pledge to please join us this year.  

Saturday March 9, 10am – St. Mary Star of the Sea

Tuesday March 12, 7pm – St. Rita, Clarklake

Thursday March 14, 7pm – Our Lady of Fatima – Michigan Center

Monday March 18, 6:30pm – St. Catherine Laboure – Concord

Tuesday March 19, 7pm – Queen of the Miraculous Medal

Thursday March 21, 7pm – St. John the Evangelist

Dr. Mary Healy from the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit will give two talks at Queens in the Church beginning at 2pm on Sunday March 17^th. This is free and open to the public with a free will offering and a reception to follow.  Mary Healy is the author of several books and a highly sought after speaker.  Talk 1: For Such a Time as This: Christian Witness in a Post-Christian World.  Talk 2: Lost and Found: what the Gospel of Luke reveals about the heart of the Father.  Dr. Healy will have her books for sale and there will be a book signing during the reception.

A year ago Queens participated in the Disciple Maker Index Survey in partnership with the Diocese and the Catholic Leadership Institute.  This was our second DMI.  Queens had 850 responses in 2020, just before Covid.  In 2023, 1010 surveys were completed at Queens, representing 85% of those attending Mass here during that year.  Queens had the second highest number of responses in the Diocese.  By clicking the link below, you can see a summary of our results and comparisons with the diocese and churches all across the country on key issues.

While we fall in the national average on most key issues, it is quite apparent that many of our parishioners do not feel confident in Church teaching or in sharing their faith with someone else – what church leaders call ‘the missionary impulse.’  The DMI shows us what we’re doing well, and where we need some work.  Click the link below to be taken to the DMI Summary on the Queens website.  Thanks to, Elaine Crosby, Director of Parishioner Engagement, for running the 2023 DMI and for preparing the summary.  

In 2020, the Diocese announced the Realigning Resources for Mission Process to help all parishes and Catholics across the Diocese go on mission together, answering and fulfilling the call of our Baptism.  That led to the division of the diocese into 10 deaneries and 22 parish groupings.  What was RRM is now called Made for Mission.  Queens and all the parishes of the dioceses participated in three months of strategic planning with the Catholic Leadership Institute to develop priorities and goals for the future.

The Queens Leadership Team includes myself, Director of RCIA and Faith Formation Betsy Koval, parish accountant Kelli Rohloff, director of parish engagement Elaine Crosby and recent convert, parishioner David Barker who works at JTV.  Together, we have identified the three goals we will be focusing on at Queens in the near future: 

ADULT FAITH FORMATION – To help the families of Queens to know their faith, live their faith, love it and share it with others, trying to learn from the Disciple Maker Index where we are most in need of growth.  

PARISHONER ENGAGEMENT – A parish census to find out who we are and what our people need, a new pictorial directory to help us get more acquainted, and continuing to improve the means by which we welcome new parishioners and integrate them into active parish life.  

YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY – The pastors of the Jackson Grouping are actively seeking a director of Youth Discipleship who will revive the currently defunct youth ministry in Jackson.  A new young adult group is already taking shape here.

The leadership team will communicate with you regularly to update you on the progress we are making toward meeting these goals and bringing new life to our great parish.

“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