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 FATHER’S DAY 2022: This weekend we honor our fathers, grandfathers and Godfathers, living and deceased with prayers and power tools, thanking them for the many sacrifices they make for their families. Our faith gives us two great examples of fatherhood: God the Father of All and St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the patron of all fathers. I am sure we all have our stories to share about the father figures in our life and how they helped make us who we are. If your father figure is alive, make contact. If he has gone to God, pray for him:  Heavenly Father, you give us a model of fatherhood in St. Joseph, who protected and loved Mary and Jesus. He responded quickly and faithfully to your promptings. We give you thanks for our fathers and for the protection and love they give to us. Grant them the same courage and perseverance you gave to St. Joseph when he faced adversity and uncertainty. Like him, may they live with humility and faithfulness, and be a source of joy and a pillar of strength for their families. God our Father, you made the family a community of love. Bless our fathers as they follow your Son, Jesus. Let their faith, hope, and love shine in our families, and show us the way to you. Strengthen our fathers as they serve our families and communities. May their example reflect your protective care for all of us. We also pray for fathers who have died, that you may bring them into the fullness of your love. May we, the sons and daughters of these men, always honor them with gratitude and hold them in prayer. Loving God, we thank you for the gift of family, and especially the gift of our fathers. We ask you to bless all fathers as they strive to serve you and to love, support, and care for their families. Be with our fathers as they work to be true examples of discipleship to our families. Please help all fathers looking for employment. Encourage and comfort fathers in all family difficulties, especially those who have known the sorrow of the loss of a child. May our families always remember the love and sacrifice of our fathers, and may we walk with them in love and gratitude. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. (source: www.faith.nd.edu – Notre Dame Alumni Assoc’n)  We must also use this occasion of Father’s Day to pray for fathers in the home and those who are not. According to a 2019 Pew Research Center Study, America continues to lead the world in the numbers of children growing up in single parent households. This affects 1 in 4 children in America (18 million kids) and the vast majority of single parent homes are parented by the mother. Fathers looking to re-engage their family can find free resources available to them: www.fatherhood.org gives statistics and resources to help turn them around. You can also visit www.fathersforgood.org sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.  CORPUS CHRISTI: 2019 must have been a depressing year at the Pew Research Center. Not only did they discover that 23% of our children are growing up without both their parents to look after them, it was in August of that same year – before Covid mind you – when they released the study showing that only three in ten churchgoing Catholics in America believe what the Church teaches about the Eucharist, namely that bread and wine become the real body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus in Holy Communion. It is this downturn in faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist that makes the annual celebration of Corpus Christi so necessary. We need this feast to remind all of us about who, not what, we receive when we approach the altar at Mass.  All are invited and encouraged to join us for the Jackson Regional Annual Corpus Christi Procession with special guest the Bishop of Lansing Most Reverend Earl Boyea. This will take place at the St. Joseph Oratory at 705 N. Waterloo at 3pm this Sunday afternoon. This is not a Mass and does not take the place of the obligation. This is a Eucharistic holy hour with an outdoor procession. How does a sinner become a saint? They believe the Eucharist is the antidote for sin:  “When the bee has gathered the dew of heaven and the earth’s sweetest nectar from the flowers, it turns it into honey, then hastens to its hive. In the same way, the priest, having taken from the altar the Son of God (who is as the dew from heaven, and true son of Mary, flower of our humanity), gives him to you as delicious food.” – St. Francis de Sales “All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man.” – St. John Vianney “If Christ did not want to dismiss the Jews without food in the desert for fear that they would collapse on the way, it was to teach us that it is dangerous to try to get to heaven without the Bread of Heaven.” – St. Jerome  “The Blessed Sacrament is indeed the stimulus for us all, for me as it should be for you, to forsake all worldly ambitions. Without the constant presence of our Divine Master upon the altar in my poor chapels, I never could have persevered casting my lot with the lepers of Molokai; the foreseen consequence of which begins now to appear on my skin, and is felt throughout the body. Holy Communion being the daily bread of a priest, I feel myself happy, well pleased, and resigned in the rather exceptional circumstances in which it has pleased Divine Providence to put me.” – Blessed Fr. Damien, Apostle of the Lepers“Live on the divine Eucharist, like the Hebrews did on the Manna. Your soul can be entirely dedicated to the divine Eucharist and very holy in the midst of your work and contacts with the world.” – Saint Peter Julian Eymard The Catholic faith is our anchor on the stormy seas of life, and the Eucharist is the firm bedrock of faith that keeps that anchor still and those clinging to it safe until God calls all of us to the safe harbors of Heaven. If you have never once in your life participated in something like a Eucharistic Procession, I challenge you to come to St. Joseph Oratory at 3:00pm this Sunday afternoon and join with our Bishop in expressing publicly our Eucharistic faith.  VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL is coming to Queens July 11- 15. This is open to children entering 3 or 4 year old preschool through 6th grade. There is a separate program for 3-4 year olds who are potty-trained and have had pre-school experience. VBS Meets 9am – noon Monday to Friday July 11-15 with a final program at 12:15pm on Friday afternoon July 15th followed by a lunch of hot dogs and chips. There is an early registration discount through Monday July 4th: $15 per child, $30 for two, $45 three or more. July 5 or after/at the door: $20 per child ($60 max/family). We also need lots of volunteers of all ages to help make VBS a great success. Contact Betsy Koval 517-783-2748 or bkoval@queenschurch.com. Financial Assistance Available ~ T-shirt included You can register using the form in the bulletin and on our website or click on this link: https://www.osvhub.com/queen-of-the-miraculous-medal/forms/vbs-2022 We are looking for donations of several items to make Vacation Bible School happen. You will find display boards in the Carlton lobby and the elevator entrance at Mass this weekend. Take a tag and bring back the item specified. Thank you in advance for your kindness. Happy Father’s Day Fr. Tim MacDonald Pastor |