You can 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 thru March 24th.  Thank you to those who have already donated!    

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.      

“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:  2/23, 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. 

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.  Almost 100 men showed up for week 1 last Saturday, which shows this is long overdue!

You don’t have to be a Knight to participate.  COR meets 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.  You do not have to be a Knight to attend.  COR is free and no pre-registration is required.      

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.  

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:     

Ms. Merrill makes the soup and the buttered rolls.  I am presenting on Themes of the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival.  This past Wednesday I spoke about the Eucharist according to the Catechism.  This coming Wednesday we will look at the seeds of the Eucharist in the Old Testament.

The Simple Suppers are Wednesday evenings after the 6pm Mass in the Queens School Social Center/Cafeteria  and they run through March 20^th: 

2/28 Cheeseburger Soup

The Eucharist in the Old Testament

3/6 Lasagna Soup

The Eucharist in the New Testament

3/13 Gnocchi Soup

Eucharistic Miracles

3/20 Beach Bar Tomato Soup

Saints and the Eucharist

Starting this weekend, 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.  The Diocese seeks to raise $5,750,000.  Queens goal is $220,214.  Last year, Queens blessed the Diocese with $270,925 in pledges.  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.  

You will be helping to support the televised Outreach Mass, the care of our senior priests and training of future pastors, the many programs of Catholic Charities, the marriage Tribunal and so much more.  

In this season of almsgiving, don’t forget the Diocesan Services Appeal when planning your charitable giving.  

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.

At the Simple Supper I asked how many had bothered to review our results from the Disciple Maker Index and the vast majority had not.  These things are only worth doing if we learn from them.  Please click on the link below to find out what we’re doing well and where we find vast room for improvement.

I’ve also attached a new link with a  report about the overview of the DMI from a diocesan perspective.  

“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