For those who missed it at Mass last weekend, here is the VBS 2024 slideshow.  A great week was had by all.  Thank you to all who contributed photos and to Neil Hardcastle who put this together with some of our favorite VBS songs.  

More than 60,000 people were in Indianapolis July 17-21 for the National Eucharistic Congress.  This was a celebration of Jesus’ Real Presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, a teaching that many struggle with. 

Here at Queens, the Eucharistic Revival began way back in 1993 when the Divine Mercy Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel first began.  Since then, and for the last 31 years, that chapel has been open 24/7, making it the spiritual foundation and backbone of everything good that happens in this parish.

Some of the original adorers are still in there each week.  We are in near constant need of new adorers to join their ranks and make a weekly commitment to spend one hour in prayer with our Eucharistic Lord.  Could that person be you? 

CURRENT OPEN HOURS THAT NEED FILLING:

Wednesday 12am

(Tuesday into Wednesday)

Saturday 8pm

For those who missed the coverage of the Eucharistic Congress, it looks like it was a truly inspiring event.  Let’s take a look:

“It’s time for faithful Catholics to stop trying to live for God. Instead we should start living from him. The body and blood of the Lord is the source of our life, our energy, and our joy. So let’s eat and drink here and every day to our heart’s content and then let’s rush out into a starving world and tell everybody we meet, ‘Starving people, listen! We found where the food is!’” — Monsignor James Shea

As August will soon be upon us, the days are shortening and soon a new school year will begin.  Queens Faith Formation Program is a Pre-K – 8th grade program of religious instruction for families with children in public school.  Classes meet Labor Day to Memorial Day with school breaks figured in, 10:15 – 11:30am on Sunday mornings in Queens School.  Help us plan ahead by getting your kids signed up now. There is a modest fee, and financial aid is granted on a case-by-case basis.  Use the link here:

Jackson Area Director of Youth Discipleship Jake Gerber invites ALL area youth to attend the Sunday evening 5pm Youth Mass at the St. Joseph Oratory Youth Group HQ.  Families and all Catholics are welcome.  We are looking for youth to step up to help with music, serving, lectoring, etc.  

Teens are also welcome and encouraged to attend Youth Group meetings every Sunday, also at St. Joe, the new HQ for Jackson Catholic youth ministry.  This is a mixture of faith, fun and fellowship.

The Youth Room is in the lower level of the former parish office just south of the church (see diagram below).  Youth Group is split into two sessions:  grades 6-8 meet in the youth room from 3:15 – 4:45.  High school meets from 6 – 7:30pm. 

There is a brand new 85 inch smart TV in there with a Nintendo Switch, plenty of snacks, ping pong, games and fun for all!  Come check it out!

Getting this new program off the ground is an expensive undertaking for the three city parishes sharing the expense of salary, site and budget.  Our new director of youth discipleship, Jake Gerber, is coming up with a wish list of items that will help the youth Mass and the youth group to be more successful.  If you are willing to help with these added costs, please use our online giving link.  The first thing we’re looking into are new server robes for the altar servers for the St Joe Youth Mass.

Use the link below to make a gift.  This takes you to the online giving page of our website.  There are so many worthy causes to support and some are hard to find.  Scroll down until you see ‘Youth Ministry Donation.’  Thank you for your support!  Our kids deserve it.  

The Knights of Columbus invite you to be their guest on Friday evening August 2nd for the 24th Annual Family Night to Celebrate Vocations.  Join Bishop Boyea who throws out the first pitch, and priests, religious and lay faithful from all across the Diocese as the Lansing Lugnuts take on the Dragons of Dayton.  The gates open at 5pm. The game begins at 7 and fireworks follow!

Queens altar servers and their families attend for free courtesy of the Knights of Council 609.  Tickets are $14 and can be purchased from the Knights or at the parish office during the week.  

This fund really needs to grow in order to meet its full potential.  The demand is so great.  If you haven’t given in support of this important effort to spread the Light of God’s Word to those in Michigan prisons, please make your gift today using the link below.

I will be leaving this Thursday morning for some time away with my priest friends from my seminary days of long ago.  Bishop Boyea tells pastors to cancel daily Mass when they will be away, especially where there are other options close by. Therefore, Queens will have no daily Mass from Friday August 2 thru Friday August 9th.  

Fr Bob Pienta will preside over the weekend Masses August 3-4.  He is also willing to cover any funerals that may come up while I am away.  

“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