CURRENT OPEN HOURS THAT NEED FILLING:

Monday 1am

Friday 4pm

Saturday 8pm

Some of our original adorers have been keeping a weekly hour in the chapel since it began.  Now, due to health and advanced age they are no longer able to keep that commitment.  It is time to recruit a new generation of adorers who will take their place.  Is it you?  

This is an important announcement regarding Sunday morning Faith Formation.  Between home schoolers who won’t enroll their children and too many public school families who are not being accountable for the religious instruction of their school age children, the enrollment in this program is incredibly low, especially when compared to how many hundreds of children we see on our records who we know are not in parochial school. 

We are making every effort to get in touch with families who should be using this program.  At this point, I would ask the grandparents who know they have grands not in Catholic school to please give your adult children the swift kick in the pants that they need to get this taken care of, to bring the kids to Mass and to class.  Doing nothing is not an option. 

I know Sunday Sports is an obstacle, I also know that the new Mass schedule prevents parents from leaving the kids at class while they attend Mass without them.  That shouldn’t have been happening anyway.  Let’s work together to make sure no child in this parish is ignorant of the teachings of Jesus and the church he founded to get us to heaven.   

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

The education of children in the faith is the primary duty of parents.  Parents work.  They need help.  That is where parochial schools and faith formation enter the picture.  Catholic children need parents who take them to Mass, pray with them daily, and enroll them in a formal program of religious instruction.  Doing these things allows parents to live up to the promise they make when having children baptized – to raise them in the Catholic faith.  When recreation or sports take precedence over Mass and religious instruction, it is highly doubtful the child will find their way to Jesus on their own.  Doing nothing is not an option. 

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.  The first day is in two weeks, Sunday September 8th.  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:

Parents of incoming 8^th graders preparing for Confirmation in 2025 – there is a meeting for parents and their students THIS Sunday August 25^th at 10am in Vincentian Hall. This is for students who attend Lumen Christi, public school and home school.  It will be brief so you can attend the 9am or 11am Mass.  Once again, this is for new 8^th graders preparing for confirmation next year, NOT for the class nearing Confirmation this October. 

For more info contact Jake Gerber, Director of Youth Discipleship and Confirmation for the Jackson Grouping:

youth@queenschurch.com

We are blessed with many who give of their time and talent to provide music for Masses here at Queens.  We accept people of all skill levels and even those with no prior experience.  If you can’t sing you could try the bell choir, all of whom started from scratch.

We have a new funeral choir taking shape.  This would be especially good for retirees who are available on weekday mornings.  

Contact Carol Hatch in the music office to make inquiries or sign up:

chatch@queenschurch.com

There is the 5pm Youth Mass and the junior high and high school youth groups meeting at St Joseph Youth HQ on Waterloo this Sunday evening.  This is a fun week with many games to be played and won!

With next weekend being Labor Day, there will be the 5pm Mass but there will be NO youth meetings before or after since it is presumed the youth will be with their families for the holiday weekend.

Many things are out of sight, out of mind.  I fear that the youth group not being at Queens is giving it low visibility.  The numbers could be better for both the 6-8th grade group that meets at 3:15 on Sundays and for the high school group that meets after the 5pm youth Mass.  

Parents please talk to your youth that fall into these age groups about getting involved in youth group.  Compared to the other ways they might spend their time, this is one that is a no-brainer in terms of making them more social, more faithful, and more open to God’s work in their lives.  

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.  

This money is being put to good use as we have recently been able to purchase 200 new student Bibles for inmates along with prayer books and a 4 season DVD set of The Chosen.  

Please keep the donations coming as the need is great and the demand is constant.  

“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