Within hours of posting about this yesterday the tickets were all pre-sold for the Friday September 12 showing.  The company doesn’t know until the week of the screening whether more tickets will become available.  That won’t do, so I booked a second screening:  Saturday September 13th at 7pm.  The same rule applies, 80 tickets must be pre-sold to book it, and apparently only 80 tickets will be made available, so let’s try this again using the link below . . .

Tomorrow is Friday August 22, the Feast of the Queenship of the Virgin Mary.  The following is a request from our American Pope for the world’s Catholics on Our Lady’s feast day tomorrow.  This message comes from www.dioceseoflansing.org:

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV is appealing to all Catholics to unite in prayer and fasting on Friday, 22 August, Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for a “disarmed and disarming peace” in all places presently torn by armed conflict.

“Mary is the Mother of believers here on earth, and is also invoked as Queen of Peace, while our earth continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in many other regions of the world,” said the Holy Father to pilgrims during his General Audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall, Rome, August 20.

“I invite all the faithful to devote the day of 22 August to fasting and prayer, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to dry the tears of those who suffer as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts. Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path to peace.”

During June of this year, Bishop Earl Boyea urged all the faithful in the Diocese of Lansing to offer prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving upon each Friday of the month for peace in the Holy Land. Bishop Boyea’s initiative was publicly commended by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

A PRAYER FOR PEACE PRAYED BY POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain.

Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace.

Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness.

Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam!

Amen.

In the past, the Annual Senior Appreciation Mass and Luncheon was sponsored by the Council on Aging, a part of Catholic Charities.  As the leaders of that group age out and pass on, it has shut down.  Thanks to the Queens Legends, the Mass and lunch will continue!  This year’s event is right here at Queens.  Sign up soon to get your place for the free, catered lunch. 

This Annual Mass and reception with the Bishop has been growing in popularity.  Anyone in our parish who is celebrating a milestone marriage anniversary is welcome to RSVP using the contact information or QR code in the ad above and be a part of this special celebration of love and marriage with couples from all over the diocese. 

At Baptism, parents and godparents make a solemn promise to raise the child in the faith.  This should include Mass as a family every Sunday and holy day, prayers before meal and bedtime, AND a program of religious instruction either in Catholic school or Faith Formation.

Queens offers Sunday morning Faith Formation for public school students (and home school) in Pre-K thru 8th grade.  These classes are required to receive 1st Communion in 2nd grade or to be Confirmed at the start of freshman year.  For anyone not enrolled in parochial school, Faith Formation should NOT be looked upon as optional. 

Classes begin September 7th.  Contact Betsy Koval at bkoval@queenschurch.com for more information or to volunteer.  There is a modest cost and financial aid is available.

Visit the link below to sign up for Sunday Faith Formation or scan the QR code:

The Bible has rightly been called the greatest story ever told.  There is a reason – it is HIStory, the story of a God who loves us so much he would give His only son to save us and set us free.  All of us have a story to tell that connects back to HIS.  At the Sunday August 24th Masses, we are going to hear one young man tell his own story of how God is moving in his life.  This is called witnessing to the faith, an essential ingredient in becoming an intentional missionary disciple who follows Jesus and leads other people to him. 

I hope hearing this witness talk will inspire more people to share the faith and others to consider becoming part of the OCIA and joining the Catholic Church.

The OCIA or Order of Christian Initiation of Adults is for the unbaptized, Christians who are thinking of becoming Catholic, or those adults who were baptized Catholic but never received their First Communion or Confirmation. Do you know a spouse, relative, friend, coworker or neighbor who might be open to learning more about the Catholic faith?  Have you ever tried discussing it with them? 

The OCIA This program starts Wednesday August 27^th at 6:30pm in the lower level of the Queens parish office.  To learn more, or to tell us about someone we should be talking to about this, contact OCIA Director Betsy Koval:  517.783.2748, bkoval@queenschurch.com.  Some of our greatest Catholics in history have been converts.  What a different world and church this would be if no one had approached them and invited them to become part of the mystical body of Christ that is the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. 

The Coming Home Network tells the inspiring stories of conversion of those who have joined the Church from all walks of life.  If there is someone on your radar, why not share the link below with them so they can see what the OCIA journey was like for other people.  Everyone has a story.  We can help others find faith when we become comfortable sharing that story.

At the 9 and 11am Masses during the school year Queens is pleased to offer Children’s Liturgy of the Word for children ages 4 thru 4^th grade.  Children’s liturgy is an actual part of the Mass that fulfills the obligation for the children and the adult volunteers.  We always need more help with this.  I especially ask the parents of the children who attend children’s liturgy to consider taking turns leading it.  Training and lesson plans are provided.  See Betsy Koval for more details.   So far, the pickings are slim.  If we’re going to do this, people need to commit.  We have no takers for the the first two weekends we plan to have it! 

These appointments will not be available in perpetuity. If you have been waiting for a sunburn to fade or to shed a few pounds before you allow your picture to be taken, please know that we need to wrap this up!   The only way a directory helps us put names and faces together is if the people who show up at Mass also show up in the book!  Call the office during the week to make your appointment or follow these simple instructions.

To make your portrait appointment, visit: 

www.ucdir.com. 

Enter the church code mi1901

password:  photos 

“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