St Raymond-OLGC Catholic Church

Sunday, May 2, officially kicked off our 2021 CSA.  We thank all the parishioners who made it possible for our church to reach its C.S.A. quota last year. You deserve commendation for enabling our parish reach its goal. May you be blessed by the Lord! It is our hope that we will make our target again this year. Please, send your contribution to the parish office, collection basket, or directly to the Archdiocesan C.S.A. office. Kindly indicate on your check it is for C.S.A.
 

Prayer for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly
The Holy Father has also granted the faithful the possibility of obtaining a plenary indulgence on July 25 by devoting adequate time to actually or virtually visit elderly people in need or in difficulty (such as the sick, the abandoned, the disabled and other similar cases).
The Pope has also released a message to grandparents and the elderly, in which he emphasized that the vocation of the Third Age is to "guard the roots, transmit the faith to young people and take care of the little ones".
Announced by Pope Francis on January 31, the annual day will be celebrated each year on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.  The theme chosen by the Pope for this first edition this year is “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20). 

Please find below the text of the prayer:

I thank You, Lord,
for the comfort of Your presence:
even in times of loneliness,
You are my hope and my confidence,
You have been my rock and my fortress since my youth!
I thank You for having given me a family
and for having blessed me with a long life.
I thank You for moments of joy and difficulty,
for the dreams that have already come true in my life and for
those that are still ahead of me.
I thank You for this time of renewed fruitfulness to which You
call me.
Increase, O Lord, my faith,
make me a channel of your peace,
teach me to embrace those who suffer more than me,
to never stop dreaming
and to tell of your wonders to new generations.
Protect and guide Pope Francis and the Church,
that the light of the Gospel might reach the ends of the earth.
Send Your Spirit, O Lord, to renew the world,
that the storm of the pandemic might be calmed,
the poor consoled and wars ended.
Sustain me in weakness
and help me to live life to the full
in each moment that You give me,
in the certainty that you are with me every day,
even until the end of the age.
Amen.





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Who is my neighbor??? Know someone struggling??? See a Vincentian and take them some food.....
 
Need Help?  Want to Help?
 
PLEASE CALL 313-372-0437
 St. Vincent de Paul Conference

(St. Raymond-Our Lady of Good Counsel )
Community Center , 20055 Joann Ave.
Tues. 9:30-11 am;        Thurs. 4:30-5:30 pm .  

St Raymond-Our Lady of Good Counsel has resumed in-person public mass. Social distancing and AOD guidelines will be observed. 

Any questions about St Raymond-Our Lady of Good Counsel please call 313-527-0525. Leave a message as office hours are limited until further notice or email:
infosaintraymond@gmail.com

St Vincent de Paul Emergency Services are still available (Tues 9:30-11am Thurs 4:30-5:30pm)
Call 313-527-0437

Bulletins are produced First Sunday of the month 


Please Note: If you are dropping off donation envelopes please use the mailbox outside the rectory. Thank you.
 

"What is in a Name"

Happy 4th of July to all our parishioners, alumni, and friends! May we all be blessed during this special occasion and into the future! We thank the Lord for all His many blessings despite life's ups and downs. Through it all, the Lord remains good and wonderful. Let us, therefore, pause on this great occasion to bow in thanksgiving to God for the gift of this great nation, called AMERICA. 

      In the olden days when I was young, the name, AMERICA brought wonderful sentiments of a land liberty and compassion, richly blessed by God. Whenever I hear news of calamities and sufferings anywhere, AMERICA was always the first country to rush assistance to such needy people. It was truly incredible. The name, AMERICA, seemed to be   synonymous with love and generosity. What a unique nation! Believe it or not, United States of America was, and to some extent, still is, the envy and admiration of other nations.

      Shakespeare long ago asked, "What is in a name?" And he went ahead to answer his own question. We all remember his answer, do we not?  According to him, "A rose by any another name would smell just as sweet." He was correct, of course. The name we give to a thing does not determine its essential nature.  A rose would still be a beautiful and sweet-smelling flower regardless what name we choose to call it.
Does this mean that names are insignificant? Not at all! In African       culture, names mean more than a label. They carry a message. For        instance, the African name, Ngozi, means "God's blessing."
 
People name their kids, Ngozi, if they found it hard to beget a child. When eventually the child is born, they name her, Ngozi, and she would be expected to be a blessing to the family. For me as a child growing up in Africa, the name AMERICA meant a lot to me. It brought to my mind images of a rich and generous nation, spreading freedom around the world. In other words, when "AMERICA” was mentioned, my mind goes to generosity and freedom. In other words, AMERICA was not a mere label, but much more.

         The ancient Jewish culture also attached much importance in names. For the Jews of those days, names were more than means of identification. Instead, names embody deep meanings, and often convey powerful messages. For instance, Raphael in Hebrew means healer. Hence, the Angel Raphael was the healer of Tobit's blindness in the Book of Tobit.  The same goes for the other names in the Old Testament, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel etc. They all mean something more than mere labels. When these names are mentioned, our minds go straight to the  message the names convey.

         John the Baptist is a typical example. When we hear that name, it isn't just a mere label, rather it conveys something about the owner of the name. It reminds us of the fore-runner of the Savior, and the one who actually pointed out the Redeemer to the waiting world, and also had the singular honor of baptizing the very author of Baptism himself.

        My fellow reflectors and friends, seen from this light, names can embody something deeper and meaningful. They can point to something beyond mere labels. It is important to bear this in mind as we navigate the new terrain of Families of Parishes. We must ask ourselves, why are we now called FAMILIES OF PARISHES? Does this name mean anything, or is it a mere label and identification? In other words, do we really appreciate the significance and implications of being called Families of Parishes? Put in a simple way, do we realize that it means, our three former parishes of, Our Lady Queen of Heaven-Good Shepherd, St. Raymond-Our lady of Good   Counsel, and St. Jude, are now Families of Parishes, and no longer individual, single, parishes. Like a family, they must learn to work together for the good of the entire family. Selfishness and narrow-mindedness must give way to cooperation and collaboratively ministry at all levels,    including joint worship whenever need arises.

     Families of Parishes means, the old order of one pastor to a parish is gone for good, and the new order of parishes sharing priests is now in place. Fortunately or unfortunately, nothing can be the same again. The old arrangement of one pastor, one parish, is now a thing of the past in the archdiocese of Detroit, and in many parts of the country. Therefore, the sooner we all wake up to this new reality, the better for our well-being. Without a doubt, the new arrangement has its challenges, as well as blessings. But, people may choose to focus only on the challenges,    rather than the unfolding blessings – blessings of meeting and interacting with new people,    cultivating new friendships, and sharing scare resources etc.

     Simply put, Families of Parishes means that all are to endeavor to work as family, navigating both the rough and smooth terrains, aware that witnessing to Christ Jesus remains our common quest. Every other thing is secondary. Our prayer today is, May the name, FAMILIES OF  PARISHES, mean much more to us than mere label.  Amen!

      Have a blessed week and a wonderful month! And, again, happy 4th of July!!

 FR. MICHAEL CHIDI NKACHUKWU

As we temporarily participate at Mass in this different way, each of us and our families are encouraged to make a daily Spiritual Communion by praying the following prayer:

My JESUS,

I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
 
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You in my soul.
 
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,
Come at least spiritually into my heart.
 
I embrace You as I know You are already here with me,
and I unite myself wholly to You
 
Never permit me to be separated from You.
 
LORD, JESUS CHRIST, You are Alive
and we trust in Your unfailing love, grace, mercy, and care!
 
Amen

Online Donations can now be made at:

give.aod.org

(Weekly giving or CSA donations)

 

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