February Millennium Raffle Winners
$250 Jim Grammatico #3478
$50 William Westrick #3021
$50 Jim McHale #2481
$25 Jeremy Ponti #2624
$25 Janice Cyrus #1852
$25 Missy Maxwell #2644
$25 Elizabeth Morris #2256
Congratulations to the winners this month. You still have 70 more chances to win. If you want a ticket contact: carol_bissa@yahoo.com
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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 last Sunday of the month
Please Note: If you are dropping off donation envelopes please use the mailbox outside the rectory. Thank you.
In light of the continued spread of the coronavirus in southeast Michigan and the impossibility for parishes to safely accommodate all Catholics for Mass on Sundays, Archbishop Vigneron has extended the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation for all the faithful in the Archdiocese of Detroit, as well as for all travelers during their time within the territory of the Archdiocese of Detroit, until Saturday, March 13, 2021
Pulpit ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL MASSES;
February 27 and 28, 2021
*1. Due to the current Families of Parishes structure, we will be doing something new at this year's Holy Week Liturgy. Specifically, since our three parishes are now regarded as a "Family", it means, we will be worshipping together at each of churches during the 2021 Triduum. Hence, going forward from now, the Triduum celebration will be rotated at each of our three parishes, in this manner:
(a) COMBIED HOLY THURSDAY LITURGY, APRIL 1, at 6pm at St. Jude; Fr. Michael & Fr. Tyrone (Scheduled Celebrants)
(b) COMBINED GOOD FRIDAY LITURGY, APRIL 2, Proclamation of the Lord's Passion: starting with the Stations of the Cross at 12.30pm, and ending with Communion rite around 2.40pm,
St. Raymond-Our Lady of Good Counsel Fr. Tyrone and Fr. Michael (Scheduled Celebrants)
*PS: To be stressed once more is that our three parishes in the Families of Parishes are to worship together during this Special occasion, now that the Archbishop has lifted the dispensation after the long Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Therefore, with adequate social distancing in place, we will be worshipping together as a family during this unique Triduum liturgy. Each parish is to provide Fr. Tyrone or the church secretary, with a Lector for each of the Liturgy, including Easter Vigil Liturgy.
(c) Combined EASTER VIGIL CELEBRATION, APRIL 3,
Our Lady Queen of Heaven-Good Shepherd, at 6pm
Fr. Tyrone and Fr. Peter Ben (Scheduled Celebrants)
It is important to stress that, moving forward, this will be the norm during the TRIDUUM every year. The TRIDUUM is to be celebrated together as a Family, and not each parish celebrating its own separately. This will also apply to other special celebrations when all the three parishes will worship together as a family. Please, all take note of this important information, and pass it around to those not present at Mass at this time. This announcement will be repeated thru Palm Sunday March 28. Thank you.
2. Starting on Palm Sunday, March 28, every Mass in our Families of Parishes will end with prayer to Joseph in observance of the year of St. Joseph. The lector will recite that prayer and at the end all will say, Amen. Then after that, the celebrant will give the final blessing for the Mass. The prayer will be made available to the leading Lector at each church before March 28. Also, watch out in the coming weeks for other things lined up for the celebration of the year of St. Joseph. Thank you!
3. We announce with gratitude and heavy hearts the retirement of our long time parish nurse at St. Raymond-OLGC, Ms. Joann Clinchoc, who has faithfully served the faith community for many years. Bless her heart! We thank her for her wonderful and dedicated service to the faith-community and neighborhood. Please, join in thanking this angel of care, and wishing her God's abundant blessing in her well-deserved retirement. Again, Joann, bless your heart! A special farewell party will be arranged for her after the Pandemic.
*4. In our Families of Parishes journey, we know that the first thing required of us is PRAYER. We are to pray for the success of the mission, that the Holy Spirit may guide and direct it. As Christ Jesus tells us, "Without Me you can do nothing." This means, we must constantly approach the Lord with our needs and challenges as we continue this important journey. Also requirement in our journey is open-mindedness and ardent faith in God, who can turn ugly situations around for our benefit. Experience teaches us that chronic complaints and gossips do not solve problems; rather rolling our sleeves and working for our community in any way we can, do make real difference. The truth of the matter is, we are in it together. Therefore, all hands are to be on deck to move our faith-community to a bright and viable future. Thank you.
*5. Starting in April, Fr. Tyrone Robinson, one of the priests in our Families of Parishes, will be expanding his ministry at some level to include the faith-community of St. Jude. He will, among other things, be celebrating Sunday Mass at St. Jude church regularly. Details are still being worked out. St. Jude parishioners, please, welcome him with open-arms. Meanwhile, we thank Fr. Tyrone for his devoted ministry. Our thanks also to the other priests that help, or will be helping in due course in our Families of Parishes. May God's blessing be with them all!
6. We congratulate our three parishes for reaching their respective C.S.A. goal for 2020. We congratulate all who helped to make this happen. May you be richly blessed by the Lord!
7. Thank you to everyone who helped to make our Lenten Fish Fry a wonderful success!
LESSONS FROM THE LORD'S TRANSFIGURATION IN THE LIGHT OF FAMILIES OF PARISHES JOURNEY
Next Sunday, March 7 is the third Sunday of Lent. It is also the day we celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus at Mount Tabor. This celebration has great implications for us Christians. As we ponder that event, let us remind ourselves that God's grace is transformative. It makes us new people. We should never forget that truth. Another thing we should remember is, the Transfiguration event should not be viewed merely as something that happened in the past. On the contrary, we should see it as something that continues to occur even today. In other words, God is still transforming His people. Believe it or not, when we follow Chris Jesus and latch unto Him with dynamic faith even in the midst of challenges, He transforms us into something new and better. History testifies to that.
Like the three apostles, Peter, James, and John, we are invited to follow the Lord unto the mountain of the unknown, the mountain of uncertainty, in order to discover something new and instructive. This is what Lent is all about, it beckons us to follow Christ more closely in order to discover ourselves more. Therefore, Lent is a special invitation to walk in the light of Christ Jesus, and develop a special relationship with Him through ardent prayer, acts of penance, and charity etc.
Our journey on Families of Parishes during this Lenten season, for instance, should provide us with numerous opportunities to latch unto Christ Jesus in the midst of challenges, so that we may learn to discover great opportunities for personal growth as children of the Most High. As we make this journey together, let us constantly remind ourselves that the journey calls for persevering prayer, as well as attitudinal change. If we truly want this journey to be fruitful and purifying, we must pledge or vow to control our tongues. Nothing destroys or damages a voyage more than baseless or harmful gossips and chronic complaints among the voyagers.
My fellow reflectors and friends, we are on an important voyage, a journey on Families of Parishes. It requires, among other things, focus and a sense of purpose. There shouldn't be room for pettiness and needless bickering. As we all know, a child of God sees opportunities where others see gloomy prospects. He or she looks deeply than the surface, asking the relevant question and all-important question, namely, what can I do to help my faith-community move forward to a future of viability and progress. Those who follow Christ like the three apostles in our Gospel on March 7--- the third Sunday of Lent, do not give up in the face of challenges. Rather, they hope and trust in the Lord who never fails.
Let's face it, the journey of Families of Parishes won't always be smooth and rosy, but one thing is certain, it will be transformative for those who approach it with an open mind, ardent faith, and in the spirit of prayer, knowing that the Lord who is always capable of changing the most formidable challenges into wonderful grace and amazing opportunities.
Just as Peter, James, and John went with faith and trust to the unknown, and discovered there to their delight, wonderful things, so much so that they even wanted to remain on that mountain forever, in the same way, we should bear in mind that if we persevere on our journey to the "unknown" in the Families of Parishes, trusting in the Lord, we shall, by God's grace, reap the transforming fruits and joy of a better and more viable faith-community. But, do we have faith to believe that? Do we believe that God is still in the business of transfiguration, and that the Most High can transform our faith-community to something better in the end?
Think about it, and have a great and wonderful Lenten season, and remain blessed!
FR. MICHAEL CHIDI NKACHUKWU
PS: please check the website, social media, and email for any updates…
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
100 Days of Prayer
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