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• of mind and heart

  My Dear People, 
      A number of people asked about the recent pilgrimage that I co-directed from October 22-November 2.  Here is a short recap of our pilgrimage.  The day we left for Italy, we gathered at the Diocesan Center, where we parked cars and boarded a bus to the Detroit Metro Airport with one stop along the way, St. John the Baptist Church, Howell, where we picked up the second half of our pilgrims and co-director, Fr. Francis George.  The beautiful day proved to also be a color tour as the fall leaves peaked in color along the way.  We had a great flight to Rome where we met our tour manager, Maddie, and bus driver, Agostino, who proved to be perfect guides, and boarded our tourbus.  Since it was morning, we headed to Assisi for a two-night stay.  We celebrated Mass at St. Mary of the Angels, which contained the small Church repaired by St. Francis. On day two we began the day celebrating Mass at the Basilica of St. Franics of Assisi.  We then toured the old town of Assisi, perched on a hill, the Church of St. Clare, which houses the San Damiano Cross (the one that spoke to St. Francis), and concluded at a Church where Blessed Carlo Acutis was interred.  The next day we headed out to San Giovanni Rotondo with stops along the way to Loreto to see the Holy House of the Blessed Virgin Mary (brought over from the Holyland during the Crusades) and then to Lanciano to celebrate Mass and see the 8^th Century Eucharistic Miracle (the consecrated bread and wine that became the flesh and blood of Christ).  We spent two nights in San Giovanni Rotondo, the place where St. Padre Pio, whose body bore the stigmata (the wounds of Christ) for 50 years, served and is now interred.  We celebrated Mass in a chapel where St. Padre Pio celebrated Mass and saw the crucifix upon which he was meditating when he received the stigmata.  That afternoon we visited Mont San Angelo to pray at the famed shrine of St. Michael the Archangel.  Friday morning, we headed out to the Amalfi Coast for two nights, stopping in Naples to celebrate Mass at the Cathedral which houses St. Januarius, a Bishop/Martyr of the early 4^th Century and a short tour of the city.  The church contains a vile of his blood which liquifies twice a year, a sign of good fortune or fails to do so resulting in misfortune. In the afternoon we visited Pompeii’s Shrine of our Lady of the Rosary, key place for Blessed Bartolo Longo, who once a Satanic priest was converted back to the faith and tirelessly promoted the Rosary to young people.  The next day we spent time in Positano, perched in the side of a cliff along the sea, celebrating Mass at the Church of Santa Marria Assunta and then the afternoon in beautiful Sorrento to explore. On Sunday we departed for Rome for a four-night stay. Along the way we stopped to tour the Benedictine Montecassino Abbey, which houses the remains of St. Benedict and his twin sister, St. Scholastica.  We visited the Shrine of Subiaco, a hermitage perched up in a cliff, where St. Benedict stayed, where we celebrated Mass.  On Monday we began the day celebrating Mass at St. Mary Major, one of the four major Basilicas of Rome, touring it as well as two others, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. John Lateran, the Pope’s Cathedral. In the afternoon we did a walking tour of Rome to the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and Piazza Navona. We concluded the day with a dinner and music show.  Tuesday, we celebrated Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and toured it with all of its beauty.  In the afternoon, was a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.  Wednesday, our final full day started with a tour of the St. Sabastian Catacombs, followed by Mass at the North American College, (Seminary) Vatican City, (where Charles Warner our Seminarian studies. He spent some time with us.), followed by an afternoon of personal touring or shopping and concluded the day with a farewell dinner.  The Pilgrimage concluded on Thursday, November 2, with the group flying back to Michigan. 
       The Pilgrimage was full of beautiful sites and saints, Masses and activity, lots of walking, hills and steps, long days, but with friendship and fellowship of the pilgrims over meals, prayer, and a shared rich agenda of sites of faith.  We prayed for you, our fellow parishioners along the way and appreciated your prayers for us.  It was a blessed pilgrimage experience for us all.
                                                                             Fr. Bill
  
  
  THANKSGIVING MASSES THIS WEEK: In observance of “Thanksgiving”, our parishes will offer the following Masses this week. Please plan to attend one of these Masses to offer Thanksgiving to God for all of His bountiful blessings upon us.  Thanksgiving is at the heart of Christian life, “It is right and just, our duty and our salvation to always give thanks…”
  St. John Paul II: Tuesday, November 21, 5:30 p.m. Mass;
  Christ the Good Shepherd: Wednesday, November 22, 7:00 p.m. Mass
  Christ the Good Shepherd: Thursday, November 23, 8:30 a.m. Mass
  
  NEXT WEEKEND:  HOLY LAND OLIVE WOOD CARVINGS will be on display and available for purchase in the main entrances of the Churches after the weekend Masses of November 25 and 26, at both St. John Paul II Parish and Christ the Good Shepherd Parish.  The Holy Land Wood Carvings group has been vetted by the Diocese of Saginaw as being officially from Bethlehem as a company supporting the Christian families working and living there.  Please consider viewing and even purchasing some of their Holy Land products…just in time for Christmas shopping! 
  
  CHRIST MISSION APPEAL 2023-2024 RESPONSE/COLLECTION UPDATE (11/10/23):  
  Christ the Good Shepherd Parish, Saginaw with 69 responses has collected $33,262.59 towards its goal of $51,893.  (64% of its goal with a balance of $18,630.41.)
  St. John Paul II Parish, Carrollton with 78 responses has collected $19,230 towards its goal of $44,036.  (43% of its goal with a balance of $24,806.)
  Our goal is 100% participation of our parishioners in giving towards Christ Mission Appeal. If you have not turned in your response/donation/pledge, please do so as soon as possible.  When deciding how much to give to this Appeal, prayerfully reflect on the fact that your donation is taking an active part in doing Kingdom Work, the God given call to us all.  Additional response cards are available at each of the Church entrances.  To all those who have responded, “Thank You!”  May God bless you as you have blessed us!
  
  AN ADULT FAITH FORMATION OPPORTUNITY for our parishes comes in the viewing of “The Chosen”.  It takes place in a relaxed setting in the St. John Paul II Office Meeting Room, 469 Shattuck Road, Carrollton.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  Each episode is independent of each other and concludes with a lively discussion with the participants. This next viewing will feature the two final episodes of Season Two:  Thursday, November 30, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Episode Seven: Reckoning and Episode Eight: Beyond the Mountains.
  
  A MESSAGE FROM THE PASSIONISTS MISSIONS: “Greetings of Peace and Gratitude!  The Passionist Mission Office of Holy Cross Province extends its gratitude for your contribution to the Mission Appeal the weekend of July 15-16, preached by Fr. Enno Dango, C.P.  The parishes contributed $2,372.48 to the works and needs of the Passionist Missions.  Know you are prayed for each day asking the greatest Missionary of All to bless you, to keep you, and to let His face shine upon you!”   Peace and Gratitude…Loretta Ciesielski
  
  ✠ HOLY HOURS WITH BISHOP GRUSS – The next Holy Hour for Vocations will be in Chesaning, St. Peter Parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on Tuesday, November 21, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Please visit the diocesan website for the 2023 Holy Hour for Vocations schedule  https://saginaw.org/holy-hours-vocations. Everyone is welcomed to attend!
  
  SPIRITUAL EDUCATION DURING THIS YEAR OF EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL, by reading segments from “DESIDERIO DESIDERAVI”, an Apostolic Letter issued June 29, 2022.  Please read it as it was intended to be read: a letter from Pope Francis to you.
  
  58. When the first community broke bread in obedience to the Lord’s command, it did so under the gaze of Mary who accompanied the first steps of the Church: “these all continued with one accord in prayer with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus.” (Acts 1:14) The Virgin Mother “watches over” the gestures of her Son confided to the Apostles. As she protected the Word made flesh in her womb after receiving the words of the angel Gabriel, she protects once again in the womb of the Church those gestures that form the body of her Son. The priest, who repeats those gestures in virtue of the gift received in the sacrament of Holy Orders, is himself protected in the womb of the Virgin. Do we really need a rule here to tell us how we ought to act?