My Dear People,
     This Sunday, (today) we welcome Bishop Gruss, who will be celebrating the Sunday Masses at each of our Parishes.  During these liturgies Bishop Gruss will install me as pastor at each of our parishes.  This installation ceremony is a great reminder that a priest is an extension of the Bishop in his presence at the Parish.  Just as the spiritual life and leadership of the Diocese is entrusted to the Bishop, the spiritual life and leadership of a parish is entrusted to a pastor by the Bishop.  Thus, the pastor serves as an important link from the Diocese to the Parish and from the Parish to the Diocese.  A part of the installation ceremony involves the leadership people of the parish who receive the pastor and offer their support in the work of the parish.  I am happy to serve as your pastor and happy to be formally installed as your pastor.
     As the Christmas decorations come down, we have about five weeks before we begin the solemn Season of Lent.  This will be a good time to do a few projects in our churches, namely, a little face lift to the sanctuary areas of our Churches.  At St. John Paul II Parish we will be taking down the drapery on the front wall of the Church and painting this wall so as to freshen it up a bit.  At Christ the Good Shepherd, we will be having the crucifix taken off of the wall and suspended over the area where the altar and ambo are located.  Both of these projects have been approved by our Pastoral Councils and by the Diocesan Office of Liturgy.  Each will be an improvement in the visual area of worship by our congregations.  Neither will entail a great cost.  Each should be accomplished before Ash Wednesday, February 17.
     May you feel the loving embrace of God this week!
                                                                                     Fr. Bill 

“THANK YOU (Christ the Good Shepherd Parish) for the $150 charitable contribution to the Emmaus House of Saginaw, a leading nonprofit organization that provides transitional living for women out of jail, prison, or rehab.  You are a friend of Emmaus!  Please pray for our leaders and guests as we continue to fight the pandemic fears that are ever present.”  …Donna Clarke, Joan L. Douglas, and Sr. Mary Elizabeth Klier.   

CHRIST THE GOOD SHEPHERD PARISH RECEIVED a gift of $50,000 from the Catherine A Christ Trust.  Our parish is truly grateful to Catherine who made the parish a recipient in her estate.  May the Lord bless her with eternal rest in His Kingdom for her goodness to our parish.  We will be putting this donation into our parish savings for upcoming repairs and maintenance work.  When you are making estate plans, please remember your parish.  Your financial gift to the parish leaves a spiritual legacy for future generations.  As always, thank you for your support!  

2020 YEAR END DONATION STATEMENTS FOR CHRIST THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND ST. JOHN PAUL II PARISHES will be made available to anyone of the parish upon request.  You can 1) email your request into the parish; 2) call the office to request a statement; 3) put a written request in the Sunday collection; 4) send in a self-addressed envelope via Sunday collection or mail. Requested statements will then be prepared and mailed to your home or you can pick it up at the parish office.  Please call for pick-up arrangements ahead of time.  Contribution statements will be prepared in January and ready to be mailed or picked up February 1, 2021.  

BEWARE!!  There are phone scams reaching out to parishioners via texts, saying that they are from Fr. Bill Rutkowski or Bishop Robert Gruss, or in the name of another priest or religious of the Diocese, asking you to purchase gift cards to help some struggling people.  DO NOT RESPOND TO THESE TEXTS.  They are scams to steal money (via gift cards) from you.  Please know that Fr. Bill, Bishop Gruss, nor any other priest would contact you or ask you for your help to the poor in this manner.  If you receive such a request, please inform the parish office.