Blogs

Full Schedule of Weekend Masses Returns--With a Change

16 May 2011 - 2:40pm — jpriest

Beginning this weekend (August 20/21) we will return to our full schedule of Masses. Sunday Masses will be at 10:15 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Our Saturday evening Mass time has been changed to 5:00 p.m.

A New Translation of the Mass: A Great Blessing

We anticipate the new translation of the Mass to be a great blessing to the Church! This is a

chance to rediscover the words that we pray each Sunday and how they the connect us to the God and His amazing love for us.

The following is an excerpt of a talk given given last month by Auxiliary Bishop James Conley of Denver at the Midwest Theological Forum in Valparaiso, Indiana:

The key point here is that the words we pray matter. What we pray makes a difference in what we believe. Our prayer has implications for how we grasp the

saving truths that are communicated to us through the liturgy.

For instance, our current translation almost always favors abstract nouns to translate physical metaphors for God. If the Latin prayer refers to the “face” of God, “face” will be translated in abstract conceptual terms, such as “presence.” References to God’s “right hand” will be translated as God’s “power.”

This word choice has deep theological implications.

The point of the Son of God becoming flesh is that God now has a human face — the face of Jesus. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Whoever sees him seesthe Father.vi

Yet if in our worship we speak of God only in abstract terms, then effectively we are...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING EXCERPT

Bishop Cistone Dedicates St. Mary's and Consecrates New Altar

13 April 2011 - 11:17pm — jpriest

As the culmination of a year of renovation here at St. Mary's, the Most Reverend Joseph Cistone, Bishop of Saginaw, celebrated with us the Dedication of a Church Already in General Use for Sacred Celebrations! It was truly a joyous event that was greeted with the most beautiful 84 degree weather!

The central part of the rite is the consecration of the altar by the bishop with the oil of Sacred Chrism (see photo, left). The altar is a sign of the Body of Christ in our midst: "From meditating on God's word, the ancient Fathers of the Church did not hesitate to assert that Christ was the victim, priest, and altar of his own sacrifice. For in the Letter to the Hebrews Christ is presented as the High Priest who is also the living altar of the heavenly temple; and in the Book of Revelation our Redeemer appears as the Lamb who has been sacrificed and whose offering is taken by the holy angel to the altar of heaven" (Rite of Dedicatin of a Church and an Altar, 2).

Jesus is therefore the anointed priest-king through whom, with whom, and in whom we are united with at the altar of His body. The altar is therefore the "table for a sacrifice and for a banquet. At this table the priest, representing Christ the Lord, accomplishes what the Lord himself did and what he handed on to his disciples to do in his memory. The Apostle clearly intimates this: 'The blessing cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ and the bread that we break is a communion with the body of Christ. The fact that there is only one loaf means that though there are many of us, we form a single Body because we all have a share in this one loaf' (1 Cor. 10:16-17)" (Rite of Dedicatin of a Church and an Altar, 3). Thus, Jesus Christ gathers us in the person of His priest to offer to the Father His body and blood, "the acceptable sacrifice that brings peace to the whole world" (EP IV).

With deep gratitude, we wish to thank God for the beauty of this house. Through His goodness this all came about through the hands of so many volunteers and to all of those we extend heartfelt thanks!

Click here for more photos of the Dedicaiton Mass.

Bishop Here For Mass of Dedication

23 March 2011 - 11:15am — wprospero

Please join Bishop Cistone for a Mass of Dedication for our new altar and sanctuary Sunday, April 10, at 6:00pm A reception will follow.

Parking will be available in the commuter lot across the street from the church. You can enter that lot from Preston Street (behind the Wesley Foundation and before the railroad crossing).

Habitat for Humanity Trip to Georgia Bears Much Fruit

15 March 2011 - 4:02pm — jpriest

The annual alternative Spring break trip proved to be an occasion of grace for all involved. The trip began in the wee hours of Saturday, March 5th as we traveled from Mt. Pleasant to Nashville, Tenesee to spend an evening with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia.

The visit with the Dominican Sisters is always an experience of grace for each student as he or she encounters Jesus in the lives of women who have consecrated themselves to the Lord for His glory and the service of their fellow men. The Sisters, clothed in their beautiful white Dominican habits, are meant to be signs of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb that will come at the end of the age when Christ will come to fully wed His bride, the Church, to Himself. One student told me that being with the Sisters was like walking into Joy, as if Joy was a place!

This life lived in closeness to Jesus and in service to those in need spurred us onto our week's destination in Valdosta, Georgia, where we spent five days working with the Valdosta - Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity on three different houses! We put on a roof, pounded nails, laid tar paper, cleaned out a foreclosed home, painted, and installed windows and doors!

Each morning and each night we prayed, asking the Lord's blessings and thanking Him for His goodness throughout the day. We were blessed with fine Southern hospitality each night as we ate at a different local church. You've never been to the South unless you've had Southern church cooking! I have a whole new appreciation for turnip greens!

Many thanks to all who made this possible through your prayers and donations! God grant you many years!

Spring Break Trips

3 March 2011 - 12:46pm — jpriest

St. Mary's will be taking two Spring break trips again this year.

1. Habitat for Humanity in Valdosta, Georgia

As has been a campus favorite around here, we'll be heading way down South to pour out the love of Jesus in the warm Southern sun of Georgia! With Habitat for Humanity we'll be helping to eliminate substandard housing in building modest homes for people, especially families, to buy...basically at cost! This is a great way for our students to live Catholic social teaching and to have fun doing it!

On the way down we'll be blessed to spend Saturday evening and Sunday morning with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, Tenesee. This is always a great part of the trip and many students say that these few hours we spend with the sisters is their favorite!!! Amazing!

2. NUN RUN ! ! !

As he has done for years now, Fr. Will accompanies women from CMU to several convents of women religous throughout the Midwest. This year they will be traveling to the Little Sisters of the Poor in Chicago, the Discalced Carmelites in Des Plaines, Illinois, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton, Illinois, and the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, Tenesee!

Please pray for these trips and for the safety of all students travelling for Spring break!

Roe v. Wade & the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

19 January 2011 - 7:04pm — jpriest

The week of prayer for Christian Unity began on Tuesday, January 18th. This year it coincides with the

annual March for Life in Washington, DC where hundreds of thousands of people will again march down the streets of Washington as witnesses to the sacredness of human life.

No doubt the divisions Christians have made to Christ's Body have had their own hand in creating the conditions for abortion to be legalized. To that end, we propose joining these prayers for the protection of human life and the prayers for Christian unity together this week as we turn to the Father through Jesus and with our Blessed Mother, Mary.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the gift of life. More than simply creating us, you have redeemed us through the blood of Jesus and brought us together into one family, one Church. Yet, we have not respected either the gift of life or the life you have given us in Your One Church.

We turn to you today and ask mercy and forgiveness for all the ways we have colluded in the denigration of these gifts of life. In your mercy, fill us with the grace and courage to bring life to these places where there has been so much death and disharmony. Rid our world of abortion and gather us all together into the One visible Body of Your Church.

We ask this through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Mid-Winter Retreat: "Light in the Darkness"

19 January 2011 - 6:34pm — jpriest

"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead,and Christ shall give you light" (Ephesians 5:14).

New life in the wintry squalls of Central Michigan: MID-WINTER RETREAT!

As the lights of evening begin to get a little brighter, our hearts continually turn to Jesus, the Light of the World.

CMU grad Fr. James Brent, O.P. will give three talks in a Friday-Saturday retreat here at St. Mary's.

When: Friday night and Saturday, February 4th & 5th

Where: @ St. Mary's

Cost: $5, which includes Lunch on Saturday

Br. Joachim's Investiture

5 October 2010 - 4:55pm — jpriest

Just this year (2010) St. Mary's was blessed to have four men enter the seminary in preparation for the priesthood:

Tim Horst (Archdiocese of Detroit)

Peter Lawrence (Diocese of Lansing)

Br. Joachim, OSB (Josh Morgan) - St. Vincent Archabbey

Stephen Durkee (Diocese of Grand Rapids)

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Joshua Morgan ('2009), was vested with the habit of the Benedictines on July 10th, 2010 at St. Vincent's Archabbey in Latrobe, PA. Here is a video of the ceremony:

Welcome Back Students!

17 August 2010 - 3:36pm — jpriest

Welcome to all of you who are new at CMU! St. Mary’s is happy to have you as part of our Catholiccommunity of faith. As a student-centered parish we depend upon your involvement to make this place come alive in faith! There is a fire here burning in the hearts of believers that needs to be spread around. In the Gospel Jesus explains that he has come “to set the earth on fire.” The fire of Jesus is the fire of His love revealed in His passion for us. Jesus’ fire is a purifying fire that opens us to new things, new ways of being disciples. Jesus is doing something new in your life. Seize this opportunity Continued...

Finals Week Prayers

4 May 2010 - 4:21pm — jpriest

St. Mary's just wanted to let all the students know that we're praying for them during this exam week. Here's a prayer that may be of assistance as you work on your finals:

Christ my Lord, the Giver of light and wisdom, who opened the eyes of the blind man and transformed the fishermen into wise heralds and teachers of the gospel through the coming of the Holy Spirit, shine also in my mind the light of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Grant me discernment, understanding and wisdom in learning. Enable me to complete my examinations to the best of my ability and to abound in every good work, for to You I give honor and glory. Amen.