Dear Friends,
In our liturgical calendar this week we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Tuesday and the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on Wednesday. The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a feast commemorating the recovery of the True Cross in the 7th Century from the Persians. Our Lady of Sorrows is a feast remembering how Mary followed Jesus to the Cross and remained with him through his death, mystically uniting her suffering to his for our redemption.
This past Saturday marked the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. This was a day of greif and mourning for those who lost their lives and the wound it left on our country and the world. Even in the midst of this tragedy, however, God never abandoned us. The story of the Ground Zero Cross told by Fr. Brian Jordan, OFM is an amazing testament to God never abandoning his people and that, through the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, he is closest to us in our most extreme suffering. Perhaps its no coincidence then, that just as we remember the triumph of the Cross over our personal sin in a special way this Tuesday, so we can remember how the Cross triumphed over the tragedy of the 9/11. Even when it seems power of evil and death have won, with the eyes of faith, the Cross shows us that evil and death never have the final say. We remember, too, that wherever there is a Cross, there is Mary; always present to lead us to the hope found in her Son.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
I'll be in Saginaw Wednesday afternoon and Thursday evening to help raise money for seminarian education. Wednesday is a day of golf ... as a non-golfer I can assure it I'll be trying to mystically unite my suffering to the Cross for you all! There's at least one team from the parish playing that day that I know of. On Thursday evening is a dinner and silent auction. We have a large group of parishioners attending the dinner thanks to a very generous donor. I'll also be part of the evening's etertainment, I'm going to be playing piano with Fr. Nate Harburg (guitar) and Fr. Marc Hopps (drums). Pray it goes well as a fundraiser, but pray too for that our seminarians in the Diocese of Saginaw have a fruitful hear of formation and discernment. For more information on helping support seminarians, go here: https://saginaw.org/support-priesthood-vocations
Notes:
- Pet Blessing on the Vigil of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
- On Sunday, October 3rd at 4pm in Sandusky, bring your pets for a blessing and a prayer asking for the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi
- Children's Faith Formation Meeting Twice A Week
- Tuesdays, 4-5:15pm in Marlette
- Wednesdays, 4:5:15pm in Sandusky
- Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAh79MIefkFoGQfBjI4IKpOipd8sZmZHiLjFq682adrUlGAA/viewform
AMDG,
Fr. Stephen
