Bishop Bradley invites all those engaged in works of mercy and charitable outreach throughout the diocese to attend the "Celebrating Workers of Mercy" Mass, followed by a speaker and simple dinner, on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, from 6:00 – 8:30 pm, at St. Augustine Cathedral, 542 W. Michigan Ave., in Kalamazoo. Deacon Don Bouchard will give a short reflection after dinner. Please RSVP by tomorrow, Monday, Sept. 20th to lisairwin@ccdok.org or info@ccdok.org. We give thanks for those who bring the love, mercy, and forgiveness of God to those in need!

Today is Catechetical Sunday! Please help us thank our amazing Catechists! The theme for this year is “Say the Word and My Soul Shall be Healed.” If you see them in church please thank them for all their effort and dedication to the children of the parish! Martha Benes Anna Reitz Carlin Christina Carter Rachel Clayton Deanna Damm Amy Dunn Jennifer Grzegorczyk Liz Isaak Jennifer Bates Klok Ashley Kordella Maria Meirelles Kimberly Ritter Jennifer Stuerebaut Holly Shu Kin So Amy Summers Chris Swanson Katie Webster Nicki Woolsey Julie VanderEnde

Dear Parishioners, A few weeks ago, Bishop Bradley began our celebration of a special Jubilee Year of the Holy Spirit. I think many of you have noticed that the Bishop has asked us to pray a special Jubilee prayer each week at Mass after Communion. If you haven’t had a chance to pick up a prayer card to pray individually or with your family at home, Jubilee prayer cards can be found on the table by the statue of John the Baptist. Additionally, the Bishop has written a special pastoral letter entitled: “Let our Hearts be ‘In-spired’ for Mission: A Pastoral Letter on the Holy Spirit.” This can be found on the diocesan website (diokzoo.org) under the special Jubilee Year banner on the homepage. Please take a few minutes to read this pastoral letter to help us reflect on this special year. May the Holy Spirit inspire each one of us in our faith and help our parish to grow in faith and love each day. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark

At the beginning of this Sunday's Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus tells His disciples that He will be handed over to His accusers, killed, and after three days would rise again. The disciples clearly didn’t understand and were afraid to ask. Instead of focusing on these words of Jesus, they chose to argue among themselves who was the greatest. Jesus then called them all together and told them whoever wished to be first shall be the last and the servant of all. Jesus then appears to abruptly change course. He embraced a child and told the disciples that whoever receives a “child such as this” receives Him and not only Jesus but God the Father also. So what was the message for these disciples and ultimately for us today? Also, why did Jesus seem to change his course so abruptly with His embrace of a child? The message Jesus wants us to understand is that our hearts should be focused on serving others and only that will make us first in His Kingdom. The child He embraced was a symbol Jesus used for the Anawim, a Hebrew term that meant those who were the lowly, the vulnerable, and the marginalized poor in society. He was using the illustration of the child to help His disciples understand that in the Kingdom of God, the “first” among them would be those who served the lowly and those who did not seek earthly power. He needed the disciples to understand that He was a suffering Messiah whose Kingdom would be centered on love and service, not power or riches. Do we also struggle any less today to understand and accept this message than the disciples of 2000 years ago? Read more on this weekend's scripture readings at https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/sunday-connection/25th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-b-sunday-connection/

While we may have hoped that headlines concerning COVID-19 would've died down by now, everywhere we look is proving this is not the case. So today, Ali-Marie addresses an incredibly pressing issue of our time: Are we, or are we not, to get the COVID-19 vaccine? What does the Church teach about it? What would Jesus do? All this to say, this is not a divisive video. This is a conversation that says, "We are all on the same side... The Devil just wants to steal our joy, kill our communities and ultimately destroy our lives." Ali-Marie offers tips on how to converse charitably with others to help diminish the animosity felt on both sides of the vaccine debate. Let us know your response to the video in the comments here on Facebook or leave a comment on YouTube! We'd love to hear from you! https://youtu.be/vr7XBHfXfIg

Have you ever looked carefully at a Crucifix and seen the letters 'INRI' inscribed there? Do you know what it means and why it is there? Click on the article title to read a brief article from uCatholic to find out more!

Tomorrow, September 17th, Deacon Brian Kaluzny will celebrate the 4th Anniversary of his Ordination to the Diaconate. If you see him around, please take a moment to wish him a Happy Ordination Anniversary! Congratulations, Deacon Brian! Thank you for your continued service to our parish!

Join Jay Landry and Father Ken Schmidt at St. Augustine Cathedral for a day of prayer and reflection designed to help you encounter Christ more deeply while encouraging the joy of generous giving. All are welcome! For more information, or to register, please click on the article title or visit https://diokzoo.org/stewardship-and-development.

Have you been away from church for a while? Now that school has begun and our fall activities are resuming, you might be thinking about coming "home" to your parish and joining us for Mass and other activities. Maybe you have wondered if you need to "do" something in order to return to church, or if you should just "show up"? In short, you are always welcome! We love to see our former parishioners AND getting to know NEW parishioners! Please click on the article title to read some good tips on "coming home to church" from Busted Halo, and, if you want more information about our parish, and how we can serve your family, please check out our website https://www.stcatherinesiena.org. For specific questions or more specific information, please call/email our Front Office (269-327-5165 or info@stcatherinesiena.org). Hope to see you soon!

Please join the St. Catherine Respect Life Ministry team in peaceful prayer and fasting to end abortion. The next 40 Days for Life campaign takes place from September 22 to October 31.  We pray in front of Planned Parenthood, 4201 W. Michigan Ave., on the public sidewalk.  Join with our brothers and sisters from area parishes to help end abortion in Kalamazoo. You can sign up by doing any of the following: Register online at https://www.40daysforlife.com/kalamazoo. Email  respectlife@stcatherinesiena.org. Call Joe Magalski at (989) 992-6085. Or, stop by the table in the Narthex after Masses on Sept 18/19. Our prayers and fasting make a difference.  Please consider signing up for one hour a week. St Catherine's main day is Wednesday. 

Dear Parishioners, I have heard from several of you how you have enjoyed viewing the pictures of the ongoing renovation project in Marian Hall. Every day we move another step or two closer to completion. We are taking regular progress photos that show our significant progress. As we continue construction, these are things that we can look forward to when the project is complete: new flooring in the kitchen and Marian Hall; a new commercial-grade freezer; a new commercial-grade dishwasher and separate space for dishwashing; a new icemaker; a new water heater; a new (washable) kitchen ceiling and LED light fixtures; new food prep areas; a new, larger kitchen storage area (already completed in 2019). Since the kitchen is now over 35 years old, we also needed to do some upgrades to meet the current building codes. This includes a hood over the stove: a new fire suppression system in the hood; upgrades to the fire alarm system and ventilation upgrades; and other building code requirements and plumbing code requirements for commercial-style kitchens. We also managed to stop the storm drain water overflow into the kitchen area that has been a problem for a number of years. None of these updates would be possible without the many special donations from individual parishioners and groups like the Knights of Columbus. Thank you for your help with making these renovations possible. When the work is complete, we are planning to have an open house to show off these renovations in the kitchen and Marian Hall before we open this area for use. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark

On this 20th Anniversary of 9/11, please click on the article title to read a reflection from Father Mark. May we never forget...

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus asks a key question of His disciples to learn if they really understood His teaching and healing, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter, speaking for the disciples, promptly answers, “You are the Christ.” It would seem the disciples finally understand that Jesus is the “Messiah”, the “Anointed One”, whose coming had long been foretold by the prophets. But did the disciples really understand what that truly meant? The answer is no they did not. They have not yet connected Jesus with the figure of the suffering servant in Isaiah. Peter is quickly rebuked by Jesus for confronting Him. Jesus tells His disciples they must accept that He must suffer, be killed and rise after three days. This was not Peter’s understanding of a Messiah. But Jesus tells His disciples they must transform their own lives to accept Him as a suffering Messiah and to follow Him: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loves his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.” It is not enough to just proclaim Jesus as the “Christ.” Jesus is trying to lead His disciples -and us now 2000 years later- to a deeper level of living and a deeper faith. We must bear our own crosses of humility and self-denial. We must become God’s humble servant and place our complete trust in Him, surrendering to the Father. This requires a total reordering of our priorities. No, it is not an easy journey but one to which each of us is called as faithful disciples of Christ. For more, please visit https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/sunday-connection/24th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-b-sunday-connection/

Did you know St. Catherine's parishioners have been delivering Meals on Wheels to people in Portage for more than 20 years? Several of our volunteers have delivered meals for the entire 20 years and would now like to retire. We have a GREAT need for new volunteers. Once every six weeks for two to three hours each time is all that is required. We need both drivers and "hoppers" who physically take the meals to the recipient's door. If you feel you might be able to help with this ministry or have questions, please contact Neil Klien at 269-352-8436 or Maribeth Stanley at 269-375-4972.

We are currently in urgent need of a volunteer to launder and iron the liturgical linens that are used at Mass for the month of September. This commitment involves washing the lavabo towels, purificators, corporals, palls, and the amice, and then ironing everything except the towels, once a week for one month out of the year. If you're interested in this ministry, please reach out to Marianne Verner in the Front Office (978-2340 or mverner@stcatherinesiena.org). God Bless you as you contemplate this ministry.

Do you need to donate items for St. Vincent de Paul? From time to time we are approached by phone, email, or in-person by one of our parishioners asking where to drop off clothing, shoes, small household items, bathroom items, throw rugs, curtains, etc. We do not collect these items at the church, but we DO have a drop-off location for you! The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store downtown (513 Eleanor Street in Kalamazoo, behind St. Augustine Cathedral) collects items Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. They welcome these items in good condition. All proceeds from the sale of these goods go to help the poor pay for their heat or power, helps to keep them from being evicted, or provides assistance with some relocations. Questions? Their phone number is 388-4544, and their website is https://www.svdpkzoo.org/ (or click on the article title). You can also visit the St. Vincent de Paul Society Kalamazoo Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/svdpkzoo. From time to time they will list badly needed items there. Please go visit them to drop off items or to purchase items to help support their ministry. Thank you.

Did You Know? In the Catholic Church, there are 7 Sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders. But, do you know why there are only 7 Sacraments? Click on the article title for a brief explanation from ChurchPOP!

Happy Labor Day! Our parish offices are closed today, but will reopen tomorrow, Tuesday, September 7th, at 9 am. We WILL have Daily Mass at 9:15 am in Trinity Chapel, but the building will be closed and locked after Mass. Have a wonderful holiday!

Dear Parishioners, I think many of us will welcome the fall season after all the different swings in weather we have had over the past few months. We have had a drought and then torrential rains/ flooding. We went from cool to hot and humid. Now we find ourselves on Labor Day weekend and what is considered the end of the summer. While taking a break from our labors on this holiday weekend, keep in your prayers those who are still struggling because of the effects of the pandemic and those finding it hard to make ends meet. Just a reminder for parents of school-aged children, please sign your children up for our Faith Formation classes, which begin in person next Sunday, September 12, for grades 1-5, as soon as possible. Late registration ends on Monday, September 20. Since I am working on my columns ahead of time to make all the bulletin deadlines, I am hoping that we were able to secure enough volunteer catechists to staff our classrooms. Because the COVID situation is continuing, we are giving priority to grades first through fifth, and then we will try to see if we can open classrooms for the younger ones (parents can put themselves on the waiting list). Also, for parents of youth who are looking for Confirmation, please contact Phil Dezern (pdezern@stcatherinesiena.org) to begin the process. All of this contact information and registration information can be found elsewhere in the bulletin. I hope you have been following the progress photos we have been posting in the Narthex and on Facebook. Next week I will have a more extensive explanation of what we can look forward to as we prepare to put this area back in service this fall. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark

This week's video might end up challenging you. Essential oils are everywhere and may seem harmless, but is using them for healing truly compatible with the Catholic-Christian faith? This weekend, we hear about Christ healing a deaf & mute man with His spit... Countless miracles occur due to the intercessory prayers of saints & their relics, pilgrimages to Marian Apparition sites, and through the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, so how do essential oils differ? Does their association with New Age philosophy and Eastern Spirituality really matter? After all, if they "work," does anything else really matter? These are just a few of countless important discussion questions surrounding the use of anything that is not directly tied to Christ, His life, and His legacy. Maybe you'll severely disagree with what I have to share that the Catholic Church teaches. Maybe essential oils are all you've found that work for your headaches, or to help you sleep... But I want to ask you: What do you think is more likely to help you reach Sainthood? Your reliance on Christ and learning to join your sufferings to His cross? Or your reliance on a "de-stress" essential oil blend? This isn't a "do or die" conversation. This is simply opening the door to a conversation you may not have had before... Perhaps challenging a view you've held without even wondering if it could contradict what the Church teaches. The discussion begins in today's video, so if you're interested, check it out, maybe take it to prayer, and then let us know your thoughts! Pax Christi, Ali-Marie To view this week's video, please click on the article title of visit https://youtu.be/2zEcDEaJmuM.