Dear Parishioners,
May is always a fast-paced month. Not only is this month devoted to our Blessed Mother, but it is also a month that has First Communions, ordinations, the celebration of Pentecost, graduations, Memorial Day weekend, and many other activities. Sometimes it’s even a little hard to keep track of where we need to be!
Our first group of students will be celebrating their First Holy Communion this weekend at the 9 a.m. Mass. A second group will be celebrating their reception of this Sacrament on the 17th of May. As our students receive this Sacrament, please keep them in your prayers.
One of our seminarians will be celebrating his ordination to the diaconate on May 16th. God willing, Hector Albeiro Saldarriaga Cadavid will be taking his final step towards priesthood as he becomes a transitional deacon. Seminarians spend those final months before their priesthood ordination as a transitional deacon to help them gain experience as they serve the Church before priesthood ordination. If you remember some of the literature from our Bishop’s Annual Appeal, you would have noticed that a portion of what is collected every year goes to support and educate our seminarians as they prepare to enter a life of service to the people of our diocese.
As the calendar turns to May, we also find ourselves in the final weeks of the Easter season. These weeks of Easter should remind us of how we are to live our faith and become better disciples of the Lord. As the disciples realized what it meant to become an apostle after that first Easter Sunday, we also learn each year how to live our faith more fully and hopefully lead those around us closer to Christ.
Speaking of the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, as we are now several weeks into this appeal, I hope that you have had a chance to prayerfully consider a gift to support the work of the Church throughout the Diocese of Kalamazoo. As the apostles witnessed with their own eyes how the Lord allowed the Church to grow throughout their missionary work, we have this opportunity to continue to support the mission of the Church and help it to grow throughout Western Michigan. This appeal touches the life of every parish in our diocese and helps us to appreciate how we can work together as the Church in its mission to proclaim the Gospel. A special thank you to all those who have already pledged and given to BAA 2026.
So many things are happening this May. Throughout this month, may we intercede our Lady so that she will also bless the Church and help our faith grow! Thanks for reading!
Fr. Mark