Dear Parishioners, As I promised in last week’s column, we will begin to let you know how some of our customs and practices will be different during this upcoming Lent. But before we get to Lent, we will talk about the feast of St. Blaise this coming week on February 3. Due to the pandemic, the Daily Mass on the feast day will be the only Mass that we will give the blessing. It will also be a general blessing over the congregation as we can not use the St. Blaise candles this year to bless individuals. But what about Ash Wednesday? How am I going to receive my ashes? This also will take a different form this year. In the United States, we are used to the ashes being imposed on our foreheads in the shape of the Cross. The Holy Father has suggested that during this time of pandemic the ashes be sprinkled upon the person’s head. This is the normal custom in Europe and elsewhere in the world on Ash Wednesday. Also, the prayer that is said when a person receives ashes will only be said once as the ashes are blessed. This will provide everyone a safe and contactless reception of ashes so that everyone can begin the season of Lent. When things get back to “normal,” then these familiar customs will resume. Our Catholic Schools kick off their annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week today. Some of the activities and things that were often done during Catholic Schools Week are going to be postponed for a year or so. As we reach this half-way point in the school year, our Catholic Schools also start looking at the next school year. For more information about our Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo, which St. Catherine’s is a participating parish community, please go to http://www.csgk.org. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark

We are extremely grateful for the support of parishioners during the past year as we faced unique challenges created by the pandemic. The parish responded generously to maintain St. Catherine’s operations and preserve its financial position. Please click on the article title to read our Semi-Annual Parish Financial Update for more detailed information on our financial status. Please contact Alan DeMars at [email protected] or Father Mark at [email protected] with any questions, concerns, or if you would like greater detail.

As a Church, we pray for one another that the Lord continue to bless, guide, strengthen, and console us. One incredibly beautiful and ancient way we can pray for someone is to have a Mass offered for that person. It is a holy and devout practice to have Masses offered for a loved one, living or deceased. Masses may be offered on any day, but many offer them on a birthday, anniversary, or for a special need. To learn more about Mass Intentions, or to schedule a Mass Intention online, visit our website at https://stcatherinesiena.org/massintentions. Please click on the article title to see the Mass Intentions for January 30 - February 7, 2021.

Consider supporting your parish by purchasing a lasting and permanent dedication to a loved one or yourself. By acquiring your own brick, you will be placing a lasting memory around the fountain at our entrance of St. Catherine of Siena Church. For more information, please contact our Front Office at [email protected] or 327-5165.

Paula White, our Parish Nurse, recently attended a conference call with the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Service Staff regarding COVID-19 Vaccine distribution. Please click on the title of this article to read her letter with a summary of the call and information on who is eligible for the vaccine now and how to sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

If you have the desire to help others from your own home, please join our team of Prayer Heroes on our St. Catherine’s Prayer Line! They are a dedicated team of women and men who wish to pray for the needs of others – and to pray for YOU. If you would like to join our Prayer Heroes team, or if you have a prayer request, please contact our confidential prayer line at [email protected] or call 327-5165. We have a team of prayer heroes waiting to pray for you and/or your concerns.

Dear Parishioners, I have often said that as a priest, one thinks about things and looks at the world differently. As soon as the New Year celebrations wrap up, most priests, especially those who are Pastors, start to think about Lent. Now don’t get too concerned. Lent doesn’t start for another three weeks. But one of the reasons that I am starting to write to you about these aspects is that some things about Lent will be a little different this year. It’s something that we have come to expect in this past year: Things will be different. The Bishop has just put out an updated set of guidelines for the parishes to use in the upcoming season of Lent and also for the celebration of the Sacraments for those who are becoming Catholic at Easter. As the Bishop referred to it, this is Plan A. Of course, we all know what happened last year during the season of Lent: Our plans changed overnight when we were shut down and had to stay home. We are hoping and praying that this doesn’t happen again to us this Lent! As far as the safety and cleaning things we do at St. Catherine’s, as well as capacity, none of these things will change. This will continue to be with us for a while. For the most part, we will only see some changes to how we do a few things during the Lenten season. I will meet with my staff and our priests to finalize our own schedules and the virtual Lenten talks we plan to offer. We will be publishing the Ash Wednesday Mass schedule and the schedule for the Stations of the Cross soon. My columns over the next few weeks and other parish media outlets will explain these things in greater detail. Stay tuned for all these updates. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark

As a Church, we pray for one another that the Lord continue to bless, guide, strengthen, and console us. One incredibly beautiful and ancient way we can pray for someone is to have a Mass offered for that person. It is a holy and devout practice to have Masses offered for a loved one, living or deceased. Masses may be offered on any day, but many offer them on a birthday, anniversary, or for a special need. To learn more about Mass Intentions, or to schedule a Mass Intention online, visit our website at https://stcatherinesiena.org/massintentions. Please click on the article title to see the Mass Intentions for January 23-31, 2021.

On Monday, Bishop Bradley published a video update with information on the coming Lenten season, Spring Confirmations, and more. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/e0NDYOxcd0s or just click on the article title.

Our Music Director, Tricia, is back from her leave after having surgery in November. She is doing well and glad to be back at the Parish. Read about her recovery in her letter to the Parish; click on the article title to view the letter or visit https://bit.ly/TriciaUpdateJan2021. Welcome back, Tricia!

Cleaning out your closets, drawers, and files in the New Year? You can recycle your newspapers, catalogs, magazines, junk mail, phone books, office/school paper, and hard and softcover books by dropping them off in the green Paper Gator bins next to the maintenance shed on the west side of the parking lot. Please do not put cardboard in the Paper Gator bins. For a complete list of what is and is not accepted in our Paper Gator bins, please click on the article title. Thank you for recycling!

New! We have a "Text to Give" option at the Parish through Vanco. Click on the article title to check out our flyer for more information. Email Al DeMars at [email protected] or Linda Reaume at [email protected] with any questions.

Dear Parishioners, Some people are still finding it hard to believe that the priests of St. Catherine’s are out there in the parking lot (in all weather) to hear confessions from 11:00 am until Noon. Most of the Saturdays, we have been pretty lucky. However, you might find us on some weeks sitting in our cars in between confessions, staying warm and out of the wind. Hopefully, no blizzard conditions will happen on a Saturday this year! We will continue Drive-In confessions until further notice or basically until health conditions improve, possibly later in the year. It’s hard to believe that just one year ago, we were just starting to hear some news about something called a pandemic. No one realized how much it would change all of our lives here and around the world. Your priests continue to pray for you and for all who are fighting this illness. But as it took a long time for us to plan what Christmas was going to look like, we are also starting to plan, with diocesan guidance, what Lent will look like this year. More to come on this later. This time of year is also when everyone starts thinking about taxes. We have been working on the 2020 donation statements in our business office. Once again, I would like to offer my thanks and gratitude for the financial support that the Parish has received in 2020. It was indeed a very difficult year to manage things, but we were able to make the cuts we needed and “right sized” our expenses to match to our income. Besides our Sunday envelopes and online giving, we have been able to add a “Text to Give” service. If you are interested in this, we have more information in this week's bulletin or by any of the collection boxes in Church. Your support has indeed been a blessing! Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark

As a Church, we pray for one another that the Lord continue to bless, guide, strengthen, and console us. One incredibly beautiful and ancient way we can pray for someone is to have a Mass offered for that person. It is a holy and devout practice to have Masses offered for a loved one, living or deceased. Masses may be offered on any day, but many offer them on a birthday, anniversary, or for a special need. To learn more about Mass Intentions, or to schedule a Mass Intention online, visit our website at https://stcatherinesiena.org/massintentions. Please click on the article title to see the Mass Intentions for January 16-24, 2021.

Formerly a seminarian and deacon at St. Ann in Augusta, Fr. David Pinto was ordained by Bishop Bradley in the newly renovated St. Augustine Cathedral on December 19, 2020. Fr. Pinto will serve as Associate Pastor at St. Philip Parish in Battle Creek. To read more about his road to the priesthood see this article at http://bit.ly/FrPintoOrdained.

Boy Scout Troop 255, chartered by St. Catherine’s, is proud to announce Alex Conway and Nathan Cochran have attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest possible achievement for a member of the Boy Scouts of America. The award was conferred by BSA Troop 255 Scoutmaster Steve McNeil. For his Service Project, an Eagle Scout requirement, Alex demonstrated leadership through the construction of replacement benches for the waterfront area of Pretty Lake Camp. Nathan led a donation drive and toy creation benefiting the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Many current and former Scouts and parent volunteers assisted in both projects. Both Alex and Nathan are students at Portage Central High School. Less than four percent of Scouts attain the rank of Eagle, and those who do are expected to set an example for other Scouts and to become the leaders in life that they have demonstrated themselves to be in Scouting fulfilling their duty to God. They are highly represented in the military, service academies, higher education and academia, and in business, politics, and the clergy. For more information about Troop 255, please contact Paul Franz at [email protected]. 

Please consider joining us for Daily Mass during the week. We have Daily Mass Monday through Friday at 9:15 am in Marian Hall (no Daily Mass on Saturdays). Please note that only the Marian Hall entrance will be unlocked for Daily Mass. Doors open at 8:45 am. Please wear a mask and bring hand sanitizer with you for use prior to Communion and throughout Mass as needed. Thank you!

Dear Parishioners, We always look forward to Christmas, and then it seems the Christmas season ends too quickly. The beautiful Christmas decorations come down and are stored away for another year. But we get to enjoy them all for one final Sunday - the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. At this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we have another sign from God that this is His Son. The Heavens open, the Holy Spirit comes down in the form of a dove, and a voice is heard: “You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased.” In case anyone missed this fact at the birth of Jesus, it is confirmed for the world once again. As “Ordinary Time” begins, remember to keep Jesus in your heart. For He will help us, no matter what we will face, in the days and months ahead of us. But with the faith and hope that has been renewed in us during this Christmas season, we begin the year with faith in Him. Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark

Introducing St. Catherine's newest Ministry to promote a Culture of Life: Respect Life Ministry. Learn more about them on our website at http://stcatherinesiena.org/respect-life or click on the article title to view their informational flyer!

We would like to extend a warm welcome St. Catherine's welcome to all our new members for the month of December 2020. We're glad you're part of our St. Catherine's Family. Please click on the article title to view the list of new members for December 2020.