On May 21, 2021, Pope Francis announced that the Synod of Bishops, postponed due to the pandemic, will be preceded by a synodal process that includes "listening to all of the baptized" in every local diocese before the bishops gather again in 2023. In preparation for this meeting, the Diocese of Kalamazoo plans to bring people together over the next several months to discuss the process and how all of us can be involved, starting with a Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral on Sunday, October 17th, at 11:30 am. Following the Mass, there will be presentations about the process and how you can be involved. For more information about the process in our Diocese, please click on the article title to see the flyer. To read more about the "Synodal Process", please read the article from Southwest Michigan Catholic here: https://www.swmcatholic.org/news/special-report-pope-francis-announces-synodal-process-will-begin-in-october.

Did You Know? Have you ever wondered what a "Patron Saint" is? Do you know who your Patron Saint is? Please click on the article title for a great article from uCatholic that gives an excellent explanation of Patron Saints - what they are, how they "become" Patron Saints, and more!

Our Primetimers group will meet this coming Monday, October 4th, at 11:15 am at Martell's Restaurant (3501 Greenleaf Blvd, Kalamazoo, MI 49008) for our monthly lunch. St. Catherine Primetimers are people 55 years and older, and their friends who meet on the 1st Monday of the month for lunch at one of the area restaurants. Each person picks up their own bill. Questions? Please contact Paula White at 330-3762 or [email protected].

Alternatives of Kalamazoo is in desperate need of size 5 and 6 diapers. If you can help/donate, please drop the diapers off at Alternatives of Kalamazoo (4200 W. Michigan Ave, Suite 100, Kalamazoo). Their office is open Monday through Friday from 10 am until 4 pm. Questions? Please contact Alternatives of Kalamazoo: 269-345-1740. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can give!

If you haven't already done so, consider checking out the many resources available for the continued celebration of the Jubilee Year of the Holy Spirit during the month of September here: https://diokzoo.org/holy-spirit-sept. Please click on the article title to see the full post from the Diocese of Kalamazoo Facebook page.

The 40 Days for Life campaign continues through October 31. Please prayerfully consider joining the St. Catherine Respect Life Ministry, to participate in prayer and fasting to end abortion. Join and pray with us on the public sidewalk of Planned Parenthood, to help end abortion in Kalamazoo. To register or for more information, please visit the 40 Days for Life website (https://www.40daysforlife.com/kalamazoo), or email ([email protected]) or call (989- 992-6085) Joe Magalski.

If you've ever felt disconnected from your faith when you're going through a rough patch, how have you handled it? Check out this article from Busted Halo for some tips on embracing your faith when it seems hard.

Do you love pop? Well, we love the cans! Please bring your cans and bottles to church (collection will be outside the building) on Sunday, October 3 for the pop can drive, led by our Moms of Preschoolers (MOPS). We'll accept any cans, plastic bottles, or glass bottles with a deposit! Any questions? Contact Deb Dozeman at [email protected] or 327-3441.

Come make a difference and join our local LIFE CHAIN. Come join us next Sunday, October 3, from 2:30 to 3:30 pm to pray for the end of legalized abortion and the end of innocent unborn lives. The Portage/Kalamazoo LIFE CHAIN takes place along S Westnedge, and St Catherine's location is on the southwest corner of Milham and S. Westnedge. For questions, email [email protected] or call Joe Magalski at (989) 992-6085.

Dear Parishioners, Our fall classes, Faith Formation, Bible Studies, and RCIA have all started. It’s nice to have everything back in person versus what we were forced to do during the early days of the pandemic. But we are still doing everything we can to keep everyone safe and healthy on our campus. As we have brought all these things back, some of the groups may notice that they are in different locations. During the past few months, our staff had an opportunity to look at how our facilities were used and we decided to make better use of our buildings. For example, the meeting rooms and spaces in the Stanley Centre are now being utilized more for parish group meetings and activities. We also had to take a hard look at which groups actually belonged to the parish and which groups did not have a parish affiliation. It’s only natural that our liturgical schedule (Masses, funerals, weddings) and faith instruction for children and adults should have first priority followed by groups that are sponsored by St. Catherine’s. Groups that previously asked to use our facilities but were not from our parish, or a bona fide parish activity, have not been given priority over our parish groups. This has freed spaces to accommodate our parish groups in a better way. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we have made these adjustments. Of course, everyone is waiting for the renovations and construction to finish on Marian Hall and the parish kitchen. Every week we get a little closer to this goal, but we are not there yet. There are always delays in construction projects. In the meantime, our donut crews have come up with “donuts to go” after the Sunday morning Masses. These are not our homemade donuts, but Sweetwater donuts we had to purchase as a temporary measure. Our donut crews will be standing by and will be ready when construction is completed! Thanks for reading! Fr. Mark

Don't forget - Bishop Bradley will celebrate Mass with the Institution to Ministry of Lector for deacon candidates in their fifth year of formation (including our own candidate, Doran Lefaive) at 10:00 am tomorrow, Saturday, September 25 at St. Augustine Cathedral (542 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007). All are welcome to attend Mass in support of our candidates as they continue their journey. To learn more about the Permanent Diaconate, please visit https://diokzoo.org/permanent-diaconate.

This Sunday's first reading from the Old Testament and Mark’s Gospel share a very important theme that is as relevant today as it was to the ancient Israelites and the early Christian community. In the first reading, Moses is urged by Joshua to stop two elders from prophesying because they were absent when the Lord sent His Spirit on the other 70 elders. Joshua was saying these two were not “righteous” and therefore should be stopped. Prophesying in this sense did not mean foretelling of the future but proclaiming with great enthusiasm one’s exaltation and love of the Lord. Moses rebukes Joshua for jealousy, saying it would be great if all the people of the Lord were prophets. In the Gospel, a similar scenario unfolds. Jesus is told by John that the disciples tried to stop someone driving out demons in the name of Jesus. Like Moses, Jesus rebukes John telling him that the man should not be stopped because he’s performing a mighty deed in the name of Jesus. Jesus says that even someone who just gives another a cup of water will be rewarded. Both scripture passages highlight the danger of exclusion, intolerance, and jealousy. The followers of Moses and of Jesus viewed these “outsiders” as not one of “them” as they were acting and speaking incorrectly. Yet both Moses and Jesus reminded these critics that God sometimes looks at things differently and works through these “outsiders” too. God was sending His Spirit to them also as they performed faithful and righteous deeds. They were not to be excluded because God was leading them on a different path. Still, today, how many times do we immediately dismiss or exclude others because they do not follow the path or journey of faith that we think is right? The scripture message is clear that what flows from the heart - through the work of the Holy Spirit- is what matters, not what we may personally judge as proper and acceptable practices. How can we help heal divisions, even within our own Catholic faithful? Read more about this Sunday's scripture at https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/sunday-connection/26h-sunday-in-ordinary-time-b-sunday-connection.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (aka Padre Pio), one of the most extraordinary saints in Church history (Sept 23). An Italian Capuchin priest, he suffered joyful penance - as a "stigmatist" for fifty years (1918-1968), during which time he wrote tens of thousands of letters, and heard well over a million confessions. St. Padre Pio, pray for us!

We are so happy to welcome our Children's Faith Formation students back to in-person classes this year! We had a very successful start to in-person classes last week! Thank you to our catechists, students, and parents for complying with all our new safety guidelines for the classrooms. We hope all our students have a fun, safe year learning about the Catholic faith! Remember, late registration for 2021-2022 Children's Faith Formation classes ended on September 20. We regret we can no longer accept new students at this time. Thank you for your understanding!

Calling All Snowbirds! If you are planning to be away from home for a period of time during the winter months, please contact the Front Office (269-327-5165 or [email protected]) to let us know the dates you will depart and return. For us to stop or forward Sunday collection envelopes or church correspondence, we need to update our Church database software and notify our envelope provider well in advance. Thank you in advance for your help, and enjoy your time in the south!

All Widowed Men & Women are Invited to the 5th Annual Widowed Friends Mass with Bishop Bradley. This special Mass will be held on Monday, October 11th, 2021, at 4:00 pm at St. Augustine Cathedral in Kalamazoo. A small reception will follow in the Crowley Center. For more information, please contact Socorro Truchan at 269-349-8714 ext. 1112 or email: [email protected].

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, please contact the Front Office ([email protected] or 269-327-5165). If you have a prayer request, please fill out the confidential prayer request form on our website (https://stcatherinesiena.org/prayerrequest), 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.

The next 40 Days for Life campaign takes place from September 22 to October 31. Please prayerfully consider joining the St. Catherine Respect Life Ministry, to participate in prayer and fasting to end abortion. Join and pray with us on the public sidewalk of Planned Parenthood, to help end abortion in Kalamazoo. To register or for more information, please visit the 40 Days for Life website (https://www.40daysforlife.com/kalamazoo), or email ([email protected]) or call (989- 992-6085) Joe Magalski.

This coming Saturday, September 25th, at 10 am, at St. Augustine Cathedral, Bishop Bradley will celebrate Mass with the Institution to Ministry of Lector for deacon candidates in their fifth year of formation, including Doran Lefaive, a member of St Catherine of Siena parish and deacon candidate. We offer our congratulations to Doran and his wife, Tammy, and their family! All are welcome to attend this Mass in support of our deacon candidates as they continue their journey. Deacons are one of three major orders of the sacrament of holy orders (the others are priests and bishops). Deacons may officiate at baptisms, weddings and funerals, read the Gospel and preach at Mass, and help with the canonical process for marriage and baptism, but one of their greatest priorities is service to the poor and marginalized. The wives of the deacon candidates are an integral part of the diaconate program. They support their husbands through prayer, sacrifice, and by assuming added duties of home and family. “The lector is instituted to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture, with the exception of the Gospel. He may also announce the intentions for the Universal Prayer and, in the absence of a psalmist, recite the Psalm between the readings” (GIRM #99). Congratulations, Doran! Your St. Catherine's family is praying for you and your family!

Have you signed up for one of next week's Youth Faith Formation (YFF) meetings yet? Options are 3:30-4:45 pm or 6:15-7:30 pm next Sunday, September 26th, in the Stanley Centre. Also, save the dates - YFF will meet for a movie retreat on Saturday, October 9th, from 12:30-4:45 pm and for 2 YFF sessions (3:30-4:45 pm or 6:15-7:30 pm) on Sunday, October 10th. All activities are open to Grades 6-12! Contact Phil Dezern ([email protected] or 616-633-0994) today to reserve your spot on September 26, October 9th, or October 10th!