Reconciliation Opportunities
Wednesday Evenings - 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. through March 31
 
Friday, March 5 & March 19 from noon-1:00 p.m.
 
Saturday Afternoons - 3:00 - 4:10 p.m. through March 27
 
Diocesan Wide Reconciliation, “The Light Is On For You” - Thursday, March 18 from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. St. Mary’s will participate.
 
Good Friday, April 2 from 10 a.m. - 12 noon
 
Adoration & Holy Hour
Monday mornings at 8:00 a.m.
 
Stations of the Cross-Virtual Posted Online by 5:00 p.m.
Friday’s during Lent February19 through March 26
 
Vespers and Adoration Holy Hour
Sunday from 6-7:00 p.m. February 21-March 28
 
 
Holy Week
 
Holy Thursday, April 01, 7:00 p.m.
Mass of the Lord’s Supper
 
The Chapel of Repose (at the east end of the Activity Center) will be open following Mass for Adoration until 11:00 p.m.
No morning Mass on Holy Thursday or Good Friday
 
Good Friday, April 02
Stations of the Cross 12 noon
 
Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion @ 3:00 p.m.
 
Holy Saturday, April 03
Blessing of the Baskets 10:00 a.m.
 
Easter Vigil, April 03, 9:00 p.m.
Easter Vigil begins with the Service of Light
 
 
Easter Sunday, April 04, 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Mass of the Lord’s Resurrection

​Employment Opportunity!
Saint Mary’s Church is seeking a full-time Custodian to perform maintenance and custodial duties.  To view the full job description please click HERE. Submit an employment application found HERE to Maribeth Lawrence at the parish office.

 

The Diocese of Grand Rapids’ Office of Communications relays the following statement from
Bishop David J. Walkowiak marking the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States on
Monday:

The anger and violence that is rippling across our country is a direct result of a lack of justice, love and peace. Sadly, once again and far too often, racism: institutional racism, cultural racism, personal racism is why this deficiency exists. Following a year where we have become more aware of the mark racism has left on our society, we reflect on the legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who encouraged Americans to stand up for equality, justice, and peace – the message of the Gospel. He showed us that it is possible to fight for what we believe in, in a non-violent way. Almost 60 years later, Dr. King’s words still remind us of where we are as a country, “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time (Yes) (Now) to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment.” (Dr. King, I Have a Dream speech, Aug. 1963)

We are disciples of Christ. We are citizens of God's kingdom of justice, love and peace. Those are not mere words. We cannot remain silent and indifferent to injustice, hatred and violence directed at any member of our human family. Acts and attitudes of racism are sinful. They reveal a failure, a failure to acknowledge the value and dignity of the persons who are subjected to this evil; failure to see in each one of them the brother or sister that Christ calls us to love.
Let us use this day to pray for a genuine conversion of heart, to complete an act of kindness for a stranger, or to say an extra prayer for peace in our world as we commemorate the life of Dr. King.

The Diocese of Grand Rapids serves 175,114 Catholics, 80 parishes and 31 schools in an 11-county area of West Michigan. For
additional information visit our website www.grdiocese.org. Connect with the diocese on Facebook (Diocese of Grand Rapids),
Twitter (@GRDiocese), and Instagram (@GRDiocese).

December 25, 2020
 
Dear Friends in Christ,
 
Rejoice! Our Savior is born! I wish you glad tidings on this holiest and exultant day. While our Christmas celebration looks very different this year, Christmas is not canceled. No pandemic can cancel the light, hope, and salvation that our Savior brings.
 
“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the
world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1: 9-14)
 
That light reveals Good News. The birth of Jesus is God’s gift to us. We do not earn or deserve such a Savior, but we can accept this sheer gift of divine love with joy! The gift of salvation, the gift of faith, is not an inactive or passive thing. Faith is above all a relationship with a personal God, one that is meant to be both treasured and shared. Every relationship calls for a response, for an exchange of attentiveness and ongoing interest, and even love.
 
The first response we can make to God’s gift of Himself is authentic gratitude. From gratitude can arise the conviction that we want to live in harmony with the wisdom of God and Jesus’ example of selfless love. No better commandment can be found than the Great Commandment that Jesus taught: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and our neighbor as ourselves. This time of pandemic has brought us examples of this selfless love. We have witnessed how lovingly our doctors, nurses, and health care workers have cared for the sick and dying; people have increased their donations to food pantries and other charities to help those in need; people have run errands for their neighbors who may not safely leave the house. There are also the many acts that go unnoticed day to day.
 
Christmas is about who makes these acts of love possible: Jesus Christ. He has redeemed us from the self-centeredness that pulls us toward sin. He enables us to live his life in the world, making the gift of his love present to our time and place.
 
I encourage you to view the diocesan website (grdiocese.org) and social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) for Christmas resources and to stay connected to your faith and what is happening in the diocese. During this Christmas season, let us reflect on God’s unsurpassable love, and through our actions share our joy that Jesus, the Savior of the world, is born.
 
Sincerely yours in Christ,
 Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak
Bishop of Grand Rapids

Our next Blood Drive will be on January 3, 2021. At this time all appointment times for this drive are filled.  As a reminder you must sign up for the drives, there are no standing reservations. If you haven’t signed up yet for March 7, 2021 drive please contact Chris Jarvis at 616 402-1598 or you may do so on line at www.redcrossblood.org.

Please mark your calendars for the following Blood Drives for 2021: Sunday, January 3, March 7, May 16, July 11, September 12, and November 7, 2021.