Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Kathy Upcoming Event, Weekly message

Someone once asked Charles Dickens what the best story in the English Language was, and his reply was ‘The Prodigal Son’. Today’s gospel has a message for all of us.

prodigalsonMan cannot live without forgiveness. We all have sometimes or the other “gone astray” and disobeyed God’s commandments. Though we are sinners we hope in the great mercy of God. That is the lesson of today’s Gospel.

We are surrounded by the evils that threatened our very existence. We are also a part of the evil that surrounds us. We multiply our sufferings through indifference and selfishness. At times we feel afraid and we realize our own helplessness. But Jesus says: “have no fear, I have overcome this world.” Thank God, the world is not lacking in people who sow peace, love and goodness; there are people who help us carry the cross, who accept us, who make us realize forgiveness. This gives us hope to begin anew.

 In contrast to the pagan gods our God is full of mercy and compassion. God’s mercy is sung 25 times in the Psalm 196: “The mercy of God is everlasting.” More than all the others, Luke’s gospel stresses mercy. Luke’s gospel can be called as ‘the Gospel of joyful mercy.’ The three parables illustrate it very clearly. – The Lost sheep (Lk 15: 4-7), The Lost coin (Lk 15: 8-10), The Prodigal Son (Lk 15 11:32).  These passages of mercy are highly recommended to us by the Church as resources for the Year of Mercy.

 The lesson we have to learn is simple: God loves us, we is precious to Him. By all means God wants to save man. “Found”, “returned”, “forgiven”, reconciled”: these are catch words of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Picnic – Thank You!

 thankyouMy gratitude to God for experiencing such a fantastic mass and picnic two weeks ago. We really enjoyed the wonderful, worship, food, and fellowship.  Thank you to everyone who helped make the Parish Picnic a success. Thank you to our parish community for your time, attendance and prayers. Without each and every one of you, our picnic would not be the success as it is each year.

 A special thank you to all who donated items to the food table: salads, fruit, baked pies, and desserts.  To those who donated kid’s prizes and music, thank you. Those who arranged the gym – tables and chairs, those who put in time behind the scenes and to the kitchen crew, to ALL who gave time, treasures and prayers especially our Parish Council and all the volunteers who worked so hard to make the day a success.

Thank you!
Fr. Henry

Fun Run/Walk and Spaghetti Dinner – September 18th

  • Reminder to Runners/Walkers – Please note the new packet pick up times
    Runners and Walkers don’t forget to pick up your “packet” on Friday, September 16th  3:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m., Saturday, September 17th 9:00 a.m.—11:00 a.m. or Sunday,  September 18th from 10:00 a.m.  – 1:00 p.m. in the School Meeting Room.  At these time we are accepting walk-ins for the race. 
  • Spaghetti Dinner -If you are interested in attending the dinner only, We would appreciate it if you please submit a registration form. However, walk-ins will be Welcome. 
  • Honor Guard Needed – We are looking for active servicemen and women who are serving in the armed forces, reserves or any veterans to participate in the Honor Guard at the Fun Run. Please call Bonnie at 313-532-4394 to participate.
  • Bake Sale – Our 8th graders are sponsoring a bake sale at the Fun Run dinner. If you would like to donate a baked good, they would appreciate it! The monies raised will help with their graduation expenses. You may drop off your goodies at the Gym on Saturday or Sunday morning.

Thank you.

Mercy, Poor at Center of Blessed Teresa’s Canonization—September 4, 2016

Kathy Weekly message
 Mother Teresa  Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 to an ethnic Albanian family in Skopje, in what is now part of Macedonia, Mother Teresa went to India as a Sister of Loreto in 1929. Receiving what she described as a “call within a call,” she began her missionary work with the poor and laid the foundation for what would become the Missionaries of Charity.

Known as the “saint of the gutters,” Mother Teresa was revered for ministering to the sick and the dying in some of the world’s poorest neighborhoods.  Following her death in 1997, St. John Paul II waived the usual five-year waiting period and allowed the opening of the process to declare her sainthood. She was beatified in 2003.

 The date of Mother Teresa’s canonization will coincide with the conclusion of the Year of Mercy pilgrimage for workers and ministers engaged in works of mercy.

Copyright (c) 2016 Catholic News Service.
Reprinted with permission from CNS.
www.catholicnews.com

 Archbishop Vigneron will say Mass for the Canonization of St. Teresa of Calcutta today, September 4th at 11 am at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.

 Mass of Anointing—September 24th

St. Valentine parish is offering an opportunity to receive the “Sacrament of Anointing” during our regular 5:00pm Mass on Saturday – September 24th.

 This is a sacrament appropriate for anyone whose health is seriously impaired by sickness, advanced age, or the danger of death. It should be considered by people who are seriously ill, whether at home, in hospitals or in nursing homes; seriously sick children who are old enough to experience the sacramental benefits; individuals about to undergo surgery when a serious illness is the reason for the having the surgery; elderly people, suffering the maladies of old age; and all individuals who are chronically ill or permanently disabled.

 So, if you see yourself, or a family member, in any of the descriptions above, we encourage you to attend this Mass. All you need do is:

CALL THE PARISH OFFICE AT (313) 532-4394 TO REGISTER YOUR NAME NO LATER THEN WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st.

 Remember, part of God’s plan for each of us is that we should fight strenuously against all sickness and carefully seek the blessings of good health. This special Mass, with the Sacrament of Anointing, provides an opportunity to do just that.

St. Valentine Worship Commission

Welcome Rev. Linus Nangwele

Kathy Uncategorized
We welcome Rev. Linus Nangwele to our parish today. Rev. Nangwele serves as the U.S. Mission Coordinator for the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom in Ghana, West Africa.

 

ciboriaStacking Ciboria       

 On behalf of St. Valentine Parish, we would like extend a very special thank you to Shirley, Janet, Patrick, Robert, Daniel and Susan Zimmerman for their donation of four very beautiful gold Ciboria. These four Stacking Ciboria were donated in memory of William (Bill) Zimmerman, their husband and father. We thank the Zimmerman’s for their generosity. God bless you.

 

 

Parish Picnic Next Sunday!  Mass at Noon in Church—Picnic in the School Gym!  Come one, Come all!!!

 Everyone is invited to our Parish Picnic next Sunday, August 28th. We are grateful to our Men’s Club for providing the meat and corn on the cob. We would appreciate if you could bring a dish to share. There will be at least 100 people at the picnic, so please bring enough to feed approximately 15-20 people.

 Those who bring a dish will automatically be entered into a raffle to win a nice prize!

We changed things up a bit for those donating dishes.

· Last names A-G—Desserts or Fruits

· Last names H-O—Appetizers or Dips

· Last names P-Z—Salads—Greens, Pasta, Coleslaw, etc.

 

If you could drop off your dish at the food table prior to the noon Mass that will help our organizers get the food ready in a timely fashion. We will have a 50/50 raffle and games for the kids. We hope to see everyone! Any questions, feel free to see one of our Parish Council members.

Do you have patience? Do you like to wait?

Kathy Weekly message

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Do you have patience? Do you like to wait?

When you enter a waiting room at the railway station or at the airport you find people waiting. Some are chatting with their friends, some on their cell phones or reading books, others are busy with something else. Some pass time, others use it. But one thing is true. Time is precious, once it is gone it never comes back; so it is sad to waste it. Jesus confirms it in today’s Gospel. What he says is not simply a warning. He asks us to be ready to meet the Lord. He asks us to have patience.

Every Christian waits. But we do not live ‘like men waiting for their master to return.’ In our concrete situations we ignore the coming of the Lord, rather forget it, we take it for granted that His coming is a future event, on some ‘last day.’ Sometimes we think our waiting is in vain, our faith an empty dream. We ignore that the readiness to meet the Lord has to be an everyday concern. But the Gospel encourages us; it tells us that the kingdom of God is already yours, no one can take it away from you. God has promised and he will fulfill it to the end.

We on our part are reminded to change our life-style. We have to keep our lamps burning; our faith must shine. How? The Gospel replies: “Sell your belongings and give alms” (Lk: 33-34). Your waiting should not discourage you but make you more yearning towards the Lord.

The parable demands of us to be ‘prepared’ to meet the Lord. It is better to live in readiness to receive Him even when he is late to come than to be caught unexpected. For he may come like a ‘thief in the night.’ So it helps us to respect the responsibilities and make life meaningful. The Lord helps us to be ready for the Him till he comes so that we may be counted among those to whom he said: “Happy are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at the table and wait on them.” That means, Jesus not only fulfills his promise, but also rewards our faithful waiting.

 Fr. Henry Rebello SAC

 

Vacation Time and Announcement

frsocorro2 As it was already announced, I will be going home for my vacation from August 10 to September 6, 2016. Even though the Redford Daily Mass summer schedule will officially end on August 26, but at St. Valentine and Our Lady of Loretto we will continue with the summer schedule till I return on September 6. So we will begin our regular schedule from September 8 onwards. Thanks for allowing us to do this and thanks for your patience. As I spend some time away from the regular schedule, I ask you to keep me in your prayers as I assure you the same from my part.

And for those of you who were not there to listen to the announcement last Sunday – I am assigned to be the Pastor for a term of 6 years beginning July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2022. I am happy to continue serving you as I have received a lot of support and encouragement from you. And with God’s blessings I know we can do a lot better in the years to come. I thank the Archbishop for placing his trust in me and entrusting me the care of both the parishes for another term.

God Bless us all.

Fr. Socorro