Just added!!! Vigil Mass for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 7pm Friday, December 7, 2018. There will also be Mass at 8:30 am on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 8:30am.

Saturday, December 8th is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a Holy Day of Obligation Mass will be offered at 8:30 am. Normally for a Holy Day, there are three Masses, but due to Adoration on Friday and the regular Vigil Mass at 5:00 pm on Saturday, there will only be one Holy Day Mass.

Once again Bill Shurtliff has generously donated a stack of his beautiful 2019 U of M/Ann Arbor calendars, featuring his original watercolor drawings, to our parish. The suggested donation is $5.00 with 100% of the money going to our parish! This is the perfect gift for the U of M fan on your Christmas list or for your home or office. These calendars will be available in the vestibule of the church beginning November 25th. Please put your donations in a plain envelope marked “Calendar Fundraiser” and put it in the collection basket or bring it to the parish office.

This year we are partnering with Our Lady of Fatima and St. Rita’s for our ‘Spreading the Fire’ retreat on November 17th. The event, including the lock-in will be held at Fatima. Cost is $10. Please contact Monica for registration forms.

The residents of the St. Louis Center Aktion Club design and sell a Christmas Card each year to raise funds to support children in third world countries that are dying because they lack access to tetanus shots. Since so many people have helped SLC residents over the years they take great pride in being able to help others. They will be present following Masses the weekend of December 1st-2nd.

The Knights of Columbus would like to invite all parishioners to honor deceased members of Council 4354 at All Souls’ Day Mass. A special Mass in their honor will be held on Monday, November 5th at 7 pm where names of deceased members will be read. The names will also be read at the All Soul’s Day Mass at 8:30 am on Friday, November 2nd for those parishioners who cannot attend the November 5th Mass. If any Parishioner or community member is in need of assistance in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the KofC or call Grand Knight Jim Burch at 517-240-3406. The KofC’s purpose is to help those in our community thru Charity, Faith, Fraternalism and Patriotism. For more information about the KofC please check out our new website: http:// kofcknights.org/CouncilSite/ index.asp?CNO=4354

If you did not get an order form in last week’s bulletin for the the Wreath Sale, there are order forms in the church lobby. We will be taking orders until Sunday, November 11th. Besides wreaths, we also offer centerpieces, grave blankets, grave pillows, and easels for the wreaths. Please put your prepaid order in the collection basket or the labeled box in the lobby.

The Diocese of Lansing is inviting all women to the annual Women’s Conference on Saturday, November 3rd. The day includes Adoration, Confession, shopping, spiritual talks by Fr. Chris Alar, MIC and Kelly Wahlquist of ‘Women in the New Evangelization. Your registration also includes lunch and the day ends with the Vigil Mass celebrated by Bishop Emeritus Carl F. Mengling. To register visit lansingdiocesecwc.org. The event will be held at the Lansing Center.

Bishop Boyea offered a special grant to all of our parishes towards the use of FORMED. Formed.org contains a wide variety of faithful and inspiring Catholic content including sacramental preparation, Bible studies, children's and youth programs, e-books, movies, and an increasing library of Spanish-language content. Our parish has decided to take advantage of this site. We will be publishing more details about our membership in the upcoming Family Newsletter. All parishes in the diocese are being given free trial access to FORMED until November 9, 2018 to participate in the diocesan-wide Wild Goose study. You can access this free trial by following these steps:  Go to www.formed.org. Click "Login  Enter email: Lansing18@formed.org  Enter password: formed#18

The Christmas Holiday Decorating committee will begin planning for this year. We have received a generous financial donation to enhance our décor. All who have been on the committee in the past and anyone who may want to be part of the team this year should contact Sue Fielder at sfielder@umich.edu or 734-428-8816.

Due to the Diocesan Priests Convocation this week in Lansing the Mass schedule for Manchester has been changed. Monday’s Mass will be at 8:30 am. Mass is cancelled on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. October ~ The Month of the Rosary October is approaching and once again the Rosary will be said 30 minutes before each of the weekend Masses. Please consider leading the recitation of the Rosary. Call Marja Warner at 428-9506 for more details.

October 13, 2018 marks the day of the last of the 6 Apparitions of Fatima in 1917. Since October is the month of the Rosary – and to kick off the Diocesan Year of Prayer – St. Mary’s is sponsoring a Rosary Run. Come out and join us on Saturday, October 13th, at 9:00 am in front of the church to pray the Rosary while walking/running a mapped circuit. You can participate in three different groups: one to pray the Rosary in the church; another to walk while saying the Rosary outside in the mapped area; and the third to jog or run the mapped area. Each group will have a leader that will recite the rosary out loud. The Rosary Run is approximately 2.5 miles. Please dress according to the weather and wear good shoes. Rosaries and bottled water will be available. Cider and donuts will be served after the Run. Kids are encouraged to join in. Let’s come together to pray the rosary, enjoy God’s creations, and relish the exercise!

This Friday, October 5th, is the First Friday of the month. There will be Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament following the 8:30 am Mass. Confessions will be heard beginning at 8:00 pm. At 10:00pm Benediction will close the time of Adoration. First Saturday Mass will be offered at 8:30 am October 6th.

Amazing Greys’ of St Mary’s Parish would like to invite you to the annual Candle Light Advent Dinner December 2nd. The evening starts out with a social hour starting at 5:00 pm. Dinner will be served at precisely 5:30pm and will include dessert. The evening will end with a variety of scriptural readings and songs. If you are interested in attending, please contact Connie Schaffer at 734-428-7271. Seating is limited so reserve early.

October is approaching and once again the Rosary will be said 30 minutes before each of the weekend Masses. Would you be willing to lead the recitation of the Rosary at one or more of the Masses? If so, please call Marja Warner at 428-9506.

Many of us are upset and angry at the abuse crisis in the Church and want to make our voices known to the bishops. WDEO has published a helpful list of tips on how to write to the bishop(s) ( https://avemariaradio.net/tips-write-bishop/ ) and a list of addresses to write to ( https://avemariaradio.net/sexual-misconduct-resource-page/ ). Check it out and make your opinions known.

Thursday, December 6th has been confirmed to attend ‘Gloria of Christmas’ at North Ridge Church. Tickets for this event are $20.00. We have reserved a 34 person bus for transportation at a cost of $17.50/ person if we fill all the seats. Seats are being offered to Amazing Greys members first. After September 25th the tickets will be made available to the Parish and friends. Please make your reservations by September 30th. Put your reservation and money ($37.50/person) in the collection basket or drop it off at the parish office.

50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae Celebration This July marked the 50th Anniversary of Bl. Pope Paul VI’s landmark Encyclical, Humane Vitae. This Encyclical is often erroneously described as “the Church’s stance on Birth Control.” However, it is far more than a teaching on the use of contraceptives. It shapes our understanding of how God created married love to be and how spouses can live out that intention. Join us for a celebration of this beautiful encyclical. We will explore the past, the present and the future of it with Dr. Janet Smith, panel discussions and more! Start the day with Mass celebrated by Bishop Earl Boyea. When: October 27. Mass begins at 8am - Conference ends at 3:45pm Where: St. Patrick, Church, 711 Rickett Road, Brighton. Register at: www.dioceseoflansing.com/events Early bird tickets start at $15. All ages welcome! Childcare provided on a very limited basis so register early.

The Knights of Columbus are conducting a drive for school supplies. All items collected will be guven to local children in need. Please consider purchasing a few extra items while you shop. Gray bins will be at the entryway of the church until September 9th. Items needed include: dry erase markers, washable markers, Clorox wipes, baby wipes, glue sticks, Kleenex, crayons, 2 pocket folders, lined paper, backpacks, lunch boxes and pencils. Gift cards for the families to purchase clothes are also a great idea.

The Annual Senior Parishioners’ Recognition event hosted by the Washtenaw Catholic Council on Aging will be held at St. Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor on Friday, September 21st. Bishop Boyea will celebrate Mass at 11:00 am and luncheon will follow. Please RSVP to Dianne Schwab at 734-396-7063 no later than August 31st. Anyone wishing to carpool should meet at St. Mary Manchester at 10:00am.