St. Mary parish will be participating with other parishes in the Diocese in a parish-wide survey about discipleship conducted by the Catholic Leadership Institute. The survey will be distributed online and in paper form starting on February 8th. Stay tuned for more information about this survey and the results we expect from it.

With heartfelt gratitude from St. Mary parish, Bob Scharpenberg is now retired. Bob has been our handyman for over 20 years. His knowledge of the church, rectory and parish center has carried us through countless problems. When you walk through the grounds, everywhere you will see traces of his attention to detail and evidence of his loving touch. Much of his work is invisible yet we depend on it as a matter of course. Bob was the go-to man for our last three pastors and remained bedrock for all of them. Furnace failure at 5am in the winter, Bob diagnosed the problem before dawn; bats terrorizing parishioners, Bob dispatched them; the Christmas mangers, Bob set them up and took them down. He stripped and coated floors, fixed faulty electrical and leaky plumbing, caulked, repointed masonry, painted, cleaned, and made repairs on every square inch of all three parish buildings. The local farmers who built our beautiful stone church in 1911 would be proud of Bob’s TLC. Many of you also may know Bob from his job with Manchester Community Schools. In addition to his service at St. Mary parish, Bob works the afternoon shift at Klager Elementary. May Bob be blessed as he continues his good work in the community

Last year's Job Captains, workers, and anyone interested in working at the Fish Fry are invited to meet this Sunday, Jan. 19 after 10:30 Mass at the Parish Center.

Bring the family to our Parish Movie Night, on Sat, Jan 25 at 7:00pm in Fr Fisher Hall. We will be watching the 2018 film entitled Paul, the Apostle of Christ. One Catholic reviewer wrote: “…Paul, Apostle of Christ is a winner overall. It’s a faithful, faith-based retelling of the Book of Acts (with some bits from Corinthians, Romans, and Timothy).” Another reviewer notes: “In the long history of the Church, perhaps no partnership has been more consequential than that between St. Paul the Apostle and his disciple, St. Luke.” And the director Andrew Hyatt said: “We just stay with Scripture as the only source material.” It is rated PG-13 and has a run time of 1hr 48 min. And you are welcome (indeed encouraged!) to bring a friend – Catholic, nonCatholic, other Christian, or none-of-the-above! Share the blessings!

Remember, our current Parish Bible Study, Genesis to Jesus, is now meeting on the first and third Mondays of each month. So we will meet this Mon, Jan. 20 in Fr Fisher Hall. Come to the session with a time that works best for you: 1:00pm (after the midday Mass) or 7:15pm.

At each Mass throughout the year (except during Lent) the altar is adorned with beautiful flowers. We have the opportunity each weekend to sponsor these flowers and attach to them a special prayer intention. The intention is printed in the bulletin for all to join in your prayer. There is a minimum donation of $40, and the flowers can be in memory of a loved one, for the intentions of or to honor someone, or for a special occasion. There is a sign-up sheet in the vestibule with available dates. Contact the parish office for more information

Our families and our culture are under attack. As Catholic men, we are called to save souls. The Catholic Diocese of Lansing and Knights of Columbus invite all men to “Rise Up and Accept the Challenge!” Join other Catholic men for the Catholic Men’s Conference on Sat., Feb.22 from 9am–6pm at Ooserbaan Field House, 1202 S State St, Ann Arbor. Dynamic speakers, Mass, Adoration, great food and music! Cost: $29/youth $19. Register/more info at ACCEPTtheCHALLENGE.org.

Parishioners will be offered the first opportunity to advertise their businesses and organizations on the St. Mary Fish Fry placemats. Ads cost $200 and will appear on the placemats for all 2020 Fish Frys. If you are interested or would like more information, please call the parish office or email Tina Doyle at tmdmich@gmail.com. Advertising will open up to non-parishioners very soon, so don’t delay.

Just a reminder that we have organized the St. Mary Shuttle for those needing a ride to Mass or other parish activities. We will also try to offer rides to doctor appointments. Let us know if you need anything from the grocery store. Call 734-972-5652 or email: sfielder@umich.edu

The Knights of Columbus are selling white crosses at the Flower Garden. Each cross is $5 and will be a simple beacon of faith to all who pass your yard. Be a missionary without leaving home.

An anonymous benefactor has paid to subsidize votive candles. The first 100 votive candles that are lit will only cost $2 instead of the usual $4. A note will be on each of the candle stands as a reminder. When the note is gone, all 100 candles have been lit. Please, as you light your candles, remember to also pray for our generous benefactor.

Please add the names of your loved ones into the book of remembrance in the front of the church. We pray for all those inscribed in the book during each Mass.

On behalf of St. Mary’s Parish, the office staff would like to thank St. Mary’s Altar Society for covering the cost of a new commercial color copier. The old one was 11 years old and parts are no longer available for it. Again, THANK YOU!!

Don’t forget to attend Wild Goose in the Fr. Fisher Hall on Tuesdays 6:00-7:30 pm to learn more about the Holy Spirit.

A group is meeting every Monday in the Fr. Fisher Hall at 11:30 am for prayers of thanksgiving and petition. Please join us to thank God for our blessings and to pray for our priests, bishops, the Pope, vocations to the priesthood, our country, and an end to abortion

The Altar Society will be selling Christmas wreaths, centerpieces, grave blankets and grave pillows. An order form is included in this bulletin. Order deadline is Nov. 17th. Also, ladies will be receiving the annual Holiday Letter that will include raffle tickets and information about the Bake Sale. This is one of the few fundraisers that the Altar Society has, enabling them to provide much-needed items for our parish.

Pies ordered from the Apple Pie Fundraiser will be ready for pick-up on Saturday, November 23rd from 9:00-11:00 am at the Parish Center

Tickets for the bus trip to “Glory of Christmas, A Christmas Extravaganza” at Northridge Church Saturday, December 14th at 1:00pm are now sold out. If you are still interested, you may purchase the two leftover tickets from a parishioner who is no longer able to go. Please contact the Parish Office.

The Knights of Columbus continue to offer simple white crosses for sale at the Flower Garden. Each cross is $5 and will be a simple beacon of faith to all who pass your yard. This is a simple way to be a missionary without leaving home.

Please wait until November 15th to begin decorating graves in the cemetery. Fall Clean-up will be complete at this date.