Easter is not just a day but is celebrated for 50 days! Each day until Pentecost!! And the first week is called the Octave of Easter. Although there will be no weekday Masses celebrated Mon. thru Wed., April 5-7, we are encouraged to keep in our hearts and our prayers the Easter joy each day. The regular Mass schedule will resume with the morning Mass on Thurs., April 8 at 8:30am.

“For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world”! Although a relatively new gift to the faithful through our Holy Catholic Church, St. Faustina’s diary and the understanding of Divine Mercy that she received from Jesus and shares with us is precious indeed. The second Sunday of Easter (this year Sun., April 11) is declared by the Church to be Divine Mercy Sunday. And like many other parishes, we here at St, Mary’s will have a special observance: Sunday afternoon at 1pm, led by Dcn. Dennis. Perhaps you began praying the Divine Mercy novena on Good Friday… Perhaps you pray the Chaplet daily at 3pm… Or perhaps you know little to nothing at all about Divine Mercy. Come learn and experience this great feast day! “I shall sing forever the Lord’s mercy” (Ps 89).

Membership is now open, and you are invited to join the newly formed Diocese of Lansing, Council of Catholic Nurses. Open to ALL Catholic nurses – from student nurses through retired nurses and Catholic healthcare professionals. Council is an affiliate of the National Association of Catholic Nurses-USA. Council is under the spiritual direction of Fr. Tim Nelson and is an opportunity to come together the first Wednesday of every month in Jackson with a focus on nursing ethics, professional formation, and fellowship. An Inaugural Mass is planned for Wed. May 5 (nurses’ week) at 6pm at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Jackson, Michigan. For more information, please contact nurse Cynthia Thelen at CatholicNurses.MI@Gmail.com

During Holy Week, the times and types of liturgies are special. Please note the following changes from “business as usual”: ♦ The Sacred Triduum, the Three Holy Days before Easter, begins on Holy Thursday evening. However, there will be one last opportunity for Confession before Easter, i.e. on Wednesday of Holy Week, March 31, between 7:00-8:00pm. ♦ The Sacred Triduum begins with the Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on April 1 at 7:30pm. ♦ Following Mass on Holy Thursday evening, we are invited to “Watch and Pray with Jesus,” recalling his Agony in the Garden. This time of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Prayer will begin immediately after Holy Thursday Mass and continue until 11:00pm. ♦ At 11:00 pm Holy Thursday night, we will gather to pray Night Prayer (Compline) from the Liturgy of the Hours. ♦ In Catholic churches all over the world there are no Masses on Good Friday or during the daytime on Holy Saturday. ♦ However, on Good Friday, we gather to pray the Stations of the Cross (the Via Dolorosa) at 12:00 noon. ♦ Then the powerful Good Friday Liturgy called “The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion” will begin Friday at 3:00pm. ♦ On Holy Saturday Night, the Easter Vigil Mass begins after sundown at 9:00pm. ♦ The glorious Easter Morning Masses will be celebrated at 8:30 and 10:30 AM

This week our parish will take up the annual Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land. Please be generous. Your financial contributions help to support the struggling Christian community in the Middle East and to protect the Holy Places and Christian shrines. Please be generous. Also this week, our Holy Thursday Collection will again be taken to replenish the parish Poor Box Funds. These are discretionary funds available for Fr. Bosco to use to help parishioners experiencing emergencies and special needs. Again, please be generous.

Are you looking for a renewed sense of connection and purpose since the covid shut-downs? Register today for a REFLECT Day of Reflection at the St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt, MI (10 miles north of Lansing), on April 10. Take a chance and get involved... you won’t regret it! Cost is $45 and includes continental breakfast and lunch. Visit ReflectRetreat.com or email reflect.Michigan@Gmail.com Or call (586) 770-1772 for details

We are taking orders for Memorial Easter Lilies. The cost is $16, and you can take your lily home after the 10:30 Easter Sunday Mass. Orders are needed by Mon., March 22. Order forms are available in the vestibule and can be left in the vestibule basket or put in the collection basket. Checks should be made out to “The Flower Garden.” Sign-up sheets to help decorate the church on Sat., April 3 from 10:00am – noon and/or 2:00 – 4:00pm will also be available. Contact Susan Fielder at 734-972-5652 or if you have questions.

Feb 22/23—Mar 22/23 • Afternoon & Evening Sessions • FFH Monday afternoon sessions start at 1pm • Tuesday evening sessions start at 7pm. Hear the first-hand experiences from an American exorcist Listen to authoritative Catholic speakers teach the truth about the unseen reality. Also, you will get access to additional videos, books and talks.

This scripture text from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians affirms a fundamental truth and teaching of the Catholic Church – the word of God is alive here and now, it is active in you and in the work of all who believe. Thanks be to God for His Holy Word! DSA is an opportunity to put God’s word into action, to participate personally in the many good works of our Church in communion with fellow Catholics. Our contributions are put to work, right away, in a multitude of ministries to offer direct assistance to individuals and families and to parishes, Catholic schools, and Catholic Charities agencies. Next weekend our parish will conduct “Commitment Weekend” for our Diocesan Services Appeal. This is when we will be asking each member of St. Mary’s Parish to consider a generous gift to DSA. Our parish goal of $28,87100 can be reached if each one of us shares a portion of the many blessings God has bestowed upon us. Please prayerfully consider how you or your family will respond to this call to carry on Christ’s work in our community.

On the day of your choice (Mondays at 12:45pm or Tuesdays at 7:00pm), from now through March 23, you can gather with friends in Fr. Fisher Hall for 90 minutes of video and conversation, delving into the Church’s teaching on “Heaven, Hell, Angels, and Demons.” But if you cannot make it – or came, but want to learn more! – Bill Kwolek has put together a comprehensive list of resources, easily available online, that cover the meeting materials plus much, much more. (If you did not receive a parish office email with this info attached, make sure the office has your email address.) It is also available at Bill’s cloud account: 1drv.ms/u/s!Aku2ORF4gf9wgYBOuuJ7NMEmI1L__Q?e=dYuTXr or on the parish website: stmarymanchester.org Discover God’s revelation of reality!

“Bonfire” is a group of “men on fire”! The next meeting will be Wed., Jan. 27 from 6-9pm at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 9565 Musch Rd, Brighton, MI 48116. The theme will be “Reestablishing Our Devotion & Commitment to the Lord.” (Dinner: Sausage Jambalaya.) All men are welcome. For additional info, contact David Struppa at 734-678-7280 or visit Bonfire Catholic Men’s Group at bonfirecatholic.com

Can you lend a hand? Several of our fellow parishioners – selfless and hardworking – volunteer to help on one of the several cleaning crews for the church and the parish center, and they are in urgent need of additional help! If you are able to give a small amount of your time and energy – just once a month – please contact Stephanie at 734-368-8585. If only a few more people could help a little, then no one would be overwhelmed by having to do too much! Thank you.

The Diocese sends this invitation to all Young Adults 18 +: You are invited to participate in a weekly Zoom call at 8-9pm on the Tuesdays of Advent. Come explore through conversation and community what God’s word is saying to you at this unique time. Although the first meeting has passed, it’s not too late to join. No experience necessary. To register, visit dioceseoflansing.org

“Fr. Bosco and I have decided that a full CHOIR is not possible due to the inability to implement social distancing guidelines in our small choir loft; however, in place of a full choir, we are planning small clusters of 2 or 3 cantors to sing at each of the three Christmas Masses (5:00pm Christmas Eve, Midnight Mass, and 10:00am Christmas Day); having only 2 or 3 additional singers to myself in the choir loft will still allow for 6-foot social distancing. I would like to schedule 2-3 singers at each Mass soon, so if you are interested in this opportunity to sing to the Lord this Christmas at St. Mary’s, please email me at stmarymanchesterchoir@gmail.com or text me at 734-428-0007. Once I hear back from all who are interested, I will arrange separate rehearsals for each cluster. Thank you.” —Benjamin Dahl, St. Mary Music Director

Any youth in grades 7-12 interested in joining the New Youth Group, please contact Sarah Cencer at stmarymanchester.dre@gmail.com. Religious education classes are continuing as usual on Mondays from 3:30-4:45pm. Thank you and have a great week!

The Diocese of Lansing invites faith-filled women to an on-line digital event on Sat., Dec. 12. You will visit five different religious orders from around the nation. All women are invited to attend. If you are under the age of 18, we ask that you be sure to inform your parents and seek their permission to attend this event. They can attend it with you since this will be an on-line event. The cost is $5. For more info and to register, visit: vocations.breezechms.com/form/c2066484

On Thurs., Nov. 19 at 7:00pm the Diocese of Lansing “Realign Resources for Mission” committee will be at our parish to meet with staff and parishioners in an effort to explain the reason, rationale and methodology of the Realign Resources for Mission process and, most importantly, to listen to parishioners’ responses to the process and how it could, potentially, impact upon our parish positively or negatively. The meeting will take place in Fr. Fisher Hall and will be approximately 90 minutes long. The meeting will consist of two components: First, a presentation on behalf of the Realign Resource for Mission Committee. Second, small group discussion followed by feedback from parishioners on our hopes and fears for the process; what we love or feel needs to be known about our parish; and any specific suggestions we may have for the future of our parish or the future of the diocese. Because of covid restraints, only eight parishioners can be present for the live, in-person meeting. However, the meeting will be set up for Zoom so all parishioners can join in. There will be info on how to access the Zoom meeting in the bulletins closer to the date. And for more info from the Diocese about this, please visit: dioceseoflansing.org/realign-resources-for-mission PLEASE NOTE: Let us consider and take seriously this suggestion offered by one of our fellow parishioners: “I believe our whole parish should pray from the heart that we be blessed by God, through the intercession of Our Lady of the Assumption, during the diocesan Realignment.”

•EACH WEEKEND IN OCTOBER, come to Mass 20 minutes early to Pray the Rosary together as a Parish Family. •Attend the “KNIGHT’S ROSARY HOUR” at the Planned Parenthood’ 3100 Professional Dr. in Ann Arbor each Saturday now through Nov. 7 from 10-11am. •ROSARY RALLY at the Lansing State Capitol on Tues., Oct. 13 at 3:00pm.

Altar flowers and Sanctuary Lamps are available to reserve for special prayer intentions that will be published, and the whole parish will pray with you! Contact the parish office (734-428-8811).

Religious Education ♦ Youth Group ♦ Confirmation ♦ RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES will begin on Mon., Sept. 14 in-person at the Parish Center. Classes will begin at 3:30pm. ♦ YOUTH GROUP will also begin that day. More details to follow regarding times and location. ♦ CONFIRMATION preparation sessions will begin Wed., Sept. 16. If you have not yet been confirmed, please email Lynn at Waldecker.L@gmail.com for more details.