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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Faith:

Well, my friends, this will be my last bulletin article. It

seems so short a time ago that I was writing the very

first one of these little letters to you because the past

three years have simply flown by for Joanne and me.

So much as happened in the life of the parish . . . as I

look back I remember the first weeks I came here as

your new pastoral administrator when the tabernacle

was to be placed so that it could be seen by all in the

church and the sound system was due for an upgrade.

Later on came the need to dispose of sacred artifacts

from St. Leo the Great church and to put the property

up for sale, and how only the church and adjoining

land are still for sale, while the St. Leo cemetery re-
mains the responsibility of St. Vincent de Paul parish.

When our friends at Mt Pleasant Sacred Heart reno-
vated they gave us their ‘Gather Comprehensive’

hymnals; I asked Bill Daniels and Bob Wachowski to

build new book cases for the hymnals and what a

wonderful job they did.

The ‘Traveling Chalice’ from St. Leo church still circu-
lates among your homes on a weekly basis; it serves

as a reminder to pray to the Lord for an increase in

vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious

life for our Church, diocese, and parish. In this regard,

Stephen Blaxton of our parish is a seminarian studying

for the priesthood. Also, we have two individuals (Gerri

Clark and Morgan Monte) in formation to eventually

become Commissioned Lay Ministers.

Shortly after arriving in Shepherd I began offering

Word & Communion Services on Wednesday eve-
nings at the St. Patrick site. These have continued for

all three years. They are followed by a pot luck dinner

in the church hall. These have been very successful

and have proved to be a real blessing for me.

These are just a few of the highlights of the past three

years. It would take a really long epistle to enumerate

all the ups and downs, but in the last minute I just want

to say thank you to every one of you who have helped

make this time go by so quickly through your kind, lov-
ing, and generous support of Joanne and me for the

past three years.

I hope you have a Christ-filled week!

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

May the Holy Spirit always be with you.

Deacon Mike

Today is a day that we honor our Fathers and in our

reading from the New Testament we are reminded

that we also have a heavenly Father. It states that all

who have faith and are baptized in Christ are children

of God. Jesus himself teaches us to pray to God as

our Father.

What are we to understand about God and about our-
selves from this teaching? It seems that Jesus is talk-
ing about an ongoing relationship. Just as we have

ongoing contact and love and respect with those we

love here on earth God our Father wants to have an

ongoing and loving relationship with us.

Some of us have been lucky to have had very loving

and wise and dependable fathers. Some have had no

father and that leaves a big hole in a person’s life.

Some have had fathers who struggled with life and

their role as a father and who did well at some tasks

of parenting and not so well at others. Even very

good fathers have their human limits. But whatever

kind of father we have we can take courage and

comfort from knowing that our heavenly father has no

limits of love or patience or faithfulness to us even

though we may forget him or fail him.

Of course that does not mean that we always get our

way or what we want just as we do not always get our

way from our earthly father. And there will be some

trials and pain in this life that cannot be avoided. But

we will not face these alone. Our Father is always

present whether we see him immediately or not.

The other thing to remember is that God does not

play favorites. He loves each of his children with per-
fect love and utter devotion.

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

Thank you!!! Last Sunday’s roast and dinner was

wonderful. I believe Mr. Joe Moeggenborg could start

a new career in show business, perhaps as a stand-
up comedian. He ‘roasted’ me — real good!

The dinner was excellent, and my family and I en-
joyed it very much. We are grateful to all those who

worked on preparation, serving, and clean-up. Thank

you!!!

There were a large number of people in attendance,

all of whom were gracious in their good wishes for my

upcoming retirement. I was given a lot of congratula-
tory cards and gifts, for which I am very thankful.

Again, thank you to all who offered me their best

wishes!

Joanne and I will still be here for another three week-
ends before Dr. Jerry Green takes over.

It is sometimes difficult to see the connection between

the three readings at weekend Masses, but not this

week! The unifying concept this week is forgiveness.

King David has committed very serious sins in his

abuse of power to obtain his friend’s wife, then having

the friend killed. When Nathan the prophet confronts

David, David exclaims, “I have sinned against the

Lord!” Nathan’s response as he speaks the words of

the Lord is, “The Lord on his part has forgiven your

sin.”

Paul’s explanation to the Galatians tells them [and us]

that God’s forgiveness comes to us a pure gift, it is

not something we can earn. It comes to us as a result

of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the

Son of God.

The passage from Luke’s gospel relates the story of

the sinful woman who washes and anoints Jesus’

feet. Jesus tells the Pharisee Simon [and us] that be-
cause she has sinned much and now has shown re-
pentance of her sins, that she is forgiven. It is not the

case that sinners have to repent before God forgives,

because God is love and is forgiving by his very na-
ture. A true believer responds to God’s forgiveness

with fervent love and gratitude as shown by the sinful

woman in today’s story.

I hope you have a Christ-filled week!

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

May the Holy Spirit always be with you.

Deacon Mike

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

June 5, 2011 is a date that will long remain in my

memory because it was on that date that Bishop Jo-
seph Cistone ordained me and my three classmates

to the permanent diaconate. This ordination has al-
lowed me to serve the community of St. Vincent de

Paul Shepherd, St. Patrick Irishtown, and St. Leo the

Great Winn for the past three years as pastoral ad-
ministrator. This service has been such a pleasure

for Joanne and me and the time has just flown by so

rapidly that we can hardly believe we have been

here that long. Thank you to every one of you who

have supported us in this ministry.

When the call goes out for volunteers to serve on our

Pastoral Parish or Finance Councils, it is gratifying to

have such quality individuals as Butch Ballauer, Bill

Daniels, Leah Rau, and Kaylie Willoughby step for-
ward. I offer sincere congratulations to Messrs. Bal-
lauer and Daniels for having been selected by the

Lord to serve on the councils. My gratitude goes out

also to Ms. Rau and Ms. Willoughby for their willing-
ness to serve had they been chosen.

Reflecting on today’s readings at Mass can have a

powerful impact on us. With God every person has a

unique dignity—we are all children of God, and each

of us is unrepeatable. For this reason, each of us

has our own personal way of serving God, some-
thing that only we, as individuals, can do. We differ in

our backgrounds, our opportunities, and our inherent

gifts, but each of us has something we are called to

do. Because of this we are each to respond with

dedication and faith to the challenges of our lives.

Everyone counts and everyone has a life to live. The

best example we have for how to live our lives is Je-
sus who became one of us, and was known as “the

Man for Others.”

I hope you have a Christ-filled week!

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

May the Holy Spirit always be with you.

Deacon Mike

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

Have you ever wondered why bread and wine are

offered at Mass? Why did God in his wisdom choose

these two consumables to be an acceptable offer-
ing? This is a good question to ask because the an-
swer reveals a mystical reality of which many of us

are unaware.

The answer lies in what bread and wine really are.

The bread we use is simply comprised of wheat and

water. The wine is made of grapes from the vine.

Wheat, grapes and water are gifts to us from the

earth and ultimately are gifts from God. These basic

ingredients become bread and wine through human

effort. We take these gifts, and we put something of

ourselves into them—the same as when we make

our bread or wine from scratch, and it becomes our

own. We become part of the bread and wine.

What many of us miss is that when the gifts are con-
secrated the work we put into them becomes conse-
crated along with the bread and wine since we are

part of the gifts. This mystery is acknowledged in the

preparation of the wine as the priest (or deacon)

prays silently, “By the mystery of this water and wine

may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who

humbled himself to share in our humanity.” We be-
come sharers in Christ’s divinity. This is our calling

despite our many flaws.

As sharers in Christ’s divinity we now have access

into the triune God who is love. We enter into this by

doing what love does: we give and receive. This is

what the Eucharist is all about. We give ourselves

with the bread and wine. God receives and blesses

them with his Holy Spirit. We then offer them again,

and God makes them into his only Son. Finally, we

offer to God the Son as the only acceptable sacrifice.

God accepts this and allows us to partake of his Son

in Communion. We give and receive. This is our rela-
tionship of love with God.

I hope you have a Christ-filled week!

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

May the Holy Spirit always be with you.

Deacon Mike

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

Benedictine Father Peter Tynan recalled the School-
house Rock educational cartoons shown on television a

few generations ago. They were meant to teach and

delight children with their upbeat music and meaningful

presentations of topics the children might encounter in

their classes at school. The first such cartoon to be

aired was “Three is a Magic Number.” It was meant to

help students with their multiplication tables, but the

cartoon also included reasons why three is a special

number.

There are three aspects of time: past, present, and

future.

The human person is comprised of three main parts:

heart, brain, and body.

There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and

charity.

The so-called nuclear family is comprised of at least

three individuals: father, mother, and child.

There seems to be something very solid about the

number three. Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel

wrote that Judaism revolves around three sacred

entities: God, Torah (the law of God), and Israel. He

said, God is the Creator, yet remains hidden; God be-
comes manifest in living out the Torah. This living out

of the Torah takes place in the community of Israel.

These three aspects of their faith are interdependent on

each other.

We Christians also hold the number three in reverence,

but not because it is a magic number. We tend to shy

away from talk of magic because it implies control over

the unknown. We stand in awe of what cannot be fully

grasped by humans, and we call it mystery. The num-
ber three is held in reverence because God has re-
vealed himself to be three in one. This is a mystical

Trinity where three distinct persons exist in a single be-
ing “consubstantially”, as we say in the new translation

of the Nicene Creed.

So three is indeed a special number—not magical, but

rather mystical. It points to God, who is the generator of

all love and creation. We stand in awe of our God and

hold close to our hearts all that point to the Trinity—

especially our families. In the family we can come close

to the image of what God is—a relationship of love that

creates new life. It is good to remember this thought as

we come together to give our triune God thanks by cel-
ebrating the Eucharist in reverence and love.

I hope you have a Christ-filled week!

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

May the Holy Spirit always be with you.

Deacon Mike

In our readings today we see the Holy Spirit at work

with the Disciples. Before Jesus breathes the Holy

Spirit into them he wishes them peace. Not a word

of anger or reproach or hurt for the miserable way

they have failed and betrayed him in spite of the

lavish love he has poured on them again and again.

Now he gives them another gift of love—the Holy

Spirit to be with each of them all the time to guide,

console and strengthen them. The Holy Spirit also

gives them the power to forgive sins which is

passed on to priests through ordination. Because of

the Holy Spirit the Disciples are transformed and

enabled to do the Lord’s work.

Although most of us are not ordained to perform the

sacraments we also receive the Holy Spirit at Bap-
tism. It is quickened and enlivened in us at Confir-
mation. Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit helps

us pray and that our body is the temple of the Holy

Spirit.

Each day as we walk through our life with its pleas-
ures and problems, burdens and blessings we are

accompanied by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is a

quiet voice of hope and encouragement. Some-
times it is a great burst of energy or a sudden in-
sight that leads us forward in some way. The Holy

Spirit comforts, guides and strengthens us to the

extent that we are open to it. How do we open our-
selves? Through prayer and humility.

Peace.

Mary

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

The merry month of May promises to be event-filled

for us here at St. Vincent de Paul Parish.

First, we will have to be filling open positions on our

two Councils—Parish Pastoral Council and Finance

Council. The original members of both councils who

have declined to serve for an extended period of time

will need to be replaced. The positions to be filled will

be for a term of three years because we are now en-
tering into the phase wherein every term is for three

years. If you, or someone you know, would be inter-
ested in serving, please complete the form elsewhere

in this bulletin and turn it in to the office or in the col-
lection. Names will be drawn at 9:30am Mass Sun-
day, May 29.

Second, the Catholic Services Appeal [CSA] for 2016

will begin this month. A formal appeal will be made

during the weekend of May 14/15. All parishioners

should be receiving letters during the next two weeks

from both Bishop Cistone and me. It will be in these

letters that you will be given the pledge cards to fill

out and return. In 2015 we reached our goal for the

first time in recent memory and I am grateful to eve-
ryone who contributed to make that happen. Our

CSA target for this year is $44,221. I am sure we can

reach this goal some time during 2016, but wouldn’t

it be nice if our new Pastoral Administrator did not

have to mention CSA every weekend for six months?

Third, May is one of the months during the year when

we Catholics focus especially on honoring Mary, the

Mother of God. There was some dispute in the early

Church about whether Mary was actually the Mother

of God. The council of Ephesus [431] defined Mary

as Theotokos, Mother of God, against a man named

Nestorius who claimed she was only the mother of

the man Christ. This past Wednesday at the St. Pat-
rick site a crowning of Mary took place wherein the

children of the religious education classes brought

flowers to place before a statue of Mary. This was

followed by the usual Wednesday evening Word and

Communion Service, which was followed by a recita-
tion of the rosary, which was followed by the usual

pot luck dinner in the hall. These events serve as a

reminder that Jesus gave us Mary as our spiritual

mother as he hung upon the cross for us, and we

honor her in a very special way during month of May.

I hope you have a Christ-filled week!

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

May the Holy Spirit always be with you.

Deacon Mike

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

Congratulations!!! These greetings go to all those

receiving the Holy Eucharist for the first time this

weekend. I know all of them have been faithful in

their attendance at Faith Formation classes, as have

their parents. We welcome them with open arms to

the Altar Table of the Lord, and we look forward to

them taking their places as full-fledged communi-
cants of our parish. [Perhaps there are some new

altar servers in this group!]

The Gospel selection this week continues with Je-
sus’ Farewell Discourse as told in the Gospel of

John. Jesus says, “Whoever loves me will keep my

word, and my Father will love him, and we will come

to him and make our dwelling with him.” This theme

of love resounds throughout the Discourse, but this

week he adds the gift of peace.

Father Peter Semenenko wrote that Christ alone

gives peace, and asks, “Indeed, who else could give

it to us? Ourselves? Or some people? Or the world?

Ah, no, no! Christ alone.”

Jesus tells his disciples [and us] that the peace he

gives is not at all like the peace the world might of-
fer—simply the absence of strife—but true, deep-
down calmness and serenity, this is the kind of

peace Jesus offers, if only we are open to accept it.

Jesus doesn’t ask that we must do anything over

and above loving him and each other in order to be

open and accepting of his peace.

In his Discourse, Jesus first gives us the command-
ment to love one another. Then he offers us the kind

of peace we all long for. The love must come first,

then the peace will follow. So I must ask myself, “Am

I truly loving of those around me? Am I holding any

grudges, no matter how small or petty? Do I harbor

feelings of hatred toward any of those groups foster-
ing terrorism in the world? [Remember, as much as

we abhor the things someone does, God still loves

the person or people involved.]

It is a very tall order to try to rid ourselves of these

feelings, be we must give it our best shot because

the reward of Christ’s peace is well worth the effort.

I hope you have a Christ-filled week!

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

May the Holy Spirit always be with you.

Deacon Mike

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

It is once again the time of year here in Shepherd,

Michigan, when we celebrate the coming of spring

and the running of the sap in our many beautiful ma-
ple trees; yes, it is Maple Syrup Festival weekend! It

promises to be a beauty, too. Our recent memories

of Maple Syrup weekend include clouds and snowy

weather, but it promises to be much, much better

this year.

So we welcome with open arms all those who are

visiting the “sweetest little town around” this week-
end, and who have chosen to attend one of the litur-
gies at St. Vincent de Paul Church. Our Lord and

Savior, Jesus Christ, traveled all over what we have

come to call the Holy Land during his public ministry

on earth. He now joins us in welcoming all visitors to

St. Vincent de Paul in Shepherd for the 5th Sunday

of Easter AND Maple Syrup Weekend.

In today’s Gospel selection, Jesus is looking for-
ward, sadly, to his coming arrest and suffering

through his passion and death. Even though he is

aware of what he is about to endure, his concern is

for his disciples and for us, and so he issues a new

commandment.

I don’t know what you think of when you hear the

word “commandment”, but I envision Charlton

Heston, acting as Moses, holding up two inscribed

stone tablets against a background of stormy red

sky. Or perhaps I might call to mind the words,

“Thou Shalt Not!”

But Jesus’ new commandment is not like any of

those images. Rather, he commands us to love one

another as he has loved us. Remember, he is about

to lay down his very life for us, and he is doing this

out of the love he has for us. This new command-
ment, then, is simply asking us to hold each other in

love, kindness, consideration, and concern.

I therefore wish all of you — Shepherd natives and

visitors alike — a very holy and blessed 5th week of

Easter and Maple Syrup Festival weekend.

I hope you have a Christ-filled week!

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

May the Holy Spirit always be with you.

Deacon Mike