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In the Gospel reading today Jesus tells us he is

our shepherd. As a shepherd he leads and pro-
tects us. We may still face dangers and troubles

just as a real flock of sheep will even when they

have a good shepherd—storms, illness, preda-
tors— but our Lord will stay with us and deliver us

if we follow him.

We need to recognize and listen to his voice in

order to follow him. Sometimes we are distracted

by other voices—voices that encourage us to

think we don’t need a shepherd or we should fol-
low another leader that promises money or power

or pleasure in harmful things. Sometimes we just

stray away from the flock and then it is hard to

hear the shepherd’s voice. Sometimes we don’t

know how to find our way back.

What can we do to hear the Lord more clearly?

We can pray, receive the sacraments (especially

Holy Eucharist), read Scripture, worship regularly,

serve others. These things help us hear and fol-
low Jesus. Jesus also reminds us that we belong

to him. We have been given to him by the Father.

Even if we get lost we still belong to him. Jesus

knows us. Not just our name or as one of a large

group. He knows us closely and intimately.

Peace.

Mary

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

As many of you know because you were present at

the time, a recent funeral luncheon was interrupted

by the collapse of our friend, Linda Berry, wife of

our home town funeral director, Ralph Berry. Sad-
ly, Linda died a short while later at the hospital.

Her death has drawn attention to the fact that our

facilities — St. Vincent de Paul and St. Patrick

Churches, and the halls at both sites — are not

equipped with defibrillators. It is not for me to say

whether or not Linda would have survived if there

had been a defibrillator handy, but several people

have approached me asking about the possibility

of obtaining and installing such devices in our

churches and halls.

I have been told that a good new defibrillator would

cost in the neighborhood of $1,500. On top of that

would be the need to have them installed in each

of our buildings. We are fortunate to have in our

parish several individuals who already are trained

to operate defibrillators, and more could be trained

and ready if (God forbid) another such emergency

should arise.

Because of these considerations I am asking at

this weekend’s Masses for the people of the parish

to consider making a one-time special contribution

to a fund specifically earmarked for the purchase

of four defibrillators for our facilities. I am sure you

can all understand the need to have this special

life-saving equipment on hand. It would be my

hope and prayer they would never be needed, but I

believe it is best to be prepared in case of emer-
gencies such as we experienced four weeks ago.

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:

Mea culpa! It has been drawn to my attention that I

have overlooked certain people in offering wishes

for a Happy Easter to all of you, both in last week’s

Bulletin and in my verbal remarks at the conclusion

of last Sunday’s morning Mass. Please be assured

any omission in either case was inadvertent and

was in no way meant to slight anyone. My apolo-
gies go out to anyone whose name was left off the

list.

Today’s Gospel tells us the familiar story of

“doubting” Thomas. We may wonder how it can be

that Thomas remains stubborn in his unbelief that

Jesus has truly risen from the dead, when so many

of his friends and fellow apostles are all telling him

the same things over and over again. He has stat-
ed very firmly that, unless he can put his fingers

into Jesus’ hands and side, he will not believe!

Suddenly, a week later, Jesus stands before Thom-
as and invites him to do just that, and Thomas re-
sponds, “My Lord and my God!”

The lesson for us is clear—even though we have

not seen we are to believe because of the testimo-
ny of Jesus’ disciples, apostles, and their succes-
sors during the last twenty centuries. The original

people of the first century know what they saw, and

they passed it on to us, first in the oral tradition,

and a little later in written form. We have the benefit

of the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and all the

letters of Saint Paul and the other New Testament

writers. Their testimony serves us very well and the

Holy Spirit’s gift of faith to each and every one of us

helps us through the days of our lives—be they

pleasant ones or times filled with adversity. That

faith sees us through it all and without it, life could

be very difficult.

I pray that you will continue to be open to God’s

every blessing which he offers to you during the 50

days of the Easter Season. And I offer to you the

best wishes of everyone for a holy, blessed Easter

Season.

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 we hear about Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem.

This was a journey to observe Passover, the most

important and solemn holiday of the Jewish people.

But it was also a time of joyful family reunions and

get togethers with friends not seen in a long time. It

was a holiday from work and the normal routine. It

was a chance for people from farms and villages to

come to the city for a few days and experience things

they did not have at home.

Jesus’ reputation had preceded him. He was known

as a teacher and healer. Some people had expecta-
tions that he would use this time in Jerusalem to be-
come a political or military leader and drive the Ro-
mans out of the country. The Disciples may have had

expectations too that he would declare himself the

Messiah though they were not really sure what that

meant.

Jesus however is aware of another dimension to this

journey of his. He knows that eventually this journey

will lead to rebirth and new life and new beginnings

and joy but only after he has passed through great

suffering.

We also take journeys in our life. Sometimes they are

journeys to a different geographic location—a new

home, a new job, going away to school, a vacation.

We also make journeys as we move through different

stages of life—child to adult, single to marriage, par-
ent of young to parent of grown children, career to

retirement. Some of our journeys are full of anticipa-
tion and excitement, some of our journeys have un-
expected problems or joys or endings. Some of our

journeys are through profound loss—death of loved

ones, loss of health, other tragedies. It is good to re-
member the Journey of Jesus and to know he has

experienced all of the complex aspects of our journey

and he accompanies us on our own journeys.

Peace.

Mary

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

We now find ourselves waiting in anticipation of Holy

Week and Easter. Holy Week will find us mourning

the Passion and Death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus

Christ, because on Palm Sunday we will listen to the

Gospel description of what our Lord went through on

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday almost 2,000 years

ago.

On Tuesday, March 22, the annual Chrism Mass will

be celebrated at the Cathedral in Saginaw. It is on

this occasion that the new holy oils will be blessed

and consecrated by Bishop Cistone. Volunteers are

needed to attend this Mass and to present the oils to

the parish at our Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s

Supper.

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper will also feature the

washing of the feet of those wishing to participate.

Extra hosts will be consecrated for use on Good Fri-
day.

On Good Friday we will celebrate the Adoration of

the Cross and Holy Communion. This Eucharist will

consist of the Body of Christ preserved after the

Mass of the Lord’s Supper the night prior.

Then, on Saturday we celebrate the Easter Vigil. The

ceremonies of Holy Saturday are the most solemn

memorials of the entire liturgical year. They consist of

four parts: Service of Light, Liturgy of the Word, Litur-
gy of Baptism [which will not occur at St. Vincent his

year because of no Catechumens], and Liturgy of the

Eucharist. The entire celebration takes place at night

[starting at 8pm this year], and must end before dawn

on Easter Sunday. In the early Church the night be-
fore Easter was celebrated by the illumination of

churches and even whole cities. The revised Easter

Vigil services include ceremonies that go back to the

first centuries of the Christian era and stress the

Church’s joy in commemorating the night that Christ

rose from the dead.

Of course, Easter Sunday is a day when we come

to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection and his appear-
ances to several of his disciples after having been in

the tomb. What a joyful occasion!

Please plan to attend as many of these Holy Week

activities as you can, and while you are at it, why not

invite a friend to come along with you?

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:

This week’s gospel passage presents one of my all-
time favorite parables of Jesus—The Prodigal Son.

Jesus was a master story-teller and his parables nev-
er failed to draw the interest of his listeners and

make a point to remember.

In the lectio divina form of prayers as is explained in

our “Little Black Book” for Lent, I like to place myself

in a parable such as this and ask myself, “Am I any-
thing like the Prodigal Son? Or am I anything like the

Older Brother? Or am I anything like the loving, for-
giving Father?” As I contemplate the possible an-
swers to those questions, I conclude that, at various

times in my life, I have acted exactly as the prodigal

Son, The Older Brother, and the Father.

Oh, I didn’t demand my share of my father’s estate,

but I did leave home as soon as I could enlist in the

military after high school. It was my wish to get away

from the demands and restrictions I felt in my par-
ents’ home. I held a responsible position in the ser-
vice, but my personal life was not what one might call

exemplary. Coming to my senses after four years, I

returned to my parents’ home and lived there until

the time of my marriage.

While I was away in the service, my sister was strick-
en with a debilitating condition that has plagued her

until this very day. When I saw the way my parents

cared for her in their home and catered to her every

wish and need, I admit, to my shame, that I was

somewhat resentful toward her. Today, those feel-
ings have long since dissipated, but I actually be-
haved after the manner of the Older Brother for a

time.

Many years later I found myself in the position of the

Father in this parable. My teen-aged son, after the

fashion of so many teen-aged sons, made some bad

decisions that led to a car accident that eventually

involved the police. Moved with pity for my wayward

son, I forgave him, embraced him, and we moved on

with life.

So it is with our Heavenly Father. He never fails to

show us his mercy through his Church and the Sac-
raments—especially the Sacrament of Reconcilia-
tion. We are in the holy season of Lent and now is

the time to avail ourselves of God’s never ending

mercy during this Jubilee Year. It is my belief that the

Father in the parable of the Prodigal Son is none oth-
er than God the Father of us all and he is always

ready, willing, and able to welcome us home with

robes and rings and sandals and celebratory feasts!

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:

THIS ‘N THAT ON THE LAST WEEK-END IN FEBRUARY

Congratulations to Ms. Mary Moomey! She has

accepted the challenge of adding the duties of

Youth Minister to her job description. As you may

remember, Mary has been with us as Director of

Faith Formation for just about a year and she has

formed the opinion that it is now time for the par-
ish to widen the horizon of faith formation to in-
clude the youth of the community with the very

young children and the adults with whom she has

been working. Watch for more information about

her youth ministry activities as she warms to the

demands of the job.

During my homily last weekend I mentioned the

opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation

for members of our parish. These will be men-
tioned again in the announcements after Mass

this weekend. You may be wondering about the

Reconciliation Service to be held at Mt. St. Jo-
seph Church in St. Louis March 16; this is an ex-
periment for this Lent because Father Fred and

Father Nate have observed declining numbers of

parishioners participating in this activity. It is be-
lieved that by combining services with neighbor-
ing parishes that participation may increase. So,

if you are unable to attend the “24 hours with

Jesus” at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart Church

March 4 and 5, please consider attending the ser-
vice at St. Louis March 16.

At this time there is no word regarding a replace-
ment for me as your Pastoral Administrator. The

Bishop and the Personnel Board have a big job to

consider all the changes to be made through re-
tirements and requests for assignment changes

across the diocese. They will want to be sure they

find someone who is just right for every parish

needing a new person. Therefore, I anticipate no

announcement in this matter before Easter at the

earliest.

As I wrote the previous paragraph, I realized that

as you read this message it will be only four

weeks until Easter will be here. When Easter is

here, can Maple Syrup Festival be far behind?

And when Maple Syrup Festival is here, can the

beautiful Michigan spring weather be far behind?

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 Old Testament reading today Abraham has an

encounter with God where God promises him that

he will be the father of a great nation that will bless

people for generations. At that time Abraham had no

logical way to make sense of God’s promise. Abra-
ham is old and so is his wife Sarah. They have no

children. He is a prosperous herder but he has no

land or army or gold. It does not seem likely that this

promise could happen. God does not explain how or

when this will happen, only that it is his plan.

Abraham continues to have faith in God and contin-
ues to walk forward in the path God lays out for him.

Eventually Abraham has an heir. And through many

generations and through many triumphs and trage-
dies the descendants of Abraham and his nomadic

tribe are transformed into a nation state. It is from

this nation and culture that Jesus is born.

God does not just encounter people in the Bible. As

children of God we believe he has a plan for us, as

both the people of God and also for us individually.

When have we sensed God’s promise to us? Are

there times we don’t see how God can make things

turn out right for us? We can take comfort when we

remember God kept his promise to Abraham. The

timing and the way were God’s. Abraham’s part was

to have active faith as he went about his daily life

working and playing and praying and worshipping.

That is what we can do too.

Peace.

Mary

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:

If you have received an advance copy of this bulletin, or if you are reading this message after having cele-
brated Mass this week-end, you know that I am nearing the end of my service to you and the parish of St.

Vincent de Paul in Shepherd, Michigan. More than 2 1/2 years ago Joanne and I arrived in a new assign-
ment as Deacon/Pastoral Administrator and his wife. We have loved being here and making a lot of new

acquaintances, and renewing quite a few old ones, too. It has been a wonderful opportunity to share the

fellowship based on a love of Christ and Mary, his mother, with everyone here.

When we arrived, I told everyone that the assignment was for three years and that it would be re-evaluated

at the end of that time. Then, in late December of 2015 Bishop Cistone emailed all the Pastors and Pastoral

Administrators asking if a change of assignment was desired for the coming year. I paused, prayed, reflect-
ed, prayed some more, and came to the conclusion that the time had come for me to step down as Pastoral

Administrator. There are a number of reasons that center on my health and well-being. As some of you may

remember, I will be turning 75 years of age during the first week of July this year, and reaching that mile-
stone in life brings with it all the usual aches and pains of advancing age. Those of you who are already at

that age and beyond know what I’m talking about — arthritis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, hearing

loss, forgetfulness, etc., etc., etc.

Then, there are the purely selfish reasons such as our retirement home on Lake of the Hills in Weidman.

We think it is a beautiful spot on the water. We have a pontoon boat which we love to cruise around on.

Joanne used to have some lovely flower gardens that she would like to revitalize after three years of ne-
glect. During our time here in Shepherd we have been able to do some traveling, but it is our wish to do a

little more while we are still able to do so.

In the meantime, we still have the Lent/Easter Season to celebrate, as well as Ordinary Time until June 30.

I shall be on duty as your P.A. right through until then. The Diocese and the Bishop’s personnel committee

will be seeking to find someone to replace me in your midst. I do not know if the next person will be a Priest,

another Deacon, a Sister, or a lay person. Elsewhere in this bulletin you will see a notice regarding the

search for new Pastoral Administrators in our Diocese. It well behooves us to continue fervent prayer for

vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, consecrated life, and to pastoral administration.

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:

We are about to embark on the season of Lent for

2016. The annual observance of Lent is the special

season for the ascent to the holy mountain of Easter.

Through its twofold theme of repentance and bap-
tism, the season of Lent disposes both the catechu-
mens and the faithful to celebrate the paschal mys-
tery. Catechumens are led to the sacraments of initi-
ation by means of the Rite of Election, the Scrutinies,

and catechesis. Unfortunately, we have no one in our

midst that will be entering into communion with the

Church this year. The faithful, listening more intently

to the word of God and devoting themselves to pray-
er, are prepared through a spirit of repentance to re-
new their baptismal promises.

Ash Wednesday, February 10, and Good Friday,

March 25, are days of fast and abstinence. All

Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence.

Fasting is to be observed by everyone 18 years of

age and older who have not yet celebrated their 59th

birthday. On a fast day one full meal is allowed. Two

other meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be

taken according to each one’s needs, but together

they should not equal another full meal. Eating be-
tween meals is not permitted, but liquids including

milk and juices, are allowed.

Abstinence is observed by all 14 years of age and

older. On days of abstinence no meat is allowed.

Note that when health or ability to work would be

seriously affected, the law does not oblige. When in

doubt concerning fast and abstinence, the pastor or

pastoral administrator should be consulted.

Fasting, almsgiving, and prayer are the three

traditional disciplines of Lent. The faithful of the

Church should undertake these practices seriously

in a spirit of penance and preparation for renewal of

baptism at Easter.

Thank you to all of you who have offered “Welcome

back” wishes to Joanne and me. We enjoyed a won-
derful break from winter at the ‘most magical place

on earth’, with temperatures in the low 80s most of

the time, and best of all, we had no symptoms of ill-
ness at all!

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