LET’S SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!: I am so happy about our team. We have an awesome group of folks (staff and volunteer) who are making sure that our parishioners are catechized. Fr. Mark Soehner, OFM has been doing a spectacular job of overseeing the RCIA (that is the process folks enter into when they are interested in what the Catholic Church is all about). So far we have a good sized group meeting, but it is not too late to have new folks join them. We have all those new residents moving into Midtown and from the St. Moses and Blessed Sacrament neighborhoods as well, all we have to do is invite them. If you know of anyone who may show any remote interest (even a family member), simply pass their info to me and I would be happy to contact them. The RCIA meets on Sunday at 1 pm in room A at the Cathedral. They have covered such topics as Scripture, Revelation, and Who is Jesus? We had two individuals from a large suburban parish sit in on one of our sessions and they said: “This is even better than at our parish.” Good Job Fr. Mark!
It is not only adults that we are talking to. Yvonne, who is in charge of our Faith Formation within the cluster, has done an exceptional job of “whacking the bushes.” I asked her to make sure that all of our kids are on the right track and are “caught up” to where they should be in regards to Sacramental preparation. So far we have a dozen kids from all three parishes in our First Eucharist program, 4 of which need to be baptized as well. There are 8 kids in our Confirmation program, and 3 of them need to be baptized and will receive the Eucharist for the first time. This is a very exciting time for our cluster! Some of our records are not up to date, so if you know of someone or have a child that is not where they could/should be in their Sacramental prep, give us a ring.
SPEAKING OF TEAM: There are so many things that need to get done and God always provides! Through a very interesting, scratch that, bizarre set of circumstances, a woman named Marian Bart found that she had too much time on her hands. She is a very educated woman (she has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a diploma in Catholic Theology) and previously served as a Director of Religious Education. We could not afford to hire a new employee, but we scraped together enough money to be able to contract her when we need her. What will Marian do? She is helping us reach out to more folks through social media, with all the parishes in the cluster, she will help create and make our websites even better, she will be a “go to” person for the rest of the staff when they are in a bind. So if you see her hanging around, make sure you help her feel welcome!
Speaking of social media: Our Facebook page is still Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. You can also now follow us on Twitter @DetroitCathedra and on Instagram at BlessedSacramentCathedral. Invite your friends, too!
God Bless,
Fr. J.J.
P.S. Do not forget to give feedback via the “What more can your parish do for you…” questionnaires (on the website and in the info areas of all three churches). Staff and Parish Councils will utilize them.