SPIRIT AWARDS!
It is time to give some of our faithful parishioners a pat on the back! For the last decade, The Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance has hosted the Annual Parish Spirit Awards. These awards are given to an individual who embodies the spirit of our parishes, i.e. those in our cluster who have helped folks become closer to Christ through their dedication, volunteering, work ethic, faith, and/or evangelization efforts. Fr. Patrick kept begging me to nominate him, but I had to keep reminding him that “It had to be a non-staff member!” Pray for him, he has been a little needy lately?!? But I digress! You nominated individuals and two have been chosen: Marcella Verdun from Blessed Sacrament Parish and Vance Jones from the parish of St. Moses the Black.
Marcella has been a member of the Cathedral Parish since 1974. Although she is a retired Public School Administrator, she is far from retired from volunteering! She has been a sacristan, Eucharistic Minister, lector, president of the Altar Society, and served on the Worship Commission and Parish Pastoral Council. She does many other ministries not mentioned here. Good work, Marcella!
Vance shares his gifts at St. Moses and the neighborhood that surrounds us. He has volunteered his amazing cooking skills as a sous chef with us in the parish and at Focus Hope. He has been a huge supporter of the St. Moses Food Pantry and you see him distributing food every Wednesday to our friends in need. Well done, Vance!
They will receive their award this Thursday, March 15 at the 10th Annual Urban Parish Spirit Awards at Sacred Heart Church. They have truly served our cluster with the way they have lived their lives. I am very proud of these dedicated disciples. Congratulations to them! When you see them, I invite you to give them a pat on the back yourself.
THANKS ARE IN ORDER!
Last weekend some very generous folks offered “The Invitation”. For two days, several hundred folks from all over the Archdiocese journeyed through a reflective, powerful experience that allowed them to walk with Jesus in a new way. Each participant used a headset and moved along a path of narrated, interactive displays that allowed them to experience the profound love our Lord has for us. Even though we were hit hard by snow, nothing stopped our illustrious volunteers.
Thank you to the financial donors, who would like to remain anonymous, and to all who volunteered their time, energy, and prayer in order to make this such a moving experience for so many. Our Lent is much richer because of your kindness.
THANKS FOR PRAYING!
As Lent progresses and we all go a little deeper into the magnificent mysteries of God’s love for us, please remember to pray for your parish family, all your priests, and all the adults across the world in R.C.I.A. who are about to fully join the Catholic Church, most especially our own folks: Jimmy, Terry, Krysta, Deborah, Bernard, and Demetria. Pray, too, about who you can invite to explore R.C.I.A. in the fall!
God Bless, Fr. J.J.