OLD ST. MARY

OLD ST. MARY’S CHURCH PAGE 2 DETROIT, MICHIGAN

A PRAYER FOR THE SICK

Creator of goodness and love, hear our prayers for the sick members of our community and for all who are in need. Amid mental and physical suffering may they find consolation in your healing presence. Show your mercy as you close wounds, cure illness, make broken bodies whole and free downcast spirits. May these special people find lasting health and deliverance, and join us in thanking you for all of your gifts. We ask this through the Lord Jesus who healed those who believed. Amen.

Members of our Parish Family… Ruby Ashley, Nickole Bazger, Jackie Brown, Gerry Conover, Brian Dean, Jean-Claude Elie, Teresa Galea, Peggy Graf, Dan Jones, Shirley Krol, Sharon Lesnau, Fred Lewis, John McCabe, Brian McCafferty, James Santo, Kathleen Sullivan, Bernadine Teipel, Valerie Wise

Friends and Family of Parishioners… Alexandra Bateau, Mary Beagan, Eli Beard, Mary Breeding, Chuck Callawaert, Anthony Cairo, Barbara Cella, Stella Chalanick, Robert Chapman, Daniel Cleary, Joe Cottone, Matthew Czerniak, Barry Ellerholz, Justine Fisher, Susan Gallagher, Tom Grossman, Tanya Hardike, Gerald Hodges, Marie Jarbo, Suham Jarbo, Colleen Jidov, Lucas Stanley Koch, Gerard Kostanecki, Kuriakose Mani, Mark McCubbin, Verna Meinershagen, Kimberley MiCallef, Mel Morabito, Jim Navin, Jamison Paling, Joanne Popelka, Patricia Ramirez, Cathy Roach, Nazar & Elsie Sadik, Katherine Samaha, Larry Schott, Charles Schultz, Anthony Skeltis, Tommy Slayton, Suzy Stockmann, Carmen Tabone, Christy Thomas, Nancy Thornton, Tom VanArsdale, Susan Vessle, Courtney Walker, Phyllis Walker, Kitty Walters, Kern Wiley

Sunday, April 5: Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord Poor Souls in Purgatory by Estrellita Gibson

Intentions of our Parishioners

Dolores Rohrkemper by Dick Rohrkemper

Lisa Maria Porstman-van Gils by Mom & Dad

Intentions of Dick Miller by Michelle Pierron

Monday, April 6: Monday of Holy Week

Vivian Wier by Jason Ratter

Tuesday, April 7: Tuesday of Holy Week Intentions of our Parishioners

Wednesday, April 8: Wednesday of Holy Week

Deceased Hamtramck Neighbors by Dr. Clark

Okulski

Thursday, April 9: Thursday of Holy Week

(Holy Thursday) Intentions of our Parishioners

Friday, April 10: Friday of the Passion of the Lord

(Good Friday)

Saturday, April 11: Holy Saturday

Sunday, April 12: Easter Sunday of the

Resurrection of the Lord

Tony Shaughnessy by Jack & Peg

Shaughnessy

Priest’s Intentions

Lisa Maria Porstman-van Gils by Mom & Dad

Intentions of our Parishioners

All Mass intentions will be prayed for during

private Masses offered by our priests

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

In St. Matthew’s processional Gospel today, the evangelist recalls Jesus’ joyous, triumphant, and humble entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey. The Jewish people are elated because they think Christ is a king who will overthrow the cruel and oppressive Roman rule. But their excitement quickly changes when they learn that Jesus’ Kingdom is of another world. In St. Matthew’s Passion narrative, the people condemn Christ and the Romans sentence him to death by crucifixion. Jesus dies on the cross, giving His life for the salvation of all souls. By opening their hearts to a deeper relationship with Christ, faith-filled stewards gratefully acknowledge this tremendous gift. In response, they strive for holiness and return to the Lord a portion of their abundant blessings through prayer, service, and generosity — to build up His Kingdom. Discover your God-given talents at www.staustin.org/spiritual-gifts-inventory, then share these talents with your parish and school.

Following the directives from the Archdiocese of Detroit, Old St. Mary’s has suspended all public Masses through Easter Tuesday.

PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD PAGE 3 APRIL 5, 2020

Old St. Mary’s Served since 1893 by the Holy Spirit Fathers (Spiritans)

646 Monroe Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226-2935

(313) 961-8711

FAX (313) 961-4994

Email: [email protected]

Our website is www.oldstmarysdetroit.com

Rev. Wayne Epperley, C.S.Sp. Pastor

Rev. LeRoy Moreeuw, C.PP.S. (In residence)

Randy Bowers, Operations Manager

Patricia Gonyeau, Administrative Assistant

Ken Marchetti, Bookkeeper

Knights of Columbus Council 305, Grand Knight Andy Assenmacher

Finance Council Members:

Gerald Conover, Martin Critchell, Neil Barnes, Gerald Gruska

Pastoral Council President: Dr. Michelle Pierron Pastoral Council Members:

Andrew Assenmacher, Micki Czerniak, Beth Dziekan, Seema Erskine, Gerald Gruska, Dick Miller,

Garrett O’Donohue, Patrick Zelenak

ORDER OF SERVICES

Sunday Masses: Vigil Mass 5:30 p.m. (Saturday),

8:30 a.m., 10:00 (Latin), & 12:00 noon

Holy Day Masses: (except Christmas & Easter)

12:15 p.m. & as announced

Daily Masses: Monday through Saturday; 12:15 p.m.

Confessions: Weekdays, before the 12:15 Mass

Saturday, 5:10 to 5:30 and Sunday, 15 minutes before each Mass

MATRIMONY

Marriage Inquires: [email protected]

Most loving Virgin , Mother of Our Lord and

Queen of Heaven, through your holy prayers,

confirm within our souls the strength of your

Divine Son that we may bear with patience the

uneasiness, the disquiets, the difficulties that we

today face.

Direct us in our prayers before your Divine Son

for the health and well-being of our families and

friends..

Prayers for all of those who have fallen into

sickness..

For the healing of their bodies, souls and spirits.

We place our trust in your intercession, in your

guidance.

Pray that your Son may shelter us in His Divine

and Holy Love now and always and forever and

ever. AMEN

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As citizens of Michigan, we join with our neighbors in observing measures to address the spread of COVID-19. As we continue to practice social distancing to limit the virus' spread, our response as the Body of Christ must always begin in faith. We believe Jesus is still Lord. We believe that God can bring good from this time. We believe that we are not abandoned but remain – however mysteriously – in the loving hands of the Father. It is with great sadness that I have to announce to you that Holy Week celebrations will not be offered publicly this year in the Archdiocese of Detroit. To ensure we cooperate with and support the governor and local health officials during this time as well as assuring you of my continued commitment to the work of unleashing the Gospel, I am issuing these directives regarding the life of our parishes, the administration of the Sacraments – particularly to those who are sick and dying – and the celebration of Holy Week. While it is not possible for us to gather in our parishes during Holy Week and on Easter, it is possible for us to be connected in other ways. I ask you to remain attentive to aod.org and spiritualclosness.org for ways to be connected with each other during these days. I know this is an unprecedented time in the life of our local Church. But unprecedented challenges bring unprecedented graces. If we unite ourselves to the Lord we will emerge from these days of trial and uncertainty more ready to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Please know of my prayers for you and our whole State of Michigan during these days. Asking the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,

The Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron,

Archbishop of Detroit

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Matthew 26:14—27:66 Or 27:11-54

When I was expecting my second son, I remember spending hours poring over decisions on his birth and what I wanted things to look like. Every step of the labor and delivery process was already planned out in my mind. So, when at 40 weeks pregnant and ready to make this plan reality, I experienced a partial placental abruption, I was completely blindsided. Everything that I had anticipated for his birth was undone and I was sent on a completely new path in that single moment. In God’s providential care, my son was born healthy. There was so much suffering that came from that birth, but that moment was also a vital turning point for me as a mother and Catholic and I wouldn’t change it. God allowed it all for a good I couldn’t see yet. I learned the profound lesson that our ways are very often not God’s ways.

This Lent, our entire world has learned a similar lesson at a much larger scale. Many of us planned to spend our days preparing for the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection in a very specific way. Like many of my friends, I had mapped out exactly what I was fasting from and the spiritual practices I would be implementing in order to create a little curated Lenten journey I thought fit to help prepare my heart for these holy days. However, this year we have seen in God’s providential care that he has allowed a new way to be carved out for many Catholics this year. A way that God may see fit to call even more hearts to conversion as the world navigates the immense challenges of a pandemic. We’ve been called to give up far more than most had planned. At the same time we’ve been called to renew our hope and trust in the God who sees beyond any earthly suffering, not as a passive spectator but as the one who took on flesh in order to feel deeply the pangs of human suffering, in order to redeem it. At the end of Lent many of us are realizing God’s plans were not our plans, and His plans will bear so much more fruit even if we don’t see it yet.

The canticle in the second reading helps us commit to heart this reality: no matter how deep our suffering is or how tragic our world becomes, no matter how many plans are disrupted, we have a God who is so profoundly on our side that nobility and earthly power mean nothing to Him. He has literally cloaked Himself in the weight of our sin and sorrow in order to save us and ensure we get back to Him. If I had planned for a king to save the world, the last thing I would plan is a suffering servant who had to endure a horrendous death. But in His mercy and goodness, God planned a way that would convince even the hardest heart that we are never alone, and we will someday be in paradise with Him if we remain faithful and trust in Him.

Author Fr. Jacques Philippe teaches us about this trust in his book “Fire & Light” when he says:

“To the extent we have riches or place our trust in security and human support, we can’t really practice hope, which consists in counting on God alone. God sometimes permits us to go through trials, the loss of some of our security, even lamentable falls, in order that we learn in the end to count on nothing but Him and His mercy. Peter is a good example: he had to fall, denying Christ during his Passion, in order to learn not to lean on his own virtues, his own courage, the momentum of human enthusiasm, but only on the love of Jesus.”

Let us welcome Palm Sunday and our Lord’s Passion this year with new hearts that have been formed by God’s will, even if it didn’t come as we had planned, leaning into the love of Christ and his wounded heart.

Angie Windnagle

PRAYER

Anima Christi Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within thy wounds, hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from thee. From the malicious enemy, defend me. In the hour of my death, call me and bid me come unto thee, That with thy Saints I may praise thee, Forever and ever. Amen. -St. Ignatius of Loyola