A small group of people braved the cold temperatures 34 degrees (wind chill 17) to come and pray the rosary in support of Traditional Marriage. The group met across the street from Riverside Market at 12 pm on Saturday, March 22.
The intention of our rosary was to Protect and Preserve Traditional Marriage in America.
Hope to see you there next time!
The Youth Group will be sponsoring their annual Children’s Easter Egg Hunt following the Mass on Easter Sunday, April 20. They are in need of donations of Easter Candy for this event. Donations may be dropped off in the Family Life Center in the purple tub near the Youth Room. Thank you for your support!
“24 hours for the Lord” is a Lenten initiative of prayer and reconciliation introduced by Pope Francis and celebrated around the world. It will be held at St. Robert Catholic Church beginning after morning Mass on Friday, March 28, until Benediction at 8:15 am on Saturday, March 29.
Eucharistic Adorers are needed to commit to pray before Jesus in the Monstrance for one-hour periods to ensure He is never left alone. Adorers are especially needed during nighttime hours. A sign-up sheet is located at the back of the church or online at:
March 28: https://signup.com/go/fYMXgqJ
March 29: https://signup.com/go/UTCdZmH
A set of three sisters, Audrey, Adeline, and Anna, attend Catechesis of the Good Shepherd on Tuesday afternoons. Adeline and Anna work on growing closer to Jesus in the Level II atrium. Audrey is in Level III.
Recently, material about the Good Shepherd has been in use while working on parables such as the Found Sheep, and the Wolf and Hireling. The children sit and ponder the sheep, sheepfold, Good Shepherd figurine, and then begin sharing their thoughts about how the Good Shepherd knows his sheep and they will only follow his voice; no other.
As an extension of this work, children had an opportunity to view an 18-inch Good Shepherd resin figurine. Some children placed it in front of them and drew their own version of it. Some children placed it on their work rug and gazed at it. Adeline, who made her First Holy Communion last April, seemed to have developed a special bond with the Good Shepherd. She asked her catechist if she could carry the Good Shepherd around the atrium and let it accompany her while she worked. Adeline seemed brighter and more joyful than ever as she proudly carried the Good Shepherd figurine in the atrium.
This natural progression of gazing to praying to holding, and to letting the Good Shepherd live inside her heart was obvious to everyone. The next week, Adeline gravitated to the Good Shepherd once again. After prayerful consideration, it was agreed upon by the students and catechist that the Good Shepherd should accompany Adeline home for a visit. The Holy Spirit assisted the idea and soon everyone wanted a chance to take the “traveling Good Shepherd” home for a week.
Adeline beamed when she was allowed to take the figurine home. The Gutowski family incorporated the figurine into their prayer life at home. New inspirations, discussions, and deeper learning opportunities centered on the love the Good Shepherd shows to his sheep— members of his flock.
“It felt wonderful having the Good Shepherd in our house to protect us,” said Adeline and her two sisters. “Also, if we were nervous or scared about a problem we knew the Shepherd would be helping us.”
The “traveling Good Shepherd” is already visiting another student’s home. Charleigh Stroup, who will be making her First Holy Communion in May, was excited to be the next one in line to take the figurine home.
The beauty of God working in the hearts and minds of His littlest learners inside the atrium was evident through deeper contemplation of Jesus’ parables centering on His proclamation, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me.” (John 10:14)
All 10 children in Level II will be given an opportunity to take home the “traveling Good Shepherd,” to share His love with their family. We are grateful for Adeline’s courage to ask to let the Good Shepherd go home with her— through her, a new spiritual experience opened up for all families.
Religious Ed Registration Form (print and fill out)
Are you tired of giving up chocolate for Lent? Then here are some other creative ideas on what you can do for Lent 2025.
To be clear, this is not a list of things to do instead of fasting and sacrificing during Lent. I’m always on guard for talk that sounds like, “I’m not doing a regular Lent, I’m doing a cool Lent.” Fasting and sacrifice are essential practices modeled and endorsed by Christ himself and are among the main actions that the Church calls us to during the Lenten season. (No pain, no gain. No cross, no crown.)
That being said, prayer and almsgiving—the source and fruit of sacrifice and fasting—are also essential to Lenten observance. Self-giving love must flow from and into the Trinity, which is the source and destiny of all love.
Read more here
(found on ascensionpress.com)
The parish community is invited to participate in a Parish Lenten Project to help serve needy children from St. Luke’s New Life Center in Flint. Sr. Carol has provided our parish an abundant supply of shoe boxes. The boxes will be decorated with an image of Our Resurrected Lord and a special message. Parishioners can take a box home and fill it with items for a child beginning the week of Ash Wednesday, March 5– you choose girl or boy! Items can include: prayer cards, religious books, small food items, Easter candy, socks, shorts, shirts, slippers, small toys, crayons, pencils, jewelry, art supplies, etc. (no weapons or inappropriate items).
Return boxes to the parish hall and all Boxes of Joy will be delivered to the children the week of Palm Sunday –in time for Easter!
Pope Francis opened the Jubilee Year of Hope for the universal Church on Christmas Eve 2024 in Rome. Pope Francis released a papal bull proclaiming the Holy Year 2025. The Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee Year is entitled Spes non confundit (“Hope does not disappoint” and can be found here). In addition, the Apostolic Penitentiary has published this decree.
The Jubilee of Hope Opened in the Diocese of Lansing on December 29, 2024,
The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
To Strengthen & Share Hope
A central aspect of the Jubilee Year is the Jubilee Year Indulgence.
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARY
INDULGENCES FOR JUBILEE YEAR 2025
A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin.
The indulgence applies to sins already forgiven. A plenary indulgence cleanses the soul as if the person had just been baptized. Plenary indulgences obtained during the Jubilee Year can also be applied to souls in purgatory with the possibility of obtaining two plenary indulgences for the deceased in one day.
To obtain an indulgence, the usual conditions of detachment from all sin, sacramental confession, holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the pope must be met. (Usually, an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be).
Holy Doors are to be opened at the Papal Basilicas of St. Peter, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls (no. 6) and at the Rebibbia Prison in Rome. The Dicastery for Evangelization notes that the distinguishing mark of the Jubilee Year is not the Holy Door, but rather the Jubilee Indulgence, received through the Sacrament of Penance and acts of charity and hope. The various ways and many places where this indulgence may be obtained are summarized above and are outlined in the Apostolic Penitentiary’s Decree on the Granting of the Jubilee Indulgence issued May 13, 2024.
Click here to learn more:
+Find out conditions for how to obtain the Jubilee Year Indulgences
+Diocesan Events for the Jubilee Year
+Places of Pilgrimage in the Diocese of Lansing
+Questions Regarding Indulgences
Please join us for a Parish Potluck in the Family Life Center on Sunday, March 30 following the 11:15 a.m. Mass. Bring your favorite dish to pass! All are invited to come. Hope to see you there!
Please Urge the Senate to Approve the Conscience Protection Act!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACTION! With voices all over Michigan and all over the country encouraging its passage, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Conscience Protection Act this week by a 245-182 bipartisan vote. The measure allows for health care providers and payers to protect their rights in court should they be forced to participate in abortion. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, the respective chairs of the pro-life and religious liberty committees at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), applauded the vote and urged continued action as the bill moves forward to the U.S. Senate. Please send a message to the senate now: http://www.micatholic.org/advocacy/catholic-advocacy-network/vv/?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns
Please Urge Congress to Approve the First Amendment Defense Act!
The First Amendment Defense Act (H.R. 2802, S. 1598) would bar the federal government from discriminating against individuals and organizations based upon their religious beliefs or moral convictions that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. Please send a message now: https://www.votervoice.net/USCCB/Campaigns/43794/Respond
At Good Shepherd we are pursuing new opportunities to foster a stronger parish life and better engage the New Evangelization. As a part of these efforts we are happy to announce that Good Shepherd now has it’s own app for Apple and Android phones.
Our new app will allow us to send you useful and important messages throughout the week regarding our parish life and events, and allow you to reply to messages or RSVP for events.
There will be no need for parishioners with smart phones to remember to silence their phones before Mass. The app will send you a reminder to silence your phone 20 minutes before the Mass you select. Many more great features will be a help to all of us, such as, daily Mass readings, Catholic news, prayers and prayer reminders, quick access to online tithing, Confession reminders, and our weekly bulletin.
So, be sure to download the app by visiting myparishapp.com or searching for myparish on your phone’s app store, or text APP to 55321 and stay connected with us all week long.
Once downloaded open the app and search for Good Shepherd Church 400 N. Saginaw St. click on that. That’s it!
Check out some of the features