Catholic Community of St. Jude at 801 North Bridge Street, DeWitt, MI 48820 US - Home

Welcome, Fr. Bob Irish!

 

 Bishop Boyea has decided to send Fr. Bob Irish to serve our parish community in place of Fr. Pieter Van Rooyen. Fr. Bob has been working in hospital ministry for a number of years, most recently at a Catholic hospital in Las Vegas, NV. Fr. Bob has decided to return to parish work within the Diocese of Lansing, and will begin his service to the parish on June 26, 2013. In turn, this will allow Fr. Pieter to begin his advanced degree work a year earlier than originally anticipated. Here are some words of greeting from Fr. Bob:

 

“Happy Easter to the family at St. Jude!  I grew up in Grand Ledge with 8 brothers and sisters and an even larger family with 24 nephews and nieces, 42 grand nephews and nieces and 6 great-grand nephews and nieces, many of whom still live in the mid-Michigan area.  I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing in March 1992. Prior to priesthood, I served as a police officer, professional minor league baseball umpire and high school teacher and coach. I have served St. John’s parish in Jackson, St. Patrick parish in Brighton, and as pastor of Holy Trinity Student Chapel in Ypsilanti. For the last 16 years I have ministered outside the diocese in Catholic healthcare. I spent the last 5 years as Vice President of Mission in a Catholic hospital in Las Vegas. There will be time to tell you more about my story and I look forward to hearing your story in the months to come.  I am humbled to be assigned to your parish community and look forward to my continued ministry as priest with all of you.  As this period of transition will occur on June 26, I ask that you keep both Fr. Dwight and me in your prayers as we each adapt and grow with our respective new community.”

 

Please help Fr. Bob to feel welcome here in our parish community. I know Fr. Bob from my first assignment at St. Thomas in Ann Arbor and used to help out when he was at Holy Trinity, Ypsilanti. I think his skills and priestly experience will be a great benefit to all. Let’s also wish Fr. Pieter well as he looks forward to his return to school.

 

Fr. Dwight

 

 

Memorial Day Mass in DeWitt City Cemetery

Memorial Day began in 1868 as a day toremember all those who died in the Civil War. Now it  honors all United Statescitizens who died in war. Unfortunately, that meaning ofMemorial Day often gets lost when we see that day as the “unofficial” start to our summerholidays.

Congress has encouraged Memorial Day as a time to remember all who have died in war (combatants and innocent civilians) and as a day to renew our efforts for just and lasting peace throughout the world. To mark this day, we will celebrate Mass in the DeWitt City Cemetery at 9:00 AM on Monday morning, May 27. Mass will be celebrated in section “D” of the cemetery, which is directly across Bridge Street from the church. This is also the area of the cemetery in which DeWitt’s memorial to its Civil War dead is located.

Please park in the church parking lot and walk across Bridge Street to the cemetery. Please reserve parking in the cemetery only for those with mobility problems. Bring lawn chairs forseating. At Mass we willremember all those who have died and a special prayer for visiting the grave of a loved one will beavailable for quiet prayer after Mass. If it’s raining at 8:00 AM that morning, Mass will becelebrated in the church. Mass will be followed by coffee and donuts in the community center.

 

Let’s Celebrate!!

The weekend of June 8 and 9, when I will celebrate my last weekend Masses here at St. Jude, is getting closer by the day.   I have begun the process of sorting, cleaning and packing in order to make way for Fr. Bob’s arrival at the end of June. The weekend of June 8 and 9 will not be easy, but it will be one more step on the journey that takes me to my new assignment as pastor of St. John the Evangelist in Fenton.

In my 14 years here we have accomplished a great deal. We have laughed and cried together, prayed and worshipped God together. That is something worth celebrating. So, please join me on Tuesday evening, June 11, for a parish cook-out as a way of saying thank you to one another for these years together. The festivities on June 11 will begin at 6:00 PM in the community center and last until ? The menu is picnic fare and no RSVP is necessary. I chose Tuesday evening so as to not interfere with graduation open houses. I do hope that everyone can join me on that Tuesday evening. I want to make sure that I offer my words of thanks to as many of you as possible before I move on to Fenton. 
                                                                                             Fr. Dwight

 

Contribute to Oklahoma tornado relief

As the families who are affected by the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma only just begin to realize the impact of these terrible storms, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is providing long-term disaster  relief for the victims.  The Diocese of Lansing joins all those praying and desiring to help those affected by this tragic devastation.

To contribute, send a check payable to                     
Diocese of Lansing
228 North Walnut Street
Lansing, MI, 48933
ATTN: Oklahoma Relief

All proceeds will be bundled and sent to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

 

6PM Sunday Mass 

The Sunday evening Mass will go on its summer vacation beginning Sunday, May 26, and will return Sunday, September 8, the Sunday after Labor Day.

 

Offertory Envelope Booklets Now Available for Pick-up

Our 2013-2014 annual offertory envelope booklets are now available for pick-up in the parish hall. Picking up your annual envelope booklet helps to save the parish almost $2000 in postage!

 

If You Are Hospitalized at Sparrow, Lansing

Sparrow Hospital has recently implemented an electronic medical records system for all its patients. If you are hospitalized at Sparrow, make sure to have your record note that you are Catholic, that you belong to St. Jude, and whether or not you wish to have communion brought to you by one of the many laypeople who do so on a daily basis. Without these vital pieces of information, we won’t be informed that you are hospitalized.

It is also very helpful to have a family member or friend (with your permission) call the parish offices to let us know that you have been admitted to the hospital, as there can be some lag-time before we are notified by Sparrow. Making sure to let us know here at the parish and making sure to inform the folks at Sparrow is the best way to make sure these bases are covered.

I and the other members of the pastoral staff are happy to come visit folks at any of our area health care facilities, but it’s best if you or someone you love let us know, rather than assuming that the hospital or care facility either can or will share that information with us. Because of HIPPA privacy laws, the sharing of such information is no longer automatic.

 

 

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