Monthly Archives: December 2019

Bell Tower Repair

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If you live in the City of Hudson, you may know that Sacred Heart’s bells have not been ringing due to a mechanical issue.  Thanks to Phil Marry (pictured), Matt Shaffer, Steve Wright and all who were involved in repair of the bell tower.   How often would anyone see this view of the bell tower? Look at the smooth areas on the bell where the clapper hits.

We have a great group of people who take such good care of our historic church.  Thank you all for your dedication in taking care of our beloved Sacred Heart!

Good News Catholic Radio announces…..

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Good Shepherd Catholic Radio will launch a new series about Catholic books and authors the first weekend of the New Year. Titled “Free Expression,” the show is produced and hosted by Bill Koshelnyk, who sings and plays guitar for Saturday evening Mass. Bill is author of the historical novel, “My Brother’s Keeper,” about the family of Jesus, written under his pen name, “Bill Kassel.” The show airs Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and Sunday at 8:30 and 5:00. Good Shepherd Catholic Radio is heard at 93.3 FM and 1510 AM.

 

Fr. Todd Bulletin, January 5 2020

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Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s,

Happy New Year!  ’Tis the season for New Year’s Resolutions: things we want to take on that can help transform our lives.  People can wonder what some Catholic New Year’s Resolutions might be.  To help with that, I borrowed a few from an article written by a young woman named Meg Hunter-Kilmer.  She grew up Catholic but stopped practicing her faith until she had a powerful encounter with Jesus.  If you want to know more of her story, go here: https://www.piercedhands.com/

  1. Read the Bible. Attached to here is a link to a plan to help you read the entire Bible in one year.  This plan has you reading different parts of the Bible at the same time so you will not be simply starting from the front until you reach the back.  https://www.piercedhands.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/One-Year-Bible-Chronological.pdf  We will be picking up our own Bible Study in the second week of January and we will be going through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.

  2. Read something worthwhile: a book about a saint, a book about a particular aspect of the faith that you want to learn more about, a book that is simply good literature and thus is worth reading. There are four seasons in the year, so a simple rule of thumb can be one book per season.  (Since I love reading, I might be slightly biased with this one!  If you need a recommendation for something, let me know.)

  3. Pray every single day. Ask the Lord what the minimum might be: the amount of time you will spend in prayer every day no matter what kind of day it has been. Fighting for time with the Lord will transform your life. Last year, the whole Diocese celebrated a Year of Prayer and had these suggestions/challenges:   *  Married with kids at home: 10 minutes of daily prayer.   *  Married empty nesters: 30 minutes of daily prayer. *  Married retired: one hour of daily prayer.  *  Single: one hour of daily prayer.  *  Priests: two hours of daily prayer plus Mass.  *  Deacons: one hour of daily prayer.

  4. Forgive. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. Make a resolution to forgive somebody for whom you’ve been harboring resentment, then do something tangible like offering a Mass for them or placing a picture of them before an image of the Blessed Mother or just daily praying, “Father, I forgive N. Please give me the grace to forgive him/her.”

  5. Remember that when we fall, we get back up! Part of any resolution is learning to be in it for the long haul—with all the twists and turns that entails.

God Bless,

Fr. Todd

Deacon Corner, January 5 2020

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Today is The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is one of the oldest Christian feasts we celebrate.  Webster defines epiphany as an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure; a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being; a moment of sudden revelation or insight.  But as Christians, the Epiphany is much more than that.  Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning “to reveal.  So, the “epiphany” of Jesus, is God revealing Himself to the world – not just to a chosen few, but to every person from every nation for eternity.

God’s Epiphany happened through men from faraway lands.  Human beings filled with wisdom and seeking peace.  They brought gifts symbolizing different aspects of the divine, infant Savior’s life.  The gift of frankincense – the sign of divinity –  is offered to Jesus, the Son of God, His eternal Word made Flesh.  The gift of gold – the gift for a king –  is offered to Jesus the King of the Universe.  The gift of myrrh – used to anoint the dead – is offered to the little divine but human savior of the world who will suffer and die for the salvation of all.

At that first Christmas, the magi sought and found God, then brought Him gifts fit for a king.  What about us?  Do we seek God?  Do we find Him around us?  What meaningful or valuable gifts do we bring Him?  The answers to these questions lie deep within our hearts.  Because the best gifts we can give God come from our heart – our gratitude, our humility, our will, our mind, and our love.  The best gift we can give God today is ourselves.  After all, it’s the gift the Lord longs to receive from each of us.

Deacon John

 

**NEWS**

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On behalf of the HMA Food Pantry, we would like to say thank you for the generous donations of food items during this Christmas Season.   The joyous celebration of Christ’s birth was shown by your generosity.

We were able to deliver Christmas Baskets to 25 of our food pantry families.  There was a 14+ lb turkey in each box along with yams, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberries, green beans, mushroom soup, and vegetables.

We wish to thank all of our volunteers and our area Pastors, especially Rev Wes Rowan for all the help and support throughout the year.  The HMA food pantry would not exist without the volunteers.

May God bless you all and have a joyful and prosperous New Year.

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The Hudson Free Store has opened at 307 W Main Street in Hudson.  Brenda Walters from the Concord Free Store in Concord, Michigan has worked with Kay Bigelow to organize and supply the Hudson Free Store. Just as the name implies everything; clothing, household items, books, games and puzzles are free.

For the last two years Kay has set up a free clothing giveaway several times a year at the Methodist Church but will now have a permanent setting. She will be looking for volunteers to work and man the store. An experienced grant writer is also needed.

They plan to be open Mondays and Thursdays from 3 till 6 and Saturdays from 9 till noon. Stop by and wish them well.

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UNBOUND MINISTRY

What is UNBOUND? A vital part of the new evangelization because, through a simple method of prayer based on the Gospel, it helps us (and helps us to help others) move beyond our spiritual obstacles into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

SAVE the DATE and REGISTER TODAY

FEBRUARY 28 & 29th the LIVE FREE-UNBOUND Conference is coming to St. Anthony of Padua in Hillsdale. Invite your family and friends! All are welcome! For more information or to reserve your spot visit www.livefreeub.net.

An Introduction to Unbound

January 18 & 19 at St. Anthony in Hillsdale after ALL MASSES

We will be showing a 1 hour DVD featuring Matt Lozano sharing the 5 Keys of Unbound Prayer. Join us for this PREVIEW to the February 28-29 Conference.  Location will be announced at Mass (either Parish Hall, Gathering Space or Conference Room)

Life in the Spirit:

There will be NO Prayer and Praise Gathering on THURSDAY, JANUARY 2 at St. Anthony in Hillsdale due to the ENCOUNTER 2020 in Toledo (that many of us are attending). Next Gathering will be the First Thursday in FEBRUARY  (6th).

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Men’s Retreat: River of Life – Flowing from our Baptism Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, 2020

St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt

There’s more to Baptism than you may know – Join us to find out what you are called to be! Suggested donation for the weekend is $185 and includes all lodging, meals, and materials. Retreat begins with check in at 6:00 pm on Friday and ends after lunch on Sunday. Men of all ages are welcome! Register with St. Francis at 517-669-8321; registration is also available online at www.stfrancis.ws. Please prayerfully consider if God is calling you to set aside time for this encounter opportunity!   Facilitators for this weekend include Fr. David Rosenberg, Sr. Katherine Collard, and Tony Sperendi.

 

 

Fr. Todd Homily, December 29 2019

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GospelMT 2:13-15, 19-23

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.

Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod had died, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,
for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
He rose, took the child and his mother,
and went to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea
in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go back there.
And because he had been warned in a dream,
he departed for the region of Galilee.
He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth,
so that what had been spoken through the prophets
might be fulfilled,
He shall be called a Nazorean.

Fr. Tomy Christmas Homily

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HOMILY ON CHRISTMAS

After about four weeks of Advent, all of us finally reach this moment of the day of Christmas when we celebrate the birth of the Lord and Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ. Today is indeed a day of great joy that finally after the long wait, the world has finally seen its Saviour, a long awaited moment and a new hope dawning on us mankind. Christmas is indeed the celebration of Christ, through Whom all of us have the reason to rejoice.

It is Christmas, the birthday of the Lord Jesus, the greatest of all birthdays, the day of our dreams. It is the birthday of the Son of God who has come to be with us. To all those who receive him and believe in his name, he gives power to become children of God. This is the news of great joy. A great light has appeared. A child is born for us, a son is given to us, that we may become children of God, children of light.

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. Let us give a joyful and hearty welcome to the Lord who comes to us, to our hearts and minds and lives. He is Emmanuel, God with us. In him God’s love and grace have been revealed, his coming has made salvation possible he came to teach us how to live and what to do. The merciful goodness, the infinite love of God for His creatures is concretised in His Son who is born poor and fragile in a manger. The initiative of divine bounty brings salvation to human beings. The incarnation of the Word of God invites us to live a sober, pious and just life. Thus the coming of the Lord calls to a Christian commitment of life. Christians must be persons who work for the realization of what the angels sang: Glory to God in the Highest and peace on earth to people of good will.

St. John says, he is the true light that enlightens every person who comes into this world. God who is love, communicates with us, reveals the truth to us, and leads us from darkness to light. For this purpose the Word became flesh, shared in our weakness, poverty and mortality. We must therefore walk this earth with our gaze fixed on Christ and our hope lifted to heaven. We must live in the light of Christmas which is faith. We must act in the warmth of Christmas which is love. We must rejoice in the radiance of Christmas which is purity. We must walk in the brightness of Christmas which is truth. We must focus our minds on the heart of Christmas, which is Christ. That is the way to live according to the sense and purpose of Christmas.

Dear friends, Jesus is counting on us. We are among those who believe in him because of the apostles. And he is counting on us to make known his love to others. Jesus gave us his love and his gospel. He is counting on us to live the good news and to transmit it to all people. When we do that, we shall be spreading the message, the beauty, the joy and the benefit of Christmas to our brothers and sisters around us.

 

Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
For today a great light has come upon the earth.

Fr. Todd Christmas Eve Homily

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GospelLK 1:67-79

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

 

NEWS

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The Parish Office will be open Monday, December 30 and closed December 31 thru January 3. 

 Daily Mass schedule for week of New Year’s:

         8:00am – Monday, December 31

         8:00am – Thursday, January 2

         9:00am – Friday, January 3

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The Hudson Free Store has opened at 307 W Main Street in Hudson.  Brenda Walters from the Concord Free Store in Concord, Michigan has worked with Kay Bigelow to organize and supply the Hudson Free Store. Just as the name implies everything; clothing, household items, books, games and puzzles are free.

For the last two years Kay has set up a free clothing giveaway several times a year at the Methodist Church but will now have a permanent setting. She will be looking for volunteers to work and man the store. An experienced grant writer is also needed.

They plan to be open Mondays and Thursdays from 3 till 6 and Saturdays from 9 till noon. Stop by and wish them well.

*******************

UNBOUND MINISTRY

What is UNBOUND? A vital part of the new evangelization because, through a simple method of prayer based on the Gospel, it helps us (and helps us to help others) move beyond our spiritual obstacles into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

SAVE the DATE and REGISTER TODAY

FEBRUARY 28 & 29th the LIVE FREE-UNBOUND Conference is coming to St. Anthony of Padua in Hillsdale. Invite your family and friends! All are welcome! For more information or to reserve your spot visit www.livefreeub.net.

An Introduction to Unbound

January 18 & 19 at St. Anthony in Hillsdale after ALL MASSES

We will be showing a 1 hour DVD featuring Matt Lozano sharing the 5 Keys of Unbound Prayer. Join us for this PREVIEW to the February 28-29 Conference.  Location will be announced at Mass (either Parish Hall, Gathering Space or Conference Room)

Life in the Spirit:

There will be NO Prayer and Praise Gathering on THURSDAY, JANUARY 2 at St. Anthony in Hillsdale due to the ENCOUNTER 2020 in Toledo (that many of us are attending). Next Gathering will be the First Thursday in FEBRUARY  (6th).

***********************

Men’s Retreat: River of Life – Flowing from our Baptism ~ Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, 2020 at St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt

There’s more to Baptism than you may know – Join us to find out what you are called to be! Suggested donation for the weekend is $185 and includes all lodging, meals, and materials. Retreat begins with check in at 6:00 pm on Friday and ends after lunch on Sunday. Men of all ages are welcome! Register with St. Francis at 517-669-8321; registration is also available online at www.stfrancis.ws. Please prayerfully consider if God is calling you to set aside time for this encounter opportunity!   Facilitators for this weekend include Fr. David Rosenberg, Sr. Katherine Collard, and Tony Sperendi.

 

 

 

Fr. Todd Bulletin, December 29 2019

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Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s on the Lake,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (almost)!  I hope that everyone had a great time with your families and friends and will do so over New Year’s.

The Church will celebrate Christmas for a whole season that will end on Jan 12th.  All these days, we need to ponder anew the reality of Christmas and what it means that Jesus was born into the world.

Whenever we walk by a stable scene where we see Jesus as a baby lying in the manger, it brings up one real question: “Why did you do this?”  If we are able to ask that question, we will hear Jesus’ answer: “I did this for you.  You are known and loved.  You are worth being born in a stable and you are worth dying on a cross.  You are never alone.”

Ponder these truths and we will be able to enter into Christmas.  Leading into this season, the Lord has been placing this sense on my heart that He wants to take our burdens from us.  This is the marvelous exchange of Christmas: we bring our burdens, our wounds, our sins and He brings us life.  May we all encounter anew this love that heals and makes whole!

 

God Bless,

Fr. Todd