Dear Sacred Heart Family,

What a blessing to be back in the newly renovated and restored church and sanctuary at Sacred Heart. Thank you again for your generosity in supporting the project through Witness to Hope and for the many, many volunteers who have given of their time to help it go so smoothly.

At St. Mary’s this is the official end of the summer season and a time when we say goodbye to our summer parishioners.  Thank you for all of your prayers and support and know of ours for you.  I have enjoyed getting to know you in my short time this past summer and I look forward to you return next year.  Thank you to our faithful fish fry crew- another delicious success.

The school year is off to a good start – it is great seeing the school full again.  For many of us the start of the academic year is a good time to take an intentional step to deepen our walk with the Lord.  That is the theme I started last week that I would like to continue.

Another great opportunity we have here at Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s is the biweekly Bible Study that has been going on for the last 5-6 years.  I will plan meeting for roughly an hour.  Previously Fr. Joe alternated the bible study with St. Mary’s – he was at one parish one week and at the other the next week.  I am going to sync them up so I will be at both parishes the same week.  Sacred Heart’s Bible Study meets on Wednesday’s at 6pm in the Parish Hall.  St. Mary’s meets on Thursday mornings at 10am.  Both will be covering the same chapter so if it works to go to one or the other parish, we will be covering the same material.

What a blessing these times are.  Scripture is transformed when we realize it is not just recounting a story but it is my story.  I have heard it said that the stories in the Bible never change – only the faces do.  We see ourselves in them and we meet Jesus reaching into our lives just as he reached into the lives of those we read about.  Please consider coming.  You will not only learn more about Jesus but you will come to know Him more fully.  Paul told Timothy that “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” (2nd Timothy 3:16).  In any encounter with the Lord in the Bible we will experience at one time or another each of these elements.  And doing so we grow.

At our last meeting we picked up at the 3^rd Chapter of the Gospel according to John.  At our next meeting this coming week, we will jump into the 4^th Chapter of John.

¨ Wednesday, September 5 at Sacred Heart at 6pm

¨ Thursday, September 6 at St. Mary’s at 10am. 

God Bless!

Fr. Todd

Dear Sacred Heart Family,

This past weekend two of my sisters went camping with their families at the Lake Hudson State Recreation area.  They tented there one night. The second night, it was so hot, they stayed at the rectory.  That is my type of camping- a nice bed, AC, and a refrigerator!

This is coming week is one of lasts and firsts.  It is our last week in the basement (blessed be God!).  I am excited to be able to celebrate Mass with you for the first-time next weekend upstairs.  On the other hand, this is our first week of school.  Anne and rest of the staff have done a lot of work making improvements in the school and getting ready for the new year.  I am excited for our new year to start.  Please keep our students and staff lifted up in your prayers.  They are an important part of the mission of Sacred Heart Parish.

The beginning of the school year marks the shift from summer to fall and is the start of many different ministries.  Spiritually speaking it can mark a moment of transition where we can hear Jesus calling us to grow, to take another step deeper into our relationship with him.  Our relationship with Him can too easily plateau if we don’t seek to grow.  I encourage all of us to look to what one good step might be this coming year we can take to deepen our faith.  As the kids go back to school let us strive to grow as well.

There are many good opportunities.  This weekend I want to focus on the Diocesan Assembly on September 22nd.  It is a one-day event that will have a lasting impact on your life.  The speakers we will be blessed to listen to are excellent- being able to present and apply the faith to our lives.

All of these speakers have podcasts with them speaking on many, many different aspects of the faith.  I often listen to podcasts in the car or when I am back home driving the tractor.  They can be a great way to hear about the faith from another perspective- plus it is always encouraging to hear others share their stories.  Here are the links to the podcasts for each of the speakers:

Fr. Mike Schmitz: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fr-mike-schmitz-catholic-podcast/id1200915759?mt=2

Jennifer Fulwiler: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jennifer-fulwiler-show/id944869051?mt=2

Deacon Larry Oney: https://radiomaria.us/hope-and-purpose/page/2/

For more info on the Made for Happiness Assembly and to register for FREE, please visit https://madeforhappiness.org/

Please join me at the 12th annual St. Mary on the Lake fish fry on Friday, August 31st from 5:00-7:00 pm.  It will be a great way to start your Labor Day weekend.

God Bless!

Fr. Todd

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I am writing this to you due to the recent removal of Archbishop Theodore McCarrick from ministry. Once again, the sins of a cleric have hurt victims, scandalized the faithful, raised anger in many hearts, and brought ill-repute upon the Catholic Church. Archbishop McCarrick’s abuse of minors, his homosexual activity and his abuse of seminarians and young priests are beyond the pale. In addition, some knew about this and did nothing to address his behavior. I am as shocked as you. So, first of all, I apologize for his behavior and the behavior of those who did nothing to stop him. It is incredibly wearying and demoralizing to hear yet again about these sexual sins and alleged crimes. Let us hold each other in prayer.

As you may know, each bishop is ultimately responsible to the Holy Father, who is the only one who can remove him. Still, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will be discussing how we bishops might attempt to hold one another accountable, given this limitation. I can never give a guarantee that there will not be other clerics who violate their promise of celibacy and abuse their positions. We are all sinners. The Lord Jesus knew what the archbishop did just as he knows our sinful selves as well. Beyond what we can do as human beings to address the behavior of one another, we also commend ourselves and each other to the charity and justice of our God. Christ is our hope in all things. May God have mercy on us all.

Bishop Earl Boyea, Diocese of Lansing

https://dioceseoflansing.org/news/bishop-earl-boyeas-statement-current-sexual-abuse-crisis

Dear Parishioners,

We had a good turnout Saturday to spread mulch around the school playground.  Matt Shaffer graciously lent us his Bobcat which I enjoyed driving!  On my day off I helped my parents cut and chop 35 acres of hay.  Overall, I have had a lot of tractor time which is good for my soul!

This weekend we continue to hear Jesus describe the Eucharist in the Bread of Life Discourse from the Gospel of John.  The Eucharist is Jesus’ complete gift of Himself to us.  In the Eucharist He is totally present to us.  It is a reality we need to dive into again and again, to continue to deepen our understanding of what it means to be so loved.  Over the centuries the Church has developed rich imagery that capture one reality or another of Jesus’ gift of Himself.

The image I want to turn to is that of the pelican.  At my ordination I received a green vestment that has this image on it – a mother pelican feeding her chicks. Understandably I have received many questions about it! I have included in this article a close-up picture of that image from my vestment.

This image has roots that predate Christianity.  It was thought that the Mother Pelican, if there was no food available for her young, would pierce her own breast to feed them with her blood.  Christians very quickly picked up this image as a symbol of what Jesus does for us in the Eucharist when He feeds us with His own body and blood.  Just as the mother pelican pours out her own life for the sake of her young so Jesus pours out His very life for us that we might have life.  In St. Thomas’ great hymn to the Eucharist, “Adoro te Devote”, he included this stanza: “Like what tender tales tell of the Pelican.  Bathe me, Jesus Lord, in what Thy Bosom ran.  Blood that but one drop of has the power to win.  All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.”  If you keep your eye out when you go into older churches you will be surprised how often you will see it!

I have loved meditating on this image and to wear it as I celebrate Mass.  Here is what God has done for me and continues to do for me.  Why would I turn to anything other than Him to sustain me?  How easy it is to do so.  Jesus invites us to Himself and to receive His own self-sacrifice.  Let us run to Him and strive to receive Him with grateful and prepared hearts in the Eucharist.

God Bless,

Fr. Todd

Dear Sacred Heart Family!

I had a great vacation but it is good to be back home!  The floor renovations in the Church are moving along well.

It is hard to believe that it is already August. This is the time of summer when we realize we are in the waning days of vacation and there is a collective realization that we need to begin gearing up for the coming school year.  While I can’t speak for our students I can say that I am excited for the school year.  (The fact that I am no longer in school helps my excitement!). Concurrent with the school year many of our various ministries pick back up at both of our parishes.

In this time of transition the challenge is to enter into it well.  One of the great pieces of advice I have received was to take a moment like this before a new period starts and to surrender and consecrate it to Jesus ahead of time.  To simply pray, “Jesus I consecrate this new school year, this season of football, this time of preparation for first communion, etc, to You.  Please help me do all of this for your honor and glory.  Help me be open to the people I will meet and the graces you want to give me.”  Make the prayer specific to you and what the year will bring.  Even if your life is going to continue on in what feels like the same old rut make it new by consecrating it again.

Paul wrote to the Colossians “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).  If we do this we give the Lord full permission to be involved in every aspect of our coming year and it can be help remove anxiety, fear, and stress.  On another level this can be a way to a powerful way to take things out of our hands that we can’t control anyway and instead entrust it to God and His will.  Jesus, we consecrate this coming year at Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s to You!

God Bless,

Fr. Todd

Dear Sacred Heart,

A big thank you to everyone who gave gifts in the welcome basket from both parishes!  With the gift cards I was able to get some things for my offices and the rectory kitchen.  On Thursdays when there are no parish events, Fr. Tomy and I pray evening prayer together and have dinner (usually his Curry).  This past Thursday, I taught him how to play Backgammon.  He claimed to never have played before but from the beating I received I think he may have been a Backgammon shark!  To protect my pride, I have been telling myself I am just a really good teacher.

This Monday, August 6^th, I am concelebrating at a Mass for my friend, Sr. Maria Regina, who is taking her final vows with the Sisters of Life (http://www.sistersoflife.org/).  They are a community founded in 1991 to particularly protect and uphold the dignity of human life.  If you would like to learn more about her specific vocation story here is a link to a video made by the Archdiocese of Toronto.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7og8ygvoDZ4- )

I want to use this occasion to talk briefly about religious vocations.  Sadly, there are not as many vocations as there used to be and so this beautiful part of the Church is not as visible as it used to be.  Without it something is missing.  Sr. Maria Regina is a reminder that there are still vocations and for us to keep on praying for them.

Like the priesthood, our culture has a hard time understanding this calling.  Whether or not it is asked this directly people look at the celibate religious vocation and wonder if it is possible for someone to be happy living that life.  It can be hard to express the joy that comes from being able to put your life totally into God’s hands, and then with Him, to be able to do His work.  If you want to see a picture of that joy look at her vocation story.  Jesus tells us that: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39).  The religious vocation is simply the giving of your life away and finding it anew in the Lord.

One of the important roles the religious serve in the world, besides being able to do the Lord’s work, is their sign value.  Their whole life points to Heaven ahead of time and the fact that we are meant to live with God for all eternity.  In a world that is beautiful and filled with good things religious sisters and brothers remind us that all that is good and beautiful in the world came from God.  That this world, as good as it is, is passing away and we are made for eternity.  It is easy for us to take our eyes off of Heaven and get entirely caught up in earthly pursuits- religious remind us and raise our eyes back to Him.  In a world forgetful of God religious, by their very presence, remind us of who we are meant to be.

In our own parishes we have been blessed.  Fr. Matthew Hartley from Sacred Heart was ordained for the Archdiocese of Denver in 2006.  From St. Mary’s Gabriel Heidbreder is studying for the Fathers of Mercy.  Sunday, August 19^th in Dewitt we have the Bishop’s priesthood discernment dinner for those going into their junior year of high school and older.  I would love to have some guys from here go.  Let’s keep on praying for vocations!

Dear Sacred Heart Family,

Our floor renovation is progressing very well and on schedule.  This past Monday, Fr. Tomy joined me on the farm for a tour and a visit.  I gave him a set of farm clothes in case a disaster happened but he came through unscathed without any manure on him!  It was also his first experience driving a tractor.  By the time we were done he was becoming an old hand.

With the example of our two patrons, the Sacred Heart and St. Mary, I want to turn to their example and wisdom for their direction and guidance in these two outposts of God’s Kingdom.  This week I want to turn to the example of our Blessed Mother.

Mary is a beautiful example of Discipleship, of what it means to be a Christian.  I am struck by her first and last words.   We meet Mary when the Angel Gabriel is speaking to her, asking her to be the mother of God.  Mary’s response to this request is “Let it be done to me according to your will”.  We hear Mary speak her last words when she is with Jesus at a wedding reception in Cana.  Seeing the need for wine she asks Jesus to take care of the problem and tells the servers to “Do whatever he tells you”.

We can learn a lot from Mary’s first and last words.  She begins by being totally open to God’s will- which is certainly harder to do than it is to say.  Those moments, big and small, come to each of us and we need to pray for the grace to also surrender ourselves.  It is important to remember that these moments are never a one-time event- our surrender to Jesus and His will is a daily choice.  Some days it is an hourly choice!  Mary said yes to the Angel Gabriel and she continued to say yes to the Lord even up to the foot of the cross.  Mary’s beginning posture of openness to God, even in incredibly difficult and confusing situations, was maintained throughout her life.  It needs to be the same for us.  When it is hard to say Yes Mary is there to pray for us and take her to Jesus just like she took that young couples need for wine to Him.

Which takes us to Mary’s last words- “Do whatever he tells you”.  Mary ends her words in the Gospels by simply pointing to Jesus.  If only our life can be that simple, where all we say or do would be words or actions that point to Jesus.  I have heard that a good metaphor for holiness is that of window.  The saints are a clean window, people through whom others can see Jesus clearly.  Jesus tells us He is the light that has come into the world. The question then becomes how much of His light can shine through us.

Mary, we ask for your help to surrender our lives more fully to Jesus on a consistent basis.  Help us to point always to you.  May our first words and our last words so define our lives.

God Bless!

Fr. Todd

Dear Sacred Heart Family,

I really enjoyed my first weekend with you.  Some of my family was able to join me for the 9:30 at St. Mary’s and the 11:00 at Sacred Heart.  With my big family, you will be seeing one sibling or another from time to time.  I enjoyed giving them a tour of both Churches.  Sunday evening, I went back for my day off and helped bale hay.

I need to apologize for the mess up with Mass this past Monday morning.  I had a key to give to Fr. Tomy so he could access the sacristy and celebrate the Mass.  With my family visiting and greeting, I forgot all about it and the key stayed in my pocket!  Again, I am sorry about that.

They are making great progress in the floor restoration.  When the viewing port is set up please take a peek.  Sacred Heart is already a beautiful Church and this will make it even more beautiful.  I am looking forward to celebrating Mass there when it is done.

Thank you for all those who came out for the Sacred Heart Golf outing this past weekend to support our parish and school.

I really love the fact that we are entrusted to the two hearts- that of Jesus and Mary together.  We could not ask for better caretakers!  Below are two prayers, one to Jesus and one to Mary. May we keep each other lifted up in prayer and ask for their help in living our mission.

I look forward to getting to know you as we go along.  I have always enjoyed joining families for dinner and, if it hasn’t been done yet, blessing the house while I am there.  A game of cards thrown in wouldn’t be amiss either!  Some people have been asking what I like to eat – I pretty much enjoy all food and I don’t have any allergies.  I don’t eat a lot of sweets and the only food I really don’t like is Mayonaise!

God Bless ~ Fr. Todd

Dear Families at Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake ,

I am very excited to be joining you.  I know Fr. Joe has loved his time with you and I am to be following him.  He has told me many great things about both communities.  Every time we talked over the past couple of weeks all he would do is brag about you and the good things the Lord has been doing.  I look forward to continuing the good work Jesus has already begun.

I know this has been a shock for you as it was for me and St. John the Evangelist, the parish I came from. I was struck by the fact though that the announcement happened on the feast day of the birth of St. John the Baptist.  He is an incredible example of what it means to follow God’s call, even with its unexpected twists and turns.  It was a reminder to me of the Lord’s providential hand in all of this and the call to trust in His love and His plan.

I wanted to share a bit about me.

I grew up in Fowler, MI on my parent’s 260-acre organic dairy farm.  They sell their milk to Horizon organic.  I am the 4^th of ten children (seven boys, three girls).  My twin brother, Fr. Gary, is number five being born four minutes after me!  Five of my sibling are married and I am blessed to have nine nieces and nephews.  I am hopeful that there are many more to come.

I entered seminary right after high school in 2006.  My first four years were at St. John Vianney College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.  I then spent four years at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit for Theology.

For my first assignment I spent three years at St. Thomas the Apostle in Ann Abor, MI.  I spent this past year at St. John the Evangelist in Fenton, MI.  Both of my assignments have had schools so I am very excited to have our school at Sacred Heart.

I enjoy running, fishing, playing cards (euchre, pinochle, cribbage to name a few), board games, reading, and generally hanging out.  I love being a priest and I love farming (I usually go back to my parent’s farm on my day off) so this assignment seems particularly providential.

It is an honor to be able to serve here.  I look forward getting to know all of you.  I have been praying for you since I received the call from Bishop Boyea.

God Bless,

Fr. Todd

Greetings in Christ!

It’s with a heavy heart that I submit this bulletin, my last one for you, my beloved parish families.

July 1 of this year would’ve started my seventh year with you guys and apparently, the Bishop decided that it was penance enough for you all!

All kidding aside, I want to tell you with all sincerity that I love you. You have helped me become a better priest than I was when I walked into our parishes six years ago.

Through all of you, the Lord healed my broken heart and I am eternally grateful to all of you for that.

I’m going to type up my last homily and submit it to both parishes to put on the website or whatever means is deemed most appropriate. It is in that homily that I will offer you my thanks, as well as some challenges for the future.

I ask you to welcome Fr. Todd, to cherish him and love him like you did me.

I will hold both of my parish families in my heart for the rest of my life.

I’m heading off now to minister to two parishes closer to my family which of course is a blessing to me. In the same way that I tried to give you the entirety of myself, I will now offer that to them. This means that I will not be coming back to help with weddings or funerals or other such things. It’s not a lack of love on my part at all, but a desire to be faithful to what the Lord is calling me to now.

Thank you for loving me as I am and helping me become more.

Your brother,

FJK