2024 Contribution Statements are available in the parish office. If you would like your statement mailed to you, please call the parish office or send an email to: goodshepherdofmontrose@gmail.com.
Religious Ed News
We thank the young people who came forward to introduce themselves and state their desire to receive the Sacrament of Holy Confirmation during the Rite of Choice, at the 11:15 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Jan. 26. Another special thanks goes to the sponsors who are taking the time to share their faith, be Catholic witnesses, and spend meaningful time with their candidates as they journey closer to the sacrament date. The Sacrament of Confirmation will be administered by Bishop Earl Boyea at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 24. Please pray for these candidates and their sponsors:
Sofia Bihar – Claudia Bihar
Payton Coxon — Rylee Coxon
Jack Hillard — Rob Sears
Rachel Hillard — Kim Sears
Gabrielle Huckleberry — Hannah Mahon
Colin Priest — Robert Birchmeier
Miriam Sharpe — Laura Sharpe
Caiden Stroup — Joshua Stroup
Coming Soon… Resurrection Box of Joy! 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!
Religious Ed Registration Form (print and fill out)
Holy Land Carvings
The Holy Land Carvings group will be at Good Shepherd the weekend of February 15 & 16 selling Olive Wood Carvings from the Holy Land. The sale of these religious items help support the Christian families in Bethlehem support their families. For more information visit www.holylandcarvings.com.
The Good Word
Happy Second Sunday! We’re officially back in the liturgical green of Ordinary Time, and we’ll be here for several weeks until Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent on March 5th. We’re also in the thick of the NFL postseason, and Jesus is obviously rooting for the Lions. I’m submitting this article five days before Detroit hosts the Commanders, so let’s hope it ages well!
I’d like to offer some additional introductory remarks as a follow-up from last week. In the year ahead, my homilies and especially these weekly articles will be peppered with teaching and application on the topic of healing. I haven’t mapped out everything in full, so I’m not completely sure how far this will all go. But I already have about twenty topics lined up, and some of those topics I know will be multi-part. We’ll microwave some popcorn and grab a seat, ya know, see where God takes us.
Why talk about healing at all? What is really the deal? In my mind, I have a few reasons. But the main thrust of it comes down to a simple personal observation: everywhere around us, and I include myself, there exists a real gap between the incredible teachings and promises of the Christian faith (what is possible!), and the real-world faith lives and expectations of Christian believers (what is actually happening). I’d like to explore why.
After all, and by a Grand-Canyon-sized margin, Judeo-Christianity flies far above the fray of all other teachings, religions, worldviews, and philosophies ever recorded by history. It explains the universe, grounds the truth of the sciences, offers a perfect moral teaching, protects the flourishing of human society, illuminates and answers the mystery of all possible human experiences, sufferings, and hopes. Christianity has literal power to “produce [in us] an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”, as St. Paul wrote it. When made perfect, Christians become by grace what God is by nature (#divine). That’s craaazy wild. A believer on earth can live a transformed supernatural prequel to the life of heaven. Sad to say, if you observed the life of an average Christian today, you might not notice that.
Which is all to suggest this. I’m not bumming out on you, myself, or anyone. But I notice that what God offers us in Jesus Christ—even in this life—is evidently far too little understood and accepted. The saints of AD history are proof that any human being can achieve—and in fact is born for! —truly great & wondrous holiness. But I would wager my last dollar that most Christians, and really most people, never reach their God-given potential. And that gives me ‘the sads’. So, what describes the gap between my current life, your current life, and our sainthood? Basically, our need for healing. And our decision to heal.
You want a better life? Start by healing. Wondering what breaks hopeless stagnation? Healing is the doorway. Hoping to make it to heaven? Look no further. All of us must pass through this furnace of God’s immensely generous, holy, perfecting love. And we have the opportunity of a single lifespan to decide for ourselves whether and how much of the divine furnace we choose.
Fr. Brian
Parish Potluck
Please join us for a Parish Potluck in the Family Life Center on Sunday, February 23 following the 11:15 a.m. Mass. Bring your favorite dish to pass! All are invited to come. Hope to see you there!
Be My Witnesses with Bishop Boyea
Dear friend,
Jesus Christ says: “You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) But how do we do that?
It requires four key things: Prayer. Learning. Belonging. Mission. The result? We’ll each be better equipped to bring the love of Jesus Christ and His Holy Church to a contemporary society in desperate need of His divine healing, teaching, and peace.
Join me on a year-long journey as – week by week – we master how to respond to that call of Jesus Christ to each of us. I like to call it “BMW”. That is: Be My Witnesses.
To subscribe, just text BMW to 84576 or click here to register. We begin in January 2025. Watch the short film below for more information. Enjoy!
I am sincerely yours in Christ,
Catholic Men’s Conference 2025
Gather in fellowship with hundreds of other men ages 14 and above to hear from dynamic speakers about How the Lord wants to IGNITE your spirit to live as a faithful Catholic in our post-Christian world.
This conference is not meant to simply ignite your Faith for a day, but to invite men across the diocese to build strong Christian communities in their homes, parishes, and workplaces that burn with zeal for the Lord.
Join us to connect with other Catholic men from around the state, hear from nationally renowned speakers, spend time in prayer and adoration, engage with exciting Catholic ministries, and celebrate Mass with Bishop Boyea!
Watch as NFL Super Bowl Champion, Matt Birk, invites you to join him at Ignite, the Diocese of Lansing Catholic Men’s Conference, which is being held in Ypislanti, Michigan, on Saturday, March 22, 2025. As well as Matt, other speakers include:
Dr. Jonathan Reyes: Senior advisor with the Knights of Columbus, known for his work in Catholic social justice and education.
Peter Herbeck: Director at Renewal Ministries, evangelist with a passion for faith renewal and missionary outreach.
Father Joe Krupp: A dynamic priest from the Diocese of Lansing and media personality, offering a relatable perspective on living Catholic values.
The Most Reverend Earl Boyea: Bishop of Lansing, who will celebrate Holy Mass and offer his insights on faith in today’s world.
The event is organized in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus and will take place at the Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, MI, from 9AM to 5PM. The conference welcomes men ages 14 and up.
* To register and learn more, go to: www.michigancmc.org.