St. Joseph Parish is hosting a Versiti Blood Drive on Tuesday, May 7th from 2-7:00 pm. Make your appointment by visiting Versiti.org/MI

Our Catholic faith has many wonderful, beautiful devotions.  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops describes devotions as “‘expressions of love and fidelity that arise from the intersection of one’s own faith, culture and the Gospel of Jesus Christ’. Devotions are not considered part of liturgical worship, even if they are performed in a church or led by a priest, but rather they are paraliturgical.” Our faith also has rites that many participate in.  “A rite is a diverse liturgical tradition in which on catholic and apostolic faith has come to be expressed…” (Glossary of the CCC). 

May Crowning is a wonderful devotion that we as Catholics do every year.  May Crowning reflects the beauty of the mystery it evokes. Honoring Mary crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth as it is said in the fifth glorious mystery of the rosary. While May Crowning is a beautiful devotion, it is not a rite, and the Church has not provided us a rite approved for celebration during Mass for May Crowning. 

Since May Crowning is a devotion and not a rite it is performed outside of Mass.  This year we will be crowning Mary prior to Mass at all our worship sites. We are asking everyone to bring flowers on May 11^th/12^th and participate in this wonderful tradition. Father will say a short prayer, Mary will crowned and then the participants will come forward and place their flowers by Mary. 

Below is the schedule for each worship site: 

St. Joseph – May 11^th starting at 4:15 p.m. 

• Please join us outside on Bridge St. by Mary (Front entrance of the church)

• Father will be outside and say a short prayer, Mary will be crowned, participants will then place their flowers by Mary.

• After you have placed flowers by Mary, we ask that you go into the church and find your seat for Mass. We will not be processing in. Mass will start shortly after everyone is inside. 

St. Mary – May 12^th starting immediately after the rosary inside.

• Please join us inside the church for the crowning of Mary. 

• Participants will gather in the narthex area, Father will go forward and say a short prayer and Mary will be crowned, participants will then bring their flowers forward.

• After you have placed flowers by Mary, we ask that you go back to your seat. 

• Mass will start immediately after everyone is seated. 

St. Charles – May 12^th starting at 10:35 a.m.

• Please join us inside the church for the crowning of Mary. 

• Children/participants are asked to be in the Narthex at 10:30 a.m. 

• At 10:35 we will process in, lining the aisle on the north side of the church by Mary. Father will say a short prayer, Mary will be crowned and then participants can bring their flowers forward.

• After Mary is crowned, we ask that everyone return to their seats and Mass will start at 11 a.m. 

Bill Walker, a St. Charles parishioner has died. We offer our sincere condolences to his family. A funeral Mass for Bill will be held on Wednesday, June 12th at 11:00 am at St. Charles Church. Funeral plans are still pending. Please keep Bill and his family and friends in your prayers.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Mass at Green Acres and Adoration at St. Charles on Wednesday, June 12th has been cancelled.

Click here for a printable copy of the Latin Mass parts.

Panis Angelicus Pronunciation

Panis angélicus, fit panis hóminum,
Dat panis cáelicus figúris términum.
O res mirábilis mandúcat Dóminum,
Pauper, servus et húmilis.

Te, trina Déitas únaque, póscimus,
Sic nos tu vísita, sicut te cólimus;
Per tuas sémitas duc nos quo téndimus,
Ad lucem quam inhábitas.

Sanctus 308-B

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

Translation:
Sanctus = holy
Dóminus = Lord
Deus = God
Sábaoth = of heavenly armies
Pleni = full of
sunt = are
caeli = heaven
et = and
terra = earth
glória = glory
tua = your
Hosána = praise or adoration
excélsis = the highest
Benedictus = blessed
qui = who
venit = (He) comes
in nómine = in the name
Dómini – of the Lord.

Memorial Acclamation 309-B

Mysterium fidei! Literally: Mysterium = the mystery; fidei = of faith.
The Mystery of Faith!
We all respond:
Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine,
et tuam resurrectionem confitemur,
donec venias.
Mortem = death
tuam = Your
annuntiamus = we announce or proclaim
Domine = Lord.
We proclaim Your death, O Lord.
et = and
tuam = Your
resurectionem = resurrection
confitemur = confess.
And confess Your resurrection.
donec = until
venias = come.
Until You Come
The whole acclamation:
Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine,                           We proclaim Your death, O Lord,
et tuam resurrectionem confitemur,                               and confess Your resurrection,
donec venias.                                                                              until You come

Agus Dei 313-B

Agnus Dei,                                             Lamb of God
qui tolis peccata mundi,                 who takes away the sins of the world,
miserere nobis.                                   have mercy on us.
Agnus Dei,                                             Lamb of God
qui tolis peccata mundi,                 who takes away the sins of the world,
miserere nobis.                                   have mercy on us.
Agnus Dei,                                             Lamb of God
qui tolis peccata mundi,                 who takes away the sins of the world,
dona nobis pacem.                           grant us peace.

Guidance on Fasting and Abstinence During Lent

When do I…?

Fast and Abstain:

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday

Abstain:

All Fridays during Lent

Who has to…?

Fast: Catholics who are 18 years of age, but not yet 59, are obliged

Abstain: Observed by all Catholics 14 years– old and older

What is…?

Fast: eating one full meal, as well as two small meals that together are not equal to a full meal

Abstinence: refrain from eating meat

Note: Persons that are exempt from fasting include: the physically or mentally ill, individuals with chronic illness, and those pregnant or nursing.

Please join us this Friday January, 26th at 6PM as we continue our series with a presentation called: ‘ The Eucharist, the Source and Summit of Our Faith”.  In this presentation we will gain a deeper understanding of the Eucharist by looking at Scripture, the Church Fathers, Church documents, and scientific research. The Eucharist is at the center of our faith and the more that we know, the better we can explain and defend this sacrament to Catholics and non Catholics. This great Gift that is the center of our faith.  We will have refreshments following the presentation.

Our Catholic Community of St. Charles and St. Joseph-St. Mary is exploring the feasibility of a new Catholic high school to serve our community and surrounding parishes. We would like to gather your opinion and ideas. Your response to this inquiry is very important whether or not you (might/would) consider enrolling your children in this school.

Please complete only ONE INQUIRY FOR YOUR FAMILY and return it no later than December 18, 2023. Use this link to take the survey online. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGM3MpwtYaK5d-MbZ-IYemuCqoOBS6J28RqzeWVYHAGKEf7Q/closedform

A few things to consider as you complete this inquiry

Catholic Education:   The school will provide a superior Catholic education that empowers every student to develop into the individual God created him/her to be. The school will embrace and exemplify the teaching and tradition of the Church in areas of virtue, life, Scripture, the sacraments and social teaching. A strong Catholic identity will be present in all aspects of the school experience.

Academics: This inquiry looks to gather information to design an academic program that fits the needs of our community. This could be a traditional diocesan, vocational based or a classical education program. This program will be designed, so that current St Charles students and all other surrounding Catholic school, homeschool, and elementary/ middle school programs can easily transition into this new high school. 

Beyond academics: School partnerships will be pursued for co-curricular opportunities to the extent they are available, in collaboration with neighboring public and private schools and/or community organizations.

Cost: For this inquiry, assume that tuition will not be a barrier for you when considering whether you should enroll your child/children. Financial support for families will be offered based on need. Every effort will be made to ensure the school is financially prudent and affordable for all families.

Location: The high school would be located at St. Joseph located in Belding. It would use the current school facility that is already on site. In addition to Our Catholic Community of St Charles and St Joseph-St Mary, the new school looks to serve all surrounding parishes within our diocese including Montcalm, Ionia, and eastern Kent Counties.

Timeline: Realistically, starting a new high school could take 3-5 years. The purpose of this inquiry is to see how many people see this as a need. The more interest that there is, with people willing to help in whatever ways that they can, and lots of prayer, anything is possible with God!

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful response to all the inquiry questions.

We take your privacy seriously. Information collected during this inquiry process is confidential and will be used for the sole purpose of the feasibility study conducted by SaintsCJM and the Office of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Your personal information will not be given to any other party or used for any other purpose.

This is a pivotal moment in both American history and the legacy of the Catholic Church. 

      We are expecting tens of thousands of pilgrims—but space is limited. 

When   July 17-21, 2024

Where  Lucas Oil Stadium  Indianapolis, Indiana

Who      80,000+ Catholics

Jesus Christ will be there. Will you?