January 20, 2025
A special Holy Hour for Youth and Young Adults will be held Friday, January 24 from 7 to 8 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Kalamazoo. Youth and Young Adults from around the Diocese are invited to join in for a Holy Hour of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament including praise music.
Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship Feb. 2nd
All children ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate in a free throw championship sponsored by St. Catherine of Siena Knights of Columbus on Sunday, February 2. Registration begins at Noon; competition begins at 1 p.m. For more information view the flyer below or contact Joe Comiskey, 269.532.6965.
Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee at St. Catherine's, Feb. 8th
Students in grades 4 through 9 are invited to compete in a spelling bee sponsored by the Knights of Columbus at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Portage on Saturday, February 8. Level I for students grades 4-6 will be held at 1 p.m. Level II students grades 7-9 will immediately follow. For more information, view the flyer below or visit the website.
Chili Cook-off coming up at Our Lady of the Lake, Edwardsburg, Feb.
St Ann's Knights Council hosts Basketball Free Throw Contest Feb. 9th
SAVE THE DATE: March 1st: International Food Festival
An International Food Festival Tour Around the World will be held Saturday, March 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Benton Harbor. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for youth 3-11yrs and children under 3 free. Tickets are available at SS. John & Bernard Parish Office from 9 a.m. until Noon Tuesdays through Thursdays. For more information, contact ssjbreled@gmail.com.
National Eucharistic Revival offers free webinar - sign up today!
The National Eucharistic Revival is sponsoring the webinar: Walk with Someone Who Has Been Hurt by the Church.
Speakers include Bishop Cozzens, Gina Barthel, and Sara Larson who will share personal experiences and necessary insights on:
- Trauma-informed accompaniment
- Supporting victim survivors with love and humility
- Practices to avoid and embrace
Registration is free and open to anyone. If you can’t make it live, the webinar will be recorded and available on YouTube.
USCCB Statement on the impact of Dr. King's legacy
“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. challenged all to live out the principle of solidarity and human dignity. As we commemorate what would have been his 96th birthday, Dr. King’s message continues to have an impact on our lives today. Our Holy Father Pope Francis said in his address to the United States Congress during his Apostolic Visit to the United States:
‘Here too I think of the march which Martin Luther King led from Selma to Montgomery fifty years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his “dream” of full civil and political rights for African Americans. That dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of “dreams.” Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people.’
Read full statement here.
National Prayer Vigil for Life on January 23
Catholics across the country are invited to observe a nationwide prayer vigil from Thursday, January 23 to Friday, January 24, 2025, to pray for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human life.
The National Prayer Vigil for Life is hosted each January by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Pro-Life Secretariat, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and The Catholic University of America’s Office of Campus Ministry. The vigil has always taken place on the eve of the March for Life, which marks the date of the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. Read more here.
Pope appoints Sacred Heart's Mary Healy to Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship
Pope Francis on Jan. 11 appointed Detroit biblical scholar and professor Mary Healy, STL, STD, as one of four new members of the Vatican's Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, an advisory body directly serving the pope on matters of liturgy and sacraments.
January 18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to focus on Creed
As Christian churches prepare to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will focus on affirming the Nicene Creed and its expression of the faith Christians share.
The theme chosen for the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, underlining the importance of making a profession of faith, is Jesus' question to Martha of Bethany: "Do you believe this?"
Pope Francis is scheduled to close the week with an ecumenical prayer service at Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls Jan. 25. Read more here.
Upcoming Feast Days:
- January 20 - St. Sebastian
- January 21 - St. Agnes
- January 22 - Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
- January 24 - St. Francis de Sales
- January 25 - The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle
- January 26 - Sts. Timothy and Titus
- January 28 - St. Thomas Aquinas