Fr. Todd 8/10/25

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,

            I will be gone on Mon through mid-Wednesday of this week for a sibling camping trip.  With all ten of us, spouses, and 17 nieces and nephews it will be a fun and crazy time!  (I haven’t met a cabin yet that has a bed long enough for someone who is over six foot so I will also look forward to returning to my own bed.)  This will be my last vacation time until Nov 15 rolls around and it is time to visit the deer …

            I want to thank very much all of our parishioners who in so many ways help our parishes function – lectors, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist both at Mass and in bringing communion to the homebound, our choir, ushers, greeters, altar servers, those who help with the art and environment both inside and outside, faith formation, and the list goes on. 

When I was growing up, I didn’t appreciate all the things that happened at home.  Indeed, in retrospect, I kind of thought it was magic – there were things I certainly didn’t do that got done and I didn’t spend much time thinking about how they actually got done.  They just did!  Such is the long-suffering love of parents for us who love and care for us even when we are painfully oblivious to all that they are doing for us.  

As a young man it was startlingly easy to apply that same kind of thinking to parish life – I am grateful to receive all that gets done and be oblivious of all those behind what I receive.  It was a great grace of seminary to see that so much more clearly, and certainly as a priest I am overwhelmed by the generosity and talents of our parishioners so generously shared.

What is the point of that small reflection beyond growing in gratitude for those who do so much for our parish communities?  A blatant call for us to pray about ways the Lord is calling us to serve!  All of those activities and more that I listed above can use you.  Please let us know if you are interested in serving and we will help connect you to the right group and or get you the training needed to begin serving.  Sometimes we have a hard time hearing God’s voice, so please know one of the ways He nudges us is often through others.  It was a great help for me to hear and consider a call to the priesthood through the invitation of others.  I am greatly blessed by the IPF program I am currently doing and I wouldn’t have done it except for the encouragement of brother priests who told me I should.

So, please pray and if the Lord is prompting you let us know.  “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”   1 Peter 4:10 

A great opportunity: We are blessed to have the Catholic BIBLICAL SCHOOL of Michigan continuing to offer classes either in person or online.  As you may have seen in news from the Diocese, they hold classes at a variety of parishes located throughout the Diocese.  There will be an in-person class offered this year at St. John the Evangelist in Jackson.  There is an info night that will be held Aug 25 or you can also find more out more information at their website: https://cbsmich.org . We are so blessed with many great ways to engage with scripture – be it the Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike or the Catholic Biblical School.  When we know Scripture, we come to know God.

God Bless,

Fr. Todd