Category: News & Events

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Screening of Angst

On Monday, May 13 at 7pm, Catholic Charities is sponsoring a screening of the movie Angst at Cathedral Square on the second floor in Rooms A/B/C. Angst explores anxiety, its causes, effects and what we can do about it, featuring candid interviews with kids and young adults. You must RSVP to attend. If interested, please email Bethany Stowe at bstowe@ccwestmi.org

CCWM The Holy Smokes BBQ Competition

The Holy Smokes BBQ Competition will be held on Saturday, May 11 in downtown Muskegon at the Pigeon Hill Production Facility (895 Fourth St. Muskegon, MI) from 1-4pm. During this lively afternoon, the community will gather to taste and vote for a variety of barbecue entries from local restaurants. They will also be able to sip on craft brews, play yard games, and enjoy live entertainment. All proceeds from this event will go toward Catholic Charities West Michigan’s programming in Muskegon, including: child welfare, behavioral health, family preservation and community outreach initiatives. For ticket and sponsorship information, please contact 616-356-6207 or kmaurer@ccwestmi.org.

May Happenings at Franciscan Life Campus

Introduction to NFP/FABM
May 21  6:30 – 8:00 pm
Grand Rapids Campus

Join us at our Grand Rapids Campus for this one-time session perfect for anyone looking for basic information about Natural Family Planning, also known as a Fertility Awareness Based Method (FABM) of family planning. The introduction will cover the basics of how FABMs work, effectiveness, differences between the various methods, and some basic Church teachings. This class may also help fulfill marriage preparation requirements.

Cost: $20 Individuals  $30 Couples, Fee waived for clergy, To learn more, please contact Laura Chapin, LMSW, at lchapin@lifeprocesscenter.org

A Mendicant Cookout with the
Dominican priests in Grand Rapids and the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist
Tuesday, May 14  6:30 – 8:30 pm

Enjoy an evening of preparing food and sharing a meal with the Dominican Fathers and the Franciscan Sisters.  Registration is limited to 20 people. Cost: $25 Please go to Franciscan Life Process Center to register 

 Franciscan Life Process Center Lowell Campus 11650 Downes St. NE Lowell MI 49331

 

Love INC Financial

First call begins: May 7, 2019

Over the last several months we have been wrestling with our budgeting class and trying to determine what curriculum would be best for our clients and our program. We have come to the conclusion that Dave Ramey’s Financial Peace University is the best program available. This means we are going to switch from our previous program to FPU. I am letting you know this for a few reasons. First, I just want to keep you all informed as to what is happening here at Love INC. The second reason is that we believe this program will not only benefit our clients, but the larger community. The cost for church members is $75, which is almost half the regular cost. So if you are interested in attending a class, please call us here at 616-895-5683 and let them know you belong to Saint Luke University Parish. Our first class will begin on Tuesday, May 7th, depending on what sign ups look like we will either offer another section after this one is over or have two running around the same time to make sure we are meeting the need.

Catholic Estate Planning Seminar Luncheon

You are invited to one of two free Catholic Estate Planning Seminar Luncheon

Tuesday, May 7, 2019 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish, 920 Fulton St., Grand Haven, MI 49417

or

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
St. Francis de Sales Parish, 171 W 13th Street, Holland, MI 49423

Enjoy a complimentary lunch with your fellow parishioners at this event sponsored by The Catholic Foundation of West Michigan.

Jeff Beswick, Varnum Attorneys at Law Partner/Attorney will present “Estate Planning Basics” and provide expert advice on end of life planning issues from a Catholic point of view, including:  legal documents to have in place; how to avoid probate estate, if a trust is necessary for you, and how to prepare and protect the next generation.   RSVP by Friday, May 3, 2019 to save your place at this free educational seminar luncheon; call (616) 459-4508, email events@catholicfoundationwm.org, or visit the Diocese of Grand Rapids website events calendar.  There’s no better time than now to get started on your estate planning!

Pope Francis released ‘Christus Vivit’

On Tuesday, April 2, Pope Francis released “Christus Vivit – Christ is alive!,” his apostolic exhortation on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. This latest teaching from the pope is a significant milestone of the synodal process begun by him in 2016.

In a statement on the day of the release, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, along with committee chairpersons Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R, of Newark and Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., of Philadelphia, called it “a wonderful summons to the Church to more vigorously invest in youth and young adults, especially those on the peripheries and those disconnected from the Church.” Read their full statement on the USCCB website.

The release of Christus Vivit corresponds with the fourteenth anniversary of the death of St. John Paul II, a wish expressed by Pope Francis to “link together the two pontificates, so loved by and close to the younger generations.” In 1985, St. John Paul II was the first pope to address a letter to young people. That same year he instituted the annual observance of World Youth Day, a gathering of youth and young adults hosted in a different country each year to celebrate the Catholic faith.

Read Christus Vivit on the Vatican website (available in English and multiple other languages)

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT seminar

Shrine of St. Francis Xavier
– Our Lady of Guadalupe/St. Dominic to host seminar

The parishes will be hosting a free Life in the Spirit seminar on Thursday evenings from May 2 through June 6.
The seminar will help you grow in your knowledge of the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit leading up to Pentecost.

Thursday evenings
May 2 – June 6
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Location: St. Dominic Catholic Church, 50 Bellevue St. SW, Wyoming
To Register: Contact Colleen at 616-202-8262 or Mary at 616-635-1506

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is recognized in the United States as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month-long observance reminds us all of our collective responsibility to make positive choices that will impact the safety and well-being of children. As we continue our commitment to ensuring the safety of children and preventing child abuse, let us give thanks for the many members of our community who come together in this mission to put a stop to abuse and to create positive, healthy environments for all children.

In the Diocese of Grand Rapids, we are committed to protecting children and adults from harm. Our work with young people and vulnerable adults is directed by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a comprehensive set of procedures established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in June 2002 and revised in 2005, 2011 and 2018. The Charter directs action for:

  • Creating a safe environment for children and young people;
  • Healing and reconciliation of victims and survivors;
  • Making prompt and effective responses to allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy;
  • Cooperating with civil authorities;
  • Disciplining offenders;
  • Providing for means of accountability for the future to ensure the problem continues to be effectively dealt with through the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and the National Review Board.

Sharing about Child Abuse Prevention Month on social? Use #PromisetoProtect

Resources
Learn about Child & Youth Protection in our diocese: Reporting abuse | Safe environment training | Compliance and audits | Additional resources
Safe environment policies and procedures in the diocese (English | Español)
Watch a video message from Bishop Walkowiak on the clergy abuse scandal (Feb. 7)
Prayer for healing of victims of abuse (USCCB)

Resources from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): includes information on child abuse prevention month, print materials, information about child abuse and human trafficking, and resources from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

So there is No Doubt: The Catholic Church’s Solution to End the Abuse of Children
Blue Sunday (Child Abuse Prevention Initiative | Prayer resources)