26 January 2009

Confirmation Reception!

This Thursday night, January 29th, all St Thomas teens preparing for Confirmation will be sealed with the Holy Spirit! They will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the strength to spread and defend the faith. They will be united more firmly in Christ through receiving Confirmation from Bishop Boyea of Lansing. This is certainly a cause for celebration!

In honor of those being confirmed, The Village is hosting a reception in the Parish Hall afterwards. Bishop Boyea will be stopping by, too! The Mass runs from 7-8:30pm. I am in need of Villagers to volunteer to help setup and clean up after the Reception.

If you are able, please arrive in the Parish Hall by 6:30, and plan on staying until 9:15pm. We will attend Mass and then jet over to receive the crowds!
Your RSVP???
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Village News

Village Hosts Confirmation Reception 1/29
The Village will be hosting a reception following the Confirmation Mass Thursday, January 29th. The Mass runs from 7-8:30pm, and the reception will follow. Even Bishop Earl Boyea will be joining us at the reception! Please arrive in the Parish Hall by 6:30, and plan on staying until 9:15pm. We will attend Mass and then jet over to receive the crowds!

No Regular Village Mtg Next Sunday 2/1

What is a Good Confession?
Don't miss the wisdom from Father James Conlon, Father Chas Canoy, and Father Pat Egan on how to make a good Confession! We had some great dialogue on these last night at Village. http://home.catholicweb.com/thevillage/index.cfm/NewsItem?ID=232426&From=Home

Retreat @ Franciscan University of Steubenville
Join the Village for our annual roadtrip to the University of Steubenville this summer. Thousands of teens gather each year to grow in their faith as they participate in the Sacraments and hear some of the best Catholic speakers in the country! The scripture that will guide the programming is: “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11)We will be going to Steubenville June 12-14th, 2009. This year we have 15 spaces available. The total cost for the retreat is $230, all-inclusive. The due date for registration is February 15th, 2009.

16 January 2009

Apologetics Seminar!


This week was one of the coldest ones yet, which is why I absolutely had to make it out to the petting farm to volunteer. Early Tuesday morning I made sure all the goats, chickens, horses and pigs had hay and water. Once that was done, I got to sweep the barn out. Eventually I was asked to wander out into the pastures to check on all the creatures out there. I brought some hay for the ibex goats, made sure the cows were all still alive, and gave the watusi some grain.

One of the best things about volunteering, is that people always ask you why you do it. Sometimes I can give an enthusiastic answer, and other times (when I'm cleaning out the pig stye) it can be harder to remember my motivation.

Our faith life is much the same. People are often fasinated when they meet someone who is into their faith, and they often ask why that faith means so much to us. Sometimes their curiosity can turn into a barrage of questions, one after another! Here are some questions that I get frequently- why do you have to go to Church every Sunday?? Why do you confess sins to a priest instead of to God himself? Why do you believe the bread turns into the Body of Christ at Mass?

If any of those sound familiar, perhaps you’ve gotten a question or two about your faith. Join us at Village this Sunday for an Apologetics Seminar! We'll be having a real discussion of these and many other questions that people ask about our faith!

Join in the dialogue: What is your favorite farm animal??

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Village Retreat @ Franciscan University of Steubenville
Join the Village for our annual roadtrip to the University of Steubenville this summer. Thousands of teens gather each year to grow in their faith as they participate in the Sacraments and hear some of the best Catholic speakers in the country!

The scripture that will guide the programming is: “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11

We will be going to Steubenville June 12-14th, 2009. This year we have 15 spaces available. The total cost for the retreat is $230, all-inclusive. The due date for registration is February 15th, 2009.