Pentecost is a day to consider what the Holy Spirit offers each of us
By Sr. Laura Hammel, O.S.C.
Special to The Catholic Weekly
SAGINAW — As Christians, we often hear references to “The Seven Gifts of the Spirit.”
The idea of spiritual gifts is found in this passage from Isaiah 11:3: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse; and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.”
Before we look at our spiritual gifts, we need to understand what we mean by the “gifts of the Spirit.” These gifts come to us as the Holy Spirit touches our lives. We believe the gifts are important because they enable us to surpass our ordinary abilities. They are graces that give us more insight and ability to act as Christians.
All the sacraments are “acts of the Holy Spirit,” although the sacrament of confirmation is where spiritual gifts are specifically mentioned. Inspired by the words of Isaiah, the ritual of confirmation names the gifts of the Holy Spirit: “Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in Your presence.”
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ZILWAUKEE — St. Matthew Parish has appealed to the Vatican the decision by the Diocese of Saginaw to close its church. The decision, part of the diocese’s Planning Tomorrow’s Parishes process, was slated for Monday, July 1.
As a result of the appeal, filed Saturday, April 20, with the Congregation for the Clergy, the church will stay open and not merge with neighboring St. John the Baptist and St. Josaphat parishes in Carrollton. While Sr. Chris Gretka will become admistrator of the combined parish created by the merger of two Carrollton churches, with Fr. James Bessert as sacramental minister, the diocese will seek people to fill those roles at St. Matthew.
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People fill Temple Theater to honor principal of Saginaw school
By Sandra Burch
The Catholic Weekly
SAGINAW — St. Thomas Aquinas Parish paid tribute to one of its own on Monday, April 15, with a gala celebration of Sr. Ann deGuise’s 50th anniversary as a Bernadine Franciscan at the Temple Theater.
More 1,300 people filled the theater to honor Sr. deGuise, principal of St. Thomas Aquinas School and part of the parish for more than 20 of those 50 years.
The program opened with cheerleaders from St. Thomas Aquinas School and Nouvel Catholic Central High School performing together. The bell choirs from those same two schools followed suit, ringing in the night’s festivities. The NCC Honor Guard processed in with the cross.
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Fr. Wachowiak
A native of Saginaw, Fr. Wachowiak, 55, attended elementary and high school there and continued his post-secondary education at Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University before enrolling in Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis. where he received his master of divinity. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Gaylord at St. Mary Cathedral in Gaylord by Bishop Patrick R. Cooney on June 13, 1998.
While deeply respected for his ministry in the Diocese of Gaylord, Fr. Wachowiak has been feeling the need to return to his home diocese of Saginaw to be closer to his family.
“The last couple of years have been difficult as my parents aged and struggled with health issues. I have felt a strong need to be closer to them,” Fr. Wachowiak said. “After my mother passed away, I reached the decision that I really have to go home for a while. I’m really grateful to Bishop Hebda for his understanding and his pastoral heart. I’m also thankful for the opportunity given me by Bishop Cistone so that I will be able to continue to serve and minister to God’s people in the Diocese of Saginaw.”
In granting the leave, Bishop Hebda said, “I know Fr. Wachowiak has been discerning this for some time. It was not an easy decision and he knows he will be missed. He has done tremendous work in our diocese and I am already looking forward to the day when Fr. Wachowiak will return. In the meantime, he and his family will continue to be in my prayers.”
In the Diocese of Gaylord, Fr. Wachowiak’s first priestly assignment was as associate pastor at St. Mary-St. Charles Parish in Cheboygan. In June 2000, he was asked by Bishop Cooney to pursue graduate studies in liturgy at the University of Notre Dame. In August 2000, he was appointed administrator of Christ the King Parish in Acme while serving part time in the secretariat for worship and liturgical formation for the diocese. When he graduated with a masters degree in theology with concentration in liturgy in 2002, he was appointed director of the diocesan secretariat for worship and liturgical formation and sacramental minister for St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Mackinaw City. In 2005, he was appointed pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Boyne City and St. Augustine Parish in Boyne Falls while continuing to serve as the director of worship for the diocese. In 2008, he was appointed pastor of a third parish, St. John Nepomucene in Praga.
In 2004, Fr. Wachowiak was named to the board of directors for Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners and as the diocesan representative and a member of the board of directors of the federation of diocesan liturgical commissions. He also currently serves as vicar of the central region vicariate.
To meet the pastoral needs of the faithful of Boyne City, Boyne Falls and Praga, Bishop Hebda has appointed Patty Furtaw to serve as pastoral administrator for the three parishes, effective July 1. She has served with Fr. Wachowiak since 2006, as pastoral associate and director of faith formation.
In addition, Fr. Donald Geyman, director of vocations for the Diocese of Gaylord, has been appointed sacramental minister for the parishes while continuing his vocations duties. Fr. Geyman already has taken up residence at St. Matthew in Boyne City and is looking forward to meeting the parishioners of all three parishes.†
Fr. Robert Byrne
Special to The Catholic Weekly
FRANKENMUTH — Blessed Trinity Catholic Church and Frankenmuth United Methodist Church are celebrating the 25th anniversary of a covenant of prayer and cooperation between their communities of faith.
The original covenant document was signed Dec. 6, 1987 by Fr. Bill Taylor and the Rev. Chuck Ball, pastors of the two churches, and witnessed by Jim Hindelang and Louise Corrigan.
This special relationship between the two church communities goes back to 1969 when the Methodist community graciously invited the small Catholic community in Frankenmuth to use its new church building for Sunday Mass and the celebration of the other sacraments.
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In a step in merger process, members of one Bay City parish visit another
By Fr. Jose Maria Cabrera
Special to The Catholic Weekly
BAY CITY — It is two o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. The parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Bay City already have celebrated their Spanish Mass at 11:30 a.m. and have enjoyed their usual meal after Mass in the parish hall. Now they arrive at St. Boniface Church, their future home beginning July 1, 2014.
Members of St. Boniface, along with their pastor Fr. Dale Orlik, give a warm welcome and a tour of the church and parish facilities. “Wow!” exclaim some of the children and the adults keep admiring the stained glass windows. There are smiles on everyone’s faces.
This is Planning Tomorrow’s Parishes at work.
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By Mark Haney
The Catholic Weekly
BAY CITY — Fresh off a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands, Bishop Joseph R. Cistone spoke about the will of God when he addressed the Diocese of Saginaw Men’s Conference on Saturday, March 9, at St. Hyacinth Church.
“One of the special places, for me, was the visit to the Garden of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus went to pray after the Last Supper, where he was arrested and began his trial, suffering and death,” said Bishop Cistone in his homily at the conference’s Mass. “In the Garden of Gethsemane they have built a little church around the rock on which Jesus laid and prayed. The top of the rock is right in front of the altar, with a little fence around it so you don’t walk on it. But you actually can go up and touch the rock.
“The reason celebrating Mass at that particular church in that particular spot was meaningful to me is because it is where following the will of God became so apparent for Jesus and for us. It is where, overwhelmed by what He knew was going to happen in His life, He knelt on that rock and just begged His Father to take this cup away, that this chalice, this suffering would pass Him by.”
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By Mark Haney
The Catholic Weekly
SAGINAW — Each year, at the Bishop’s Charity Ball, someone is given the Bishop Murphy Award for those who, through their work and the example of their lives, pass on the Catholic faith.
This year, for the Diocese of Saginaw’s 75th anniversary, Bishop Joseph R. Cistone doubled the number of awards.
And those honored at this year’s ball on Friday, April 26, at the Horizons Conference Center — the “Superman of Chesaning” and the “Mother Teresa of Saginaw” — were especially noteworthy.
“Considering the list of nominees, I thought it most fitting to honor two different and yet powerful role models of outstanding lifetime commitment,” said the bishop. “One honoree represents what an individual layperson can do to serve the needs of others. While the other honoree demonstrates how the charisms of consecrated life continue to serve the Church in varied and meaningful ways. Both embody the virtue of charity and what it means to be a Christian.”
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Bishop’s Charity Ball honors those who serve diocese’s needy, poor
By Mark Haney
The Catholic Weekly
SAGINAW — For seven years, the Bishop’s Charity Ball has celebrated some integral part of the Diocese of Saginaw.
This year, like last year, the annual event shed light on those who serve the poor and needy of the diocese.
That was a conscious choice made by Bishop Joseph R. Cistone, who was celebrating his fourth year as the host of the event.
“Like last year I chose to dedicate the evening to the incredible work that is done in support of the social mission of the Church,” he said in an address to those attending the Friday, April 26, event at the Horizons Conference Center in Saginaw. “The word ‘love’ encompasses many meanings. So in order to define the word beyond a mere worldly sense, the Church refers to love as caritas, or charity. She teaches that charity is that virtue by which we love God above all things, for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
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SAGINAW — On Sunday, April 7, Bishop Joseph R. Cistone announced the clerical and parish assignments for the year beginning Monday, July 1.
As part of his continued effort to best position the diocese to focus on the Church’s mission of evangelization, Bishop Cistone, along with the priest personnel board, began working on assignments several months ago.
“The assignment process is normally a considerable undertaking,” Bishop Cistone said. “This year, despite the decrease in the number of parishes, the task was even more challenging. This was due to the fact that a number of mergers are not scheduled to take effect until one or two years from now. Many pastors and pastoral administrators will be responsible for several communities working to form one parish, not to mention the number of parish buildings to care for. And we continue to deal with an aging presbyterate.”
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