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October 15, 2017

www.elcatholics.org www.stjohnmsu.org

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish & School

955 Alton Road

East Lansing, MI 48823

Office Phone: 517.351.7215

School Phone: 517.332.0813

St. John Church & Student Center

327 MAC Avenue

East Lansing, MI 48823

Office Phone: 517.337.9778

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS Weekend Mass Times

Saturday 4:30pm Sunday 9:00am & 11:00am

Weekday Mass Times Monday - Friday 6:30am

Wednesday and Friday at 9:00am

Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday 3:00 - 4:00pm & following

the 4:30pm Mass

ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST Weekend Mass Times Sunday 8:00am, 10:00am Noon, 5:00pm & 7:00pm

Weekday Mass Times Monday, Wednesday & Friday 12:15pm

Tuesday and Thursday at 9:15pm

Sacrament of Reconciliation Monday, Wednesday & Friday

11:00am - Noon Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00pm

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Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 15, 2017

Fr. Mark’s Remarks

As you hopefully know by now,

Witness To Hope is a $65 million

dollar campaign that the Diocese of

Lansing has launched. Here in our

Parish, this campaign will allow us to

address important needs for

additional space and to update our infrastructure.

We are called to be a people of faith, hope and love.

What the Witness to Hope campaign offers us is an

opportunity to bring these virtues to a greater and more

practical reality in the wider Church of our diocese and

in our local parish community. Our projects are:

New pre-school and after care building at STA

Parish School (including demolition of old convent)

Pole barn for storage of maintenance equipment

Renovation of heating/cooling at SJSC

Replace roof systems at STA Parish School

Replace intercom system at STA Parish School

Repairs to STA Church floor

New on-site rectory

This weekend following the Masses at St. Thomas and

next weekend following the Masses at St. John, I invite

you to remain and learn about this campaign. Each of us has a part in our parish continuing to grow, thrive

and be a beacon of our Catholic faith in East Lansing.

Three spiritual considerations are offered to guide

your generosity:

Gratitude: Be motivated by gratitude to God, making

a generous return to the Lord for all the blessings in

your life.

Joy: Give freely rather than from a sense of obligation,

knowing that God loves a cheerful giver and that true

generosity leads to joy.

Love: Allow Jesus to fill your heart with His spirit of

trust and selfless love for all those served by the

Church’s ministry and mission.

This weekend is Homecoming for Michigan State

University. We look forward to welcoming back

former Catholic Spartans! St. Thomas Aquinas Parish

School will have a spot in the upcoming MSU

Homecoming Parade on Friday, October 20.

The parade will begin promptly at 6:00pm. Staging

for the parade is done near our school at 4:30pm.

We invite all Catholic Spartans to join us, too, as

our parish community serves students of all ages -

preschool through grad school. If you have any

further questions please contact the school at

517-332-0813. #tartantospartan.

Have a blessed week!

Parish Wide Meetings

All Parishioners are invited to stay after Mass to learn about the campaign

and pick up your personalized packet.

October 14 and 15 at St. Thomas Aquinas

October 22 at St. John Church & Student Center

Building a Strong Future for our Parish and our Diocese

World Mission Sunday - October 22

Next week, we will celebrate World Mission Sunday.

Each year, the entire Church is invited to support the mission dioceses in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and

parts of Latin America and Europe. Priests, religious,

and lay leaders serve the poorest of the poor in these

regions. This year, we are invited to “Chat With The

Pope” to learn more about his missions. Learn more

at ChatWithThePope.org.

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OFFERTORY Actual Offertory through October 1 $591,131

Budgeted Offertory through October 1 $606,734

Deficit $ 15,603

Please Note: The fiscal year began 7/1/2017.

Offertory consists of cash and checks given at Mass, electronic

giving from parishioners, and stock gifts.

Christian Service - Matthew 25

October 1: St. Patrick's Center will receive $2,021 to provide housing and support services to

persons homeless or at risk. They provide 28 meals

per week to over 10,000 people each month.

Support services include behavioral health services,

employment training, a food pantry, and a clothing

room.

October 15: STA Chapter of St. Vincent de

Paul serves people right here in our community.

October 22: MAP International provides

medicines and supplies to Syrian refugees caught in

escalating humanitarian crisis.

Thank you for your generosity!

Pray for the Sick & Deceased

Please pray that those who are ill or suffering in any way might

receive the care that they need.

We embrace in prayer: Pam Czubak, Linda Brown,

Larry Fortino, Florence McElheron, Bob Gallovan,

Robert Schneider, William Rademacher, David

Piotrowicz, Heather Ross, and those listed in our

Book of Prayer.

We pray for our departed brothers and sisters who

made manifest the fruits of the kingdom in their lives:

that God might now give them the kingdom. We

remember those who died violently in Las Vegas, and

also Barb Paul, Eloina Menendez, Lois Stein, and

Rosemarie Printke.

Interested In Joining our Parish? If you are new to our Parish, we welcome you! To join our Parish, you can register online at elcatholics.org, or stop in the parish office. If neither option

works for you, give us a call and we will mail you a membership packet! 517-351-7215 or 517-337-9778

Do you have questions about open enrollment for Medicare?

Have a parent trying to navigate Medicare? Join Michelle Sanchagrin, a multi-licensed producer and Medicare specialst for this

informative presentation.

Please Support the St. Vincent de Paul Group

Due to growing need, the STA

Chapter of St. Vincent DePaul is

facing a funding shortage by

Thanksgiving. They have been

named the Matthew 25 recipient for this weekend.

Your donation in the Matthew 25 basket at the end of

Mass or in the poor box at any time can help them

provide medicine, rent, heat, food, and more to

people in our community who are in dire need.

If you would like to become involved in their

work, new members are always welcome. The

Vincentians go two-by-two as Jesus taught to give aid

to those in need. You won’t be in it alone! Please

contact Denise Waytes, denise@elcatholics.org, to

learn how you can get involved.

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St. John Student Center - Home of the

Catholic Spartans Katie Diller - kdiller@elcatholics.org

Director of Campus Ministry

Joe Reis - jreis@elcatholics.org

Campus Minister

Grad Student &

Young Professional Group

Contact us about:

Field Trip October 19

Uncle John’s Cider Mill Time TBA—Check the Facebook Group

or email us for details!

Serving young adults aged 22-32

To join our Facebook Group & email list, contact us

at stjohnsgroup@gmail.com.

College Men's Group

Reconciliation

Student Lounge

Theotokos Catholic Women’s Group

Men

Women's Lounge, Rm 13

featuring Brother Casey Cole - breakinginthehabit.org The theme is on our mission to campus, our friends, family, and all the world to proclaim the Good News

of Jesus Christ's suffering, death, resurrection, and hope of friendship with all people.

Come, get away from campus and enjoy spiritual time and social time to refresh and renew yourself.

The retreat will be held at Clear Lake Camp, Battle Creek, MI - Carpooling will be arranged.

Cost is $60 for the whole weekend

Register online at s t johnmsu.org / fa l l - retreat (Check out the pictures from last year, too!)

Email frryan@elcatholics.org for more information!

Undergrads! Looking for a way to get involved?

College Men’s Group and Theotokos Women’s

Group meet every other Monday, downstairs at

SJSC. During the 90 minute meetings, we build

friendships and challenge one another to grow in faith.

Try it out this week!

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Upcoming Liturgical Training Dates

Sunday, November 5: Theological training 2:00pm SJSC

Lector practical training 3:00pm SJSC

Monday, November 6: EMHC practical training 6:00pm SJSC

Prayer Blankets

Prayer blankets for the sick and pocket prayers for loved ones in the military are always

available in the parish offices.

Did you know?

Our parish has a visiting ministry

to the sick and homebound called

Compassionate Visitors. Volunteers

will visit with a person who has

requested that they come. If you or someone you know

would like to be visited, please contact Linda McDonald

by email at linda.mcdonald@comcast.net or phone her at

517-351-8449. If you would like to volunteer as a

visitor, please contact Angie Liberato at 517-336-7358

or retiredang11@gmail.com.

Faculty / Community Brook Discussion Group

Our Faculty / Community Book

Discussion Group usually meets on

the first and third Thursdays of

each month during the academic

year. We meet at St. John from

5:30-7:00pm in Room 12, the Library.

During October, we are reading and discussing

"Making All Things New" by Ilia Delio. This Thursday, October 19, we will conclude our

discussion of this book. Questions, please contact Al

Weilbaecher at 517-351-5460 or al@elcatholics.org.

All are welcome to participate!

Men’s Book Group Monday evening, October 23, 7:30pm

St. Thomas Aquinas

The next gathering of the Men’s Book Group will be

on Monday, October 23, 7:30pm, in the

Conference Room at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. All

men are welcome to join us! For more information,

please contact Al at 517-351-5460 or

al@elcatholics.org.

October is

“Fair Trade” Month!

Coffee & Chocolate Sale October 28-29

Please support the upcoming Fair Trade sale of organic coffee and

chocolate being sponsored at the end of the month by

the Just Faith group. Fair Trade products help us to

stand in solidarity with the poor and vulnerable,

ensure that God’s creation is treated with respect,

and provide fair compensation to farmers in the

developing world.

As Pope Benedict XVI reminded us, “purchasing is

always a moral – and not simply economic – act.” And as

Pope Francis has said, “There is no worse material poverty . . . than the poverty which prevents people from

earning their bread and deprives them of the dignity of

work.”

Look for the Fair Trade Table after all Masses on

October 28 and 29. For more information or

to volunteer, please call Sandy (517-388-2858) or

email (smaxim1822@gmail.com). Thank you!

Confirmation Preparation for MSU Student & Adults

If you are out of high school, baptized

Catholic and have celebrated your First

Communion, but have not received the

sacrament of Confirmation, this is for

you! Preparation sessions for Confirmation will take

place on six Sunday afternoons, 3:00-4:30pm,

beginning February 4, with the celebration of the

Confirmation taking place the Sunday after Easter.

Confirmation registration forms and more information

are available by contacting Al Weilbaecher at 517-351-

5460 or al@elcatholics.org.

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Religious Education

Planning for Advent

Would you like to help plan

activities for the Mom & Tots

Advent Morning on December 8?

We need volunteers to help with

crafts, serve snacks, setup, cleanup, etc. Please call

Debbie Lewis at 517-332-0064 or email

dlewis@ecatholics.org.

Homework Assignments

We try not to give much

Religious Ed homework, but if

we do it is important to have it

finished for the next class.

Homework is sometimes

prayers that need to be said for others, helping others

in need and simply loving our families. These are all

lessons we each can and should do.

St. Vincent de Paul

In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus say: “Many

are invited, but few are chosen.”

To give thanks for all that God has given to

you, have you considered answering the call

to help serve the poor by joining the Society

of St. Vincent de Paul?

LCHS Prospective Family Night

Lansing Catholic High School is hosting its fall Prospective Family Night on Wednesday, October 18, from 6:30 - 8:30pm. This event is open to prospective families with children of any age to learn more about what LCHS has to offer. Please note there is a set schedule for this event. Families will be taken on a school tour led by a LCHS student, attend breakout sessions (on curriculum, tuition, college planning, and extracurricular and athletic activities), and attend a question and answer session. Registration is not required, but is appreciated for this event. Please contact the admissions office at 517-267-2102 or admissions@lansingcatholic.org.

Lansing Catholic High School is looking for an individual to help in food service. Responsibilities would include delivering prepared lunches to partner schools, Monday – Friday when schools are in session. Must use own vehicle and mileage is reimbursed. Individuals must be at least 21 years old. If you are interested, please contact Bridget Norris at 517-267-2119 or email bridget.norris@lansingcatholic.org.

Families with Special-Needs Children

The Our Lady of Grace Special

Families Ministry would like to

invite you to our first Super Bowl

Sunday! event for the school year

on Sunday, October 15.

Families with children who have special needs gather

together to have fun bowling and build friendships. All

ages are welcome! The cost is $3.00 per game and there is no charge for shoes. Join us at City Limits,

2120 E. Saginaw, East Lansing, from 12:30 to

2:00pm.

Please RSVP to Amy Schneider at

amyschneider9698@gmail.com. Thank you!

Future dates are November 26, January 7, February

11, March 11, and April 22.

Parents’ Baptism Seminar

Wednesday, October 25

Our next baptism preparation session for

parents (and godparents) of infants or young children

to baptize will take place on Wednesday evening,

October 25, 7:00-9:00pm at St. Thomas Aquinas

Church. Please contact the Catholic Formation Office

if you plan to attend (517-351-5460 or

al@elcatholics.org).

Baptism registration forms are available through the

parish offices at both sites and online at our parish

web site (www.elcatholics.org.)

Earn Money for the STA School Recycling!

Don’t Forget! You can recycle your newspapers,

catalogs, magazines, junk mail, phone books, office/

school paper, and hard and soft cover books by

dropping them off in the green PAPER GATOR bin in

the back parking lot.

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The Outreach Mass can be

seen on ABC affiliate WLAJ

(Comcast) Channel 3.

It airs at 6:00am and 10:00am

every Sunday.

Campaign Prayer O God, Hear our humble prayer.

Pour your Holy Spirit upon every person

within our diocese that all may come to know,

love and serve you as faithful and generous

witnesses to the enduring hope

found only in You.

With the help of Mary, our Mother

may we bear witness to the glory of God with

great joy. Bless this campaign by igniting a new

enthusiasm for the sacred mission we share

as disciples of your Son, especially as we care

for those who experience despair.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the source

of our Hope, who lives and reigns with you and

the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen

Ladies: You are all cordially invited to attend the

Fifth Annual Lansing Diocese Catholic Women’s

Conference entitled “God’s Desire” on Saturday,

November 4, from 9:00am until 5:00pm at the Lansing

Center in Lansing, Michigan.

Our speakers include: Father Mathias Thelen,

Father Mark Rutherford, and Colleen Mitchell;

Bishop Earl Boyea will preside at Mass. We will

also have lunch, shopping, music, Adoration, and the

Sacrament of Reconciliation. We hope that you will

set aside this day and join together with your sisters,

daughters, and friends to experience the our Heavenly

Father’s desire for His daughters. For more

information and to register for this conference, please

visit our website at www.LansingDioceseCWC.org.

SOMETHING NEW

STA is seeking to establish a ministry focused on

providing companionship for widows. We plan on

gathering for lunch at Coral Gables on Thursday,

October 19 at 12:30pm.

This would be a great opportunity for the widows of

our parish to meet in a comfortable setting. We

would love to see you there.

Please call the office (517-351-7215) by October 16

to reserve your place. If you have any questions

please call Deacon Ziggy at 517-803-5779.

Ladies, Looking for a Silent Retreat?

St. Francis Retreat Center in

DeWitt is offering a silent retreat

version of its “Entering the

Heart of God” weekend on

November, 17-19. This weekend is based upon Fr.

Charlie Irvin’s book by the same title, and takes the

Our Father and breaks it open to expose the richness

that lies within the prayer our Lord gave us. The

weekend offers ample time for contemplation and

individual reflection, and spiritual direction for those

seeking that opportunity. Please go to

www.stfrancis.ws for more details and to register.

Christmas Bazaar at Cristo Rey

Cristo Rey Altar Society is holding their 9th Annual

Christmas Bazaar Saturday, November 4, from

9:00am to 4:00pm. We will be having a variety of

homemade items along with wonderful baked goods.

We will have available: breakfast, lunch items along with

tamales for sale made by the Altar Society members.

If anyone is interested in having a booth, please

contact Diana Delgado at 517-487-4944 for more

information.

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Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

This Sunday the catechumens, candidates, and their sponsors gathered to consider the topic, "The Third Commandment: Keep Holy the Lord's Day". Like the rest of the commandments, God gave us the Third Commandment out of love. It

helps us give God a top place in our lives because deep within us God has placed a yearning and longing that will never be satisfied until we do. The basic value behind this commandment is this: regular, reflective, communal opportunities to open ourselves to God's presence are essential to maintaining a healthy relationship with God. As human beings, we need a regular pattern for taking time for ourselves and for God. We need to celebrate the Sabbath as a community, for that is where we come to faith and grow in our faith. Look to chapter 27 in The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults for more information about the Third Commandment.

This past Tuesday and this Sunday the inquirers and their sponsors learned what Catholics believe about Mary and the saints. They were able to ask their questions and clear up some misconceptions about Catholic beliefs. Mary is a model of a disciples total response to God. She was given to us by Jesus on the cross to be the mother of each one of us. Mary is close to us, and has a mother's concern for each of us. The saints are people who have followed the will of God by doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way. They come from every age group, occupation, era, and vocation in life They are models for us and intercede for us with God in heaven.

The inquirers also explored the Catholic understanding of heaven, hell, and purgatory. They learned that Catholics regard death as a comma, not a period. Death is a moment of transformation when a person begins a whole new way of life. God's love for us is total and unconditional but the choices we make to be giving or selfish determine how we will spend eternity. This session was summed up by a quote from St. Francis de Sales: "Life is for seeking God. Death is the moment when we find God. Eternity is the possession of God."

If you have been thinking about exploring your interest in the Catholic Church, or if you know someone who has mentioned this possibility, call Pete Ries at 517-351-5460, ext. 1328 or email him at pries@elcatholics.org.

Faith Sharing Questions on Next Sunday’s Gospel We invite you to prepare for next Sundays’ liturgies

by reflecting on the Gospel reading.

Matthew 22:15–21 [Jesus said,] “Then repay to

Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what

belongs to God.”

Do I realize my value doesn’t come from others’

opinions or even my opinion, but from God’s

gift?

Do I render to God what He deserves for all

He has given me?

Bringing Home the Word is a monthly newsletter

subscribed to by our parish offering reflections on the

Sunday readings. You can either download it from

elcatholics.org on the Adult Faith Formation page or

we are happy to email it to you monthly upon

request. (Contact Al at al@elcatholics.org.)

Opening the Word is a video program offering

prayer and insights on the Sunday Scriptures available

through FORMED.org. Our parish has a subscription

and you can access it for FREE using our parish access

code: 07838b. Enjoy this video program, and many

more wonderful resources at FORMED.org!

BUILDING TRUST THROUGH HORSE THERAPY

Every other week a young girl at our Children’s

Home gets to participate in horse therapy, where she

is assigned a teacher and a horse named Cinnamon.

During her time with Cinnamon, she has learned the

importance of caring for her horse while learning to

bridle Cinnamon and trot. One of her biggest

accomplishments was establishing the trust where

she could lift up Cinnamon’s legs and clean

Cinnamon’s hooves. After everything she has gone

through in life, watching her ride Cinnamon with such

confidence and happiness represents the hope and

transformation she’s made in our care over the past

year.

Visit www.stvcc.org/Cinnamon to view photos of

her interactions with Cinnamon.

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Monday, October 16, 2017

6:30am (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Int. of Rita Fortino req. by Patrick O’Brien

12:15pm (St. John)

Dennis Bernest req. by Joanne Bernest

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

6:30am (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Int. of Fr. Thomas Wasilewski req. by the St. Augustine

School Enrichment Program

9:15pm (St. John)

Holy Souls req. by Jenny Pham

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

6:30am (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Gerald Ludden req. by the Knights of Columbus #7816

9:00am (St. Thomas Aquinas) Grace Meagher req. by the St. Veronica Guild

12:15pm (St. John)

Int. of Jeffrey Walser req. by the STA/SJSC Staff

Thursday, October 19, 2017

6:30am (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Ed Fitzpatrick req. by Nancee Fitzpatrick

9:15pm (St. John)

Francis Menacher req. by Tom Menacher

Friday, October 20, 2017

6:30am (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Enrique Javier req. by Manny Javier

9:00am (St. Thomas Aquinas)

James Prince req. by Skip & Nell Wolcott

12:15pm (St. John)

Tony Martello req. by Carolina DeLuca

Saturday, October 21, 2017

4:30pm (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Donald Cassady req. by the Family

Sunday, October 22, 2017

8:00am (St. John)

Elizabeth Torongo req. by Barb Anderson

9:00am (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Ron Savage req. by Richard & Pat Barry

10:00am (St. John)

Frank DeRose, Jr. req. by Cathy & The Family

11:00am (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Tom Jones req. by Jane Wei

12:00pm (St. John)

Virginia MacKowiak req. by Thomas MacKowiak

5:00pm (St. John) People of the Parish

7:00pm (St. John)

Tony Martello req. by Carolina DeLuca

Mass Intentions Events In our Parish Monday, October 16, 2017

8:00am RCIA (STA)

1:00pm RAS Charity Quilt Group (STA)

5:30pm Centering Prayer (SJSC)

6:00pm RCIA for Teens & Children (STA)

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

6:30pm Town Hall Talk: Medicare (STA)

6:30pm 3rd Order Dominican Meeting (STA)

7:00pm Fourth Degree Meeting K of C (STA)

7:00pm Quest Group (SJSC)

7:00pm RCIA Inquiry (SJSC)

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

10:00am Bible Study (STA)

10:00am Rosary Altar Society Rosary (STA)

3:45pm Cherub Choir (STA) 6:00pm RCIA Make-up Session (SJSC)

6:00pm Bereavement Support Group (STA)

6:30pm Cub Scouts Pack 293 Meeting (STA)

7:00pm Follow Me: Meeting Jesus (STA)

7:00pm St. Vincent de Paul Meeting (STA)

Thursday, October 19, 2017

10:00am Faith Sharing Group (STA)

3:45am Seraph Choir (STA)

5:30pm Faculty/Community Book Discussion (SJSC)

6:00pm RCIA Team Meeting (STA)

6:30pm Contemporary Ensemble (STA)

7:00pm Music Ensemble (SJSC)

7:30pm STA Adult Choir (STA)

Friday, October 20, 2017

9:00am RCIA (STA)

Saturday, October 21, 2017

9:00am Food Cupboard (SJSC)

Sunday, October 22, 2017

9:00am, 11:00am Nursery (STA)

9:00am-2:00pm (After Masses) Parish Gathering (SJSC)

10:00am Adult Choir Practice (STA)

10:00am Nursery (SJSC)

10:05am Teen Bible Study 1 (STA)

11:00am RCIA (SJSC)

1:00pm Boy Scouts Troop 293 (STA)

2:00pm RCIA Inquiry (SJSC)

3:50pm Korean Community Mass (STA)

4:30pm Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (STA)

4:30pm Youth Group (STA)

6:00-9:00pm (After Masses) Parish Gathering (SJSC)

May your grace, O Lord, make us always

determined to carry out good works.

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