Master Plan Update

September 9, 2023

Progressive AE has finished compiling all information and feedback they gathered from their time on campus and the various staff, ministries, and parish-wide town hall. They have presented a campus-wide master plan to the Building Steering Committee, which identifies potential spaces, not design or layout.

This weekend’s bulletin includes an insert with a drawing of the long range vision plan, as well as an explanation of what a long range vision plan is, what the guiding principles are, and what the next steps are.

Click here to view the insert.

The Steering Committee will be in the Narthex after all Masses on the weekend of September 16 and 17 to answer questions with much larger displays that more clearly label the vision for our campus. Consider stopping by next weekend and taking a look!

The next step will be for the feasibility study to begin. This process will take some time, as well as many sacrifices from our community as we look at how we can generously support this vision over the coming years to make it a reality. We look forward to this journey with you!

July 26, 2023

Progressive AE is collecting questionnaires from all departments, staff, and ministries and are now interviewing them. At the end of July/beginning of August, they will study our existing facilities and document our current campus. Over several weeks they will process the
collected data and implement that knowledge into design concepts. This process should take until the end of August; at that time we will present the study’s conclusions and the official master plan.

Letter from Fr. Mark Peacock

Dear Holy Spirit Community,

It is with great encouragement from many parishioners as well as approval from the Pastoral Council, Finance Council and Board of Education that I formed a Building Steering Committee to assess the needs of our campus and develop a master plan. Because of Holy Spirit’s great growth and ministry development, it is time we take a look at how we can better support the needs of every member of our community. I am excited to see what the future holds!

Highlights:
  • Our Parish has grown by over 200 parishioners in the past year. Expansion of assess like the Multipurpose Room will allow for a more vibrant and connected community.
  • Our Child Development Center is an excellent self-sustaining asset that can be expanded to provide infant care to further support our young families.
  • As the Parish flourishes, our staff continues to grow to serve you and lacks adequate space for meetings, small groups, conferences, etc.
  • Our enrollment in the school is the highest it has been in 10 years and is expected to continue to increase. (We already have 320 students enrolled for next school year and anticipate another 10-15 students to enroll by fall. Currently, our school building can only house 390 students.)
Considerations:
  • Our growing ministries continue to exaggerate the lack of space, especially with the potential of adding a Youth Minister in the future.
  • No major construction or renovation project has been conducted in 30 years.
  • Current ministries such as funeral services, Knights of Columbus breakfasts, special events, coffee & donuts, etc. are underserved by the current facilities.
  • Wayfinding has always been a struggle for Holy Spirit. This coupled with an ever-growing concern for community safety calls for a review of the circulation and access control of the entire campus.
Solution:
  • Through the interviewing process with multiple architectural firms, it became clear to the committee that now is the time to define a Master Plan for the future of our community and its campus.
  • Progressive AE has been selected to lead a holistic investigation of the Parish to clearly outline our needs and from there will design a phased Master Plan that will prioritize and sequence our needs.
What to expect:
  • Over the next few weeks, Progressive AE will orchestrate a series of workshops, a parish wide town hall meeting, and surveys to hear your (the community’s) opinions.
  • They will then assess the data that they collect while investigating our current facilities to provide a complete picture of the Parish’s current state.
  • After the 10-week process, Progressive AE will present a Master Plan Package to the Steering Committee and Parish demonstrating their proposed solutions to our needs.
  • Although this plan may change over time, it is intended to guide the Parish as we continue to grow in our mission.

Blessings,
Fr. Mark Peacock
Pastor

Michigan March for Life Bus Trip

Grand Rapids Right to Life invites you to be a part of the Michigan March for Life on November 8, 2023!

The Michigan March for Life is an excellent opportunity for advocates for life of all ages and political persuasions from across the state to join with one voice on behalf of the defenseless. A strong showing of support on the first anniversary of the devastating passage of pro-abortion Proposal 3 sends a powerful message to elected officials, the citizens of Michigan, and the nation at large.
Come and peacefully advocate for the protection of all human life from conception to natural death.

Grand Rapids Right to Life

For more details about the day’s schedule of events, visit https://www.grrtl.org/events/.

Grand Rapids Right to Life has organized a bus trip, with the following details:

  • $25 per person
  • Bus trip includes return transportation from Grand Rapids to Lansing
  • Departure locations will be confirmed based on registrations
  • Make check payable to Grand Rapids Right to Life
  • Payment and registration form are due by October 16, 2023
  • Payment is non-refundable as bus rentals are based on registration commitments

The registration form can be found below, with information on where to remit payment to. Download option available as well!

2023_MiMFL_BusTripDownload

Garden Angels- Volunteers Welcome!

The Garden Angels began their work on the parish grounds on Wednesday, May 17th. The group will continue to meet weekly at 9:00 am. It’s never too late to join!

Luncheons will continue weekly through October after the work is done. (Everyone is asked to bring a dish to pass if you wish. They usually have a lot of food, so no worries if you don’t or cannot bring a dish.)

What to Bring

Please bring your own tools, gloves, rakes, shovels and cutters (if you have them) and put your name on your tools!

Men and women are welcome; many dirty hands make for light work! If you have any questions, please call Rosemary Cheslock at (616) 485-1184.

Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) 2023

We reached our 2023 CSA Goal! On behalf of Fr. Mark and the Parish Staff, thank you for giving generously to help support the many programs and supportive diocesan ministries that have a ripple effect in our community!

The Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) is an annual effort to reach out to people in our 11 counties in a variety of ways, including through seminarian and deacon formation; youth programming; support for the homebound and incarcerated; families who are struggling; the hungry, and the homeless. Through the CSA, we are strengthened in Christ and we can respond with joy. We all work together to care for the Church by sharing the gifts God has granted us.

Our parish goal for 2023 is $246,480 and 100% participation, which means every parishioner should return their pledge card, even if that pledge is $0 for you this year. Every gift, regardless of the amount, is important in this effort. Please join us!

Baby Shower Update

The Multipurpose Room was filled with onesies and socks and diapers and glimpses of pinks and pastels all over! The energy was high as people generously donated in support of a family expecting triplets this April!

Centerpieces made of socks by very creative volunteers!
Fr. Mark chats with the Sekelsky family over donuts.
Children stop by to guess how many M&Ms are in the jar for a chance to win!
Nancy and Paula share in the enthusiasm of the baby shower.

We were overwhelmed by how fully our parish community stood behind the baby shower, providing a pack n’ play full of gifts and outfits, wrote notes of encouragement for the mom-to-be and her family, and gave from the heart to someone they’ve never even met. God is at work in the hearts of our parish family as we make our efforts intentional as we support life and helping moms, dads, and families choose life and be able to support the life they are bringing into the world.

Final Total

We look forward to sharing the final total for donations made at this weekend’s baby shower, and sharing all of the ways in which the funds will be used. Stay tuned for an update later this week!

Thank you, Faithful Families planning committee!

The women pictured above were responsible for the initial idea to host a baby shower, the planning and organizational efforts involved in pulling the entire event together, organizing volunteers, and creatively turning the Multipurpose Room into a beautiful celebration of life for triplets on the way. Thank you Faithful Families ladies for your passion and energy for HELP Pregnancy and finding new ways to celebrate and support life in our parish!

Tithing Envelope Update

You most likely will not receive envelopes for January and February, so we encourage you to continue using the methods suggested below in the meantime. As a result of this envelop mishap with the third-party company that we use, we will be switching to a new company shortly that has been very quick to answer our questions, provide timely customer service, and make the process smooth and easy for us. You will receive a letter when the time comes explaining the switch. However, we assure you that the transition will be seamless, and in the long-run, Holy Spirit will be better served by this new company.

What can you do in the meantime?
1.) If you usually tithe with a check; your check has your name and address in the corner, and therefore we are able to process and post the donation to your account.

2.) If you usually tithe with cash; place your cash in an envelope with your name and address written on the outside

3.) If you would like to avoid both of these options, you are very welcome to call MacKenzie in the parish office at (616) 453-6369 to make donations directly online, or set up a recurring gift schedule until April when envelopes hopefully return.

4.) We have now received a large box of blank envelopes to be put on the ends of the pews. You are welcome to put your donation in an envelope and write your name and address on the outside.

**If you have tithing envelopes left over from previous months (or years!), you are very welcome to use those envelopes up! Regardless of the date written on the outside of the envelope, the donation will be posted for the week you put it in the collection.

What if I don’t remember my tithing envelope number?
No need to worry; as long as your name is on your donation (check) or the envelope it is in (cash), we are able to post that donation directly to your account. The envelope number is actually more related to the company who prints the envelopes, but it is no longer connected specifically to your Holy Spirit records.

Again, we apologize for the inconvenience this causes for you in the coming weeks, and hope it will not deter you from finding a way to tithe that makes you feel most comfortable. If you have any other questions in regards to this situation, do not hesitate to email mbrady@hsparish.org, or call the parish office during weekdays between 8:00 am-4:00 pm.


Christmas Message

Merry Christmas from Holy Spirit

Dear Families and Friends of Holy Spirit Parish,

On this feast of Christmas, we gather with Christians all over the world to celebrate the birth of Christ, Savior of the world. As this familiar story of our Lord’s birth is proclaimed once again, our astonishment of this life-changing event should not be diminished. God has rightly fully chosen to manifest the depth of His love for us in the Christ Child.

On behalf of the entire parish staff, we extend to you and your loved ones our prayers and best wishes for a blessed and joyous Christmas season and a Happy New Year!

Love,

Fr. Mark, Fr. David, and Holy Spirit Staff

#GivingTuesday Success

Last week, on Tuesday, November 29, marked the world’s 10th year of #GivingTuesday. Created in 2012 as a simple idea to encourage people to do good, it has grown into a global generosity “movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world.”

This year, we asked you to consider giving a gift from the heart to help our community build a new playground. We set a goal of $50,000, knowing it might be a bit lofty, but we hoped and prayed that we could raise even half of that number. We informed you of the grant challenges being offered by the Catholic Foundation of West Michigan, and securing just one of those would have been a joy!

You gave enthusiastically from the heart, and spread the word to others who you knew might make an investment in the future playground. You shared your own memories of your days on the playground years ago. You strategically gave during the day when you knew your gift would potentially have the greatest impact.

Simply put, your generosity astounded us. Because of you, we raised $50,792.62! We are incredibly grateful for each of you! As we look ahead to building the new playground, we can’t wait to show you how your gift will have an impact on our community for many years to come!

One question you might be asking now is…
“So that’s it, right?! We’ll start building a new playground now, correct?!” Unfortunately, while we did meet our #GivingTuesday goal, we have a significant way to go before we have the funding for the entire playground. The price tag on a new one is a shocking $180,000-$250,000. So needless to say, we will continue to raise the remainder of the funds to start the build! If you are interested in donating to these continued efforts, please call the Parish Office at (616) 453-6369.

Traveling Chalice | Vocations

Traveling Vocation Chalice

As a parish family, we have committed to pray for vocations: to the priesthood and religious life, and to married and single life.

We invite you to sign up to receive the chalice after a Mass, take it home and put it in a prominent place where you will see it every day, and pray for young people to be open to God’s call. God has a plan for each one of us. Here are some ideas for when it is your turn to pray with the vocation chalice:
• Discuss marriage with your family. Who are some couples that are beautiful witnesses of marriage?
• Discuss the priesthood
• Pray for a seminarian or send a note to some seminarians to remind them of our prayers and support
• Pray a rosary for vocations to the priesthood and religious life

Sign up here: Traveling Chalice Sign-Up

We hope and pray that the traveling vocation chalice will increase awareness that a vocation is first a gift from God, and second, increases openness in our young people to consider a vocation in loving service to God and his people.

At the end of your week with the chalice, simply return it to the sacristy at Mass.

Exploring the Priesthood

Young men, experience life as a seminarian!
Where: St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota
When: November 17-19, 2022
What: The Diocese of Grand Rapids and St. John Vianney College Seminary will be offering young men ages 16-24 an opportunity to take a closer look at the priesthood by experiencing a few days in the life of a seminarian on the campus of the University of St. Thomas at the St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, MN.
How: Transportation, accommodations, and meals will be provided at no cost.

To register contact Pattie Reynolds at preynolds@grdiocese.org or call (616) 288-0910 by Nov. 1.

On the Mark, With Fr. Mark!

View all “On the Mark” videos on our Vimeo channel!

Please remember that there is a written transcript of all Fr. Mark’s homilies online at his blog. They are usually posted by the middle of the day Tuesday through Friday for daily Mass and in the afternoon on Sunday for the weekend.

Please use these ways to stay connected while you may be unable to gather with us.