#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.