Pastor’s Corner — June 15th, 2025
Congratulations to Our Newly Initiated Catholics at St Pat’s!
This past Saturday, nine people were received into full communion with the Catholic Church through the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. Please join me in welcoming: Douglas Byrum, Hannah Botimer, Jonathan Gillman, Lindsay Koss, Lucas Miller, Fonda Robertson, Lena Samborn, Ralph Schultz, and Lisa St. John.
In addition, I am proud of our twelve additional parishioners, who completed their sacraments of initiation with the Sacrament of Confirmation: Emma Adler, Matthew Balmforth, Garrett Brady, Marcie Burchfield, Charles Burchfield, Claudia Dahlberg, Michael Kee, Kaitlyn Kinnard, Melanie Leix, Daniel Smith, Nadia Tyner, and Nina Tyner.
Congratulations to all of you! I am so proud of you and can’t wait to see how the Lord continues to work in your life.
As you know we receive people into the Church three times a year. (Christ the King, Easter Vigil and Pentecost) Anne Guminik tells me that we’ve had forty-five adults come into the Church (either through Baptism/Confirmation, Confirmation only, or Full Communion). This may be the highest number in decades. Praise God!
The Feast of Corpus Christi All-Diocesan Mass and Procession (Saturday, June 21st)
This week begins the Diocesan 40 Hours intercessory campaign. As a reminder, St. Patrick will begin our 40 hours of adoration on Wednesday June 11 at 8am (and ending on June 13 at 12am). During these 40 hours, we will be spending time with Jesus in the Eucharist praying for the full conversion of all souls within our communities and for the intention of bringing the Gospel of hope to the world. Adoration throughout our Deanery and the Diocese will continue through next week for these intentions.
Then, on June 21st, Bishop Boyea will offer Mass at Jackson Field (home of the Lansing Lugnuts) and will lead a procession with the Blessed Sacrament from Jackson Field to the Steps of the State Capitol (0.5 miles). The procession will conclude on the Capitol Lawn with benediction. Food trucks will be nearby for those who would like to stay for fellowship and food after the event. For more information on the procession, and to RSVP for the Mass please go here. I hope to see many of you there!
CCW Rummage Sale
Beginning this Sunday, June 15th, the St Patrick Council of Catholic Women will be accepting donations to the annual Rummage Sale. Items can be dropped off at the Parish Life Center O’Kelly Hall on Sunday, June 15th from 1-3pm, Monday June 16th and Tuesday, June 17th from 9am-4pm. Please see the event page for more information about the items they are collecting.
Please come out on Thursday, June 19 from 8am-7pm and Friday, June 20 from 8am-4pm to support this major fundraiser for the CCW.
I am so grateful for all the love and service the CCW ladies offer to our parish in this event and in everything else they do for us.
Thankful for Fifteen Years as a Priest (June 11th)
On Wednesday, June 11, I am celebrating my fifteenth anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood (June 11, 2010). While this isn’t technically a big anniversary to celebrate, I am extremely grateful to the Lord for calling me to this wondrous and joy-filled vocation. I know I say this often, but I’ve never been happier as a priest than I’ve been here at St Pat’s. I was truly made for this vocation and I hope it shows.
Nevertheless, like marriage, priesthood can be very difficult at times. But in all of the difficulties and trials, the Lord is always at work shaping my priestly heart. In fact, it never ceases to amaze me how he has used the various trials I’ve experienced as a priest to lead me to deeper conversion to his Sacred Heart. I have nothing but praise and thanksgiving for his transforming grace. As I look back at my eight years already at St Pat’s, I’m honestly humbled by how much I’ve grown as a priest and as your Pastor. Please know I am truly thankful for all of the ways you’ve responded to my imperfect pastoring of the parish and helped me be a better priest of Jesus Christ.
Of all the assignments that I’ve had as a priest, this is by far my favorite one. I love all of you as your Pastor and I hope I can stay maybe ten to twenty more years! Thanks for your prayers, love, and patience towards me.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias