|
Father Phil Shangraw Administrator for the Clustered Parishes St Catherine, Ravenna St Franis Xavier, Conklin St Joseph, Wright |
|
|
October 2, 2020
A Note From Father Phil Thank you for the kind words of gratitude that parishioners spoke to me after the Masses at all three parishes last weekend. And for the cards and gifts, too. I also appreciated the cider and donut reception after the 11:00 Mass at St Joseph. Thank you to those who made that happen. The students from Divine Providence Academy made some cards for me. They were delightful. I think there may be a Picasso or two among them. I surely will take some fond memories with me of my short time here. Pray for me. I will pray for you. |
|
September 27, 2020 A Note From Father Phil There is a special beauty to October. In Michigan, it is many people’s favorite month. After all, it is the month when the autumn air turns crisp and leaves on trees turn color. It is the month of the World Series, football games, and hockey – – although this year the timing on many sports events is a little skewed. Apples are plentiful as are pumpkins and both make wonderful pies. Holidays and events like Octoberfest and Halloween are October celebrations. Nobel prize winners are announced. Even som ... See More |
August 6, 2020
|
|
July 30, 2020
A Note From Father Phil Chip is one of my heroes. He brings me joy. He is a squirrel who hangs out in my backyard. He is small, sports a ratty tail and a deformed nose and mouth. He has difficulty sitting on his haunches when he eats, so he usually remains bent over when he consumes a nut. He limps. I named him after a character in Walt Disney’s animated feature, “Beauty and the Beast.” The cartoon character is a small, thin white teacup with a small chip on his right r... See More |
|
July 16, 2020
A note from Fr. Phil I won’t tell you what your contributions to the Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) will be used for or how the Cluster parishes themselves benefit from this campaign. You have long participated in the appeal and are familiar with that propaganda already. Nor will I harp on how many businesses and institutions, including the Church, have been negatively affected financially during this pandemic. No, instead I will give you some reasons that Bishop Walkow... Continue Reading |
|
July 7, 2020
A Note From Father Phil The coronavirus is not going away any time soon and neither is the Catholic Services Appeal (CSA). This annual appeal helps diocesan wide ministries to continue during this time of a pandemic. The CSA provides an opportunity to be of service even when we have to practice social distancing. It is a means of sponsoring some charitable works that are at the heart of Jesus‘ message of loving and caring for one another. The appeal raises funds to suppor... Continue Reading |
|
July 1, 2020
A Note From Father Phil This weekend we celebrate Independence Day. Besides the flag, firecrackers and consumption of cold beverages and hot dogs, hopefully we pause long enough this long holiday weekend to remember the basic principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Regrettably, we have not always remembered these fundamentals, or, at least, taught them in a healthy way. Despite great strides in medicine, technology, and our standard of living, we have a… See More |
|
June 22, 2020
A Note From Father Phil We have been celebrating funerals, interments, baptisms, and first communions. It has been nice to celebrate events like these once again even with safety restrictions in place. For liturgies indoors, we are limited to 25% of church capacity and people must wear masks. Social distancing of six feet is to be practiced by people both inside the church and where they gather outside for a service like at the cemetery. This weekend we honor our high scho... Continue Reading |
|
June 19, 2020
A Note From Father Phil A few quips and quotes to celebrate Father’s Day: “You can tell what was the best year of your father’s life, because they seem to freeze that clothing style and ride it out.” Jerry Seinfeld...See More |
|
June 15, 2020
A Note From Father Phil My dad was one of the finest people I have ever known. One of the best things about him was his elfin spirit, an innocent deviltry that complimented his unpretentious piety. Once, when I was running late for a physical exam, he bagged my urine sample and handed it to me as I flew out the door. When the nurse opened the bag at the doctor’s office the whole staff started giggling. My dad had taped a small poinsettia plant to the b... See More |
|
June 11, 2020
A Note From Father Phil This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. The celebration will be a bit subdued this year. During this period of social distancing, many people will be physically unable to receive Holy Communion because of age, underlying medical conditions, or simply as a matter of precaution. Further, our bishop has dispensed Catholics from having to participate in Sunday Mass until July 1st. We can still honor the day. First, by k... See More |
|
June 9, 2020
A Note from Father Phil I am not keen on virtual reality. The real thing is hard enough for me to stomach. However, there were a couple of Zoom meetings over that last couple of weeks that impressed me. First, Divine Providence Academy held an eighth grade graduation ceremony on line. The graduates were Kollin DeDinas, Jacob Hernandez, Max Pearce and Blake Vandermuelen. Kate Beuschel, the Principal, was there together with the DPA teachers. Fr Fred was invited to give a... Continue Reading |
|
June 5, 2020
A Note From Fr. Phil It is impossible to exhaust our knowledge of God. Of course it is. It is impossible to exhaust knowledge about oneself. Can you explain the miracle of your own birth, your molecular structure, or your place in history? Can you describe all your desires, interpret all your dreams, or understand all your loves and revulsions? Can you illustrate beauty, honor or pain? Can you remember every person you have met this week, every song you heard, or ev... See More |
|
June 3, 2020
A Note From Father Phil It was good to celebrate Mass at the three parishes last weekend, although, people looked like bandits with their masks covering most of their faces. The masks together with social distancing seem to be more of an annoyance than a sacrifice. If these simple practices can help prevent the spread of a serious virus and save even one life, it is worth it. Pro Life people care about vulnerable people. So I don’t get why some “Pro Lifers” refuse to wear... Continue Reading |
|
Pentecost 2020
A Note From Father Phil Here are my Top 10 signs of the continuing presence of the Holy Spirit. 10. Listening. At Pentecost each person of a large crowd heard the Apostles speaking in his or her own language. Maybe that was because the Apostles were speaking not so much with words, but in universal languages like respect, consideration, and hope. When we hear these languages and let them lead and influence us and our beha... Continue Reading |
|
May 26, 2020
A Note From Father Phil Today, May 26th, the Church celebrates one of the most attractive saints of all time: Philip Neri. I claim this not because I share a name with him, but for the natural gifts that the man honed over a lifetime. Philip Neri was insightful, sensitive and sensible. He was joyful and possessed a keen sense of humor. Philip grew up in a poor family near Florence in the sixteenth century. When he was eighteen, his fam... See More |
|
May 24, 2020
A Note From Father Phil. Father Dennis Morrow died last weekend. Fr. Den was a dedicated priest, an avid historian, a chaplain to the Grand Rapids Firefighters and Police, and a judge on the Diocesan Tribunal. For a time, he served as the Chancellor for the Grand Rapids Diocese. Fr Den was smart, articulate and possessed an insightful and often acerbic wit. In healthier times he could be spotted riding his bike to work long before being green was a thing. At other times, he m... Continue Reading |
|
May 22, 2020
A note from Fr. Phil My mother has been dead for 19 years, my father 20, yet, I don’t think a day has gone by when I don’t think of them at least once. There is always a song, an item, a recipe, a turn of phrase, a family gathering, or an anniversary that reminds me of them. In some ways they are more present to me now in their absence than they were when they were alive. The same is true when I moved out of State to go to school. Because I missed my family and friends, t... Continue Reading |
|
May 18, 2020
A note from Fr. Phil. Recently, I read an article by Jen Pollock Michel. “Twenty Prayers To Pray During this Pandemic” was published in the magazine, Christianity Today. Here are those prayers: 1. For the sick and infected: God, heal and help. Sustain bodies and spirits. Contain the spread of infection.... Continue Reading |
|
May 16, 2020
A Note From Father Phil Yogi Berra, the New York Yankee great, was known for his ball playing and for his quirky adages. His malapropisms were almost as outstanding as his baseball career: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” “Never answer an anonymous letter.” “It’s deja vu all over again.” “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” “You can observe by watching.” And, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” That last “Yogism” is one that the early disciples of...Continue Reading |
|
May 13 2020
A Note From Father Phil St. Peter’s letter gives me pause. He wrote: “Always be ready to give an explanation for your hope to anyone who asks.” Peter assumes that I have hope. That’s bold! Yet, in my case, the Apostle assumes rightly. I do have hope, a rare virtue. The reason for my hope is that I have learned from experience that grace is more powerful than evil and that God can fashion good from the least likely sources: wickedne...Continue Reading |
|
May 9, 2020
A Note From Father Phil It is Mother’s Day Weekend. My experience has been that the churches are usually full on the second Sunday of May. The reason is clear. When many Catholic mothers are asked what they want for Mother’s Day, what ends up on top of their list is one or both of two things. 1. I want you kids to get along. 2. I want you to go to Mass with me. ...See More |
|
May 8, 2020
Here are a few quotes to honor moms on this Mother’s Day. “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” Rudyard Kipling “Waking your kids up for school the first day after a break is almost as much fun as birthing them was.” Jenny McCarthy ...See More |
|
May 6, 2020
A Note From Father Phil Recovering from the Corona-19 pandemic will be a monumental task physically, emotionally, economically, and socially. And it will take time. All new normals do. The arduous task of recovery after a pandemic, however, pales in scope to the one that is presented to us in the Gospel of John. If you plan on reading the scripture readings this Sunday or watching the Mass on your TV or computer, pay attention to the end of the Gospel passage. After revea...Continue Reading |
|
May 4, 2020
A Note from Father Phil 41 years! Hardly seems possible. On May 5, 1979, Spectacular Bid won the Kentucky Derby! That’s what I remember most about that day. Everything else is a blur. It was the day I was ordained a priest. Of course, every year I pull out the old photo albums of the ordination ceremony, my first Mass, and the parties that ensued. The pictures jog my memory and I remember fondly a day when most of the people I loved were in the same place at the same ...Continue Reading |
|
May 2, 2020
Here is another article: One of my favorite saints is highlighted during the Easter Season: Barnabas. Barnabas was not his original name. His given name was Joseph. Joseph’s roots were in Cyprus. He was a farmer and landowner. He literally sold the farm when the small community in ...Continue Reading |
|
Dedication to Mary - A letter to the Cluster from Fr. Phil
April 30, 2020 Dear Parishioners, Tomorrow is the first day of May, a month when mothers, graduates and first communicants are celebrated. This year some of these people will be honored at another time or in an exceptional way, a way that protects us from spreading the coronavirus. ...See More |
|
April 29, 2020
Another Note From Father Phil Perhaps one of your favorite voices belongs to one of the performers on American Idol. Perhaps one of your favorite voices belongs to someone who is classically trained, or to a jazz artist, or to an enrollee to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, or to someone who sings country ballads. One of your favorite voices could belong to anyone from Patsy Cline to Lady GaGa, from Frank Sinatra to Emminem, from John Lennon to Celine Dion, from Keith Urban t...Continue Reading |
|
April 27, 2020
Still more viral musings: Freedom is not the ability to do anything we want to do anytime we want to do it. Freedom is the ability to say no to greed, hatred and egoism. I can clean my hands, but only God can clean the whole of me. ...See More |
|
April 26, 2020
Third Sunday of Easter Bulletin article The Confessions of St Augustine, The Cloud of Unknowing, The Interior Castle, The Devout Life, the Dark Night of the Soul, The Way of the Pilgrim, The Seven Story Mountain. Spiritual Classics all. And so is one of my favorite books and movies: The Wizard of Oz. In Frank Baum’s book, the four main characters––Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the...Continue reading |
April 25, 2020
More Viral Musings
On average people will put on 15 pounds by the end of this social distancing. So much for “flattening the curve.”
Perhaps I should take Jesus’ teaching that there are some afflictions that can only be eradicated by prayer and fasting. Too often, I forget that second part. ...See More
More Viral Musings
On average people will put on 15 pounds by the end of this social distancing. So much for “flattening the curve.”
Perhaps I should take Jesus’ teaching that there are some afflictions that can only be eradicated by prayer and fasting. Too often, I forget that second part. ...See More
|
April 22, 2020
A Note From Father Phil April is National Poetry Month. So, I guess, I shouldn’t be surprised when poets and lovers of poetry keep popping up on newscasts and radio shows during the month. These are a welcome respite from all the fearful news about the Coronavirus. I don’t read poetry often enough. I was quite taken by Wendell Berry, ...See More |
|
April 21, 2020
A Note From Father Phil Early on Easter Sunday morning, while it was still dark, I walked an hour to Holy Cross Cemetery where my parents are buried. I stayed and prayed at their graves until dawn. Then I walked back home. It was not a beautiful sunrise. It was cloudy and cold. Still, the prayer and long wal... See More |
|
April 18, 2020
A Note From Father Phil A Pew Study found that one third of people under the age of thirty consider themselves to be “Nones.” “Nones” are people who mark off the category “none” when asked on a survey what religion they practice. Among people in this same age group who were ra... Continue Reading |
|
April 16, 2020
More from Father Phil: Where is the Risen Lord this year? How is the Christ appearing? Where is God in the midst of a pandemic? Where is the Lord of Life when we are filling way too many tombs, not emptying them. Christ is exactly where he told us he would be. With the least among us. ...Continue Reading |
|
April 15, 2020
More Viral Musings... * Now that I have time to paint my kitchen, I can’t buy paint. * A run on toilet paper, canned soup, jigsaw puzzles, and guns. Hmmm. ...See More |
|
April 14, 2020
Viral Musings * Trying new recipes during the lockdown. Yesterday I opened a can of Progresso Minestrone Soup instead of the usual Garden Vegetable. * Bad luck all the way around. Coronavirus spread during a Leap Year. One extra day of dread. As if the presidential campaign...See More |
_________________________________________
|
April 13, 2020
A Note From Father Phil Easter People Jesus could use a few more witnesses to his presence and love in this time and place. Jesus could use a few more Easter people. Easter people are those who not only seek hidden baskets filled with eggs and candy and stuffed rabbits or chicks, but those who allow themselves to be found by God. People who stop their busyness and lay aside their own agendas long enough so that God can catch up to them. Perhaps, with social distan... Continue Reading |
_________________________________________
|
April 12, 2020 Bulletin article
A note from Father Phil: I believe in the Resurrection. I believe that Jesus lives. I can’t claim a visitation like Mary Magdalene or a vision like Saint Paul. Even Jesus suggested that such appearances are uncommon. He said to Saint Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” I am one of those who has not seen and yet believes. My belief in the Resurrection does not depend on the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. Continue reading... |
_________________________________________
|
April 10, 2020 Good Friday
A Note for Good Friday: In order for young children to reduce their allergy risk to peanuts, they should eat peanuts. According to a study, if a child regularly eats some peanut products during the first five years of life, the peanut protein acts like an immunization shot. The child builds up a tolerance to something that could otherwise kill him or her. Counterintuitive isn’t it? ...Continue Reading |
_________________________________________
|
April 9, 2020 Holy Thursday
Note From Father Phil: One of the key moments during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper is the washing of feet. It occurs after the proclamation of the Gospel of John that recounts what Jesus did at the Last Supper. He took off his shirt, knelt down and washed his disciples’ feet, a service usually rendered by a slave. Peter, likely speaking for all the Apostles, objected. It is he who should be washing Jesus’ feet. But, Jesus would have none of it, “Unless, I wash your feet...Continue Reading |
|
April 7, 2020
Still more Viral Musings:
|
_________________________________________
|
April 6, 2020
More Viral Musings:
|
_________________________________________
|
April 5, 2020
Some viral musings during this time of self distancing:
|
_________________________________________
|
A letter from Fr. Phil for the Cluster.
Lent 2020 Dear Parishioners, Normally I give up sugar, meat and alcohol for Lent. I had no idea that this year I also would be giving up celebrating the Eucharist with you. That and the Triduum––the Great Three Day Prayer that includes The Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Liturgy of Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. The isolation is especially disappointing because these last few weeks have ...Continue Reading |
_________________________________________
|
...and this from Fr. Phil:
Today I heard on the news that a pastor of a mega church near Tampa FL was arrested on a second degree misdemeanor charge. He ignored the State order of not congregating with more than 10 people. Hundreds showed up for his service last Sunday. He said the law was on his side. Peaceful assembly and the right to worship and all of that. He said he provided an essential service and his parishioners were not going to be deprived of it. He turned h...See More |
|
A Note from Father Phil
April 2, 2020 I wonder if Jesus would fare any better today in this place and time than he did in first century Palestine. Jesus was arrested, tortured and killed because people feared him. They were afraid of what he taught and stood for. I am deluding myself if I think that I am better than the Romans or the Jewish Leaders or even the fickle crowd that greeted him with “Hosannas” on one day and by the end of that same week shouted, “Crucify him!” There are aspects of Jesus’ teachings and way of life that scare me. Things I try to ignore or explain away. I do not call for his crucifixion, but neither do I follow...Continue reading |
|
March 29, 2020
A Note from Father Phil A heart attack was one of the best things that ever happened to my uncle. He was an imposing man: physically, intellectually and temperamentally. He stood about six feet tall and was built like an athlete. Some scouts invited him to try out as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs. But, my uncle had other ideas. He went to the seminary and was ordained a priest. He became the rector of a seminary and ran it like a military camp. Later, he became a hard-nosed pastor of a large parish. Words like disciplined...Continue reading |
|
March 15, 2020
A Note from Father Phil I first met Fr Ron Schneider in the early 1970’s. He was the new Associate Pastor at St Thomas the Apostle Church in Grand Rapids where my parents worshiped. It turned into a difficult assignment. The pastor, Fr Fred Voss, was diagnosed with brain cancer, and Fr. Ron insisted that he would be cared for in the rectory. Parishioners organized a schedule for the pastor’s care, but much of it fell to Fr. Ron. This on top of all the parish ministry. Fr. Voss died peacefully where he wanted to––at the rectory surrounded by family and friends. Fr. Ron’s life and ministry were centered around compassion and the care of people: the...Continue reading |
|
March 1, 2020
A note from Father Phil A lot of Lenten spirituality these days’ centers around positive acts: Doing charitable works, attending a weekday Mass or Stations of the Cross, contributing to the Rice Bowl, or being kind to someone whom you would just as soon smack. These acts are good. They break down one’s reluctance to accept God’s kindnesses and forgiveness. They are faithful to the teachings of Jesus and honor his life. One Lent I decided to do something positive: I tried to eat eggs. For as long as I can...Continue reading |
|
February 16, 2020
A note from Father Phil Lent came a little early this year for our Cluster Parishes. The communities gave up Father Fred. And he you. Not an easy penance that. He seems to have been well liked and respected here. He spoke highly of you. Said I would love the people here. I do. I am impressed with the staffs and volunteers of the three parishes. Like most places it is the secretaries who know the parishes best. I am blessed to be working with Kim Krey, Julie Diendorf and, at least for a short time, Marcia Klein. I appreciate their wealth of experience...Continue reading |
|
February 2, 2020 A Note from Father Phil I am a misfit. When I was ordained I thought surely I would follow the path of most priests: a couple of gigs as an associate, followed by a few more appointments as a pastor. Didn’t happen. I hadn’t even finished my first assignment when Bishop Breitenbeck chose me as the vocations director of the...Continue reading |