Church Open for Prayer

Monday through Friday

10:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.

Saturday 10:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.

Sunday 10:00 a.m.—noon

ST. BASIL CATHOLIC CHURCH PAGE 2 SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN

Mission Statement Called by Baptism, nourished by the Eucharist, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, our mission is to live the Good News of Christ through Worship, Evangelization, Service, Spiritual Formation, and Stewardship.

Contact Us

Father Jim Morris, Primary Pastor, St. Basil

Father Fabio Garzon, Primary Pastor, St. Peter

Deacon John Lohrstorfer

Deacon Bill VanDril

Andrea Aleman, Church Manager

Cecilia Wondergem, Music & Liturgy Coordinator

Charlie Hamlin, Facilities Manager

Camille DeLano, School Principal

Margie Little, DRE/Youth Faith Formation

Geralyn Monacelli, Coordinator of R.C.I.A.

Sylvia Verdonk, Confirmation Program

Sister Maria Eugenia Gomez, Parish Pastoral Associate for Hispanic Ministry

St. Basil Catholic Church

513 Monroe Blvd., South Haven, MI 49090

Parish Office 269-637-2404 Fax 269-637-8374

School Office 269-637-3529

www.SaintBasilCatholicChurch.org

Parish Office Closed

This week’s bulletin sponsor is Value Market Convenience Stores.

Please keep all of our advertisers in your prayers as our businesses and sponsors struggle during these times.

Please contact Andrea at the parish office

regarding your time away for the

June through September schedule.

Please call 269-637-2404 or email her at

aaleman@saintbasilcatholicchurch.org by April 30.

Please pray for

Phillip Nadeau, father of Cecile Johnson,

that he may now enjoy the great blessings of eternal life. We pray also for his family and friends, that they find peace in the promises of Christ.

Our Generosity to God for the weekend of April 19

Envelope Offering (29) ...................................... $6,523.00 Electronic/Online Contributions (29) ................. $4,339.00 Loose Offering ........................................................ $50.00 Total Collection ............................................... $10,912.00

Mass Intentions

Saturday, April 25 † Robert Zablotny

Sunday, April 26 † John & Marjorie Bycraft

Monday, April 27 † Chuck Hutson

Tuesday, April 28 † Sharon Borkovec

Wednesday, April 29 People of the parish

Thursday, April 30 † Dave Henry

Friday, May 1 † Donald Woodhams

Saturday, May 2 † Ruthann Bullard

Fr. Jim will celebrate daily Mass in private. Mass intentions will be fulfilled.

Confessions Monday 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Saturday 4:00—5:00 p.m. All confessions will be heard from behind the screen. Please allow a minute between penitents for sanitation. Remember to maintain social distancing and follow all of the other instructions posted on the hand sanitizer stands.

Our parish office is closed during the mandat-ed stay-at-home order for Michigan. You may still contact us at 269-637-2404. When you call the office and press our exten-sions (Andrea, Cecilia, Fr. Jim, and Charlie)

your call will be automatically sent to our personal phones so we can answer your questions and concerns from home. If we don’t answer, your call will be forwarded to a voicemail which we are able to retrieve from home. We ARE available for you, just not in the office.

We will update our parishioners via our website www.saintbasilcatholicchurch.org, and Facebook.

Please stay healthy!

Offertory Giving All have felt the financial impact of COVID 19 in one way or another. Everyone’s situation is very personal to them. Our offertory has dropped significantly with the suspension of Mass.

Average weekly contribution needed to meet budget $11,050

Please consider giving any amount that you are able to share so that we can continue the ministry of the church and help those in need.

Contributions may be mailed in or made electronically via the church website. If you are interested in regular automatic giving, please contact the office for an ACH form or download at https://www.saintbasilcatholicchurch.org/parish-forms

No Parish Calendar for May….Yet Due to the uncertainties of what the upcoming month may bring, our May calendar won't be published at this time.

Third Sunday of Easter PAGE 3 April 26, 2020

Religious Education News

We are of such value to God that He came to live among us... and to guide us home. He will go to any length to seek us, even to being lifted high

upon the cross to draw us back to Himself. We can only respond by loving God for His love.

St. Catherine of Siena Feast day April 29

"Let it be a challenge to you." I remember that line from the book "Up the Down Staircase" by Bel Kaufman. It was popular around the time I was studying to become a high school teacher. It told the story of a first-year English teacher in an inner-city high school. She was bewildered by the

craziness that was going on there but the school adminis-trator would only say "Let it be a challenge to you." He didn't know what to do either.

Sometimes I feel like that administrator. There's a lot of craziness going on in our world, not all of which comes from our need to protect ourselves from COVID-19, but that certainly has people's attention right now. Do I know exactly what to do about it? No! Am I supposed to? I must have been absent the day they covered that.

On the other hand, it strikes me that what Christians are called to do in this world is to "Let it be a challenge." Yes, things are crazy and bewildering but such has been the Christian experience from the beginning. Jesus' followers, who saw that he was the Messiah, were not expecting him to go to the cross. When he did, their whole worlds were turned upside down and they didn't know what to do. Gradually, they came to know the Risen Christ and realized their tasks were to be much bigger than they ever expected: going forth to bring the whole world into the family of God. Did they know how to do that? No. Were they supposed to? No, I don't think so. They just had to take each situation as it came and "Let it be a challenge" to them. They did, however, end up changing the world!

Are you supposed to know what to do in our current situa-tion? Not necessarily; just "let it be a challenge to you" and do the best you can. Bring light and love to a world of dark-ness and confusion. As a Christian, your task is to continue Christ's mission to change the world.

Fr. Jim

Rice Bowl You may drop off your Rice Bowl contributions any time the church is open for prayer.

Please place them on the table in the back of church. They will be collected daily.

Daily Mass is livestreamed and available on our St. Basil Church website! Visit www.saintbasilcatholicchurch.org and click on Mass times. The livestream from Word on Fire is on that page. The Diocese of Kalamazoo livestreams daily Mass on their Facebook page, and we have a link on our website for that Mass.

And don’t forget our St. Basil Sunday Mass, livestreamed at 9:00 a.m. on Facebook, with music!

Bishop Bradley has made the following announcement to all parishes in the Diocese of Kalamazoo:

"Because there has been very little ability to continue the Confirmation preparation, and all the other related preparations that must be done in anticipation of Confirmation dates, I have decided that ALL Confirmations that were originally scheduled for April, May or June will be rescheduled. At this time, the plan to reschedule is still not determined. I am considering planning regional/deanery Confirmations for sometime after July 1st."

In light of this announcement, Confirmation, which was scheduled to be held at the 5:00 Mass on Saturday, May 9, has been canceled. We pray that the Holy Spirit continues to guide and support our youth in their journeys toward this life-affirming Sacrament. Because we are unable to meet face-to-face, we also ask that parents and sponsors assist the Confirmation leaders by providing opportunities for our candidates to grow in faith by encouraging individual and family prayer, by participating as a family in weekly Mass online or on television, and by taking advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) at 2:00 p.m. on Mondays or 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays at the Church. Addition-al resources are available online at diokzoo.org and at AscensionPress.com.

"Fr. Jim's Corner," found in the toolbar of our parish website, explains a new virtual Sunday evening youth group, supported by almost 50 Diocese from around the country, with over 2000 teen participants. The website is https://ProjectYM.com/live. Check it out and sign up to "attend." A Zoom meeting is being planned following the session this Sunday evening. Let's move one step closer to "face-to-face!" God bless.

Did you know? April 25 is the feast day of St. Mark the Evangelist, who died a martyr in the year 68. The symbol of St. Mark is a winged lion. The lion represents the way the gospel should be preached.

Exciting news! We now have a way to continue our Family Faith Formation and Religious Education on our website at https://saintbasilcatholicchurch.org/. Check out our page by clicking the Faith Formation tab.

I will be hosting a ZOOM session for Family Formation on Sunday April 27th at 12:30…a link to join the session will be on the page. The topic of our session will be Scripture and Prayer. The session will last less than 40 minutes. I look forward to seeing you online!

Many of you may be wondering about plans for First Holy Communion. We will not be able celebrate this sacrament as originally scheduled, but we will reschedule.

I certainly understand how disappointing this may be for the children and their families who have been preparing the past two years for this beautiful sacrament. Let us turn our atten-tion to what is more vitally important right now…prayer.

Let us pray for an end to this crisis, for those that we love, and that all those across the world be kept safe. Let’s pray for those who have suffered and died from this terrible virus and finally, let us pray for a cure. May God bless you and keep you in his loving embrace. Margie Little, DRE

ST. BASIL CATHOLIC CHURCH PAGE 4 SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN

Grotto Paver Bricks St. Basil offers you an opportunity to order a grotto paver for installment in the spring. A contribution of $100 entitles you to a standard 4x8 paver brick engraved with your name, your family name, or a person-al message or intention. Forms are availa-ble at the parish office and also on our website under the Info tab, then Links. Bricks ordered now will be placed in the grotto mid to late May. Call Cecilia at the parish office for more information, 269-637-2404, ext. 1103.

BeFrienders Ministry at St. Basil

You may find brochures about the BeFriender Ministry in the Information Center in the Connector. The brochure explains the founda-tional principles, circumstances when someone

might benefit from having a BeFriender, where to learn more about the ministry, and how to request a Befriender for yourself or another.

St. Basil Catholic School

St. Basil Catholic School, South Haven, MI, is seeking a qualified and committed professional for a full time position in a grade 3 & 4 split classroom for the 2020-2021 school year. The candidate must have a current Michigan teaching certificate and should be a practicing Catholic. We are look-ing for a dynamic, energetic, enthusiastic individual to join our highly motivated Preschool through grade 8 teaching team. Please send a letter of interest, resume and references to

Camille DeLano, Principal, camilledelano@saintbasilcatholic.org.

(or 94 Superior St., South Haven, MI 49090).

FOOD PANTRY NEEDS REPLENISHING

Please, if you are able, consider donating non-perishable food to the We Care I.N.C. Food Pantry. If there

was ever a time to feed the hungry, this is it. Many in our community struggle on a daily basis to feed their families, and the struggle will only get worse during the next few months. Items may be dropped off in the South Lobby (see cover of bulletin for hours the church is open) or at First Congregational Church, 651 Phoenix Street, during this national health crisis. They are open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. till noon.

Sunday Church Bulletins for Children Now available on our Website

You may download one from our website, under the Education tab, and use it at home as we practice social distancing.

The St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry remains open during the pandemic. We are providing a drive through service on Thursdays between 1-4 p.m., located at 201 S. Walnut, Bangor (back door).

Preschool Kitchen Physics with Cormac

Community Workers—Your Face Here!

Construction Over Spring Break—Future Engineers!

4th-5th Grade Distance Learning

Schoolwork For All Grade Levels Continues!

Third Sunday of Easter PAGE 5 April 26, 2020

The advertisements that appear in this bulletin completely defray all publishing costs which the church would otherwise incur. Please patronize the sponsors of our bulletin and thank them for their kind generosity.

Mass at St. Peter Parish, Douglas Livestreamed Every Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

Visit www.stpeter-douglas.org

In Our Collaborative

Scripture Readings for the Week of April 26

Sunday Third Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14, 22-33; Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11; 1 Pt 1:17-21; Lk 24:13-35

Monday Acts 6:8-15; Ps 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30; Jn 6:22-29

Tuesday Saint Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr; Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, Priest

Acts 7:51—8:1a; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 & 21ab; Jn 6:30-35

Wednesday Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church Acts 8:1b-8; Ps 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a; Jn 6:35-40

Thursday Saint Pius V, Pope Acts 8:26-40; Ps 66:8-9, 16-17, 20; Jn 6:44-51

Friday Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker Acts 9:1-20; Ps 117:1bc, 2; Jn 6:52-59 or Gn 1:26—2:3 or Col 3:14-15, 17, 23-24; Mt 13:54-58

Saturday Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Acts 9:31-42; Ps 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17; Jn 6:60-69

Sunday Fourth Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; 1 Pt 2:20b-25; Jn 10:1-10

A Prayer to Combat the Coronavirus Pandemic

Most Merciful and Triune God, We come to You in our weakness.

We come to You in our fear. We come to You with trust. For You alone are our hope.

We place before You the disease present in our world. We turn to You in our time of need.

Bring wisdom to doctors. Give understanding to scientists.

Endow caregivers with compassion and generosity. Bring healing to those who are ill.

Protect those who are most at risk. Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one.

Welcome those who have died into Your Eternal Home.

Stabilize our communities. Unite us in our compassion.

Remove all fear from our hearts. Fill us with confidence in Your care.

Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus, I trust in You.

Amen.

From Ascension Press

Lord, you will show us the path of life.