CSA 2024

• 4 Tickets to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Home for the Holidays, Dec 14 
• Personal Driver for the evening of the show
• $100 Visa Card for Dinner
• It’s a Wonderful Life Bible Study Book
• Hot Cocoa & Mug Set 

To win this extravagant prize, simply pledge $200 or more to CSA by clicking the link below or going to the St. Peter Parish Office by

 December 6th. 

Catholic Schools:  Providing Christ-centered and academically excellent education to help students unleash their full potential.

Clergy and Consecrated Life: Nurturing vocations and supporting those dedicated to serving God and His people.

Communications: Amplifying the Gospel message of faith, hope, and love through modern channels and reaching tens of thousands.

Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship: Empowering communities to be joyful witnesses of Christ's love.

Walking with Moms In Need: Assisting Catholic parishes and parishioners with raising awareness of resources that assist pregnant and parenting moms in need.

Mission Advancement and Stewardship: Ensuring our faith community's stability and growth through prayer, service, and generosity.

Parish Care and Services: Providing support and resources to our parishes as they minister to diverse needs.

Priestly Vocations: Accompanying men discerning God's call to the priesthood.

Sacred Heart Major Seminary: Forming the next generation of priests, deacons, and lay ministers.

Technology: Using innovation to connect and share the message of Christ, while helping parishes and schools move from maintenance to mission.

WE ARE FAMILY!
CSA 2024
 
I think most of us remember that iconic Sister Sledge tune!  I think most of us could at least sing the chorus to this 1979 chart topping hit with no problem!  If you’re like me, you remember songs from when you were very young that perhaps you heard your older siblings or your parents listening to over and over on the car radio.  
 
I find myself getting more nostalgic these days, probably because I am now in my 6^th decade of life and partly because I see my family shrinking as aunts and uncles go to be with the Lord.  I remember as a child the backyard barbecues with cousins, running around barefoot through the sprinkler (because no one had a big pool back then)!  I recall my neighborhood friends on Miller St., roller skating or playing jump rope in the street and yelling, “car!” when needed.  There were no cell phones, and we didn’t need the house phone.  If you wanted to play with a friend, you went to their door and called “Sheeilaa, Sheeilaa!”  Those were the days.  Key takeaway is, we all made a regular habit of spending time together.  
 
I see now the good that the steadiness of routines and traditions brought to me as a young child.  I see now how important it is that we belong to something, whether it is a close or extended family, Catholic community, friend group, clubs, sports teams, etc.  I read recently that our young adults are consistently choosing not to belong to anything, with one in five Americans suffering from chronic loneliness. Young people are struggling with high levels of anxiety and mental health issues at times when they desperately need a sense of connection and belonging. In history, people were born into a community and had to find themselves as individuals. Today, we are born as individuals and must find our community.
 
We have a great community here at St. Peter, but we are not immune from becoming part of these statistics.  I grew up in this parish and I always remember my Mom and Dad insisting on Sunday Mass.  We didn’t miss.  The regularity of this was comforting to us as kids, even though we weren’t conscious of it.  I remember the parking lot where you had to wait for fellow parishioners to come out to their car before you could leave.  Sometimes we were the culprits too when our parents stopped a bit too long to chat.
 
We at St. Peter have benefited greatly from the CSA.  By giving to CSA, we have all taken part in the formation of Priests right from our own community!  This is one of the most impactful things that the CSA pays for, in addition to many life supporting ministries.  We all benefit when men become priests of God.  You cannot have Eucharist without priests.  You cannot have the removal of sin in the confessional without priests.  You cannot have the anointing of the sick and dying without priests.  
 
During the St. Mary School Chapel Dedication in April, my mother, a former St. Mary teacher and principal was very moved by something she saw during the very beginning of the dedication.  An empty Tabernacle.  She said, “Jill, the Tabernacle was empty.  It broke my heart to see that.”  That’s right.  Without priests, the Tabernacle would be empty.  Let’s do our part to ensure that this isn’t the case by giving beyond our usual comfort zone to this endeavor.  It is going to take all of us.
 
See you at the picnic! We are family!!
Blessings,
Jill Barrett
Mission Support Director