Friday, February 17, 2023
Feast of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order
She asked why wedding rings are made of gold;
I ventured this to instruct her;
Why, madam, love and lightning are the same,
On earth they glance, from Heaven they came.
Love is the soul's electric flame,
And gold its best conductor.
I ventured this to instruct her;
Why, madam, love and lightning are the same,
On earth they glance, from Heaven they came.
Love is the soul's electric flame,
And gold its best conductor.
Robert Burns (1759 – 1796)
Dear Friend,
I hope you have had a good working week including a happy Saint Valentine's Day on Tuesday. With your permission, I'd like to share with you my Valentine's message written in honor of my mom and dad, below, who have taught me much about love throughout my life.
A couple of weeks ago, we had to place mom in a nursing home due to dementia. This has been very tough for dad. He has been visiting her daily and finds it difficult to leave her at the end of the visit. Mom seems fine with everything. But after 72 years of marriage not to be living together has been a challenge for dad.
Bishop Boyea's parents, Helen and Earl, Christmastide 2022
I have often said that if mom and/or dad had known what they would be facing 72 years ago, would they have walked down that aisle. Dad’s many accounts of taking mom dancing tell me that yes, they would have. Ten kids later and all the normal challenges of earning a living, raising a family, loving and correcting kids, learning to be a husband and a father, a wife and a mother, those two are my heroes.
Mom was a city girl whose family moved to Cheboygan from Detroit when she was in High School. Dad was a farmer’s son also in Cheboygan. The first time mom sat down to dinner at the Boyea farm, grace was said and the food was gone. Grandma got up and took a prepared dish out of the oven and placed it before mom telling her that from now on she would have to learn to attack the portions on the table like everyone else. There were many other lessons which softened some of those urban edges with which she had grown.
One-year-old Earl Boyea with mom, dad and baby brother, David
Dad was always working to make ends meet. In eighth grade, when I wanted to go to the seminary, he said he could not afford it. Then, some time later, as a result of an improvement at Pontiac Motors which he had suggested, he was awarded $6000. He said I could go to the seminary. Dad made sure all of us would save a buck by learning how to change our own car oil, spark plugs, tires, and other maintenance matters. All of us learned minor home repairs and that too has paid off over the years. We kids, however, have taught him to say, “I love you,” to each of us as we say it to him. Never too old!
This is the heart of Saint Valentine’s Day: permanent, faithful, tested, difficult, love. At 94 and 93, though they are no longer living together, they are still that kind of Sacrament for all of us. Thanks, mom and dad.
Assuring you of my prayers, I am sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing
Watch: Three students were killed and five others injured after a gunman opened fire on the Michigan State University campus on Monday night. Requiescant in pace.
Led by their pastor, Father Gordon Reigle, the priests and staff of Saint John Church & Student Center at MSU have been working tirelessly every since to bring spiritual, emotional and practical support to the student community as Father Michael Cassar, Parochial Vicar, explained in this short film which was recorded on Tuesday morning, February 14.
Meanwhile: Watch this beautiful short film, below, capturing the words of consolation and prayers of hope offered at Saint John Church & Student Center at Michigan State University on Tuesday evening, February 14, as students gathered for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for the repose of the souls of those who died during Monday's fatal shooting at MSU.
The principal celebrant and homilist at last night's Mass was Father Peter Ludwig, Parochial Vicar, who was assisted at the altar by Deacon Dave Drayton.
The principal celebrant and homilist at last night's Mass was Father Peter Ludwig, Parochial Vicar, who was assisted at the altar by Deacon Dave Drayton.
Watch: "What are the best things a young man can do if he is attempting to discern a vocation?" That's the question posed to Diocese of Lansing seminarian Daniel LaCroix in this short film, below. What's his answer? Watch and find out.
Daniel grew up in Ypsilanti. A parishioner of Christ the King in Ann Arbor, he attended Catholic schools before going on to pursue a degree in engineering at Michigan Technological University.
He is now a student at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. Please keep Daniel in your prayers. Saint Charles Borromeo, patron of seminarians, pray for him.
Long Read: Meet the Labroff family from Canton in Michigan. Pictured below is dad, David, along with mom, Nicole, and their two daughters, 15-year-old Kaitlyn and 18-year-old Lauren.
Despite being parishioners of their local Catholic parish, the Labroff family chose to educate their daughters at local public schools. That was until three years ago when events prompted the family to opt for a Catholic education at Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor.
The Labroffs are part of a growing number of families who are quoting the public school system in favor of Catholic schools. Dad, David Labroff, now explains why they took that decision and why they still give thanks to God that they did. He writes:
"My daughters were thriving students in the Plymouth-Canton public school district. They had exceptional grades, were on the National Honor Society, and were chosen by their peers and teachers to be in leadership roles, were student athletes; participating in four sports combined. The learning environment they were a part of seemed to be a positive and flourishing one."
"Something changed and it changed quickly. A pandemic hit and, all of a sudden, their world turned upside down. Our world turned upside down. Schools and classrooms closed and after school activities were cancelled. Learning was not happening and kids had nothing productive to do. On top of all of this, an election came too."
"It didn’t take long for anxiety levels to be high among students and teachers. We perceived a quick change in the Plymouth-Canton public schools. It seemed to no longer a thriving, healthy environment for our daughters. We were concerned for them and for other students. Study habits were declining, there were no healthy outlets for them anymore, since sports were canceled and there was a division among students. Hallways, and even being online, didn’t seem safe anymore. Students were no longer free to be themselves and express their own views and values without being judged and ridiculed by both students and teachers. That was our experience."
"Being concerned, we reached out to teachers, administrators, the school board and the superintendent. We didn’t feel we were getting any help. We wrote letters, sent emails and made many phone calls; but nobody seemed to care."
"Our daughters and other students were hurting socially, emotionally, academically and even their faith and beliefs were being challenged and cancelled in the public schools. We now knew we had no choice but to leave the public school system."
"Our family has always had a strong faith and, so, we started touring Catholic high schools near our home. We knew it would be financially difficult, but would be worth the sacrifice to save our daughters from the harm we felt was being done by the public schools."
"My daughters have now been at Father Gabriel Richard in Ann Arbor for a year and half and it has been a blessing and, yes, worth the financial sacrifice. They are once again thriving academically, socially, and emotionally."
"My husband and I see the light in them shining again that was being dimmed. When they need help academically or emotionally, the staff, teachers, students at Father Gabriel Richard are all there for them. They are known, they are loved and they are cared for. They are also being nurtured in a positive and flourishing environment, as all students should be."
"With hindsight, we now realize that something else was missing from a public school education. My daughters’ faith and their relationship with Jesus are stronger than ever and they are building healthy relationships with their classmates and their teachers."
"When we first came to Father Gabriel Richard, we were told that 'the public schools provide the milk; we provide the milk and the honey'. The 'honey' was missing and we are so happy and grateful for a Catholic school education for our children. We feel blessed to have the opportunity to share our story in the hope that others will be inspired to join the Catholic school family."
* Do you want to know more about a Catholic education for your child or grandchild? Click here
Read: What is the most important document issued by the Second Vatican Council (1962 - 65). According to Bishop Robert Barron, above, writing for FAITH Magazine, it is Dei Verbum, the Council's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, which was promulgated by Pope Saint Paul VI on 18 November 1965. Bishop Barron says:
What is of greatest significance is its simple assertion that Christianity is a revealed religion – that is to say, one based upon the self-manifestation of God. There are many religions and religious philosophies that are grounded in human experience, in our intuitive sense of God. They put a special stress, accordingly, on the human quest for the divine. If you go to the religion section of any bookstore or library, you will find dozens of volumes with this theme.
But Christianity is not primarily the story of our search for God; it is the story of God’s relentless search for us. It is not primarily our words about God, but rather God’s Word spoken to us.
Hence, Christianity is not something that we have invented; instead, it is something that we have received. To be sure, the Church’s doctrine, liturgical practice, sacramental discipline, etc. develop over time, becoming ever more expressive of Christ’s intention, but they retain their essential form and purpose, standing over and against whatever we might want them to be.
This perennial idea, given modern expression in Dei Verbum, is of crucial significance today, when a culture of self-invention holds sway, sometimes even within the Church. On that errant reading, doctrine, morality, liturgy, sacraments, and structures of authority are expressive of the will of the people and hence can change according to the whim of the people. But again, if Christianity is a revealed religion, then we must conform ourselves to what has been given to us and resist the temptation to compel what is given to conform itself to us. * To read more of Bishop Barron's article click here.
