Bishop Bernard Hebda of Gaylord, Michigan has decided to delay sending funds to CCHD from the 2010 collection while the organization is under review, LifeSiteNews has learned.

Candace Neff, communications director for the Gaylord diocese, emphasized that the bishop has not “discontinued” the collection for CCHD. “A tremendous amount of very important work is accomplished through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development,” she said

“After consulting with a number of advisors Bishop Hebda has decided that for this year (2010), while CCHD’s systems are under review, a donation will not automatically be sent to CCHD from funds donated through the Diocese of Gaylord’s Catholic Services Appeal Campaign,” she said.

Another step in the right direction for our diocese and Catholics everywhere!

Read Michigan Bishop Withholds CCHD Funds at LifeSiteNews.com

Also from the Diocese website:

On the eve of the ordination, Bishop Bernard A. Hebda will preside at Vespers for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament. The service, offered in thanksgiving to Almighty God for the generous response of Deacons Sylvestre and Gerald to the call to serve as a Priest of Jesus Christ in the Diocese of Gaylord and to pray for an increase in vocations, will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 11 at St. Mary Cathedral.

Read more about our two newest priests here.

I hope I can make it!

The observance of National Vocation Awareness Week began in 1976 when the National Conference of Catholic Bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the year as the beginning of National Vocation Awareness Week. In 1997 this celebration was moved to coincide with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which marks Jesus’ initiation into public ministry. At his baptism Jesus is named the Beloved Son of God. With this celebration we recommit ourselves to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Initiated through our baptism we too are commissioned to proclaim Good News with our lives.

To download materials or learn more visit www.dioceseofgaylord.org/inside/2010-vocation-awareness-week-315.

View Bishop Bernard Hebda's Ordination 12-1-09 at Picasa

Read Bishop Hebda says Gaylord appointment was answer to prayer in the Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper

Here's an article from the blog Whispers in the Loggia with some info about last night's vespers.

The liturgy will include psalms, a scripture reading of the day, and the Bishop-elect Hebda will make his Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity as he prepares for his Episcopal (bishop) ordination the following day. A reception will follow in the parish hall.

Unfortunately I didn't receive a ticket to go to the ordination on Tuesday, so if you are going, please share your experiences in the comments!

Read New bishop to be ordained in the Petoskey News-Review

Photo from the Petoskey News-Review

The afternoon saw a meeting with Fr. Dan Gallagher, a priest of the Diocese of Gaylord and former Sacred Heart Seminary professor who currently works for the Vatican's Secretary of State. He gave us a tour through the Apostolic Palace. It was an experience. We had an awesome view of Rome, St. Peter's, and the Apostolic Palace from the roof/porch area. It was an "insider's look" at some places the average tourist doesn't see and it gave us a view of the city that the average photographer doesn't get.

You can read about the entire trip in the article Touring Rome at SHMS Desert Formation Experience Blog.

The current schedule for the Extraordinary Form is every Sunday beginning at 12:45 pm at Holy Rosary Church in Cedar, Michigan. Father Donald Libby is the the celebrant.

I have attended a few of the private masses and I've found it a great way to increase my knowledge of the Liturgy. I am also at the early stages of trying to learn Latin, but I've found the masses easy to follow with the books provided at the mass.

As we celebrate the Easter feast and, indeed, celebrate it for the whole Easter season, we must be very thankful to the Triune God. We must be thankful because we have been chosen and we have been inaugurated through the Lord’s passion, death and Resurrection, and the sending of the Spirit into being his people, his body. It is a wonderful privilege and a great honor for all of us. It is equally important that we realize this each day of our lives and we live it out through our love for everyone who comes into our life. It is a love which we demonstrate through our words and actions that we are genuinely concerned about the well being of everybody and we reach out to them with a helping hand in the best way we can.

Reaching out to others and showing our love to our neighbors is a very important part of our faith. I know I struggle with it on a daily basis, but I can only keep trying to love as Jesus did. It's not always easy, but I figure if I can do it, then every little bit will help this world be a better place for my family, especially my children.Let's keep Bishop Cooney in our prayers as he continues his recovery.

Read Bishop Cooney: Easter Reflection 2008 at Gaylord Herald Times

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