• The Consistent Ethic of Life: Various Ways to be Pro Life  Wednesday, October 14
  
• The Consistent Ethic of Life: Common Grounds Conversation   Thursday, October 29, 7:30 pm
  
• CROP Walk for Hunger, Sunday, October 18
• School of Americas Rally and Vigil     Sign up now
  
• Volunteers needed for IHN Family Shelter
  
• Announcements
  
  • United 2 Heal Sorting Day        Sunday, October 25
  • "Ministry of Life” Evening with Bishops Earl Boyea and Daniel Flores    October 30
• Social Justice Prayer
  

Wednesday, October 14  7:00 – 8:30 pm
Donnelly Hall
Catholics are called to be Pro-Life.  This evening’s forum, involving four brief presentations, will invite participants to consider a variety of ways to be Pro-Life.  The presentations will include:  “Adoption is an Option,” “ArborVitae Pregnancy Help Center,” “UM Students for Life,” and “Project Rachel.”  A focus question for the evening is:  “Can we broaden the concept of what it means to be Pro Life in order to involve more Catholics in support and defense of the born and unborn?”

 

Thursday, October 29, 7:30 pm
“Can we broaden the term ‘Pro Life’ to involve more Catholics in active participation in support/defense of the born and unborn?”
Come for informal, but engaging and productive conversation about this important issue of Church and society.
Place:  Sava’s Café, 216 S. State Street (across from Buffalo Wild Wings)
 

Sunday October 18
CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty.  The 35th annual Washtenaw/Ann Arbor CROP Hunger Walk will take place on Sunday, October 18, 1:30 pm starting and ending at Zion Lutheran Church, 1501 W. Liberty. CROP Walk is an interfaith effort to raise awareness about the continuing tragedy of hunger and to raise money to support relief agencies and programs making a difference.  Catholic Relief Services can be designated as the recipient of global donations and 25% of all funds raised will go to agencies helping the poor in Washtenaw County.  St. Mary Social Justice Ministry invites you to join our St. Mary CROP Walk team by registering on-line at: icpj.net.  For more information or to sign up off-line, contact St. Mary’s CROP Walk Recruiter:  Lisa Hirsch: mcdfam5@sbcglobal.net or 741-1235.

 

November 20-22, 2009            SIGN UP NOW!
This November marks the 20th anniversary of the murder of six Jesuits and their two co-workers in El Salvador by graduates of the US School of the Americas (now known as WHINSEC) located in Ft. Benning, GA.  Each year since that time there has been a rally and vigil to call attention to this injustice and to call for a closing of this school whose graduates have been involved in the murders and “disappearances” of thousands of others throughout Latin America. 
One of the highlights of the weekend is a mass coordinated by members of the “Ignatian Family,” that is, members of Jesuit high schools and universities across the US.  Over 3000 people attend this powerful liturgy linking our faith and justice.
 
For more information, contact Fr. Dan Reim, S.J. at dreim@umich.edu or call 663-0557.  See also the School of the Americas Watch website: www.soaw.org.


 

Can you offer some help for homeless families?

Twice a year, St. Mary Student Parish provides a week of meals and other services to needy families at the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) shelter on Jackson Road.  Our next week of service will be Sunday, November 1 through Saturday, November 7th.  Volunteers are needed to prepare meals, to provide activities for the kids (a fun volunteering activity especially for students!) and to stay overnight in their guest room in case of night time emergencies.  Transportation can be provided. 
 
For more information and/or to volunteer please contact St. Mary’s parishioner Mary Kate O’Meara at:  mcomeara@hotmail.com or by phone at:  734 330-5336.

 

United 2 Heal Sorting Day    Sunday, October 25

United 2 Heal (formerly Children of Abraham) is a U-M student organization which collects surplus medical supplies and equipment from area hospitals and redistributes them to hospitals in need across the world. To learn more see www.united2heal.org

Volunteers will help sort and inventory medical supplies from 12-3 pm followed by an interfaith discussion from 3-4 pm. The U2H warehouse is located at 3765 Plaza Dr., Ann Arbor MI (just off of State St., past I-94). If you are interested in attending this event, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Luke Sullivan, at sullival@umich.edu. Rides are available if needed.
 

“Ministry of Life:” a dinner and reflection on the Ministry of Life with Bishops Earl Boyea and Daniel Flores.  Friday, October 30th at Gabriel Richard High School.  The event is an evening dinner with reflection on the Ministry of Life.  The event is from 5PM – 9PM with dinner at 6PM.  All are welcome.  Ticket cost is $12/person.  For ticket information and/or to make reservations you can call 247.707.9078 or email guadalupepartnersinc@gmail.com.

Loving God,
We thank you for the gift of life you gave and continue to give to all of us.
Lord and giver of all life, help us to value each person, created in love by you.
In your mercy, guide and assist our efforts to put an end to the systems of this world that destroy life. 
Strengthen us so that we may revere, protect, and promote the dignity and value of ALL human life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.