Holy Spirit and St. Anthony Coming Together as One Body in Christ on Corpus Christi

In this Jubilee Year, the Holy Father has called us to come together in unity as pilgrims of hope—united in our love for Christ, truly present in the Eucharist. In celebration of this special year, the parish communities of St. Anthony and Holy Spirit invite you to join us to recognize and celebrate our unity as one Catholic community.

On Sunday, June 22, at 10 a.m., our two parishes will gather at West Catholic High School in the Competition Gym for Mass and a Eucharistic procession. This will be a beautiful opportunity to come together in prayer, deepen our Eucharistic devotion, and celebrate our faith as the Church.

While each parish has its own charisms, we are called to worship our one Lord. Bringing our two parishes together reminds us that we are one Body in Christ. Just as the simple gifts of bread and wine are brought forward as a sacrificial offering for Mass, we offer the sacrifice of our own lives to experience the transforming power of Christ.

This is a unique opportunity to hear our two parish choirs unite in song, see our ministers serve together, and witness our parish priests stand as one at the altar—a powerful expression of the One Body of Christ, where we all belong.

We invite all families from our parishes to be part of this joyful celebration.

Come and experience the beauty of our faith, the strength of our unity, and the profound gift of Christ in the Eucharist. Let us gather as one family in Christ—one Church, one Body, one faith. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Holy Spirit Campaign Begins!

As we embrace our call to discipleship, we are excited to build on the incredible things we’ve accomplished together. Every dollar raised for the Inspired by the Spirit Capital Campaign will be directed toward the expansion of the Child Development Center, the creation of a brand-new classroom, and vital upgrades to our parish facilities. Together, we can create a lasting impact that strengthens our community and inspires future generations.

Give Now to the Capital Campaign

Small Groups

It’s our goal is to make a big parish feel like a small community, one group at a time! People join groups for different reasons; some for new faithful connections with others and some for a deeper spiritual journey that challenges them in new ways.

What to Expect:
During Lent, groups will meet every week (6 weeks). Content: Rebuilt Faith
From Easter to Pentecost, groups will meet every other week for a total of 4 times. Content: Gifts of the Spirit
Summer will vary by group. Content is flexible.

Small Group Time (1-1 .5 hours):
Connect with 6-8 people.
Gathering time, prayer, conversation/discussion questions based on parish-provided content, and fellowship over food.

We have about 220 people in 28 groups at this time! If you’re feeling moved by the Spirit to get plugged in to a small group for the Easter season, call the Parish Office at (616) 453-6369 and speak to Michael or MacKenzie, or email MacKenzie at mcoble@hsparish.org. We’ll put your name at the top of the list to be contacted when we begin putting new groups together!

Fr. Nick Named Co-Chaplain of WC

Bishop Walkowiak announces the following pastoral appointment:

Rev. Nicholas R. Baker, in addition to his appointment as parochial vicar of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, is appointed co-chaplain of West Catholic High School in Grand Rapids, effective Jan. 20, 2025, for a term of one year.

Please pray for Fr. Nick Baker as he takes on this new role!

100 Rosaries for California

In the wake of devastation in California, Holy Spirit and The Catholic Church need to come together in prayer to intercede for everyone affected by wildfires. Our goal as a parish is 100 Holy Rosaries by the end of January!

Why:

Reports of crucifixes, and statues of the Blessed Virgin being completely untouched by fire and devastation are beginning to surface. God is in control and Mary’s ability to intercede for the people of California is now more crucial than ever!

Who:

Anyone! From a beginner to the Rosary or a seasoned expert, every prayer helps. If you are unsure how to pray the Holy Rosary, click here or call the office; we are here to help.

What:

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary

Where:

Adoration is available at Holy Spirit on Thursdays from 9am-8pm in the Chapel.
As a family at your dinner table.
In your car on the way home from work, etc.
An argued beauty of the Rosary is that it is portable, and possible for all ages.

When:

January 15th – January 31st 2025

*The Parish Office is seeking out additional opportunities to directly impact the lives of people affected. If you would like to get involved please contact Michael in the office directly at mmorrison@hsparish.org.

GivingTuesday 2024

Give Now

On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the world will embark on it’s 12th year of #GivingTuesday. Created in 2012 as a simple idea to encourage people to do good, it has grown into a global generosity “movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world.” Giving back is something that each of you does on a daily basis as Catholic Christians, and for that we are always grateful. Last year, your generosity helped raise over $72,000 for the purchase of a new sound system for the sanctuary!

Holy Spirit is the largest school in the diocese and our largest ministry of the parish. As a community, we are blessed to educate the whole child: academically, socially, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. This means beyond the classroom. This year’s project, titled, Rejuvenate the Gym, will allow us to have a greater impact on the opportunities our children have outside of the classroom:

  • a new stage to be used for musicals, the auction, the variety show, speakers, and other community events
  • LED light replacements
  • revamped paint scheme
  • replacement padding on the gym walls
  • upgraded sound system

Our goals this #GivingTuesday are to raise $55,000 to rejuvenate the gym and have 100% participation to make it happen. Please prayerfully consider making a gift during the 24-hour period on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. The Diocese is covering all processing fees, which means 100% of your gift goes directly to this project.

Give Now

Michigan Catholic Tribune Falsely Presenting Itself

Some of you may remember the newspaper from 2022 entitled the “Michigan Catholic Tribune.” The Tribune falsely presents itself as a Catholic publication and includes politically-related content meant to assist Catholic voters in casting their ballots.
The publication is not in alignment with Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.

In 2022, the newspaper was mailed to random households within the diocese, both Catholic and non-Catholic.

This publication and its accompanying website are not endorsed by nor are they affiliated with the Diocese of Grand Rapids or the Catholic Church.

We are aware of at least one instance where the newspaper has been received within our diocese, along with other dioceses in the State. It is likely a matter of time before one of your parishioners receives it as well. We do not know who or how many people may have received this newspaper.

The diocese did not share mailing information for this publication. We never sell parishioner contact information.

Scammers Pose As Priests

Have you received text messages, emails, or messages through Facebook Messenger from someone claiming to be Father Mark? The messages are usually brief and say something like “Can we talk in your spare time?” or “I’m in a meeting and can’t talk, but need your help and it’s urgent.” It is not until you respond that there are questions asking for money or gift cards indicating it is an emergency.

Don’t give. It’s not Fr. Mark. It’s a scam.

Many parishioners of the Diocese of Grand Rapids have been targeted by these fraudsters and it’s not just happening in West Michigan. The Diocese of Austin, Texas; the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the Archdiocese of Miami, Florida and others also have reported the scams.

Don’t fall for it! Here is what to know and do:

  1. Check the email address it is being sent from. If it is not “mpeacock@hsparish.org” then it is not from Fr. Mark. (for example, they often come from an email like “fatherr773@gmail.com and pmailoffice04@gmail.com)
  2. Know that Fr. Mark will never make requests like that via email or text message and instantly demand money or gift cards.

If you ever have any questions or concerns, or want to check before responding, you are always welcome to forward the emails to our office staff or call us to confirm the validity of the message.

Synod Reports – Interim Phase

Thank you for your support of the interim phase of the Synod on Synodality. In the past few years, Pope Francis has initiated the Synod on Synodality to see and know how we are carrying out our lives as faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

This interim phase helps bridge the gap between the first session of the Ordinary General Assembly held in October 2023 and the second session which will occur in October 2024.

Bishop Daniel Flores, chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, asked each bishop to organize 2-3 listening sessions in his diocese during this interim phase focusing on two “guiding questions.”

The Diocese of Grand Rapids hosted three listening sessions in March – at Cathedral Square Center, at St. Patrick – St. Anthony Parish, Grand Haven, and the Catholic Newman Center in Big Rapids.

Summaries of those meetings were analyzed and synthesized into a report that was submitted to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Diocese of Grand Rapids Report

The diocesan report and the report for Region VI (Michigan and Ohio) are now available for reading, by clicking on the links above and below this paragraph.

Region VI Report

Let us pray that the pope’s invitation to all Catholics for synodality – that is, listening to and hearing one another is recognized.

Prayer for Vocations

2025 will mark the first year since 2014 that we will not have any ordinations to the priesthood in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. The Gospel of Matthew reminds us that “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest”
(Mt 9:37-38). We must intentionally and repeatedly ask the Lord to send more laborers for the harvest in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.

For this reason, Bishop Walkowiak has launched a vocations prayer initiative across the diocese. This prayer asks the Lord to bless the Diocese of Grand Rapids with more vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious life. 

Prayer cards will be made available in the Narthex soon for you to take the prayer home with you. In the meantime, we will pray it together before the close of each Mass as a parish family.