St. John Bosco Church at 23830 Front Ave., Mattawan, MI 49071 US - News in our Parish

Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22)
Mass times are 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. at St. John Bosco Parish; 5:30 p.m. at St. Margaret Mary Mission.

Return Your Palms
the ashes you receive on Ash Wednesday are from the prior year’s palms? Beginning in February, please bring in your old blessed palms and place them in the basket at the church entrance.

The Three Churches Collection
Catholics in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America give thanks for your generous support of their Churches. Your gifts make a noticeable difference in the lives of the Catholics in these three churches. Thank you for your contribution to the Three Churches Collection (SJB-$378, SMM-$252).

Fridays During Lent at SJB
5:30 p.m. Adoration & Confessions, 6:30 p.m. Mass, 7:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross. Altar servers are needed for Stations each Friday. Please call the office or email Linda.Toso@yahoo.com if you can help.

Catechist of the Week
The Benedum family  (Rob, Amy, Drew, Alex & Aaron) moved here just a year ago and Amy found her niche very quickly. She is currently serving as a catechist for our 2nd grade students at SJB. When the opportunity to become a catechist was presented to Amy, she knew it would be an excellent way for her own faith to grow. She said “I did not imagine, however, that it would also be so rewarding to watch the kids make their First Reconciliation and to help them prepare for their First Holy Communion.” Amy tries to remind herself often of Matthew 7:34, "Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself." She said “Sometimes it's difficult to let go of our sense of control and realize God's love for us is all we need to get through each day.” The Benedum family is very grateful to Father Mathew and all St John Bosco parishioners for making them feel welcome when they first moved here. “It really meant a lot to us to receive a warm welcome when we were so new to the community.” We appreciate your ministry to our 2nd graders this year, Amy!

Knights Meeting
The next meeting of KofC Council #13251 will be at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 13, in the SJB Parish Center. Please plan to attend to find out what’s taking place within your Council.

Monday Evening Book Study
Father Mathew will be starting an in depth study on the Gospel of Mark on February 27 at 7:00 p.m. Please contact the office if you are interested in attending.

Daily Reflections for Lent
Not by Bread Alone 2012—This booklet is available at the church entrance. The short yet significant reflections in this pocket-sized book make it easy for even the busiest person to make prayer a priority throughout the Lenten journey.


Be a Blood Donor
The Knights are sponsoring a Blood Drive on Friday, February 17, noon to 5:45 pm. Log onto RedCrossBlood.org (sponsor code: StJohnBosco) for more information or to make an appointment. Every day about 2,000 blood products are needed by patients in Michigan hospitals. Each donation by a volunteer donor has the potential to save up to three lives.

Heating Assistance Volunteers are needed
volunteers are needed at St. John Bosco and St. Margaret Mary. These volunteers would assist with the Diocesan Heating Assistance Program that runs each year from January thru March. If you are interested in helping, please call the parish office for more information.

Mark Your Calendar
The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a couple of Friday evening All-U-Can-Eat Spaghetti Suppers at SJB. Plan to join us on March 9 & 23. More details to come

Job Opportunity
The Diocese of Kalamazoo is seeking a part-time housekeeper (19 hours/week) for Bishop Bradley and Bishop Murray’s residences. Responsibilities will also include occasional meal preparation. Interested candidates may submit cover letter, resume, references and salary history to: apply@HumanResourcePotential.com.

Destination Jesus
Next weekend (Feb. 17-19) Kellye Poage will be traveling with 7 of our high school teens (Shawn Fillenworth, Amanda Fillenworth, Katie Pelak, Arthur Pierre, Ferran Poage, Alex Stratton and Alyssa Varela) to Noblesville, Indiana to attend the Destination Jesus retreat at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. Please pray for the success of this important retreat and pray for all our parish teens, that they will grow in faith and love of the Lord!

Retreat for Families with Disabilities
Families that include children and teens with disabilities are invited to a family day of reflection and fun February 18, 2012 at Camp Friedenswald near Cassopolis, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Parents, brothers, sisters and extended family members will join in activities prayer with the theme of Noah and the Arc. Lunch is included. There is no cost, although free will offerings will be accepted. For more information contact Ministry with Persons with Disabilities 269-349-7276 asherzer@dioceseofkalamazoo.org or view www.dioceseofkalamazoo.org/disabilities.

Lenten Retreat Opportunity!
On March 3-4 Fr. Ted Martin will facilitate “The Divine Reading of the Bible: Being Transformed by God’s Word” at Transformations Spirituality Center. Retreat begins at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday and ends at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. Cost, if registered by February 10, is $100 double room, $125 single room and $80 commuter. After February 10 add $20. For more information contact the ECI Office at 269-903-0167.