Fr. Dan Havron, OFM, and Sr. Donna Graham, OSF at a rainforest park in Ecuador (Courtesy, Franciscan Friars website http://franciscan.org)

Our Lady of Refuge will be celebrating the life of one of God’s beloved shepherds, Father Dan Havron on May 12, 2012 beginning with the 5 PM Mass. We invite you to come into the social hall after to celebrate Father Dan’s charismatic and profound Spirit of Christ that he so joyfully shared with all he met in his short life of 61 years.

For those of you that were not with us last weekend, Fr. Dan died on Friday, April 27, 2012 at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. The Mass of Christian Burial was at St. Clement Church in St. Bernard, OH on Wednesday May 2 at 7 PM. The burial was on Thursday, May 3 at 11 AM in the friars’ plot at St. Mary Cemetery, St. Bernard, OH. Please note that memorials are welcomed to the Franciscan Friars, 1615 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-6400.

Father Dan was a Franciscan Friar of the Province of St. John the Baptist for 40 years and a Priest for 34 years. We were so blessed to have had Father Dan sharing his missionary evangelization leaving a “spirit filled” legacy throughout our parish at large.

Here are some quotes from Father Dan written in an article from Molly Mulqueen’s column devoted to priests who have been exemplary ministers of the Gospel.

“Belonging to a parish is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, which is a call that stretches our mind, our humanity, our physical limits. That truly was the definition of an apostle. They were called way beyond anything they could have imagined and yet, the message was, ‘You can do it because the power of Christ will bring you through it.’”

“John Paul II has said that the lay persons in the world are called to transform it, wherever they happen to be. The call to holiness happens in the ordinary circumstances in our lives – every day. If we can cope and triumph in that, we are fulfilling that sense of mission.”

“The parish community, then, has to be like home base, or better yet, the dugout – the kind of place where you gather to review what happened and prepare for the battle ahead. Not just the cave where you go for solace, but the springboard that pushes us back out into ministry.”

Please do come and join us to celebrate Father Dan Havron even if this will be the first opportunity to experience his passion and love for Jesus and living the Gospel.

Congratulations to Deacon David Wejnerowski as he prepares for the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Deacon David has been serving at our parish on weekends since last September and we have enjoyed his presence and his ministry among us as he preached and assisted at Masses.

This weekend is Deacon David’s last weekend as he finishes his assignment to our parish. He is completing his studies at Saints Cyril and Methodius Seminary and will be graduating on Saturday, May 5. Then he is off to Metuchen, New Jersey. This is where he will serve. He will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Metuchen on Saturday, May 26.

Congratulations to Deacon David on this very happy occasion in his life. Our Lady of Refuge Parish sends best wishes and many prayers that God will guide him and bless him throughout his priesthood. Thank you, Deacon David, for sharing your diaconate ministry with us. We feel very blessed to have been a small part of your priesthood formation. Be assured of our prayers for you for a wonderful and effective priestly life.

Catholicism Series and Study Program.

Fr. Barron will take you from the sacred lands of Israel to the beating heart of Uganda…from the glorious shrines of Italy, France, and Spain, to the streets of Mexico, Kolkata, and New York City, revealing the fullness of CATHOLICISM.

Journey deep into the Faith as you watch each episode. (Each episode is self contained)

We will be viewing this epic documentary on DVD and discuss the topics on 5 consecutive Mondays;

Dates: 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, and 5/21

Time: 7:00—9:00pm

Place: Parish Office on 4/23 In Social Hall on 4/30 — 5/21

RSVP with Mary Boyer at the Parish Office 248-682-0920 or olrcarol@comcast.net

If you have family members or you yourself are struggling with a serious chronic illness (physical or emotional), diseases of age, cancer, addiction or other life threatening diseases, please join us.

If you or someone you know should be anointed and do not have transportation, please call the rectory at 248-682-0920 and we will make arrangements for you.

Please don’t miss the opportunity to receive this beautiful sacrament.

In honor of this occasion we will be celebrating with a Mass on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. with a light buffet immediately following in the Parish Social Hall and a reception at 5:30 p.m. with dinner served at 6:30 p.m. at Santia Hall (next to Gino’s Restaurant) in Keego Harbor.

Everyone is welcome!!!

PLEASE RSVP by Friday, May 11, 2012 for either reception you would like to attend to Mary Moriarity at 248-418-7217 or e-mail mmoriarity@olrschool. net

The catechumens who were baptized are Christian Anderson and Jason Fountain. Having already been baptized in another Christian denomination, Samantha Dalimonte made her profession of faith in the Catholic Church. The above three also received the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion. Jude Denina, Kristal Denina and Alan Maestri are already baptized Catholics and they were welcomed as full members of the Church through Confirmation and Holy Communion.

Congratulations. God bless our new fully initiated Catholics. They are also full members of Our Lady of Refuge Parish!

Men of all ages are invited to attend the annual Archdiocese of Detroit-sponsored Catholic Men’s Conference to be held April 21st on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester.

This year’s conference will feature the inspiring Crossing The Goal ministry team of Danny Abramowicz, Peter Herbeck, Curtis Martin and Brian Patrick. Through inspired talks on conversion, transformation and evangelization, the speakers will motivate men to go on and make a positive difference in their homes, parishes, workplaces and communities.

The conference day begins with the sacrifice of the Holy Mass celebrated by Detroit auxiliary Bishop Michael Byrnes. The sacrament of reconciliation will be offered during the conference day.

Wives send your husbands. Fathers bring your sons. Men bring your parish priest. Invite your friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches and co-workers to attend! Learn God’s winning playbook for you – you don’t want to miss this inspirational day!

The conference will be from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the O’Rena Athletics Center. Cost is $40 for adults and $25 for students. For complete conference information and to register go online to www.aodonline.org/men or call us at 313-596-7325.

Last year, ‘Rebuilding Together -Oakland County’, helped over 50 homeowners, 2 community centers, and one nonprofit organization with free repairs!

We were part of the over 1,400 volunteers that made it possible. This year the goal is to help even more homeowners throughout Oakland County. Rebuilding Together’s mission is to bring volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of low income homeowners. You are doing that and we really appreciate it, but now we need you to sign up again!

All volunteer will need to register at www.rebuildingtogether-oaklandcounty.org. Even returning volunteers need to register because we have updated the online application and changed to a new hosting service. You will need to create a new online “User Name” and “Password” and enter all of your information for us to keep you informed for the work day and assign you to your preferred work day group and/or House Captain. You will be able to return to the RTOC web site and update your application at any time.

When you sign on to website make sure that you list the group as Our Lady of Refuge or OLR.

The deadline for volunteer registration is March 31st. If you have any problems, let me know. I can be reached at 248-363-8797.

Ray Bednark

Featuring internationally acclaimed Steinway artists Kaz Brzozowski and Yuki and Tomoko Mack.

 In 1994, after winning strong recognition as soloists, Yuki and Tomoko Mack melded their artistry into an award-winning piano duo. They won prizes in several prestigious international competitions: First and Kodama Prize at the Fourth International Piano Duo Competition in Tokyo; the Dranoff International Two-Piano Competition in Florida; and the Ellis Two-Piano National Competition in South Carolina.

Kazimierz Brzozowski has garnered international acclaim for his captivating performances at the piano, in particular the music of Chopin. He frequently appears in concerts in the United States, Japan and Poland and has performed as a soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio Orchestra, Lublin Philharmonic and other orchestras in the U.S.A. and Poland.

 Event Details:
Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 2pm at Our Lady of Refuge Church
3750 Commerce Road—Orchard Lake, MI 48324
Music will include selections from Chopin, Debussy, Japanese Folk Songs, De Falla, Brahms and more…
Refreshments following in the Social Hall

Tickets are $10 per person at the door or contact drama@olr-school.net

Click here to download the event flyer.