Fall 2020-Spring 2021 Newsletter

A Word from our Fearless Leaders

Alumni and Supporters of Saint Mary University! First - I want to introduce myself. I’m Fr. Andy Booms - the pastor! Fr. Marc, who is my vicar dedicates most of his time to Saint Mary University and together it has been an honor to serve the students, faculty, staff and community at Saint Mary University Par-ish since last July. Both Fr. Marc and I reside at Saint Brigid of Kildare in Midland. I’m also happy to say that next year our team remains stable! I pray that this newsletter finds you well, healthy and close to the Lord! It’s been a year (or year and half)! The CoVid-19 pandemic had some direct impact on life here at Saint Mary University. In March 2020 after the students were sent home the parish closed, and all staff were laid off. In July Fr. Marc started to prepare for reopening, and by August 1 we were once again ready to welcome worshipers back to the parish. CoVid made for a slow start to the year, but by the 2nd semester we had made many improvements for students and our worshiping community. There was new furnishings, game room, kitchen upgrades, security cameras, 24 hour key fob access, sound upgrades, a “new” piano and even lighting enhancements. By the end of spring semester students were once again gathering for study, prayer and nourishment in the lounge! This summer we have one big project - the roof! It’s been talked about for years, but the $60,000 investment must be made this year. If all goes well it will be complete before Fall life returns. We will need your help to replenish the meager savings the parish had. We know that the rectory roof will soon need attention too, and one never knows what other improvements will be need-ed. You can make a contribution https://stmarycmu.org/donate choose “replacing the roof” or a general contribution.

I have experienced so many blessings here at St. Mary Parish over the past year. COVID acted as a speed bump or rather a brick wall. The parish had to shut down for a time until last July. COVID has challenged myself and the overall church, but it also gave St. Mary a unique opportunity. It provided the space to identify some projects and work towards accomplishing important goals. Even though service and community looked different than years past, people still encountered the Lord through sacrament and fellowship. We had to take a slow approach in regards to big events and large crowds. I know that frustrated some people who wanted to see things return to normal quickly. The slow growth gave me the opportunity to really invest in the students and experience the joy of this parish. Looking forward to fall 2021 I am hopeful to resume many of the programs and events St. Mary has held in the past. The Lord is alive and moving very strongly here at Central Michigan Uni-versity.

We were able to purchase new furniture for the student center and new kitchen appliances. The microwave and stove look amazing and they have already been used many times. The reclining chairs are extremely comfortable and feel heavenly. I have taken good naps in them when the lounge is empty. Central Catholic has held over twenty events this semester and pro-vided ample opportunities for students to encounter Jesus Christ. We hope to only increase the frequency of these events moving forward depending upon the recommendations given in the fall.

The students have been extraordinarily generous and welcoming to me this year. I continually encounter our loving God in them by their words and actions. I am inspired to be the best person and the best priest I can be for them. The non-student members of our community are equally kind. My time here has been a blessing so far and I look forward to what we can do together. Please continue to pray for the parish, myself, Fr. Andy the pastor and our staff.

Summer will pass more quickly than any of us care to acknowledge, but we serve the Lord and he pro-vides the rest and inspiration to pass on the invitation to come and follow. Thank you for your concern, support and prayers for the future work at St. Mary University Parish. Peace and Blessings, Fr. Andy Booms

God bless you,

Fr. Marc Hopps

Parochial Vicar at St. Mary Parish

Meet the Staff

Fr. Marc Hopps | frmarc@stmarycmu.org

I was ordained to the priesthood on May 31, 2019. I became the parochial

vicar/associate pastor at St. Mary University Parish on July 1, 2020. I am so

very blessed with the opportunity to work with college students and this en-

tire amazing community here at St. Mary University Parish. God is alive

and active in this parish. I look forward to connecting with the community

through prayer, sacrament and fellowship.

Fr. Andy Booms | frandyb@stbrigid-midland.org

Fr. Andy Booms became the pastor of Saint Mary July 1, 2020 with the help of Fr.

Marc Hopps. He is also the pastor of Saint Brigid in Midland and has been there since

2017. He is happy to be serving Midland’s oldest Catholic parish and

school. Ordained June 8, 2007 he is now a middle aged priest in years of service and

age he was 44 on June 24. He serves as the vocation director for the Diocese of Sagi-

naw, and is looking forward to years of building on the strengths of the Saint Brigid

community. In his down time he gardens, bikes and cross-country skies. He looks

forward to continue nurturing the St. Mary and CMU community for years to come

with the continued help of Fr. Marc.

Laura Sira | lsira@stmarycmu.org

Mrs. Sira works full time at St. Brigid of Kildare Catholic Church in Midland,

where she has several responsibilities, one part of that is being at St. Marys on

Tuesdays to provide support to Father Marc. She completes parish office tasks,

handles phone calls, maints sacramental documents, orders supplies, does some

light church cleaning and organizing, and of course, what she is known best for,

being present, keeping the snacks supplied, and preparing meals for the students

every other Tuesday.

When she is not at work, she enjoys reading, baking, spending time with her four

grown sons and their significant others and bicycling or kayaking with

her husband Craig.

Emily Finley | efinley@stmarycmu.org

Emily is a part-time administrative assistant at St. Mary and also serves

as our communications director. Throughout the week, she provides

more open hour times for students to utilize the lounge and study spaces

as well as keeping the social media and website updated. Outside of be-

ing a student and working at the church, Emily loves to grab coffee with

friends and go on adventures in the great outdoors.

This past year, we have been blessed to have added many new items to the student lounge. We have new and improved

furniture for students to enjoy during their time studying or hanging out with others. We also have converted the old of-

fice space into a game room which now includes an air hockey and pool/ table tennis table. This room has been enjoyed

by many after mass and for Central Catholic events and tournaments. In addition to the new furniture, we have more

snack and beverage options available for students!

We would like to extend an extra Thank you to the Jay and Diane Hughes for making a financial contribution for pur-

chasing new furniture for the student lounge. We would also like to thank the Beal City basketball team and the Boge

Family for their efforts in helping to move furniture in the church and moving in and setting up the pool table for our

students.

We have a few updates in the church as well. A new updated sound system was added in the fall along with new lights

that are all the same throughout the church. In addition to the tangible changes made, we have also introduced Flock-

note! For those of you who don’t know what this is, it is a free tool used for churches that allow staff to send out text and

email reminders to the parish about events. It is an easy to use tool, and it has been helpful in keeping the parish up-to-

date very easily during the spring semester.

This July, the church will be getting a new roof! We have been in need of a new roof for several years now, and the

plans are underway; however, this is a great financial investment. If you would like to donate to our roof restoration,

please visit the “Donate” page on our website, or scan the QR Code below to be taken to our online offering site. When

making a contribution for the roof, please select “Replacing the Roof” under “Fund”. Thank you to those who have al-

ready made a contribution. We are grateful for your generous giving!

We remain optimistic for the fall!

We are hoping to once again host the Koinonia retreats for students in the fall and spring semesters, and we

plan to restore other in-person events, such as fall kick off and welcome week events for students!

What’s New?

Donate Today!

Central Catholic Fall Events This past year, Central Catholic was able to host 12 fall events. Corpus Christi

was held online. Fortunately, many events were able to be held in person. The

annual UP camping trip was held along with a praise and worship night and

many game and trivia nights in the lounge.

Above: Many students gathered at Deerfield Park in

the fall for a bonfire and praise and worship!

Right: Students enjoyed the Halloween party hosted

at Island Park where teams competed in a variety of chal-

lenges, games, and fellowship with one another.

Left: Students attended the annual UP Camping trip over Labor

Day weekend.

Below: Central Catholic hosted the annual Catholics VS Lutherans

capture the flag night after mass. They got us this year, but we will be

back for the victory next fall!

Central Catholic Spring Events In the spring, Central Catholic was able to host many more events than in the fall. Five

bible studies were able to meet throughout the semester, and a total of 22 events were

planned and hosted. In February, students were able to meet and join together for the

virtual seek conference in the fall. Multiple game nights and tournaments were held

along with several service events, such as Valentine’s Day card making, canned food

drive and blood drives.

Students attended the annual Seek conference

online this year! We were fortunate enough to

have a wonderful group come together for 3

days in the lounge and chapel to attend the

event!

Left: Students enjoy the spring weather to take

part in the cornhole tournament! Many stayed after-

wards in the lounge to play board games.

Below: Students joined together for a chilly

spring hike at Chipp-a-Waters Park!

Senior Spotlights

Morgan Collins

Major: Fashion Design

Minor: Visual Merchandising and Art

Favorite Part of the St. Mary Community: “I really loved

attending the events that Central Catholic would hold, especially

the Sunday Suppers held after Mass. For about a year and a half I

was able to help with some of the Central Catholic committees

and I had many great experiences while doing so. One memory

sticks out when I helped to put on a Halloween party at St.

Mary's. We got pizza, watched a movie and had a costume con-

test. It was so much fun! I will definitely miss memories like that

after I graduate.”

Kenzie Leeseberg

Delaney Schoenbine

Major: Psychology and Neuroscience

Favorite Part of the St. Mary Community: “My

favorite part about the St. Mary community was

how easily it became my home on campus! I love

being surrounded and supported by such wonderful

people.”

Mathieu Mondro

Major: Meteorology

Minor: Mathematics and Broadcast and Cine-

matic Arts

Favorite Part of the St. Mary Community: “The

fellowship, lunches, and activities with others.”

Alexander Dixon

Major: Accounting and Information Systems

Favorite Part of the St. Mary Community: “Morning rosary and

breakfast with the St. Michael's household was a part of the week I

always looked forward to. I enjoyed fostering a community of faith

and fellowship with an amazing group of men. Also, giving the

Christian Living witness on CMK 17 was a fulfilling experience.

Everything from writing the witness, preparing for CMK, and facil-

itating discussions helped me reignite my faith and share it with my

brothers and sisters in Christ.”

Robby Powers

Major: Secondary Instrumental Music Education

Minor: Trumpet Performance

Favorite Part of the St. Mary Community: “I always loved

the kind-hearted spirit. Everyone at St. Mary's was always so

kind and loving and neighborly. I really enjoyed being part of

the music there too.”

Stay Up-to-Date with Us!

Summer Mass Times

Wednesday 4:30 PM

Sunday 5:00 PM

***Confessions are heard one hour prior to

the start of mass!***

On May 2nd, 2021, a graduation mass was celebrated at St. Mary. A small

group of our graduates attended and refreshments were provided after mass

for all. We look forward to seeing all the amazing things our graduates contin-

ue to do! Each of them have been a blessing to our parish community during

their time here at Central.

Music Director Needed!

We are still looking for a Catholic music min-

ster to serve our parish! If you know anyone

who is interested or would like additional infor-

mation, please contact Fr. Marc @

frmarc@stmarycmu.org

Total Sunday Mass Collection

from August 1st to June 1st

$9,849.42 Collections help keep our parish nice and provide

resources to students and parishioners. Consider

donating today using the QR Code below or by vis-

iting the “Donate” page on our Website!

stmarycmu.org

@stmarycmu

@St. Mary University

Parish at CMU

efinley@stmarycmu.org