Spring 2017

PARISHIONERS LEND THEIR HANDS TO HABITAT’S “CATHOLIC BUILD” by Deb Moore

Beginning in mid-May, Catholic parishes and organizations from around the county will gather at 648 4th Street N.W. to build a four-family housing complex directly across the street from the Basilica of St. Adalbert. It will be one of Habitat for Humanity of Kent County’s largest projects ever. You may have read about it in the December issue of Faith magazine. Parishioners from IHM are already signing up to be a part of this “Catholic Build.” While corporate and individual volunteers are scheduled Mondays through Fridays, Saturday crews are reserved for local parishes. Habitat anticipates each Saturday’s crew will be filled by volunteers from two to five parishes. Saturday work begins May 20 and lasts until the four-condominium structure is complete sometime in early 2018. Anyone and everyone ages 16 and older, depending on specific job, is encouraged to be a part of this historic building which four families will call soon “home.” IHM has committed to work on Saturday, May 20 from 8:30 AM-4:00 PM. That day the team will be framing in the first floor of the multi-family complex. Anyone 16 years of age is encouraged to volunteer; you need not have experience in this skill. To sign-up, please contact Dan Heintz with your name, phone number and email address at 616-560-8982 or dadrheintz@yahoo.com OR contact the Parish Office at 241-4477. If this date or job skill does not work for you but you would like to help with the project, please contact Dan as the IHM crew will be doing some other jobs at this Habitat home throughout the rest of this year. Those tasks will vary depending on the progress of the building, but include carpentry, painting, siding and landscaping. Stefanie Iwan and Youth Ministry members plan to participate on two Saturdays, July 8 and 15. Anyone 16 years of age and older is encouraged to join in. Fourteen and fifteen-year-olds who want to be part of the project can opt to help with snacks and lunches early in the summer and, when the building is farther along, paint and do landscaping. Parents and other adults are encouraged to work side-by-side with our youth on those two days. Bishop David Walkowiak will be on-site to break ground and dedicate the project on June 10 at 10:00 A.M. Light refreshments will follow and all are welcome to attend. How can YOU help? 1) Contact Dan Heintz and/or Stefanie Iwan (see above) to join our IHM work crews. 2) Go to http://www.habitatkent.org/what-we-do/special-builds/catholic-united-build to learn more about this Catholic build. 3) To support the effort monetarily, make your check payable to “Habitat for Humanity of Kent County” and mail to 425 Pleasant St.

SW, Grand Rapids, 49503. You may also go to www.HabitatKent.org/donate. 4) Pray for the success of this Catholic Build which will be life-changing for four local families! The friendly and dynamic folks at Habitat are always happy to answer your questions. Visit their website at www.HabitatKent.org or call Mark at Habitat Kent, 616-588-5243 to learn more.

This is an artists’ rendering of what the four-family Habitat home at will look like at 648 4th Street N.W.

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Change is oftentimes difficult to accept and adjust to, and when the Senneker family made the tough decision to uproot from St. Mary Magdalen parish four years ago, this move was no exception. “We were sad to leave, but our children Gavin and Reegan were getting close to school age so my husband Dustin and I enrolled them at IHM School,” said Carrie Senneker. “We felt it would provide the kids a Christian school experience on a Catholic campus that felt very inclusive,” Carrie continued. An administrative assistant for a financial advisor, Carrie grew up worshiping at St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Byron Center.  Dustin is from Kentwood, attended Christ ian Schools and Kelloggsville Christian Reformed Church, and now works as a project manager for a software development company. Carrie and Dustin are happy with their decision and delighted that their children begin each school day with prayer. “They are immersed in the love of Christ each day at school,” said Carrie.  She revealed that her intuitive and curious youngsters frequently come home with questions about the Catholic faith that pleasantly surprise and challenge her.

Parishioner Profile: the Sennekers by Khue Dinh

In addition to the faith-focused environment provided at IHM, the Sennekers chose the welcoming and supportive spirit of the community because of the “open parish where we felt welcomed right away,” Carrie recalls.  Shortly after the move, Carrie quickly formed friendships with some other mothers by praying the rosary together on Friday mornings.  She loves this time in which she can mute everyday life and realize the power of prayer.  In addition, Carrie has found joy in cantoring occasional Masses and facilitating Gavin’s Cub Scout group as a Den Leader.  She hopes to partake in even more ministries within IHM parish in the coming years. Outside of Gavin and Reegan’s third and first grade studies, their days are filled with exciting extracurricular activities.  Gavin is learning guitar and fiddle, and Reegan lends her beautiful voice to the children’s choir.  Both children stay active playing soccer and basketball, and enjoy rock climbing at the YMCA.  Gavin is involved in Cub Scouts through IHM School, and Reegan is involved in American Heritage Girls, which Carrie hopes will one day form a group at our parish. “I would really like to see a group empowering our girls while encouraging them to grow in their faith, much the way we see Cub S c o u t s a n d B o y S c o u t s s u p p o r t i n g o u r boys. Growing up with strong roots in the Faith is difficult in today's society, but it is important,” Carrie explained. “IHM is helping us build a strong, lifelong foundation in the Faith that will be a stronghold for our kids for years to come.”   You can catch Carrie, Gavin and Reegan at the 11:00 Mass on Sunday mornings. Dustin attends Ada Bible Church at the Kentwood Campus.

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WATCH D.O.G.S. UNLEASHED AT IHM SCHOOL by Terry Moore

After Mike Thomasma became IHM’s principal in the fall of 2015 he was impressed with the school’s strong parental involvement. However, he noticed a preponderance of moms over dads coming into the school for various volunteer stints with IHM’s mostly female staff. “In fact, the only male interaction the students had during the school day was with either with myself or Fr. Troy,” said Thomasma.

Knowing that research demonstrates the value of positive male role models in a child’s educational, physical and spiritual development, Thomasma enrolled IHM in WATCH D.O.G.S., a national association that aims to increase male volunteers in schools. D.O.G.S. is an acronym for “Dads of Great Students” but actually grandfathers, uncles and other father-figures participate in the program. Last school year, nearly 400,000 men in more than 4,700 schools across 47 states volunteered at least one full day in the program. At IHM, more than 40 male role models have come forward.

What do these WATCH D.O.G.S do in a day? They begin in the school office where a day’s schedule is outlined and provided along with a designated tee-shirt to be worn for the day. Volunteers are then assigned to different classes for specific time periods and interact with students in a variety of ways. For some, it’s doing one-on-one tutoring or assisting small groups of students in a lesson plan. Other activities may include reading aloud to a class, playing word or math games, or working with flash cards.  D.O.G.S. also have the option of eating lunch with students as well as being a part of outdoor recess time. In any event, the day moves fast! A highlight of the day is when the volunteer has his photo taken with his children, grandchildren or nephews/nieces—to be placed later on the Wall of Fame outside the main office.  Reception to the program has been excellent. “The volunteers—dads, granddads and uncles alike—love being in the building and seeing all the wonderful ways that Christ is impacting our students,” said Thomasma. “And our students appreciate having them here to help them learn and play.” Before the day concludes for the volunteer, a short survey is taken about the program. Since its inception, 93% of participants “strongly recommend” WATCH D.O.G.S. to others. As far as it being a “rewarding experience,” it was also nearly unanimous. In terms of suggestions for improvement, several people mentioned “getting the word out.” Consider this article a small step in that direction. “Woof, woof!”

For more information about Watch D.O.G.S at IHM, call the School Office at 241-4633 or sign up online at SignUpGenius

Watch D.O.G. Charles Lott with his children Isabella, Collin and Olivia

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Where would Immaculate Heart of Mary School be today if not for a forward-thinking principal, pastor and trustees who established the Killgoar Foundation 30 years ago, along with generous donors who have supported it ever since? In 1987 IHM School Principal Mike Distelrath recognized that, beyond tuition and parish subsidy, IHM and other Catholic schools would need additional funding to keep Catholic education affordable and preserve it for future generations. Fr. Patrick Hollywood, OMI, the pastor at the time, agreed and formed a board of trustees to create an endowment fund. An endowment fund retains its principle in perpetuity and distributes only a portion of the interest earned. Initial funding for the Foundation came from the response of about 50 parishioners to a parish-wide mailing in 1987. In the intervening years, it has grown to approximately $4 million. Since the 1990s the Foundation has allocated nearly $2 million to our school, mostly in tuition assistance but also for program support (curricula, technology, etc.), professional staff development and other needs. Every dollar provided by the Foundation means reduced tuition for all school families. This school year, the Foundation has allocated approximately $185,000 to our school including tuition assistance that has opened the door to Catholic education for 88 students! Over the years most of the funding has provided tuition assistance to families who can’t afford to pay full tuition, an ongoing need since the economic downturn in the late 2000s. Foundation funding also supports programming, including updated curricula, new technology and staff professional development. Many parishioners, alumni and friends have generously contributed to the Foundation through a variety of ways over the years, including the monthly Killgoar collection, Electronic Funds Transfer, gifts in memory/honor of someone, designation of United Way or other corporate giving program donations, employer matching gifts, will/estate bequests and establishing scholarship funds within the Foundation.

Last year, the Foundation established the Saints Society whose members make a commitment of $65,000 to fund the entire cost of educating one IHM School student kindergarten through eighth grade. Commitments may be paid all at once, over time, through a will/estate gift or a combination of the latter two. All totaled, our 13 current Saints represent an investment of nearly $850,000 in Catholic education at IHM. The Killgoar Foundation plays a critical role in the opportunity for parish children to receive a Catholic education and to enjoy its lifelong benefits. If you would like more information about how you can support Catholic education at IHM through the Killgoar Foundation, please contact Ann Williams, Development Director, at 616-862-7911 or killgoarfoundation@ihmschoolgr.com.

In honor of their many years of support, Jerry and Patty Rohen received the Killogar Foundation’s 2017 Dutch VanderVeen Award at the February Winter Social.

The Killgoar Foundation – Celebrating 30 Years of Supporting Catholic Education

at Immaculate Heart of Mary School by Ann Williams

� by Eliza Brown

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When you hear the words “Catholic Central High School,” you may think of the brick building that has been standing on Sheldon Ave. S.E. for over sixty years. But this summer things are changing. Recently, Mr. Greg Deja, CC’s principal, introduced the student body, of which I am a member, to a major construction project that will start this summer. This is CC’s first capital campaign in about 30 years.

“The Greatest Gift Campaign” has a goal of $10 million. Due to the generous Catholic Central community, we are just $2 million away from meeting that lofty goal. The theme and goal of this campaign is Greater place, Greater people and the Greatest gift.

Among the things to be accomplished for a greater place are the addition of a third floor to the two-story North Building. The largest addition will be a new student center to replace the current cafeteria. This will be two floors and connect the Main and North buildings to each other so students will not have to walk outside during bad weather. With this student center, there will be improved seating and provide a place for students to study and use their free time in a productive manner. A new schedule will allow longer lunch periods and more schedule flexibility for students.

It is difficult for the people at CC to be any greater, but the Greatest Gift Campaign is showing just that.  Supporters are not only raising money for the school building, but helping raise money for students whose families cannot afford the full cost of tuition. This is the greatest gift. So far over $1 million has been raised for financial assistance and more than 41% of the student body has benefited by this generosity.

While there are going to be exciting physical changes to Catholic Central’s buildings, the inviting school environment will not change. Mrs. Jackie Stetson, our admissions director, is very busy with numerous inquires about our school. In fact,  at the beginning of our second semester this year, thirteen students transferred in from all over the Grand Rapids area, a significantly larger number than in past years.  During freshman orientation more and more students are shadowing and deciding to be a part of the Catholic Central community. In fact, the Greatest Gift Campaign has the goal of increasing enrollment to 800 students by 2020. As of right now, we are at about 650. There is a Spring Open House on April 20 for prospective students and anyone interested in seeing Catholic Central High School. Look for details in the church bulletin for times. There are many changes coming, but our faith remains constant. The student body attends Mass every Thursday morning, and our school chapel, renovated in 2012, is a quiet, reflective place for students to get away from the daily stresses high school can bring. The Catholic Central environment is unparalleled and supports every student that has graduated, is currently enrolled or aspires to be a future student.

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Deb Moore: IHM Parish Historian and Archivistby Ann Williams

America has its share of historians: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Stephen Ambrose, and David McCullough, to name a few, but how many parishes have their very own, homegrown historian and archivist? Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish is blessed that Deb Moore’s interest in history was sparked by her seventh grade teacher Sigrid VanderRoost. According to Deb, Miss VanderRoost’s description of the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas made history come alive and fired a curiosity about history–world, U.S., family and parish–that has yet to be quenched. Deb’s interest in history was further piqued by Jim Thrall, who taught history at Catholic Central, and Peter Schmidt at Western Michigan University, where Deb majored in history and minored in special education. Certified to teach history in grades K-9 as well as mentally impaired adults, Deb taught 33 years in the Grand Rapids Public Schools. She loved teaching, especially in the adult special education program that prepared students for jobs and everyday life skills. A member of IHM since she was a toddler, Deb’s first memory of IHM is Sr. Thomasine’s first grade class. Deb remembers that Sr. Thomasine was a stickler for detail who, at the end of the day, insisted that each of the five rows of 10 desks be lined up exactly with the floor tiles (yes, that’s 50 students in a classroom). Deb had been unofficially archiving pieces of parish history for some time when Fr. Joseph Ferraioli, the last Oblate to serve IHM Parish, officially appointed Deb parish historian in 1997. Two years later she wrote and published a history of IHM’s first 50 years that provides an in-depth look at how the parish came to be and grew into who we are today. IHM’s church architecture is well known to many people in Grand Rapids (“the ski slope church on Burton”). If you want to know how it came to be and what is behind the different architectural and artistic elements, ask Deb. She knows all of that and a whole lot more about our parish, its members and what makes it so special. Deb believes that knowing our history, whether parish, family or national, is very important. Not only does it give us an appreciation of who and what went before us and what sacrifices people made to assure a better life for us, but it also builds a sense of pride and community. Now retired from teaching, Deb has turned her love of history into a second career. Since 2003, she has documented the personal histories of individuals and families, creating invaluable records of “ordinary” lives. To date she has written some 60 personal life stories, as well as church and business histories. In addition she often speaks and teaches memoir writing classes in libraries, retirement homes and other places, encouraging her audiences to document their life stories for future generations. Deb herself is one of the reasons IHM is special. We will forever be grateful for the time and effort she has invested into making sure that our history is preserved and appreciated!

Note: Deb continues to collect and archive bits of parish history. If you have photos or other materials relevant to the parish, contact Deb (957-4264) to make sure they are archived and preserved.

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Parish Bulletin Board

KNIT ONE, PRAY TOO

IHM's prayer shawl ministry continues to provide prayer and comfort to those in need for numerous reasons. Our knitters prayerfully create the shawls which are blessed by Father Troy. Please contact Janet at the office if you know someone i n need ; t hey need no t be ou r parishioners. If you'd like to contribute, call Kathy Snyder at 292-2217.

SPRING HAPPY HOUR

We hope you can join us for the Women’s Guild Happy Hour on Wednesday, May 3 in the Heart & Hands Room. We’ll gather later than usual, at 7:30-9:30 P.M., to allow young mothers to put the kids to bed. Take a break from your busy schedule to connect with your friends and fellow parishioners over wine and appetizers. This is a fun, casual event; no RSVPs necessary. See you then!

SECOND BLEST RUMMAGE SALE

Here’s your one-a-year chance to clean out your attic, basement and closets! The Home and School Association will accept your used items at the front door of the gymnasium on April 19, 20 and 21. All proceeds go to IHM School and each year thousands of dollars are raised for our students through your generous donations. And, if you want to work the sale, helpers are always welcomed and appreciated!

SCOTT HAHN RETURNS TO IHM JUNE 24

Dr. Scott Hahn returns to IHM for coffee and conversation on Saturday, June 24.   The morning begins with a light continental breakfast.  Dr. Hahn will then speak about the importance of the Creed, the pivotal role the development of the Creed played in the formation of the early Church, and the role i t p lays in our wor ld today. Mark your calendar now for this popular event.

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1935 Plymouth Ave SEGrand Rapids MI 49506

LOOKING FOR WRITERS- If you want to write for The Heartbeat or have a story suggestion for the Summer 2017 issue, please contact Deb Moore djbmoore@comcast.net before June 15th.

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 13 Holy Thursday Mass, 7:00 PM 14 Good Friday Liturgy, 1:30 PM 15 Easter Vigil Mass, 8:00 PM 16 Easter Sunday Masses, 8:30 and 11:00 AM 18-20 Drop off your used goods at the IHM Gym 21-22 Second Best Rummage Sale, Gym

May 3 May Crowning Mass, 8:30 AM 3 Women’s Guild Happy Hour, 7:30-9:30 PM 6 First Communion Mass, 5:15 PM 13 IHM hosts Diocesan celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima- 5:15 Mass with Bishop Walkowiak, Procession, Reception 14 IHM Mass for Graduating Seniors, 11:00 AM 16 Catholic Central HS Graduation 29 Memorial Day- Parish Office closed 31 8th Grade Graduation Mass, 6:30 PM

June 1 Vacation Bible School registration begins 9 Last Day of School 24 Scott Hahn presentation on “The Creed,” 8:15 AM-noon Join us in the Gym for coffee and conversation

Did you know IHM has a Facebook page? Please “like us” on Immaculate Heart of Mary - Grand Rapids and follow all of our updates, postings and communications. We are just a click away!

Newsletter Staff

Editor Deb Moore

Contributors Eliza Brown Khue Dinh Deb Moore

Terry Moore Ann Williams

Proofreader Ann Williams

Stuffing Team Coordinator Vince Williams

Graphic Design Lauren Murphy

Download the MyParish app at no cost to your IOS or mobile device by going to the App Store or iTunes. Keep in touch all week with IHM updates, news, events and more. It’s a great faith-building resource.