Historic Old St. Patrick Catholic Church in Ann Arbor was the venue for the Michigan Area’s May 4 First Saturday, attended by 20 members of the Order and their guests.

Marcia McBrien, DM, led the Rosary. The Mass readings were proclaimed by Donna Nelson, DM, and Auxiliary David Hocker. Mass was celebrated by Rev. Thomas Wasilewski, pastor of St. Patrick’s. Following Mass, Charlie Carter, KM, led the members of the Order in the Order’s Daily Prayer.

Michael Bonventre, KM, and Sue Bonventre, DM, who are members of the Michigan Area’s Hospitality Ministry, provided breakfast after Mass. Lectio Divina followed, led by journalist and author Peggy Stanton, DM, whose most recent book, Order of Malta Minutes with the Catechism: A Pocket Guide to the Catechism, is based on her syndicated radio program “Order of Malta Minute with the Catechism.”

Old St. Patrick is the oldest English-speaking Catholic church in the state of Michigan, tracing its origins to the spring of 1831. Legend has it that, to raise money for a new church in 1875, the pastor set up two collection boxes, one for German parishioners and the other for the Irish. If the Irish box contained more money, the church would be called St. Patrick, but if the German box held more, it would be called St. Joseph. According to parish lore, the Irish won partly because many German men were married to Irish wives who controlled household spending! 

Also at the May 4 event, John Juriga, KM, and Auxiliary Sean Shriner collected sandwiches, bottled water, bags of chips, and snack bars for the “Into the Fire Ministry,” which takes food, clothing, and other supplies to Detroit’s homeless. The food was provided by Carolyn Andree, DM; John Juriga; Marcia McBrien, DM; and Chris Rutkowski, KM. John and Sean later distributed about 100 sack lunches to people living on the street in Detroit. 

Upcoming Michigan Area activities include preparing and serving lunch at the St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen in Detroit on May 10. Also, a special series of virtual monthly classes in eschatology, led by Fr. Dan Kennedy, SJ, of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, begins May 14. The first meeting will be hybrid, with the option of in-person attendance at the school or virtual attendance.

The Michigan Area continues to hold its monthly Community Mass and dinner; on May 18, members and their families will meet for the Saturday Vigil Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Dearborn, followed by dinner at La Pita.

June will be an especially busy month for the Michigan Area:

• June 1, First Saturday at St. Owen Catholic Church, Bloomfield Hills; opportunity to volunteer with “Into the Fire” ministry follows.
• June 2, Corpus Christi Mass and Eucharistic Procession, Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit.
• June 14, Order of Malta volunteers serving at St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen, Detroit.
• June 18, second class in eschatology with Fr. Dan Kennedy (virtual only).
• June 23, Feast Day of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Mass and Annual Meeting Brunch, University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, Detroit.
• June 28, Order of Malta volunteers serving at St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen, Detroit.

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