LEAVES Website for Jan-Feb 2026 Issue
Excerpted from “Leaflets” column:
Dear Friends of LEAVES,
I don’t know if it’s the same with you, but I’m getting a little out of breath! I’m already trying to see where we will store all our Christmas decorations for the end of this new year, 2026. Where will you put this or that Christmas decoration, so you can use it again for this year? Where will you look for it? If you have not experienced this, good for you! There are so many places one can store Christmas decorations. It can really be hard to keep track of them, sometimes. I hope you can easily get them.
As we begin the New Year, let me first wish all of you Peace, Joy, Good Health, and many successful projects inspired by your love for the Lord and success in the use of all those gifts He has given you.
At this time many people talk about what resolutions they want to prioritize for this year. We often get together with friends and relatives and tell each other how long we kept our resolutions in mind or how short it was before we forgot all about them! Then our subject drifts away and we start talking about the Church and how things were done years ago. We usually get a good laugh about it. Then we start talking about the things we could change for the better. Of course all kinds of ideas come to mind. Some complain that nowadays we don’t hear much about what a good Catholic Church member could be. Or if we do, it is more a complaint than anything else. Could it be that we are more negative than we used to be?
Does the Church have many incentives to offer us? I have been thinking about that for a while this year and I started to look around. One thing struck me. That Sunday Bulletin which is handed to us at the door after Mass on Sunday, has quite a bit to offer. There is always some explanation about the feast we celebrate that particular Sunday. We can learn something new about that feast. We can also check out on the internet what they have to say about that feast, etc.
What about the activities taking place in the parish? The Friday Fish Fries to help the parish finance repairs on the roof of the church which is starting to leak. It could also help to pay the bills for heating the church in winter or for being able to install a cooling system for the church in summer. Empty bottle drives can assist certain activities that need a bit of financial help, etc.
Not long ago, I read in a Bulletin: “Our St. Vincent de Paul conference is holding a drive to get clothing for little children who would need some warm clothing, shoes, stockings, and mittens so they can safely play outside in the snow.”
Another time, there was a short article about Victor Frankl. He was a Jewish psychiatrist when the Nazis arrested him and jailed him in a concentration camp. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, he describes some of the sufferings the Jewish people endured in those camps., such as waiting to learn the fate of loved ones.
The pain of waiting also plagued the Jewish people in Jesus’ time. This pain affected them in various ways. Some lost hope, some lost faith, others simply watched and prayed. Then they heard Jesus tell them, “I have a proven way to your happiness.” Those who were listening to what Jesus had to say must have been surprised. What they heard sounded like strange ways of being happy.
Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Blessed are the gentle and meek.
Blessed are those who thirst for justice.
Blessed are those who learn to accept the sorrows and losses of life.
Blessed are the merciful and compassionate.
But after a while they became willing to “give their all” for Jesus. Although the Apostles ran away when Jesus was threatened with crucifixion, torture, and death, eventually the Holy Spirit gave them back their enthusiasm.
Is there a big gap between what you or I decide to do, and what you actually do? Take that to the Lord in prayer.
I could certainly go on and on and give other things we find in the Sunday Bulletin. These were just to give you some idea of what we can find. Check your parish Bulletin next Sunday. You might come up with quite a few surprises. Give it a try.
God bless you all – Fr. Michael Sheehy, c.m.m.
Excerpted from “Our Family Album”:
Roses Signal
Answer to Prayer
My long overdue donation is for a favor received. Last November I had to go in for an eye examination. As I walked to the clinic, I saw a pink cloth rose in the gutter. A sign?
Nonetheless, at the eye clinic, I had trouble reading the eye chart as my glasses were badly scratched. They were four years old. New glasses were prescribed.
What didn’t help matters was that I had to go in to renew my driver’s license. My badly scratched glasses didn’t help matters, so I had to take a form to the eye doctor.
Shortly thereafter, my glasses arrived. After leaving the optician, I walked to the bank a few blocks away. To my astonishment, at a boutique, I found rose petals scattered on the steps.
I went inside the store and told the owners about this. They had no idea how those rose petals ended up there. But I was told that I was welcome to them.
It wasn’t until I returned home that I laid out the rose petals to dry. There were about 68 petals – some somewhat crumpled, but recognizable. For reasons I can’t explain, my license did arrive, but not until almost mid-January.
I have prayed to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Ss. Therese, Ann, Philomena, Lucy, Odelia (for my eyes), Pio, Anthony and Jude, Bl. Solanus, Bl. Engelmar Unzeitig, and to a lone, deceased relative who was an ordained priest in a religious order.
I pray for my health. I am almost 67 and retired – Tim L.
St. Anthony Comes
Through Time and Again
St. Anthony has once again come through for me. In fact, he has come through twice within the past two weeks. While attending my grandson’s wedding in Athens, Georgia, I was unable to find my cellphone. After asking St. Anthony to intercede for me, I finally found it in the deep pocket of my purse.
The second time he helped me was after I arrived home late Monday evening. I was upset to discover a small pouch with my favorite rosary and extra cash was missing from my luggage. The next day I spent several hours looking for it. Finally, I wrote it off as a loss, thinking I had lost it at the place where we were staying. Lo and behold, one week to the day we arrived home, I found it all the way in the back of my sock drawer. I don’t recall putting it there, but Anthony found it for me.
I promised to double my donation so I have now sent it. Gratefully to Anthony and God – Judy B.
Mary, Mother of God
By Pope St. John Paul II
Hail Mary, Mother of Christ and of the Church!
Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope!
To your care I entrust the necessities of all families,
the joys of children,
the desires of the young,
the worries of adults,
the pain of the sick,
the serene old age of senior citizens!
I entrust to you the fidelity of your Son’s ministers,
the hope of all those preparing themselves for this ministry,
the joyous dedication of virgins in cloisters,
the prayer and concern of men and women religious,
the lives and the commitment of all those who work for Christ’s reign on earth. Amen.
[Jan. 1 is the Feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.]
Prayer for a Holy Heart
By St. Thomas More
Lord, grant me a holy heart that sees always what is fine and pure and is not frightened at the sight of sin, but creates order wherever it goes.
Grant me a heart that knows nothing of boredom, weeping, and sighing.
Let me not be too concerned with the bothersome thing I call “myself.”
Lord, give a sense of humor and I will find happiness in life and profit for others. Amen.
Prayer for
Justice and Peace
By Pope Pius XII
Almighty and eternal God,
May your grace enkindle in all of us a love for the many unfortunate people whom poverty and misery reduce to a condition of life unworthy of human beings.
Arouse in the hearts of those who call you Father a hunger and thirst for justice and peace, and for fraternal charity in deeds and in truth.
Grant, O Lord, peace in our days, peace in our souls, peace to our families, peace to our country, and peace among nations. Amen.
The Shadow of His Hand
By Margaret Peterson
Beneath God’s outstretched hand we walk
Each moment of the day –
In brightest days with skies of blue
Or when the sky is gray.
At times our souls may wonder why
The trials are so great,
Why plans, deep laid, can fall apart,
Why help can come too late.
No matter what may come to be,
God’s chart is not unplanned.
The shadows that we feel are caused
By His great outstretched hand.
Trust Him
Trust Him when dark doubts assail you;
Trust Him when our strength is small;
Trust Him when to simply trust Him seems the hardest thing of all;
Trust Him, He is ever faithful;
Trust Him for His will is best;
Trust Him for the heart of Jesus is the one place of rest;
Trust Him for then, through doubts and sunshine;
all your cares upon Him cast, till the storm of life is over and your trusting days are past.
Amen.
Savoring
By Bernice Laux
We can go through life
Looking, but not seeing;
We can go through life
Just existing, not being.
Let’s open our five senses
For all the things that are,
Savoring every sweet moment
From morning to evening star.
We go through life
And not smell the flowers,
And fail to see even the
Blessings in showers.
Let’s really be aware
Of things God has made:
From the mountains, the sea,
The sky and trees that shade.
Let’s see, hear, taste and
Touch everything well
While on the earth
We still dwell!
A Life of
Blessed Engelmar
There is available a booklet of the life of Bl. Engelmar Unzeitig, C.M.M. You may receive a free copy of it by sending a stamped (postage for one ounce), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.
+ + +
Jesus, with the help of Your Mother Mary, Bl. Engelmar Unzeitig’s faith grew stronger, his hope more sure, and his love more ardent in the concentration camp of Dachau. He became an intercessor for his own country and for the entire world.
Hear our prayers and grant what we ask through Bl. Engelmar’s intercession, so that You may be glorified in Your martyrs and saints. We ask this in Your name and in the name of all the martyrs of the 20th century. Amen.
(Whoever receives favors through the intercession of Bl. Engelmar is asked to report them to the following person: Postulator General, c/o Mariannhill Mission Society, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.)
Novena in Honor of
Abbot Francis Pfanner
Abbot Francis Pfanner founded Mariannhill Monastery, and 100 years ago its monks became the Congregation of Missionaries of Mariannhill. He was not only a great missionary, but also a holy man. The cause for his beatification has begun. We have available a novena in his honor and will send you a free copy of it when you send a stamped (postage for one ounce), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.
Excerpted from “Leaflets” column:
Dear Friends of LEAVES,
I don’t know if it’s the same with you, but I’m getting a little out of breath! I’m already trying to see where we will store all our Christmas decorations for the end of this new year, 2026. Where will you put this or that Christmas decoration, so you can use it again for this year? Where will you look for it? If you have not experienced this, good for you! There are so many places one can store Christmas decorations. It can really be hard to keep track of them, sometimes. I hope you can easily get them.
As we begin the New Year, let me first wish all of you Peace, Joy, Good Health, and many successful projects inspired by your love for the Lord and success in the use of all those gifts He has given you.
At this time many people talk about what resolutions they want to prioritize for this year. We often get together with friends and relatives and tell each other how long we kept our resolutions in mind or how short it was before we forgot all about them! Then our subject drifts away and we start talking about the Church and how things were done years ago. We usually get a good laugh about it. Then we start talking about the things we could change for the better. Of course all kinds of ideas come to mind. Some complain that nowadays we don’t hear much about what a good Catholic Church member could be. Or if we do, it is more a complaint than anything else. Could it be that we are more negative than we used to be?
Does the Church have many incentives to offer us? I have been thinking about that for a while this year and I started to look around. One thing struck me. That Sunday Bulletin which is handed to us at the door after Mass on Sunday, has quite a bit to offer. There is always some explanation about the feast we celebrate that particular Sunday. We can learn something new about that feast. We can also check out on the internet what they have to say about that feast, etc.
What about the activities taking place in the parish? The Friday Fish Fries to help the parish finance repairs on the roof of the church which is starting to leak. It could also help to pay the bills for heating the church in winter or for being able to install a cooling system for the church in summer. Empty bottle drives can assist certain activities that need a bit of financial help, etc.
Not long ago, I read in a Bulletin: “Our St. Vincent de Paul conference is holding a drive to get clothing for little children who would need some warm clothing, shoes, stockings, and mittens so they can safely play outside in the snow.”
Another time, there was a short article about Victor Frankl. He was a Jewish psychiatrist when the Nazis arrested him and jailed him in a concentration camp. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, he describes some of the sufferings the Jewish people endured in those camps., such as waiting to learn the fate of loved ones.
The pain of waiting also plagued the Jewish people in Jesus’ time. This pain affected them in various ways. Some lost hope, some lost faith, others simply watched and prayed. Then they heard Jesus tell them, “I have a proven way to your happiness.” Those who were listening to what Jesus had to say must have been surprised. What they heard sounded like strange ways of being happy.
Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Blessed are the gentle and meek.
Blessed are those who thirst for justice.
Blessed are those who learn to accept the sorrows and losses of life.
Blessed are the merciful and compassionate.
But after a while they became willing to “give their all” for Jesus. Although the Apostles ran away when Jesus was threatened with crucifixion, torture, and death, eventually the Holy Spirit gave them back their enthusiasm.
Is there a big gap between what you or I decide to do, and what you actually do? Take that to the Lord in prayer.
I could certainly go on and on and give other things we find in the Sunday Bulletin. These were just to give you some idea of what we can find. Check your parish Bulletin next Sunday. You might come up with quite a few surprises. Give it a try.
God bless you all – Fr. Michael Sheehy, c.m.m.
Excerpted from “Our Family Album”:
Roses Signal
Answer to Prayer
My long overdue donation is for a favor received. Last November I had to go in for an eye examination. As I walked to the clinic, I saw a pink cloth rose in the gutter. A sign?
Nonetheless, at the eye clinic, I had trouble reading the eye chart as my glasses were badly scratched. They were four years old. New glasses were prescribed.
What didn’t help matters was that I had to go in to renew my driver’s license. My badly scratched glasses didn’t help matters, so I had to take a form to the eye doctor.
Shortly thereafter, my glasses arrived. After leaving the optician, I walked to the bank a few blocks away. To my astonishment, at a boutique, I found rose petals scattered on the steps.
I went inside the store and told the owners about this. They had no idea how those rose petals ended up there. But I was told that I was welcome to them.
It wasn’t until I returned home that I laid out the rose petals to dry. There were about 68 petals – some somewhat crumpled, but recognizable. For reasons I can’t explain, my license did arrive, but not until almost mid-January.
I have prayed to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Ss. Therese, Ann, Philomena, Lucy, Odelia (for my eyes), Pio, Anthony and Jude, Bl. Solanus, Bl. Engelmar Unzeitig, and to a lone, deceased relative who was an ordained priest in a religious order.
I pray for my health. I am almost 67 and retired – Tim L.
St. Anthony Comes
Through Time and Again
St. Anthony has once again come through for me. In fact, he has come through twice within the past two weeks. While attending my grandson’s wedding in Athens, Georgia, I was unable to find my cellphone. After asking St. Anthony to intercede for me, I finally found it in the deep pocket of my purse.
The second time he helped me was after I arrived home late Monday evening. I was upset to discover a small pouch with my favorite rosary and extra cash was missing from my luggage. The next day I spent several hours looking for it. Finally, I wrote it off as a loss, thinking I had lost it at the place where we were staying. Lo and behold, one week to the day we arrived home, I found it all the way in the back of my sock drawer. I don’t recall putting it there, but Anthony found it for me.
I promised to double my donation so I have now sent it. Gratefully to Anthony and God – Judy B.
Mary, Mother of God
By Pope St. John Paul II
Hail Mary, Mother of Christ and of the Church!
Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope!
To your care I entrust the necessities of all families,
the joys of children,
the desires of the young,
the worries of adults,
the pain of the sick,
the serene old age of senior citizens!
I entrust to you the fidelity of your Son’s ministers,
the hope of all those preparing themselves for this ministry,
the joyous dedication of virgins in cloisters,
the prayer and concern of men and women religious,
the lives and the commitment of all those who work for Christ’s reign on earth. Amen.
[Jan. 1 is the Feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.]
Prayer for a Holy Heart
By St. Thomas More
Lord, grant me a holy heart that sees always what is fine and pure and is not frightened at the sight of sin, but creates order wherever it goes.
Grant me a heart that knows nothing of boredom, weeping, and sighing.
Let me not be too concerned with the bothersome thing I call “myself.”
Lord, give a sense of humor and I will find happiness in life and profit for others. Amen.
Prayer for
Justice and Peace
By Pope Pius XII
Almighty and eternal God,
May your grace enkindle in all of us a love for the many unfortunate people whom poverty and misery reduce to a condition of life unworthy of human beings.
Arouse in the hearts of those who call you Father a hunger and thirst for justice and peace, and for fraternal charity in deeds and in truth.
Grant, O Lord, peace in our days, peace in our souls, peace to our families, peace to our country, and peace among nations. Amen.
The Shadow of His Hand
By Margaret Peterson
Beneath God’s outstretched hand we walk
Each moment of the day –
In brightest days with skies of blue
Or when the sky is gray.
At times our souls may wonder why
The trials are so great,
Why plans, deep laid, can fall apart,
Why help can come too late.
No matter what may come to be,
God’s chart is not unplanned.
The shadows that we feel are caused
By His great outstretched hand.
Trust Him
Trust Him when dark doubts assail you;
Trust Him when our strength is small;
Trust Him when to simply trust Him seems the hardest thing of all;
Trust Him, He is ever faithful;
Trust Him for His will is best;
Trust Him for the heart of Jesus is the one place of rest;
Trust Him for then, through doubts and sunshine;
all your cares upon Him cast, till the storm of life is over and your trusting days are past.
Amen.
Savoring
By Bernice Laux
We can go through life
Looking, but not seeing;
We can go through life
Just existing, not being.
Let’s open our five senses
For all the things that are,
Savoring every sweet moment
From morning to evening star.
We go through life
And not smell the flowers,
And fail to see even the
Blessings in showers.
Let’s really be aware
Of things God has made:
From the mountains, the sea,
The sky and trees that shade.
Let’s see, hear, taste and
Touch everything well
While on the earth
We still dwell!
A Life of
Blessed Engelmar
There is available a booklet of the life of Bl. Engelmar Unzeitig, C.M.M. You may receive a free copy of it by sending a stamped (postage for one ounce), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.
+ + +
Jesus, with the help of Your Mother Mary, Bl. Engelmar Unzeitig’s faith grew stronger, his hope more sure, and his love more ardent in the concentration camp of Dachau. He became an intercessor for his own country and for the entire world.
Hear our prayers and grant what we ask through Bl. Engelmar’s intercession, so that You may be glorified in Your martyrs and saints. We ask this in Your name and in the name of all the martyrs of the 20th century. Amen.
(Whoever receives favors through the intercession of Bl. Engelmar is asked to report them to the following person: Postulator General, c/o Mariannhill Mission Society, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.)
Novena in Honor of
Abbot Francis Pfanner
Abbot Francis Pfanner founded Mariannhill Monastery, and 100 years ago its monks became the Congregation of Missionaries of Mariannhill. He was not only a great missionary, but also a holy man. The cause for his beatification has begun. We have available a novena in his honor and will send you a free copy of it when you send a stamped (postage for one ounce), self-addressed envelope to us at: LEAVES, P.O. Box 87, Dearborn, MI 48121-0087.