It was an extremely difficult letter to write. Bishop Robert Gruss recently shared a story about forgiveness and the letter he wrote to his father decades ago. He told the story after First Friday Mass at the Cathedral on April 5. "It all surfaced on a five day retreat while in the seminary in Rome," said Bishop Gruss. "To make a long story short, I wrote a letter to my father sharing with him my feelings, my hurts, my anger, all the while reaffirming my love for him in spite of the disease of alcoholism. "I told him that I forgave him and in turn, I asked him for forgiveness for any time I ..read more

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Part five of six mission values that send us out carrying the Gospel into the world Being docile to the Holy Spirit is the only way we can accomplish the works of God and the mission of Jesus. We are to use His grace and do His works for His glory, no matter what the world may think or say about us. This is the work of a true disciple of Jesus. Bishop Gruss: We must be authentically human (Week 4) Bishop Gruss: Do you have unshakeable confidence in the Lordship of Jesus? (Week 3) Bishop Gruss: God has set us apart for his work (Week 2) Bishop Gruss: Be ambitious for God and his kingdom! (Week ..read more

To be authentically human means we are not afraid to be vulnerable.   We are in touch with our humanity and are honest about who we are and what we stand for. We are vulnerable when we put ourselves out there beyond what is safe, familiar, and comfortable.   In doing so, we open ourselves up to the possibility of being wounded. Wasn’t this the way of Jesus?   This is part four of six mission values that send us out carrying the Gospel into the world  ..read more

On Friday, March 1, faithful gathered at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption for the monthly First Friday gathering. Don Buchalski, Coordinator of Evangelization for the Diocese of Saginaw gave a presentation about the Synod of Bishops, focusing on findings from local listening sessions, writings from Pope Francis and more.   “Perhaps my main takeaway from leading the Synod effort in our Diocese is how important listening is,” said Buchalski.   “People want to share their story and tell us what their concerns are. In his writings related to the Synod, Pope Francis wants us to und ..read more

Do you have unshakeable confidence in the Lordship of Jesus? Do we have unshakeable confidence in the person who desires to bring healing, love and mercy to the world and who came to earth to rescue us from sin and death, the Evil One and his minions? Is this our experience? Perhaps some might begin with the question, “Who is Jesus?” Or, I might ask you the question, “Who is Jesus for you?” This is part three of six mission values that send us out carrying the Gospel into the world ..read more

God wants his world back. In light of this, let me share with you three  fundamental convictions – the world is crying, the Church is crying, and you are not alive by chance, you were born for this time. Let me ask you.  Do you believe that God has created you and put you on this earth for a specific purpose, with a specific mission for Him?  And, if so, are you and I living as if this is the case? You and I have been born for this time in history, as were the apostles and disciples of the early church born for their time in history. . . This is part two of six in which Bisho ..read more

Bishop Gruss: Thanks for joining me on this journey through our “Mission Values.” As I mentioned in the last session, these mission values bring clarity to how we are to behave as Catholic individuals and as a Church sent on mission. In these six reflections, we will be looking at one per week. Obviously much can be shared about each of them, but with the limited time for these reflections, I can only touch the surface. But hopefully we will all receive something from the Lord to think and pray about in our own lives. Let’s begin with the first mission value – Be ambitious for God and his ki ..read more

Bishop Gruss: Thanks for joining me on this journey through our “Mission Values.” As I mentioned in the last session, these mission values bring clarity to how we are to behave as Catholic individuals and as a Church sent on mission. In these six reflections, we will be looking at one per week. Obviously much can be shared about each of them, but with the limited time for these reflections, I can only touch the surface. But hopefully we will all receive something from the Lord to think and pray about in our own lives. Let’s begin with the first mission value – Be ambitious for God and his ki ..read more