God willing, I might become a deacon by the summer of 2011 and possibly a priest for the diocese of Gaylord by the Advent/Christmas Season of 2011.

Over the past twenty-six years of my life, I have been blessed by the Catholic Church to learn about prayer, charity, and pastoral counseling through the Archdiocese of Chicago.  For the past seven years of my seminary training in Chicago, the Holy Spirit has challenged me to deny myself, pickup my cross, and to follow Jesus, who is the WAY, TRUTH, and LIFE.  Between educating young families about the importance of Catholic education and offering spiritual support to those who are seeking moral guidance from Jesus and His Church, the Holy Spirit has encouraged me to keep following my heart to the altar of Jesus as a future priest.  As I continue to discern the call to priesthood for the diocese of Gaylord, I hope and pray that my lay apostolic ministry at St. Francis Xavier in Petoskey will somehow inspire all ages of faith to grow deeper in holiness to always love and serve the Lord above and beyond our limited capacities.

Sincerely

Joseph T. Ortega

On January 27, 2010, the Board of Directors of the Marian Center enthusiastically voted to take the Marian Center off the real estate market!

With prayers answered and hopes for the Center running high, Josh, Lori, Bryan and Julie proposed that the Center be taken off the market. Our generous donors and volunteers now know that if we all work together, we can make the Marian Center a place for people to have their faith enriched for many years to come. Praise God!

Planning Continues for the 19th Annual Marian Conference October 15-17 at Boyne Mountain Resort

Bishop Alexander Sample Diocese of Marquette

Bishop Bernard Hebda Diocese of Gaylord

In addition to the already strong line up of speakers including Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Mark Shea and Fr. Ben Luedtke, we are privileged to have as the Main Celebrants of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: Fr. Dennis Stilwell from St. Francis Xavier in Petoskey (7:00 pm Friday, October 15th), His Excellency Bishop Alexander Sample, Bishop the Diocese of Marquette (2:00 pm, Saturday, October 16th) and the newly appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, His Excellency Bernard Hebda will celebrate Holy Mass at 10:30 am, Sunday, October 17th.

We will be posting additional information on this website and at www.marianconference.org as it becomes available.

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Father Mitch Pacwa (EWTN)

Mark Shea

Father Ben Luedtke

During the Angelus on Sunday, January 24, 2010, Pope Benedict addressed the faithful from his study window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, and reflected on the various charisms in the Church. Before the Marian prayer, he quoted an excerpt of the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, from Sunday’s liturgy, in which the Apostle compares the Church to the human body.

“The Church,” the Holy Father explained, “is conceived like a body of which Christ is the Head, and it forms a united whole with Him. “However,” he added, “what the Apostle is seeking to communicate is the idea of unity in the multiplicity of charisms, which are gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thanks to these charisms the Church is a rich and living non-uniform organism, fruit of the one Spirit Who leads everyone to profound unity, absorbing diversities without eradicating them and creating a harmonious whole.” The Church, explained the Holy Father, “prolongs the presence of the risen Lord over history, especially through the Sacraments, the Word of God, the charisms and pastoral ministry in the community. Therefore, it is precisely in Christ and in the Spirit that the Church is one and holy; in other words, an intimate communion which transcends human capacities and supports them.”

Benedict XVI then turned to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which ends Monday, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, when the Pope will preside at Vespers in the basilica of St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls, with representatives of other Churches and Christian communities present in Rome. “We will,” said the Pope, “invoke from God the gift of the full unity of all Christ’s disciples” because “the communion of Christians … makes the announcement of the Gospel more credible and effective.”
He closed with words about St. Francis of Sales, patron of journalists, whose feast day was Sunday. St. Francis, he said, taught that “the call to sanctity is addressed to everyone, and that each has his or her place in the Church.”
(Source: Joan’s Rome; January 25, 2010)

Map & Directions

BENEDICT XVI TO PRESIDE AT VESPERS IN ST. PAUL’S BASILICA

VATICAN CITY, 19 JAN 2010 (VIS) – A communique released today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff announces that in the Roman basilica of St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls on Monday 25 January, the Holy Father will preside at the celebration of second Vespers of the Solemnity of the Conversion of St. Paul, for the closing of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the theme of which this year is: “You are witnesses of these things”.

The celebration will be attended by representatives from other Churches and Christian communities present in Rome.

OCL/VESPERS CHRISTIAN UNITY/…

Praise be to God! We had a wonderful turnout for Sister Gabriel’s talk on January 13. Approximately 50 people were in attendance! The Grotto to the Archangels was alight again to welcome them to the Marian Center!

It was a very informal evening which began with Sister Gabriel leading the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It was absolutely beautiful to hear the prayers rising up to God again in the chapel that has been much to quiet! I said that if I had died that night, I would have went in peace; it was that awesome.

Sister Gabriel went right into her vocation story telling us that her Aunt Barb (Smith) was one of her greatest inspirations in her path to the religious life. She said that she felt very called to come to the Marian Center. Sister encouraged everyone to keep Barb’s mission alive by sharing their gifts and talents for the glory of God. She said that “it is one thing to say you are Catholic and another thing to be Catholic”.

Josh Mercer (with a little help from tiny Charles Mercer) then encouraged everyone in attendance to pray and fast for the earthquake stricken people of Haiti.

Bryan and I spoke briefly, reiterating the fact that we do not know exactly why God sent us to the Marian Center, but we know He has a plan in mind. We have already seen wonderful things happening here at the Center, with this evenings event showing us that God is working, and He is generous!

The evening concluded with a fun reception! Thank you very much to all who attended! What a great start to what we are sure will be a great year here at the Marian Center.

Julie Tuck

Delayed one day because of snow, the Tuck family officially moved to the Marian Center grounds on December 6. After making a path through the boxes in our new home, we got right to work at the Center! Bryan has an office in the Center, and he quickly got his computers up and running (with minor troubles!) so he could get his business running. He is working his own graphic design business (Design of the Times, Inc. and his dba Crown 12 Media) along with getting up to speed on the Marian Center operation.

The younger children started school at St. Francis Xavier in Petoskey, and they were warmly welcomed. Our 8 year old, Rebecca Therese, was making a play date with a new friend when I picked her up on the very first day! Maria (age 14) is at Petoskey High School. She has only had 2 days so far due to the snow days off, and she is still finding all the things that are different here. Hopefully she will make a new friend soon to help her feel more comfortable.

Lori and Josh’s girls, Annie and Maggie, like our children very much, but they are not so sure about Bryan and I! They are precious, and little Charlie has the cutest smile! Josh has been very busy with his job with Catholic Vote, and Lori is a very busy mother. Lori’s brother, Alan, his wife Renee and their four boys, were up last weekend for their family Christmas. Our six year old, Jacob was happy to have some little boys to play with!

As you can imagine, it is quite a transition to make. As we turn to our thoughts to God in prayer, we are reminded to take one day at a time, continuing to trust in Him.

The store looked festive for the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and we met some nice people came to take advantage of our 12% off sale! We can see that being out of town in the winter is a disadvantage up here, as it has been snowing almost nonstop since we got here! (except for the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe which was a bright, sunny day!) We hope people will shop at St. Joseph’s Catholic Books and Gifts online at www.stjosephbooks.com! Available 24 hours a day!!

We are working this winter on cleaning and organizing the Center. We are focusing on getting more online business for the store, getting a brochure together, and investigating the possibility of having some camping this summer at the Center.

Please continue to pray for God’s will for the Center to be revealed to us, for our children’s transition, and for all of us here at the Marian Center. Thank you, and God Bless all of you, the Marian Center’s wonderful family near and far!

Julie Tuck

Bishop Bernard Hebda - 4th Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord

Bishop Elect Bernard Hebda was ordained as the 4th Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord on December 1st 2009 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Gaylord.

Pope Benedict XVI named the Rev. Monsignor Bernard A. Hebda as the new bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord on Oct. 7. At the time, Bishop-elect Hebda, 50, was serving as undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts at the Vatican. He succeeds Bishop Patrick R. Cooney who has led the diocese for the past 20 years. (PetoskeyNews.com)

Mark Your Calendars: October 15-17, 2010

Planning for the 19th Annual Marian Conference held at Boyne Mountain is underway. “We are excited about the faith opportunities that this conference has to offer,” says Bryan Tuck, new Co-Director of the Marian Conference. “Josh has already started to build an exceptional line-up of inspirational speakers including, already confirmed, Father Mitch Pacwa (EWTN), Mark Shea and Fr. Ben Luedtke.”

Father Mitch Pacwa (EWTN)

Mark Shea

Father Ben Luedtke