Author: bryan
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
Bryan Tuck Family (L-R) Patrick 13, Elaina 11, Juliann, Jacob 6, Bryan, Rebecca 8 & Maria 14. Missing, Addison 23, Andrea 19.
Bryan & Juliann Tuck from Cedar Springs, Michigan are taking over the day-to-day operations of the Marian Center. Their training begins December 7, 2009!
They were officially introduced by Joshua Mercer at the 18th Annual Marian Conference held at Boyne Mountain Resort on October 16-18, 2009.
A free forty-five minute recording of Joshua Mercer and Bryan & Juliann Tuck’s announcement from the Marian Conference can be heard by clicking here.
*The name of Alex Jones is mentioned in Bryan and Juliann’ s talk. The forward to Alex’s book, “No Price to High”, was written by Steven Ray and can be accessed by clicking here.
“We are very grateful for the most kind welcome we received from the faithful at the Marian Conference. Our calling to this important Apostolate is definitely the work of the Holy Spirit. We just need to hang on and enjoy the ride! We place our complete trust in Jesus and His Blessed Mother, we count on the heavenly intercession of Barb Smith, and we move forward with great excitement and anticipation to the holy mission before us!”
Bryan and Juliann Tuck
