Welcome to Our Lady of Grace Parish
a merged parish of St. Agnes-Sanford, St. Anne-Edenville & St. Philip Neri-Coleman
Office: 2500 N. West River Rd. + Sanford, MI 48657 + 989-687-5657
Welcome
Welcome! Whether you are a visitor or new to our parish, interested in becoming Catholic, seeking to return to the practice of your faith, or an active member of our parish, we are pleased that you have come to our website and we will do all that we can to assist you.
If you cannot find the information that you are seeking on this website, please call our parish office at 989-687-5657 during office hours, Mon-Fri from 8:00am-4:30pm, or email us at marcia.kosnik@ourladyofgracemi.org and we will make every effort to help you
Please join us on the weekend for Mass. We would love to meet you in person.
God bless you! We hope to see you soon!
Online Giving is a web-based offertory solution that allows parishioners and visitors the opportunity to make donations, payments and pledges electronically from any location at any time.
New Office Hours
Monday-Thursday: 9:00am-2:00pm
Friday: 9:00am-12:00pm
Now offering a Online Book Study on Facebook
Join us for an online book study group, Come, Let Us Read. We’ll take a leisurely stroll through an interesting book, combined with casual discussion in a private Facebook group. Our first book is Everyday Evangelism for Catholics: A Practical Guide to Spreading the Faith in a Contemporary World by Cathy Duffy. It can be purchased on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle, and can also be found on several Catholic book sites.
If interested, please let me know! Purchase your book and find us on Facebook. Simply do a search for Come, Let Us Read, or click HERE. We will begin our study on July 18th. This study is offered through Our Lady of Grace Adult Education and hosted by Pat Sell, a parishioner and cradle Catholic who left the Church as a youth and spent 40 years in the Protestant world, coming home to the Catholic faith five years ago. For questions, please contact Pat at: pat.sell@ymail.com
Job opportunity - Full Time Music Minister at Our Lady of Grace Parish
The Music Minister is responsible for the planning and execution of the Parish’s music program, especially the liturgical music used at the Sunday and Holy Day Masses, funerals, weddings and other celebrations. The Music Minister reviews all liturgical music programs, procedures, and budgets for parish music programs in close collaboration with the pastor, the Liturgy Coordinator and the Worship Commission. The Music Minister will recruit and rehearse parish volunteer choirs. This person will be someone who can form, train and foster an appreciation and understanding of sacred music at the parish.
Details on how to apply for this position and the full job description can be found on the Saginaw Diocese website at
https://saginaw.org/employment/our-lady-grace-parish/music-minister
Masses have resumed at Our Lady of Grace
Bishop Gruss stated, "We believe that the spiritual life of people is an essential element to life, and therefore, it is time to begin to gradually open this part of society for the communal celebration of the Holy Eucharist,” To read the entire message, click HERE
Therefore, Masses have resumed at Our Lady of Grace with some restrictions. Please note that while the M-30 bridge is out, the Saturday evening Mass will be held at St. Agnes in Sanford. A Mass will be offered at St. Anne on Wednesdays at noon. The schedule is as follows:
- Tuesday - Friday Mass at 9:00am @ St. Agnes
- Saturday Mass at 5:00pm @ St. Agnes
- Sunday Mass at 8:30am and 11:00am @ St. Agnes
- Wednesday Mass at 12:00noon @ St. Anne
Confessions will be held on Saturdays from 3:00pm-4:30pm @St. Agnes
We are asking that everyone please be patient with us as we navigate through these next few weeks. Many of these decisions are out of our control.
As much as we want to gather everyone together for the celebration of Mass, we also have a duty to protect the life of our parishioners. With that said, to maintain the social distancing guidelines, the church can only hold 25% capacity which for us is about 125 people.
The guidelines are as follows
- Attendance is on a first come first serve basis. Once we reach 125 people, you will be asked to attend a different Mass.
- Doors will open at 8:00am and 10:30am on Sunday to allow for disinfection of pews.
- Please enter through the main vestibule (2nd door from West River Rd)
- Face masks must be worn for everyone over the age of 2. If you forget a mask, one will be provided.
- People will have to sit 6 feet apart with the exception of families.
- Communion will be distributed at the end of Mass, after which everyone is asked to exit the church. This will allow us time to disinfect the church prior to the next Mass.
- Communion from the Cup is temporarily suspended. We ask that when receiving communion, you consider receiving in your hands.
Please keep in mind that all of these changes are temporary.
Bishop Gruss grants dispensation through Aug. 30
The dispensation from the Sunday obligation to attend Mass is granted to all the faithful through Sunday, August 30, 2020.
Bishop Gruss has asked that everyone use their own discretion when attending Mass. Anyone with a compromised health condition and/or caring for the sick in any way, are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and should stay home.
Although all the faithful are dispensed from their Sunday obligation to attend Mass, they are strongly encouraged to participate in a live-streamed or televised Mass and make a spiritual communion. It is important to keep holy the Lord’s Day in some intentional way – spending time in prayer, reading the Sacred Scriptures, meditating on the Lord’s suffering, death and resurrection, or participating a spiritual or corporal work of mercy.
GRIEF SUPPORT DURING COVID-19: As we continue to see how our lives are ever changing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are realizing the wide reaching impact it has had on every part of our lives. We at Our Lady of Grace have recognized the need to enhance our grief support to those who have suffered the death of a loved one during this time of crisis, whether the death was caused by the virus or by any other means. Compassionate Companions Ministry which was developed by the Office of Respect Life at the Diocese of Saginaw is in response to these difficult and challenging times. This ministry offers a loving and a listening presence to the families of those that have recently died, through phone calls, emails and eventually in person visits. If you or a loved one is in need of someone to talk to we invite you to call, Laura Scheibert at 989-687-5657x2. In addition, if you are interested in participating in this ministry to provide support to those in need, please call contact number above for more information.
Sign up for weekly digital bulletins
Do you want to stay informed on what is happening in our Parish? Sign up for a weekly digital bulletin. Sign-up is free! When searching for the bulletin, type Our Lady of Grace, Sanford 48657
Pope Francis' prayer to Our Blessed Mother
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us:He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test – and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Let the Church always be a place of Mercy and Hope,
where everyone is Welcomed, Loved and Forgiven.
- Pope Francis