On Monday morning we drove about an hour from Grand Rapids to Lansing, Michigan and were greeted by the rector Msgr. Bernard Reilly. We arrived shortly before the 12:05 pm Mass at St. Mary Cathedral Parish.
Fr. West had the opportunity to give a brief homily about the From Ocean to Ocean Pilgrimage in Defense of Life and invite people to come to a holy hour in the evening. Many state workers from nearby State Capitol regularly attend the Mass during their lunch hour.
We had dinner with the priests on staff at St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish. Later in the evening Fr. West led a Holy Hour in the presence of the icon. The high profile of St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish promoted the presence of the Black Madonna’s visit to Lansing.
There was an 8:00 am mass the following morning. Fr. Peter concelebrated mass with Msgr. George Michalek. This commuter mass had many in attendance. Fr. West gave a homily that included a good overview of the icon while keeping on track for the time usually given for a commuter mass. It was a pleasant surprise for those attending the morning mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral to be visited by the Black Madonna..
After mass we carried the Black Madonna to her vehicle preparing to leave St. Mary’s Cathedral.
We prayed at an abortuary called Woman Care in Lansing before moving on to our next destination. We placed the Black Madonna in our midst as Fr. West lead the group in praying the rosary for an end to abortion.
We went to the next prayer vigil in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There we met Chris’ friend Midori who he knew through his work of promoting Bl. Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. We met Midori and others at a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil in front of Planned Parenthood. We found out that Midori is a Polish descendant and she was touched by the presence of the Black Madonna. Afterwards a few other people joined us for the prayer vigil in front of Planned Parenthood among whom were a deacon and his wife.
Chris Morales