Catholic Calendar

PAULIST FATHERS CELEBRATE 75 YEARS OF MINISTRY TO WEST MICHIGAN

 Grand Rapids, Michigan —The Catholic Information Center (CIC) and the Paulist Fathers will wrap up their 75^th anniversary year of ministry to the people of West Michigan with a spring celebration. The event will take place on Friday, May 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the Catholic Information Center (360 Division Ave. S., Grand Rapids). This party culminates a year-long celebration that started in July 2022 with a special Mass marking the arrival of the Paulist Fathers to the area in 1947.

The public is welcome to join Paulist President Rev. René Constanza CSP, Bishop David Walkowiak of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Paulist and diocesan priests, program alumni and long-time friends of the Paulist Fathers at the event.

For 75 years the Paulist Fathers and the people of the Catholic Information Center have been spreading the Gospel in West Michigan. From its first location on Monroe Street, to Ionia Avenue, and now at Cathedral Square Center, the Catholic Information Center has brought the heart of the Paulist mission to main street! Through the CIC and its programming, the Paulist Fathers have made it possible for countless numbers of people to become baptized and make a full profession of faith in the Catholic Church.

Over the years, the Paulist Fathers and the staff at the Center have served not only Catholics but have also built relationships with other faith traditions, and expanded programming that tackles some of today’s tough issues such as environmental responsibility, immigration, racism and toxic polarization. “The Paulist Fathers have made a resolution in fostering harmony, having committed to addressing toxic polarization in our society and Church. Here at the Center, we are creating opportunities for encounter and dialogue at the intersection of faith and life in the effort to address toxic polarization,” said Mark Mann, director of programming and institutes at the CIC.

The move to Cathedral Square Center in 2008 provided the CIC with a state-of-the-art facility and the equipment needed to livestream and record sessions for online viewing. This enabled the Center to expand its reach to people across the U.S. This increased use of digital technology was extremely valuable during the pandemic and enabled the CIC to continue offering programs that helped connect people even when they were physically apart.

Paulist Father Dat Tran, CSP, executive director of the CIC, calls it “the hidden gem in the Diocese, a very vibrant place that offers some kind of class or program for everyone.” He encourages everyone in West Michigan to visit the Catholic Information Center to “take advantage of the programs, classes and materials available to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.”

Tickets for the spring celebration event are $25 and can be purchased on the Catholic Information Center’s Website catholicinformationcenter.org Sponsorship opportunities are also available.