Upcoming Events

Lenten Series

St. Philip
St. Philip
St. Philip
St. Philip
St. Philip

Fr. John Fleckenstein, V.E. Pastor + Fr. Harold Potter, Parochial Vicar

112 Capital Avenue NE, Battle Creek, Michigan 49017

Mass: Sat. 4:30pm, Sun. 9:00am & 11:30am Daily Mass 8:00am

Reconciliation: Sat. 3pm, Sun. 8:15am and 10:15am

Holy Days and Special Events

We are part of the Kalamazoo Diocese and we have been here in Battle Creek since 1879. Fr. John Fleckenstein is our pastor. Here you will find the latest news and information about our parish family.

Learn more about... Celebrating Our Traditions

Listen to... Weekly Homily

_______________________________________________

The entire life and death of Saint Philip is detailed in our parish emblem. Like a family crest the St. Philip medallion and staff represent a heritage of discipleship passed on to us through the life of St. Philip the Apostle. As a parish family we are invited through our patron Saints’ intercession and example to embody as he did; a life poured out for the Gospel.

St. Philip Church Logo

The foundation of our emblem is symbolic of an ostensorium or monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament, this glass container is used to display the Heavenly Host for Eucharistic Adoration. Its usage in the emblem is meant to stress our deep rooting in the Eucharistic Christ. The word Eucharist is derived from Greek eukharistiā, from eukharistos, which is to be grateful or thankful. As a parish community we strive to begin all things with gratitude and praise. This Eucharistic symbol is stained red with the blood shed for us through Jesus Christ and emulated by St. Philip’s martyrdom. Golden laurel leaves crown this symbol representing Philip’s Sainthood, connecting us to the “Church Triumphant”, and the hope that awaits us.

Expressing ourselves as the fruit of such sacrifice we gather and serve as “Church Militant” under his name, professing Jesus Christ Crucified in all we do and inviting others into the new life born of this death and resurrection, rendering true Tertullian’s words that "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church!".

Four symbols separated by a Latin cross rest upon this bed of sacrifice, each detailing the life and fruit of our patron’s devotion. Standing by Jesus’ side, he was present for the miracle of the multiplication of the fish and loaves. It was to Philip, before the miraculous feeding of the multitude, that Jesus posed the question: "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" to which the Apostle answers: "Two hundred penny-worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little". What he he didn’t understand about faith and trust before Jesus’s death and resurrection, he would later embody in his discipleship and death through a total abandonment to God’s divine providence.

After Jesus’ death, St. Philip traveled into Asia Minor with a stave topped with a small Latin cross in one hand and the scrolls of the gospel in the other, professing the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The cross represents faith, the first of the three theological virtues. He carried this cross just as Christ carried The Cross of all sin to calvary. Later, while evangelizing in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) he carried his cross to his own Cavalry when he was crucified upside down, requesting like Peter this upside down crucifixion to show his inequality to suffer the same death as Jesus his Master.

Thus began the centuries of disciples born out of the life and sacrifice of St. Philip. By 1863, a sprout of this sacrifice was forged by a community of “mostly Irish and German Catholics who had settled in this rapidly growing industrial town of Battle Creek, MI. Traveling in from the ports of Quebec and New York via the Michigan Central Railway, many were semi-literate, hardy survivors of both a harsh agricultural life and a maritime ordeal, imbued with a desire to prosper and a devotion to their suppressed culture and faith.”

Across the middle of the stave is a banner carrying a message, scribed in Latin, extending the invitation of St. Philip’s words to Nathaniel beckoning him to “Come and see” the face of the Messiah. This expression enthusiastically responds to Pope Benedict XVI’s call for a New Evangelization, as we invite our brothers and sisters to “Come and See” our Eucharistic Lord.

In this effort we call out to St. Philip for his intercession as our model in fighting the evil of our day with prayer and fasting. His work of mercy was so effective that he is often pictured and coined as having slayed the paganism of the time as with a “spear” of prayer. And so, it is appropriate that our emblem rests on the spearhead of prayer and fasting.

 

1 St. Philip, a Memior, Carl Davidson

 

 





With St. Philip as our patron and heavenly intercessor we, the parish family of St. Philip Catholic Church of Battle Creek, MI, are a community centered in the Eucharistic Christ. Together we strive to live in constant conversion, invitation, and prayerful anticipation of the heavenly kingdom that awaits us.

As a community we echo the words and life of our patron St. Philip the Apostle:

Constant Conversion (RENEW FAITH):
We are perpetually called deeper and deeper into the mystery of our merciful Lord:
  • St. Philip the Apostle had a personal relationship with Jesus. It was Philip who said, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14.8-9) Though he didn’t see clearly who Jesus was, he remained with Him through His life, Death and Resurrection until he was crucified himself and joined Jesus at the heavenly banquet.
  • We call upon and maintain special devotions to:
    • Our Lady of Perpetual Help for aid and guidance in our own personal and communal transformation.
    • Our Lady of Guadalupe for the conversion of all sinners, specifically the Americas, and the end of abortion
Invitation (BUILD COMMUNION):
We are called to be apostles receiving ourselves and extending to others the invitation from Jesus to new life in Him:
  • Like the brothers, Peter and Andrew, Philip was a native of Bethsaida on Lake Genesareth (John 1:44). He also was among those surrounding the Baptist when the latter first pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God. On the day after Peter's call, when about to set out for Galilee, Jesus met Philip and called him to the Apostolate with the words, "Follow me". Philip obeyed the call, and a little later brought Nathaniel as a new disciple “Come and See.” (John 1:43-46).
  • On the occasion of the selection and sending out of the twelve, Philip is included among the Apostles proper. His name stands in the fifth place in the three lists (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:14-19; Luke 6:13-16) after the two pairs of brothers, Peter and Andrew, James and John.
Prayerful Anticipation (HOPE):
We are called to be a community of sacrificial prayer and help for others:
  • When some heathens in Jerusalem came to Philip and expressed their desire to see Jesus, Philip reported the fact to Andrew and then both brought the news to the Saviour.
  • After Christ’s death the pagans of Hierapolis worshiped a snake, which Philip destroyed by prayer as though by a spear. This enraged the pagans, who then crucified Bartholomew and Philip upside-down.
  • It was to Philip, before the miraculous feeding of the multitude, that Jesus posed the question: "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" to which the Apostle answers: "Two hundred penny-worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little". What he didn’t understand about faith and trust before Jesus’s death and resurrection he would later embody in his discipleship and death through a total abandonment to God’s divine providence.