Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are a few updates from our parish for the week of February 13, 2022.
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Each year the Church honors married couples for their sacrifice and self-giving love with the annual observance of National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14) and World Marriage Day (Second Sunday of February).
From Pope Francis' Letter to Married Couples on the Feast of the Holy Family, December 26, 2021...
"Therefore, I encourage you, dear married couples, to be active in the Church, especially in her pastoral care of families....”Never forget that the family is the “fundamental cell of society” ( Evangelii Gaudium, 66). Marriage is an important part of the project of building the “culture of encounter” ( Fratelli Tutti, 216). Families are thus called to bridge generations in passing on the values that forge true humanity. New creativity is needed, to express, amid today’s challenges, the values that constitute us as a people, both in our societies and in the Church, the People of God.... Read the entire letter here.
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Reconnecting with your Spouse: |
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With all the demands placed on married couples during Covid-19, especially those parenting school-aged children, it’s no wonder that all forms of intimacy in marriage - physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual, are suffering and in need of help. Even couples in the healthiest marriages are reporting an increase in irritability, isolation, sadness and despair.
So what can couples do to rebuild communication and enhance intimacy? In a blog post entitled “How to Reconnect with Your Spouse and Reignite Your Love,” Catholic author Jeff Cortez offers these words: “When stress enters our lives we have two ways we can respond to the stimulus, we can either allow our minds to accelerate the problem and dwell on the worst case scenario or we can choose to shift our mindset and focus on what is good, positive, and praiseworthy.”... Read More HERE.
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Increase the Quantity and Quality of Communication – to enhance your communication, Jeff Cortez suggests the “Dialogue” technique of ten and ten (ten minutes writing on one chosen topic; ten minutes of discussion). This technique is taught to every couple who attends a Catholic Marriage Encounter Weekend and is used by thousands of happily married couples around the world.
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Do Activities Together As a Couple – identify activities that you both enjoy doing together and make them a priority. Just taking time each day to walk together while holding hands can do so much to improve your mood and create positive feelings toward your spouse.
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Have a Vision for Your Marriage and Set Goals Together – when couples set goals together that are greater than themselves, keeping service to God and others in mind, their marriage becomes a mission with great meaning and purpose.
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Pray Together and For Each Other – one of the great gifts of Catholic marriage is the grace that is always available even in the most difficult times. When couples pray with and for each other, they can access the supernatural help that comes from this grace. The trust and intimacy that comes from a shared spiritual life is a great source of strength for Catholic married couples.
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2) Help for Troubled Marriages |
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The Retrouvaille Program is for Married Couples Facing Difficult Challenges in their Relationship
- A Marriage program that helps couples restore their marriage and rebuild a loving relationship.
- A Christian marriage program, Catholic in origin, where couples of all faiths or no faith background are encouraged to attend.
- Primarily a practical program to improve communication, build stronger marriages, and help couples reconnect.
- Presenters are not trained marriage counselors, but rather couples sharing their personal stories of marital struggles and the tools they used to rediscover their love.
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3) A Song for World Marriage Day 2022: A Thousand Years by Jennifer Yu |
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4) Rosary Rally Next Saturday at 8:30 AM |
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5) Vocations Evening Prayer and Dinner with Archbishop Vigneron |
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Do you know of someone that might be thinking of a priestly vocation? If so, ask them to consider attending the March 23, 2022, evening prayer and dinner with Archbishop Vigneron. Click on the image below for further details. |
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6) SAVE THE DATES: March 8, 15, and 22nd at 7 PM: A Program on the Shroud of Turin at SJA both In-Person and Online |
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Click on the image below to download a PDF of the flyer. |
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7) This Sunday's Readings - February 13, 2022 |
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8) Bishop Barron's Reflection for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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FEBRUARY 13, 2022 – Friends, when our heart belongs to anything in this world, we live in an empty and lifeless spiritual space. But when our heart belongs to the Lord, the rest of our life falls into right order around that center. Our readings this week raise a crucial question: To whom—or to what—does your heart belong? |
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9) Grow+Go for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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Grow+Go, content is designed to help you understand what it means to be an evangelizing disciple of Christ. Using the Sunday Scriptures as the basis for reflection, Grow+Go offers insight into how we can all more fully GROW as disciples and then GO evangelize, fulfilling Christ's Great Commission to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19) The concept behind the weekly series is to make discipleship and evangelization simple, concrete, and relatable.
Click on the button or image below to download a PDF copy of this Sunday's Grow+Go.
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10) Giving to SJA:
I'm truly grateful for all of your support of SJA during this pandemic. Your support means so much. The increase in electronic giving has been tremendous. Giving electronically, whether on a one-time or recurring basis is pretty simple. For more information on online giving, please click on the following button.
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11) This Week's Edition of TALLer Tales |
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A Typical Bugarin Project: As regular readers of this column know, my mom is doing major renovations at her condo. Things are moving along (although that statement will become a bulletin article in itself). As regular readers of this column also know, my parents have always been good sports about letting me use their condo as my “playroom” for all of my electronic ideas. Almost all areas of the condo have been turned into smart rooms with plenty of smart devices everywhere. Sometimes, I even forget what I’ve called things on Alexa, and the wrong lights will turn on because I issued the wrong command. I’ve often thought about creating a cheat sheet with what is called what to help people remember. As my mom likes to remind me, “Remember, I’m 80 years old; I can’t always be expected to remember all that stuff.”
Once the condo renovation project began, it was an opportunity for me to “deck the halls” with even more gadgets. Since no one was living at the condo, we needed to create an environment where contractors could get into the condo and where we could watch what was going on over there. I’m 45 minutes from the condo, and my sisters are anywhere from 20-35 minutes away. So from a time perspective, it would be difficult to keep traveling over there to check on progress or deal with “issues” along the way. So, “The General,” as my Dad often called me, decked the place out with ring cameras and more devices. In total, I now have seven cameras on site. The cameras were placed so we could check on things on the main floor, the garage, the deck, and the basement. My mom has served as the remote “security guard” since all of this went into place. She can watch the property and deal in real-time with issues as they come up. For example, when a delivery is made, and no one is at the condo, she can open the garage and talk to them remotely from the camera to make sure they put whatever is being delivered into its proper place. The cameras have proven invaluable and have saved us a ton of time.
Besides the ring cameras, all of the door locks are also smart locks, and the various lead tradespeople working at the condo have access codes. The alarm was also programmed so it arms and disarms at particular times. We’ve gotten used to people’s comings and goings and have set the times based on that schedule. But my mom is great at checking in at the condo to make sure no one is still working there when the system is about to arm.
Our general contractor “warned” all the workers that they better behave and watch their language because we were watching things from afar.
One of my sisters, Cindy, also has a construction project in the works. She’s building a house in Allenton about a mile up the road from her current home. While Capac Road might be well-traveled, her lot is in the middle of an old farm with no nearby neighbors. We were concerned about keeping an eye on that property, especially when all the lumber was first delivered. The lumber was going to sit there for a bit before construction began. Knowing what we’ve been able to do with technology at my mom’s condo, we wanted to work out something to keep an eye on my sister’s property too. BUT, I had a problem. There was no electricity and no internet access there. Internet access in Allenton is a hit and miss thing depending on where you live, especially along Capac Road. Some portions of Capac Road have cable and internet; where it doesn’t exist, people are stuck with DSL service if they’re lucky. With DSL service, you’re lucky if you get even 10 mbps download speeds. With no electricity and no internet, I had to get creative. I. Was. Going. To. Make. This. Work. So, I did some research and discovered a few solar and cellular cameras. This was fantastic. I figured something had to be made for such applications, but I never had a reason to research the idea. My research led me to a camera by ReoLink. The camera’s batteries get charged through a solar panel, and internet is provided by cellular data. Perfect. I was immediately hooked on the concept. I couldn’t wait to install this “off the grid” camera so we can watch my sister’s property too. Our security guard needed another camera to monitor!
With the help of my nephew JJ, we installed the camera and its solar panel atop a 4x4 pole that we firmly planted deep within the ground. The camera is pretty cool because you can rotate it 350° horizontally and 140° vertically for some pretty wide-range viewing. It has motion detection and audio too. Needless to say, I was pretty “geeked-up” about this camera. When we finally got it working, I was awed by the quality of the video and all the available options. If I set it up right, I even have a time-lapse video being created from the very start of the project.
My sister’s general contractor is the same contractor handling my mom’s condo renovation. Many of the tradespeople are also the same. When my sister called our general contractor one day about something she noticed while watching the camera, he sighed and told her, “Yea, when I pulled up to the property and saw the new camera set up, I knew right away I was at a Bugarin/Finn Project!” Word quickly got out they had to behave and keep the language holy at this project too … not only because the 80-year-old remote security guard was on duty but also because of the priest who was installing all of this stuff. One never knows when he could be watching or when he could just show up! While the intent was solely to keep an eye on the properties, if the cameras help people become more saintly, well, then, it’s a great bonus!
World Marriage Day: The Second Sunday in February is the annual celebration of World Marriage Day. World Marriage Day honors the lifelong commitment of husband and wife and takes as its theme the commandment the Lord gave us to love one another. That commandment takes on a special prominence within a marriage relationship. Loving one another is a daily decision that couples have to commit to all the days of their life. It’s a simple idea but often a challenging one. Loving one another requires neither gifts nor money. It becomes a way of life. The visible signs of living this command shouldn’t be seen only on anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas or Valentine’s Day. Loving one another should be a daily reality!
One of the public service announcements for World Marriage Day had the following suggestions and thoughts: “1. Have you hugged your spouse today? 2. Call your spouse right now and say "I Love You". 3. Take out your wedding pictures tonight and share a memory with family and friends. 4. Show the family movies tonight to celebrate a marriage well done. 5. Bring a gift tonight to your spouse. 6. Fix his or her favorite meal tonight. 7. Share your love for each other with your children tonight. 8. Ask your spouse for a date tonight. 9. Tell each other how much your marriage means to you. 10. Share your love story with your children tonight.
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Enjoy the week.
Know of my prayers.
In Christ,
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12) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc |
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Distractions: Probably not many of us ever think of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a great bedtime read…. and it’s not supposed to be that. It’s a valuable resource, a reference book that defines the core truths of the Catholic faith. That’s a very dry way of saying, “It’s Awesome! Get one!!” if you don’t have a copy. It’s so good at answering so many questions that priests get asked. It’s also all available online, free.
So often priests are asked about the problem of distractions in prayer or at mass. What always surprises me is how disturbed people are by this, as though it’s abnormal. It’s not! God knows this! The Church knows this! Be consoled by this, and hear this well:
“To set about hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to our heart…” (CCC 2729)
It’s awesome that you are engaged in the struggle, and it’s a good struggle to take on, so don’t let it disturb you. Just keep going! The person who is not encountering distractions in prayer is perhaps not praying much.
I admit that at times, the Catechism can present the teachings of the Church in some fairly technical language, but it’s in an effort to give us the truth as precisely as possible.
But the section on Christian Prayer is different, as though the Church knows we need to hear this clearly. Several years ago, I was driving an old Chevy Beretta in northern Michigan and I heard a “clunk” sound. Looking in the rear-view mirror I saw a chunk of metal that I was sure hadn’t been there as I drove. I assumed it had just fallen from the vehicle, so I stopped, picked it up and took it to a mechanic and asked what it was. He gave me a technical answer first, then, looking at my blank stare, told me what I needed to know with nothing hidden, “Okay, so if you parked in tall grass (which I just had!), this piece stops the grass catching fire!” “Okay,” I said, “got it.”
The Catechism’s section on prayer reminds me of this. The Church “gets it”. This is the “okay, I’ll level with you - this is what you need to know” language that helps us to see that the Church understands that prayer can be a struggle. But it’s a struggle worth engaging in because to pray is to let your heart gaze upon heaven and let God see your heart’s wounds and scars, its hopes and desires. And guaranteed, if you have EVER prayed at all, to whatever degree, you will recognize yourself in what it has to tell you.
I strongly recommend taking a look at the Catechism, Part Four, Chapter 3 – “The Life of Prayer,” beginning at paragraph number 2697. Here’s a selection:
2725 Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort.…Prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God.
2726 In the battle of prayer ….many Christians unconsciously regard prayer as an occupation that is incompatible with all the other things they have to do: they "don't have the time." Those who seek God by prayer are quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also from the Holy Spirit and not from themselves alone.
2728 ...our battle has to confront what we experience as failure in prayer: discouragement during periods of dryness; sadness, disappointment over not being heard according to our own will; wounded pride.…The conclusion is always the same: what good does it do to pray? …We must battle to gain humility, trust, and perseverance.
2729 The habitual difficulty in prayer is distraction. It can affect words and their meaning in vocal prayer; it can concern, more profoundly, him to whom we are praying, in vocal prayer (liturgical or personal), meditation, and contemplative prayer. To set about hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to our heart…. Therein lies the battle, the choice of which master to serve.
2730 In positive terms, the battle against the possessive and dominating self requires vigilance, sobriety of heart. When Jesus insists on vigilance, he always relates it to himself, to his coming on the last day and every day: today. The bridegroom comes in the middle of the night; the light that must not be extinguished is that of faith: "'Come,' my heart says, 'seek his face!'"
2731 …. Dryness [in prayer] … when the heart is separated from God, with no taste for thoughts, memories, and feelings, even spiritual ones. This is the moment of sheer faith clinging faithfully to Jesus in his agony and in his tomb…
2732 The most common yet most hidden temptation is our lack of faith.… Sometimes we turn to the Lord as a last resort, but do we really believe he is? Sometimes we enlist the Lord as an ally, but our heart remains presumptuous. In each case, our lack of faith reveals that we do not yet share in the disposition of a humble heart: "Apart from me, you can do nothing."
2733 Another temptation… is acedia, …a form of depression due to lax ascetical practice, decreasing vigilance, carelessness of heart. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." The greater the height, the harder the fall…. The humble are not surprised by their distress; it leads them to trust more, to hold fast in constancy.
2744 Prayer is a vital necessity…. How can the Holy Spirit be our life if our heart is far from him?
Fr. Andrew’s Very Local Weather Update: So my weather station arrived and didn’t I tell you it’s practically Spring?! It’s reading the outdoor temperature on the St. Joan campus at a steady 70 degrees…. no matter what that negative old Groundhog may have told you! Okay, so I assembled it but, I admit, maybe I still need to set-it up outside. But I can tell you that I registered a momentary 7mph gust of wind in my living room this week when I accidentally walked into the sensor.
This optimistic weather report brought to you by Baloo the Bear and Old Mother Nature's recipes
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You are in my prayers this week.
Fr. Andrew
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13) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz |
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What Should We Talk to God About? EVERYTHING!
Should we really talk to God about everything?
There are a lot of different kinds of prayers (liturgical, litanies, the rosary, the chaplet of divine mercy, etc.), but today Father hones in on mental prayer. Mental prayer—including Lectio Divina and Ignatian prayer—is about having a conversation with God and inviting him into your mind and your heart. But our minds are messy places, and our hearts are wounded. Should we really be talking to God about all of our thoughts, longings, and desires?
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14) Words on the Word: February 13, 2022 - Blessed Are You!
The findings of the report were, in many ways, predictable. The reactions by anonymous commentators across the Internet, alas, were also predictable.
The ABC News web portal reported a few weeks ago on a report issued by a German law firm that “faulted (Pope Benedict XVI’s) handling of four cases of abuse when he was archbishop of Munich, Germany.”
In the ABC News summary of the story, a Vatican spokesperson defended the former pope’s record and “cautioned against looking for ‘easy scapegoats and summary judgments.’”
As we’ve unfortunately come to expect, nearly all the commentators used the opportunity to criticize the former pope, clergy, and the church in general in myriad ways and with the usual lines of fire.
Other commentators have observed the long-term damage the abuse scandal has caused since it seemingly cuts right to the heart of the church’s moral authority and teaching. In a nutshell, the argument goes, how can the church teach one thing and so many people in its hierarchy practice another?
Bottom line is that every time such a story comes out, its commentators paint with a very broad brush and give fresh ammunition to those who would hear the urgings of the evil one.
Those are issues that, God willing, will be worked out over time and with God’s providence. In the meantime, though, perhaps all people of good will can take solace in the words of Jesus, who predicted the vitriol his followers would face, but promised light at the end of the tunnel.
“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man,” we hear in today’s gospel passage from St. Luke. “Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.”
© 2022, Words on the Word
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15) The Bible in a Year Podcast by Father Mike Schmitz |
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If you’ve struggled to read the Bible, this podcast is for you.
Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz and featuring Jeff Cavins, guides Catholics through the Bible in 365 daily episodes.
Each 20-25 minute episode includes:
- two to three scripture readings
- a reflection from Fr. Mike Schmitz
- and guided prayer to help you hear God’s voice in his Word.
Unlike any other Bible podcast, Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast for Catholics follows a reading plan inspired by the Great Adventure Bible Timeline® learning system, a groundbreaking approach to understanding Salvation History developed by renowned Catholic Bible teacher Jeff Cavins.
Tune in and live your daily life through the lens of God’s word!
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16) FORMED Pick of the Week: |
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Our parish has a subscription to FORMED, a premier online platform filled with over 4,000 Catholic studies, movies, audio dramas, talks, e-books, and even cartoons for our children. FORMED has content from over 60 apostolates, including Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, and the Knights of Columbus, with material that is professionally produced, engaging, and solid in its catechism. Best of all, this material is free to you because of our parish subscription.
You have easy access to all of the material on FORMED to support your own faith journey and that of your family members.
You can enjoy FORMED on your computer or on your television with an inexpensive Roku device or Apple TV. You can even listen on your phone as you commute to work or do chores.
To gain access to all of FORMED’s content, follow these simple steps:
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Go to https://signup.formed.org/
- Enter our parish’s zip code 48080 or enter St. Joan of Arc
- Enter your name and your email address
That’s it! You’re in. Now you can get the free FORMED app for your phone by searching FORMED Catholic in your app store.
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Are you looking for a one-stop app for prayer and meditation? Look no further than Hallow. Hallow is an awesome prayer app. Hallow is a Catholic prayer and meditation app that helps users deepen their relationship with God through audio-guided contemplative prayer sessions. The app launched 2 years ago and is already the #1 Catholic app in the world.
We have a number of parishioners who are already using the app and loving it (my mom being one of them and she is on the app most of the day). Great for praying alone or together with your spouse/family, Hallow truly has something for everyone, no matter what you are going through (see below for their different content categories).
Hallow is free to download and has tons of permanently free content, as well as a premium subscription, Hallow Plus.
To get started, simply click the button above/below to activate your free account on the Hallow website. Make sure to select “Sign Up with Email” when registering. For step-by-step instructions, you can visit this process guide. Enter the code stjoanofarcmi to obtain a discount on individual pro plans.
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18) Mass Intentions for the Week: |
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Monday, February 14, 2022, Saints Cyril, Monk and Methodius, Bishop
7:00 a.m. Mary Lynn Burchard
Tuesday, February 15, 2022, Weekday
7:00 a.m. Robert Moberg and Lee Fallieres
Wednesday, February 16, 2022, Weekday
7:00 a.m. Hugo Calisi and Robert D. Moberg
Thursday, February 17, 2022, The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order
7:00 a.m. Edella Fetters
Friday, February 18, 2022, Weekday
7:00 a.m. The deceased members of the Calisi Family who died in the month of February
Saturday, February 19, 2022, Vigil Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
4:00 p.m. Donald Kowlewski, the deceased members of the Walsh Family, Sam and Grace Valenti, Bonnie Batche, William Dinan, Kathleen Kenney Reith, and Special Intentions for the Thomas Family, the J. Champine Family and the Jureck Family.
6:00 p.m. John Twomey
Sunday, February 20, 2022, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:00 a.m. For the Intentions of Saint Joan of Arc Parishioners
10:00 a.m. Marcella Cichoracki
12:00 p.m. James Lefevre and Richard Soulliere
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19) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: |
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This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (February 14):
7:00 AM - Mass
Tuesday (February 15):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass (Grades 5-8)
Wednesday (February 16):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass (Grades 1-4)
Thursday (February 17):
7:00 AM - Mass
6:00 PM - Holy Hour (Praise and Worship Music)
Friday (February 18):
7:00 AM - Mass
Saturday (February 19):
12:30 PM - Baptism of Sawyer E. Bechard
1:30 PM - Baptism of Mila Marie Tortomose
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (February 20):
8:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Mass
12:00 PM - Mass
Please note that all of our masses and events can be accessed through the ARCHIVE section of our Live stream page if you are not able to watch it live!
We also have our own ROKU Channel. Search for "CATHOLIC" in the ROKU channel store, and you will find SJA's channel. A Fire TV Channel is also available.
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20) SJA's Bulletin for Sunday, February 13, 2022 |
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Click on the image below
to download a copy of the bulletin
for February 13, 2022
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21) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List |
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Sending the bulletin has been greatly received by so many people. If you are getting the bulletin online and would prefer that it not be mailed to your home, please click on the button below to be removed from the mailing list.
At the same time, if you are NOT getting the bulletin and would prefer to get it, click on the same button and ask to be ADDED to the list.
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Read the latest from the DETROIT CATHOLIC
Click on the image below.
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