Come and join our new children's liturgical choir Grace Notes for students from our parish and school in grades 1 - 5.

Weekly practices are on Wednesdays from 6:15 - 7:00 PM in the Church Music Room (off the parking lot between the church and school).

For details and to register go to sjascs.org/childrens-choir.

Contact Catherine Trudell with questions at cthomas@sjascs.org or at the Parish Center at 586-777-3670.

With the many changes to the tax laws, itemizing deductions will not benefit as many people as in the past. As a result, many people will not need or benefit from the usual end-of-the-year tax statements normally generated this time of year. Please consult with your tax preparer to determine if you still need a contribution statement from us. 

If you need a contribution statement for your 2022 income taxes, please click on the button below to fill out a form. We will then generate a statement for you toward the end of January. Please note that contribution statements were mailed last Friday to all those who contributed $1,500 or more last year!

Statements for the CSA will be generated by the Archdiocese of Detroit. Statements for any School Gala contributions were mailed earlier this year.

Thank you for your generosity!

Driven by the nationwide United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ Walking with Moms in Need initiative, the Detroit Walking with Moms in Need initiative is a partnership between the Archdiocese of Detroit and Catholic Charities of southeast Michigan, which equips and assists Catholic parishes and parishioners in raising awareness about resources that assist pregnant and parenting moms in need. The initiative seeks to make each parish in the Archdiocese a place where moms and their babies are welcomed and supported and where the dignity of every human life is upheld and valued.

Through Walking with Moms in Need, Catholic parishes and communities "walk in the shoes" of local pregnant and parenting women to connect them with the help they need.

As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to help moms in difficult circumstances, and we should know how we can best support them. While not trying to turn Catholic parishes into pregnancy centers, we can support local pregnancy centers where they exist. We can also find and share other resources with pregnant and parenting women that will serve them and the young lives entrusted to them.

What does it really mean to walk with moms in need? Watch this 5 Minute Video

SJA is moderating a Facebook group for our parishioners and friends embarking on the Catechism in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz and Ascension Press.

You can find the link to join on the SJA Facebook page or click the button below. We already have 90+ participants!

Our CSA goal this year is $211,447. Anything raised above the goal will return to the parish, while any shortfalls must be covered by the parish. Thus, your support is greatly needed and appreciated.

You can also easily give by visiting: sja.aodcsa.org or by clicking on the button below.

I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2022. As of today, we have $209,324 in pledges and gifts toward our $211,447 goal ($209,324 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). This amount represents gifts from 624 families (we have 3,340 families registered). We have thus achieved 99% of our goal!

In this Encountering the Word video for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jeff Cavins demonstrates how God continues to reveal his plan for humanity through Scripture.

The Sunday Readings are:

First Reading: Isaiah 8:23-9:3

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 27:1, 4, 13-14

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

Alleluia: Matthew 4:23

Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23

Friends, this liturgical year, we are reading from the Gospel of Matthew, and Matthew is written precisely for a Jewish audience. This is why, over and over again, we find Matthew putting Jesus within an Old Testament context. And in our readings for this weekend, the Church juxtaposes a prophecy from Isaiah with its fulfillment in Matthew: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.” This may not mean much to us today, but Matthew’s audience of first-century Jews knew exactly what he meant.

‘Twas the “Night” Before Christmas … ROUND TWO: Yes, ‘twas the “night” before Christmas, when all through the Church, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The wreaths were all hung by the balcony with care, in hopes that Christmas crowds soon would be there; the parishioners were nestled all snug at their homes; with visions of warmer temperatures dancing in their heads; Father Andrew and I already had a full day of activity and had visions of the day ending swarming around in our head. The boiler, the cold, the popped breaker, and no streaming was enough to say, “That’s enough; let’s call it a day.” BUT WAIT, it was Christmas Eve, and another Mass was yet to happen. But this should be a breeze, we foolishly told each other. What more could happen on Christmas Eve?

WELL, this is SJA! And lots can happen. After all, ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and the Gremlins knew we were busy.

After I finished the 4 PM Mass, I headed up to the choir loft to get the computers and the streaming equipment all back in order. Once I knew we could go live, I headed to the Parish Center for my family dinner. Thankfully, my family knows the drill and was able to put it all together without much intervention from me. After dinner, I pulled out the 2,000 little tea lights the crowd would help drop around the Church. Some tried to weasel their way out of it only because we had sub-zero windchills that day. I was ready to cave, but the cousins pipped up and challenged the others. This group of young cousins loves a competition, so it became a game, and out they went to decorate the church perimeter with 2,000 tea lights! God bless them!

After dinner, we cleaned up and got the Parish Center back to normal. Then, my whole family left, and I returned to Church for what I envisioned would be a nice, calm, and prayerful liturgy. But wait, this is SJA, and it’s NEVER that simple!

Mass started without a hitch. But then, during the Gloria, I notice some activity near the Mack/Overlake doors. First, I saw people coming and going as if someone was possibly having a medical issue; it appeared things might have been under control. But then I saw Pat Curran approach Barb Hendrick on the other side of the Church. Some whispering went on, and I then saw Barb walking up the aisle leading to the Ambo. At this point, I also saw Pat Curran approach Father Andrew in the sanctuary, and then most hastily, Father Andrew took off to the back of the Church with his now flowing vestments flapping in the wind. Barb Hendrick then gave me the “Let’s Stop / Time Out” sign, but I didn’t process that too well. I figured that if Father Andrew and the assembled team were already in the back, I could continue with Mass, knowing that whatever was happening was being handled.

Trying to deliver my homily that night was an absolute disaster. My big headache from the day’s earlier events came back with a vengeance. I had my eyes firmly planted in the back, watching all the activity while trying to deliver my homily. In retrospect, I should have just stopped Mass to figure out what was happening, but with a few hundred people in Church and it being Christmas Eve, I didn’t want to stop.

But then I saw people carrying buckets and towels and rolled-up table clothes. I then saw a few parishioners jump in to help. There was a flurry of activity, and then I saw Father Andrew leading Joe Schotthoefer, Rory Mallon, Tom and Kathy Mazawey, Barb Hendrick, and a few others as if in a race to the far side of the Church. It then became clear we had a flood, and something significant happened in the back.

During the Creed, Father Andrew and I began to text each other. “Major pipe broken above old bathroom. I’m calling Dina,” he texted. I responded, “The shut-off value is in the ceiling, I believe near there. I just can’t remember without seeing it. How bad?” “HUNDREDS of gallons,” Father Andrew replied. I then said, “Check bathroom in my confessional … my old confessional,” because I was confident the shut-off valve was back there. I then saw Father Andrew dart off with a group to the Gathering Place and turn to the left near the bathrooms. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me where he was going. It then dawned on me he had no clue what I was talking about when I said “my confessional,” as he arrived amid Covid and we already abandoned the old confessionals in the back of Church and our new confessionals were conference rooms in the Sr. Carol Center. So I sent them on a wild goose chase while hundreds of gallons of water poured out into the Church and down the ramp of those doors. By this time, it was offertory, and I paused and said to the congregation, “If we have any plumbers in the house, we could use your help in the back of the Church.” I then saw the team race off back to the Gathering Place, and I could hear them enter behind me into the sacristy. “OH, they’re now going for the main shut-off valve,” I thought. And sure enough, the subsequent text from Father Andrew confirmed it all: “Stopped!” Amen. Blessed be God!

Immediately after Mass, I joined Father Andrew, Dina Ciaffone, Pete Ciaravino, Mark Ciaravino, Diann Regelbrugge, Joe Schotthoefer, Barb and Kevin Hendrick, Tom and Kathy Mazawey, and a few others to help with the cleanup. It was a mess, but gratefully we were able to get it all cleaned up by 12:15 or so and call it quits for the day. I’m grateful for all who stepped in to help that day! It wasn’t your typical Christmas Eve at St. Joan of Arc … but then again, I remember when a little boy decided to pull the nice shiny little red handle near an exit (the fire alarm handle) in the middle of a 4 PM Christmas Eve mass which brought many fire trucks to the scene. Oh, yes, ‘Twas the night before Christmas …” MAYBE this is normal. If it happened any other way, it wouldn’t be SJA! And that’s why we love it! Top that, Clark Griswold!

End of the Year Tax Statements: With the many changes in the tax laws, itemizing deductions does not benefit as many people as in the past. As a result, many people do not need or benefit from the usual end-of-the-year tax statements we once generated. Please consult with your tax preparer to determine if you still need a contribution statement from SJA. If you need a contribution statement for your 2022 income taxes, please complete the online form at sjascs.org/taxstatements. We will generate a statement for you toward the end of January. Those who contributed $1,500 or more will automatically receive a contribution statement. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Parish Center at 586-777-3670 or info@sjascs.org.

Word of God Sunday: Three and a half years ago on the feast of St Jerome, Pope Francis proclaimed that the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time be observed annually as the Sunday of the Word of God. He declared it "a Sunday given over entirely to the Word of God, so as to appreciate the inexhaustible riches contained in that constant dialogue between the Lord and his people.” He went on to vividly describe the power of the Word of God: it “makes a pathway within us. We listen to it with our ears, and it passes to our hearts; it does not remain in our ears; it must go to the heart. And from the heart, it passes to the hands, to good deeds. This is the path which the Word of God follows: from our ears to our heart and hands.”

Saint Jerome, the priest, monk and Doctor of the Church is renowned for his extraordinary depth of learning and translations of the Bible into Latin known as the Vulgate Bible. It was the first translation from the original text so that the Western world could access God’s word.

Besides his contributions as a Church Father and patronage of subsequent Catholic scholarship, Jerome is also notable for his devotion to the ascetic life, and for his insistence on the importance of Hebrew scholarship for Christians. He insisted, “ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.” How can we hope to know God if we never hear or study what He has said to us?

Today we have scripture available and accessible to us in more ways, places and mediums than ever before, and we are less scripturally literate than in several generations. But this accessibility is making a difference. Simple publications like the Word Among Us, and great initiatives like Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Bible In A Year podcast, which is reaching 100s of millions of people are introducing people to a better understanding of scripture every day.

This year is designated Year A in the 3-year cycle of Sunday readings. The Sunday Gospel reading usually comes from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew’s gospel has a particular focus on showing Jesus as a continuation and the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures. Matthew portrays Jesus as the New King David, The New Moses with a new law, and as Emmanuel (meaning “God with us”).

Mark’s Gospel (Year B) is the shortest. My scripture professor in seminary would refer to it as “Stark Mark.” His Gospel is at times breathless in its pace…. “The next day…” and “Then the next day.” Mark’s Gospel stresses the deeds, strength, and determination of Jesus in overcoming evil forces and defying the power of imperial Rome. Mark emphasizes the Passion, predicting it as early as chapter 8 and devoting the final third of his Gospel to the last week of Jesus’ life. The focus is on Jesus getting to the cross. He is resurrected, commissions his disciples and then ascends to heaven.

Luke’s Gospel (Year C) states the writer’s purpose right away in his introductory paragraph: this book is meant to give believers an accurate, chronological understanding of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Luke investigated the events of Jesus’ life by speaking with eyewitnesses. Luke’s Gospel is written in ways that Jewish and non-Jewish people can understand and appreciate. In Luke, Jesus is indeed the long-awaited Messiah; the savior of the nations. This isn’t surprising—after all, Luke spent a great deal of time with the apostle Paul, who shared the good news with both Jewish and Gentile audiences. Luke is a great story teller, which is why there are so many good parables recounted in his Gospel. His Gospel is really a two volume book, with the Book of Acts recounting the events from Pentecost onwards.

John’s Gospel is quite different in character from the three synoptic gospels. It is very literary and symbolic. It does not follow the same order or reproduce the same stories as the other gospels. It was probably written in the 90s of the first century and seeks to teach some of the theological understanding that the early Christian community had developed in that time since Christ’s ministry.

The Gospel of John (which is dispersed through the cycle of 3 years and a particular focus in Lent) begins with a magnificent prologue, which states many of the major themes and motifs of the gospel, proclaiming Jesus as the preexistent and incarnate Word of God who has revealed the Father to us. This is the reason John begins his Gospel not with the birth of Jesus, but with “In the beginning…” modelling the Book of Genesis. He is teaching that Jesus, the Word of God has always existed and that his ministry is the direct work of God Himself among us.

John’s Gospel divides into what’s known as the Book of Signs and the Book of Glory. The signs are the miracles, beginning with the Wedding at Cana, all of which give evidence of Jesus’ divine power. They lead into the Book of Glory, which is really a long conversation between Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper in the Upper Room, as He prepares them for His departure from them—He is going to die, to be resurrected, to ascend into Heaven and to send them an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Who will instruct and counsel them thereafter as the Church is established.

Knowing the background, knowing the focus and the goal and the audience, the context, is so important in understanding what we hear read at Mass. But like anything worth having, it only comes through effort. Studying the scriptures, reading them for yourself, reading good Catholic commentaries can take your “take-aways” from Mass to another level.

I have mentioned it before, but the Bible Project is a good website offering short illustrated videos that give a wonderful introduction and outline to the books of the Bible, as well as themes, like mercy, forgiveness, the prophets, salvation, etc.

And always, always, always, read the Sunday readings before you come to Mass and hear them read. Sometimes I hear them differently read at mass, because I have read them beforehand. Even in preparing a homily, it’s different to read them for yourself versus hearing someone else read them. But if you already placed the words in your mind earlier in the week, the meaning can settle deeper when you hear them read on Sunday, because you are not listening to the words but to what they mean.

In his address at the inauguration of this annual celebration, on the 1600th anniversary of the death of St. Jerome, Pope Francis said:

“The Bible cannot be just the heritage of some, much less a collection of books for the benefit of a privileged few. It belongs above all to those called to hear its message and to recognize themselves in its words….The Bible is the book of the Lord’s people, who, in listening to it, move from dispersion and division towards unity.”

adawson@sjascs.org 

The litany of humility is a powerful prayer. You know you should pray it but you don’t have the desire to. What should you do?

Today Fr. Mike encourages and challenges us to ask God to give us the grace to pray those prayers that are more difficult to pray. “Take, Lord receive, all my liberties!”

Unless one happens to be celebrating a birthday here in the middle of winter, these deepest, darkest days of January and February typically are not the first choice for big celebrations.

The New Year’s Eve and Day festivities were three weeks ago already. The college football playoff parties are over with.

Yes, next week will be the NFL conference championships, followed a couple weeks later by the Super Bowl. Mardi Gras is later still. And Valentine’s Day is in there, as well.

But after the revelry of the holidays, and until the warm weather rolls around again, this is typically the time of year when there is much more quiet time, hanging around the house, doing inside things.

For most folks anyway.

But the good news is that, if we lift our sights beyond the temporal and toward the eternal, there is cause for joy and celebration and wonderment every day of the year.

The Prophet Isaiah captured well this spirit of wonderment and elation in the Lord.

“Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is the darkness: for there is no gloom where but now there was distress,” Isaiah writes in today’s first reading.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.”

That’s beautiful language, poetic in its celebratory tone and message.

May we look past the midwinter blahs and darkness and rejoice in the light of God’s enduring love.

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.

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.

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.

7:00 a.m., Lee Dunn

7:00 a.m., George J. Bugarin

7:00 a.m., Leonard LeFevre

7:00 a.m., A Special Intention for the Lutfy Family

7:00 a.m., Laura and Jamie Puzzuoli

4:00 p.m., Bonnie Batche, Mark DeKoekkoek and a Special Intention for the J. Champine Family

6:00 p.m., Hugo Calisi

8:00 a.m., For the Intentions for St. Joan of Arc Parishioners

10:00 a.m., George J. Bugarin

12:00 p.m., Guido Regelbrugge, Anthony Lombardi, Dee & Pete Misuraca, Diane Bezy, Dean Hardin, Duane Gore, Clifford Zaydel, Sam Ciaramitaro, Michael Ciaramitaro

Wednesday (January 25):

Thursday (January 26):

Friday (January 27):

Saturday (January 28):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Salvatore Nino DiPilla