by Archbishop William Lori - Archbishop of Baltimore

For many years, I have made it a point to exercise every day. It wasn’t always so.

When I was younger and imagined myself to be invincible, I neglected to do any kind of physical exercise beyond walking to my car. I wasn’t opposed to exercise in principle; I just thought I didn’t need it. But as I got older, it became clear that I was wrong.

The hardest part was going to the gym for the first time in years. My priest-secretary introduced me to a wide variety of exercise machines, which I labeled “instruments of torture.”

I decided to try the elliptical. Self-consciously, I mounted the machine. All around me were avid fitness buffs — some bench pressing, others running on treadmills.

Me? I was just trying not to fall off. Before long, I was out of breath. But with encouragement, I kept at it, and soon exercise became a part of my daily routine.

This is not to say that I’m healthier than a horse — I’m not. Rather, my purpose in telling you all this is to draw a comparison between going back to the gym and going back to church, particularly Sunday Mass.

In my experience, most unchurched or barely churched Catholics are not opposed to Mass. Some tell me, “The Mass is good for some people, but right now I don’t see the need for it.”

That’s what I used to say about exercise: “Fine for those who like that sort of thing, but I don’t need it.” But the fact is that I needed exercise all along, and those who think they don’t need the Eucharist may discover that they have needed our Eucharistic Lord all along, too.

Others tell me that they are interested in coming back to Mass on Sunday but are afraid they would feel awkward.

A friend put it this way: “I just got out of the habit of going, and now I’m not sure I’d know what to do. I’m afraid my neighbors who go to church regularly would stare at me, and the priest would ask me where I’ve been all these years.”

Not unlike how I felt when I started exercising again; that first trip back to the gym was a doozy.

Yet another non-practicing Catholic told me this: “I’d go back to church, but would I have to sign up at the parish office? Would I have to go through a lot of meetings?”

And here’s the kicker: “Would I have to go to confession?”

Even this is not unlike going back to the gym. Many gyms insist on meeting with new and returning members for an evaluation (confession). They may then explain how the various fitness machines work (catechesis) and ask you to focus on the bottom line (parish registration, collection envelopes). Formidable obstacles!

I often think that those who are considering going back to Sunday Mass need a “soul friend” — someone to help and encourage them ... and make them feel at home until the practice of the faith becomes a regular part of their lives.

That is why I am grateful to my former priest-secretary who encouraged me to go to the gym again and again. As my friend and co-worker, he knew I would be a fish out of water, but he kept reassuring me until exercise became a regular part of my life.

Similarly, I often think that those who are considering going back to Sunday Mass need a “soul friend” — someone to help and encourage them through the process of re-entry — or, in the vocabulary of Pope Francis, someone to “accompany” them and make them feel at home until the practice of the faith becomes a regular part of their lives.

One of the greatest acts of charity we can do is to accompany a person or family who is thinking of coming back to church. Some have hardened their hearts, but many others are searching and pondering.

By example and gentle encouragement, we might just get them back into the habit of “exercise” that counts the most.

This article originally appeared on the Knights of Columbus website.

I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2023. I am happy to report that we exceeded our goal. We currently have $212,899 in pledges and gifts toward our $208,946 goal ($170,537 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount).

This amount represents gifts from 569 families (we have 3,299 families registered, which gives us a 17% participation rate thus far). We have achieved 102% of our goal! THANK YOU!

$2,500+ (13)

$1,000+ (33)

$500+ (44)

$250+ (94)

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$75+ (8)

$50+ (67)

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As stated above, the easiest way to give is electronically by clicking on the button below. If you wish to give by check, feel free to contact the Parish Center, and we will mail out an envelope and related material. Generic pledge cards can also be found on the bookcase of the Gathering Space.

Please remember that we will continue our Wednesday evening confessions and Mass.

Confessions will be heard from 5:00 until 5:45 PM in the Sr. Carol Center, and then Mass will be celebrated at 6:00 PM. For those who may be interested in knowing, the Wednesday evening Mass is in the daily mass format, that is, with no music. So, it is usually only about 30 minutes in length.

The word of God and the complete teachings of the Catholic Church. Answers and commentary by Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins, and other experts. Video, audio, and textual commentary. Right on your phone.

The Ascension App Includes:

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Every episode of Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz for easy access and cross-referencing with your reading plan and Scripture.

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Over 1,000 commonly asked questions about the Bible with answers right in the text from experts like Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins, and others.

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…And we're just getting started. More to be announced soon!

In this week’s Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins talks about modern-day discipleship as he reflects on the readings for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

First Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-9

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Second Reading: Romans 12:1-2

Alleluia: cf. Ephesians 1:17-18

Gospel: Matthew 16:21-27

Friends, our first reading for this weekend is from the twentieth chapter of Jeremiah. There is so much spiritual wisdom in Jeremiah, but more than any of the other prophets, we come to know his personality and his life. And in this passage, all the texture of being a prophet is on display: both the terror on every side and a fire burning in the heart—both the opposition of those who refuse to hear the Word and the irresistible desire to announce it.

Cruisin’ with Mom (Part SIX): For the last several weeks, I have been sharing about my trip with my mom on board the Viking Octantis for a Great Lakes Cruise. Our journey began in Toronto, and from there, we traversed the Welland Canal Locks and made stops in Port Colborne, Point Pelee, Detroit, Alpena, Mackinac Island, and finally, Milwaukee.

After leaving Port Colborne, our next stop was Point Pelee. At Point Pelee, I got to see the tenders put into action. Point Pelee National Park is more of a peninsula that comprises woodlands and the most extensive freshwater marshes on the Great Lakes. It is home to an untold number of migratory birds and butterflies. There were several excursions to Point Pelee, but my mom and I stayed on the ship and just enjoyed meandering around and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

After leaving Point Pelee, our next destination was Detroit, where we would dock shortly after nightfall that Sunday. One of my mom’s big requests was that as we approached the old Boblo Island, we would position ourselves outside to see what had become of what used to be one of her annual summer hangouts as a child. My mom was doing a trip down memory lane as we traveled, and she shared quite a few stories of her many journeys to Boblo Island. As we approached the island, now called Bois Blanc, we couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the enormous houses now built on the island’s north end. I had to do some Google searches while we were standing on the deck to learn that it’s been nearly 31 years since the park closed. I was fascinated to learn that the park was open from 1898 to 1993! Right now, the island is a private community with about 140 homes on the north end, and an additional 220 units are in the works for the south and west end of the 272-acre island.  According to an MLive.com article I found (bit.ly/BobloToday), Amico Infrastructures, which now owns the island, plans to restore some of the old amusement park buildings that still stand today, including the old Dance Hall. My mom was excited to see the top portion of the Dance Hall from our ship’s deck as we passed by. According to the MLive.com article, “Built in 1913, Henry Ford commissioned the 50,000-sq-ft building. It was one of the most popular places to dance in the 1920s, and at the time, its dance floor was the largest in North America.” Amico also plans to restore the theater, two stonewall washrooms, the 1839 Blockhouse, and the 1836 built lighthouse. Plans for the future include building a new restaurant that would be open to the public. The MLive.com article has a one-minute video and some 28 pictures of what they titled the “Eerie Remnants of Boblo Island Amusement Park.” The article, video, and pictures can be found at bit.ly/BobloToday.

Of course, our trip down memory lane of Boblo Island brought up questions about the old Boblo Boats. I quickly found another MLive.com article on the Boblo Boat (bit.ly/BobloBoat). As I was doing all of this for our edification, I was grateful we had such great internet on the ship! One thing I did note was that there weren’t too many people outside sharing our same enthusiasm for passing Boblo Island as many were settling down for dinner (remember, I was on the senior cruise, and many of these folks probably had too much fresh air at Point Pelee and were eager to have dinner and get to bed). As the article on Boblo Island had a video and great pictures of the remnants that still stand, the article on the Boblo Boat also has a video and 32 pictures.

The two ferries, S.S. Columbia, built in 1902, and the S.S. Ste. Claire, built in 1910, could hold 2,500 passengers for the 18-mile cruise on the Detroit River to Boblo Island. According to the MLive.com article, “The Columbia is being restored in New York and will stay there for good, but the Ste. Claire is being brought back to its old glory at Riverside Marina in Detroit and the plan is to keep it in the area when restoration is complete in about three years.”

As we completed our exciting adventure of passing Boblo Island and walking down memory lane, it was time to grab a quick dinner and prepare for our next exciting experience: a late twilight journey up the Detroit River and a late-night docking at the Renaissance Center.

To be continued next week.

The Sacrament of the Sick (Part FIVE): Following up on my series on the Sacrament of the Sick, it is important for us to understand that human illness can and does teach us the virtue of patience! When we put it into the proper perspective, though, we realize that in the sufferings we endure (if we endure them properly and with faith), we are uniquely joined to Christ in his suffering for the salvation of the world. If we adopt the “woe is me attitude” and turn in on ourselves, we will never see the redemptive value of our human illness. However, if we realize there is a redemptive value in our suffering and graciously accept it as part of God’s will for our life, THEN we can become those saints mentioned in the beautiful prayer I shared last week: “Hear the prayers we offer for our sick brothers and sisters. May all who suffer pain, illness, or disease realize that they are chosen to be saints, and know that they are joined to Christ in his suffering for the salvation of the world….”

Sometimes, children can realize this more readily than adults. “What you have hidden from the learned and the clever you have revealed to the childlike (Matt. 11:25).” I recall one SJA teen, Johnny Spath, saying he felt it was better he had the terminal illness than either of his brothers. He knew God had given it to him for a reason. He was often found visiting other oncology pediatric patients while receiving chemotherapy himself. He wasn’t focused on himself but looked for ways he could teach through his illness. He turned his cross into something redemptive for himself and those around him! I remember another SJA student who encouraged his family and friends not to fear his illness or impending death. He taught us the gracious art of dying!

Yes, many times, we are given crosses we do not want. But as a people of faith, we have to accept that these crosses are given to us as a gift, a precious gift from God, a gentle kiss from Christ. We can be sour and ruin the lives of those around us (when we take the “woe is me” attitude), or we can accept the particular cross as part of God’s will for us and then turn that cross into something redemptive.

It’s amazing how everybody likes Easter Sunday, but few want to embrace Good Friday. Remember, you CANNOT get to Easter Sunday unless you have lived through the pain of Good Friday and the emptiness of Holy Saturday. It is all a matter of perspective. It is all a matter of faith. It is what redemption is all about!

So, I’ve been writing about indulgences and this week I was going to continue... But, whew, I think we all need a break from the heavy stuff for a moment!

Let’s talk about something a little bit less serious this week... Crying, fussy children in church! I haven’t had it happen here at St. Joan of Arc, but at previous churches I’ve had parents come up to me to apologize for their noisy child. I, in turn, have apologized that they felt the need to apologize. Everyone belongs in our Church, most especially the littlest among us. 

After all, Jesus tells us in Luke 18, Matthew 19, and Mark 10, “let the little children come to me.”

There is a phrase that goes something like this: “A church that isn’t crying, is dying.” And so, parents – thank you for bringing your children to Mass! I appreciate your sacrifice and presence!

When your child runs down the aisle at Mass, thank you for bringing your child to church. When your child dumps goldfish crackers on the floor, thank you for bringing your child to church. When your child throws a crayon or drops a toy car, thank you for bringing your child to church. Regardless of the circumstances, no matter how long it took you to get to Mass or how defeated you feel or how noisy your child is, thank you for bringing your child to church.

I want to share with you parents an article I read several years ago entitled, “A letter to the parents who keep bringing their disruptive kids to Mass, week after week.” It was written by Anna O’Neil and first published in Aleteia, July 21, 2018.

___________________________

Dear exhausted, discouraged parents,

So, your kids are just terrible in Mass. Chaotic, disobedient, and disruptive, week after week. It’s like a big old spotlight is shining on you the whole time, you and your apparently sub-par parenting.

I’m right there with you. I’ve started to dread Sundays. I mean, we’ve tried everything. Going to the early Mass, going to the evening Mass, Mass books, whispered explanations, whispered threats, sitting in the front, sitting in the back, marching straight to the cry room … and maybe a few of the tricks have helped, but the bottom line is that we’re not getting out of that building without somebody screaming, making a mad dash for the altar, or God knows what.

But in spite of it all, every week, I and my loud, chaotic family are going to be there (in the back!) wiggling around and distracting everyone, and subjecting ourselves to the judgment of a large number of people who might not understand how hard it actually is to teach a toddler to sit quietly for 45 minutes. It looks insane. Still, we button up our wrinkled Sunday clothes anyway, and get our bodies under that roof, just like Mother Church asks us to.

I want you to know that if this is you too, that’s okay. It’s better than okay. Christ had something pretty important to say about people like us:

When [Jesus] looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood” (Luke 21:1-4).

Isn’t this exactly what we are doing? We are giving it literally all we’ve got, in obeying the Church’s request to make it to Sunday Mass. (Sheer embarrassment, unfortunately, isn’t a good enough reason to stay home.) To the outside world, it looks like we’ve done the bare minimum. We’ve gotten into the building, sure, but are we concentrating? Are we having a spiritual experience? Did we even hear a word of the Gospel, for heaven’s sake? It doesn’t look like much. We are the only ones who know how much we are really giving. But Christ knows, too.

Just like the woman’s two small coins into the collection box look like nothing in comparison with the rich man’s gigantic bag of gold, our contribution looks so small a person might wonder why we even bother. Why even come to Mass, if you’re just going to spend the whole time doing toddler damage control? But Christ is there to remind us that he doesn’t see what the rest of the world sees.

Pretty often, I leave Mass feeling like the whole thing was a bust. I didn’t even manage to follow along, and I left so fast I forgot to genuflect. What kind of a Catholic am I? If that’s how you feel too, don’t forget — having little kids, or kids with special needs, or whatever situation you’re in that makes it impossible to kneel quietly and listen carefully, this is a unique kind of poverty. And we, in our poverty, really do give all we have, just by doing our best. Even if our best is just showing up.

So don’t stop. And please don’t worry too much about how your family looks. Even if it never gets easier, keep doing what you are doing, and know that even when the world doesn’t, God sees how valuable your sacrifice is.

When my child tests me, teach me, God, how to respond with wisdom.

When I grow irritable, send me patience.

When my fury rages, teach me the power of restraint.

When I become fixed in my ways, teach me to be flexible.

When I take myself too seriously, bless me with a sense of humor.

When I am exhausted, fill me with strength.

When I am frightened, fill me with courage.

When I am stubborn, teach me how to bend.

When I act hypocritically, help me to align my deeds with my values.

When mundane pressures threaten to overwhelm me, help me to remember how truly blessed I am.

When I lose my way, God, please guide me on the road back to joy, back to love, back to peace, back to you. Amen

Blessings!

Fr. Adam

Do aliens from outer space really exist? Did God create them? Are they intelligent? What does that mean for our faith?

Today, Fr. Mike’s answer might not be what you’re looking for, but… it’s the truth.

People of a certain age – and baseball fans in general – surely know of the majestic career arc of Kirk Gibson. It was, in many respects, as awe-inspiring as one of his dramatic home runs.

A recent profile column in The Detroit News recounted Gibson’s signature baseball achievements. First, his World Series-clinching home run against the San Diego Padres in 1984, propelling the Tigers to their first championship in almost two decades. And then, playing with an injury, his World Series home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers a few years later.

And prior to all of that, he had been a celebrated All-America football star at Michigan State University.

As the world measures such things, he was a hero. And he went on to noteworthy baseball roles as a coach, manager and broadcast analyst, the last of which he still does on occasion.

But the recent News story was more focused on his life and work in the years since his high-profile baseball milestones, in the decade since his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, as he has personally fought the disease’s debilitating effects, and, more importantly, as he has worked to build a foundation bearing his name to help other people suffering from the degenerative disease.

There was nothing particularly spiritual or religious in the story, and so people observing from a distance should be careful not to assign religious motivations that may or may not exist.

But that said, Gibson’s approach to life and to his obstacles would seem to be a perfect illustration of Jesus’s admonition in today’s gospel passage from St. Matthew.

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me,” Jesus says.

And that effort, from the perspective of what is truly important, makes him a bigger hero than ever.

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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7:00 a.m., Joseph and Florence Semany

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

7:00 a.m., Violet Pare’

6:00 p.m., Stephen and Nancy Fattore

7:00 a.m., Mercedes Drozdowicz

7:00 a.m., Roy DeKeyzer

4:00 p.m., Bonnie Batche, Philip D’Agostino, Barbara Michalik, Jesse F. Champine, the deceased members of the Allor and Petrella Families, George J. Bugarin, Robert Boesiger, Helen Blind, Wayne Smith, and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, for Alison Reslow, Pam Haisenleder, Lorraine Jonas, and Sally Cabot

6:00 p.m., Catherine Reeb

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

10:00 a.m., Thomas and Gladys Langlois

12:00 p.m., Louisa Sarra, Denise Parish, William Mason Sr., Marie Shaheen, Mikie T. Artley, Ambrose Orlando, Charlotte Miller, Joan Hardy, Feliciana King, and Special Intentions for Alison Reslow, Lorraine Jonas, Pam Haisenleder, Sally Cabot and Linda Vitale and Family

8:30 AM - School Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for Doris Simon (Read Obituary HERE)

Thursday (September 7):

Friday (September 8):

10:00 AM - Beverly Koch

12:00 PM - Funeral for Mason Ferry (Read Obituary HERE)