Week of September 10, 2023

2) Faith Formation Registration

3) Walking with Purpose - Women's Bible Study

4) CSA Update as of September 10, 2023

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 $213,449 in pledges and gifts toward our $208,946 goal ($171,263 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount).

This amount represents gifts from 573 families (we have 3,300 families registered, which gives us a 17% participation rate thus far). We have achieved 102% of our goal! THANK YOU!

Here is a breakdown by gift range:

$2,500+ (13)

$1,000+ (33)

$500+ (44)

$250+ (94)

$100+ (246)

$75+ (8)

$50+ (68)

$25+ (45)

$10+ (19)

$1+ (3)

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.

5) Interested in becoming Catholic? Do you need to complete your sacraments of initiation? Join the next OCIA class!

6) Wednesday Evening Confessions and Mass

7) Holy Hours on Thursdays

8) Ascension's Bible and Catechism App

9) This Sunday's Readings: September 10, 2023, 2023 - The Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

10) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

The DEBT you Owe to Others + Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

In this week’s Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins talks about the one thing we all owe one another as he reflects on the readings for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

First Reading: Ezekiel 33:7-9

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: Romans 13:8-10

Alleluia: 2 Corinthians 5:19

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

11) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

Are We Saved by Faith Alone?

Friends, they say that fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Well, today I’m going to rush in to some stormy waters by looking at the central issue of the Protestant Reformation: this issue of faith and works, or faith and the law. Martin Luther famously said that what he discovered in Paul is that we are justified or saved by faith alone. But why does the same Paul, in our second reading, say that “one who loves another has fulfilled the law”? The witness of the New Testament is richly complex on this question, and the Catholic position honors that richness and complexity.

12) Grow+Go

13) Giving to SJA:

I'm truly grateful for all of your support of SJA. 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.

14) This Week's Edition of TALLER Tales

Cruisin’ with Mom (Part SEVEN): 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.

In last week’s chronicles of “Cruisin with Mom,” I mentioned that after leaving Point Pelee, we began our journey toward and up the Detroit River for our eventual docking that night in front of the Renaissance Center. With dusk falling on the landscape and dinner now complete for most people, the outside decks began filling up with voyagers. And it was such “perfect” timing (and I’m being somewhat facetious here). What we were looking at was nothing other than Zug Island! UGH! I’m sure the sights and smells of Zug Island left a lasting impression on many of our guests. My mom and I wanted to shout, “This is OUR hometown and the best is yet to come up the river, so close your eyes for the next 15 minutes!”

Then, in what seemed like a perfectly framed picture for us “locals,” we could see the beginnings of the under-construction Gordie Howe International Bridge, the Ambassador Bridge, and the Rennaissance Center in one scene. It was so cool to see these landmarks as we approached Detroit. The timing of our arrival and the crystal clear evening sky couldn’t have been more perfect because all the lights of these landmarks and other Detroit favorites were popping out in a beautiful array of colors as if we were getting our own “Welcome to Detroit” light show!

We then made our way to the Renaissance Center and, much to our surprise, docked out in the river but close to shore. I remember thinking they positioned the boat in a weird location, but then I heard the anchor being dropped into the water and realized we were here for the night. It was close to bedtime, so my mom and I said our prayers and called it a night.

When we woke up, it was Monday morning. It was going to be another spectacularly clear and beautiful day. We made plans to meet with my sisters Jackie and Sandy for our four-hour stop in Detroit. My mom and I both questioned why they only allowed four hours in Detroit, and we learned it all had to do with channel traffic in Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River. I was surprised to learn that freighters have priority in the channel.

The excursions they offered in Detroit were a quick tour of the Rouge Plant, The Henry Ford Museum, a trip to the Ford House, and a tour of the Iridescent Art of Detroit’s Landmarks. We were allowed off the boat starting at 9 a.m. but had to be back on board by 1:00 p.m. But we had one problem. We still had to go through U.S. Customs as this was our first point of entry into the United States since starting our cruise in Toronto.

Shortly after breakfast, the captain announced all the instructions about what had to take place for us to be processed through immigration and customs. He pointed out that they had to reach ZERO count on the ship, meaning that all passengers had to disembark and be processed. Initially, I thought this would have been a simple process. With the beautiful dock at the Ren Cen and a huge customs building right there, I thought we would walk off the boat, walk into a building, show our passports like at an airport, and then be on our way. But no! My mom and I could not initially see all the activity on the Ren Cen side of the boat because we were facing the Canadian side. But when we finally made our way to disembark, we saw a handful of Immigration and Customs Officers lining the sidewalk.

My sister Sandy was already there to greet us, but we couldn’t talk to her as we now had to board a bus to be processed at the tunnel facility! We boarded a small bus with an armed ICE officer who took several counts of us on board. At one point, my mom bent down to look at something in her purse, which threw off his count by one (because he couldn’t see her), so they came through the bus again to verify the count. The bathroom door on the bus had to be opened two times to confirm no one was in the bathroom. We then began our journey to the Detroit-Window Tunnel and passed a toll booth as if we were going into the tunnel, but then we turned around as if we had just returned from Windsor and had to go to the Immigrations and Customs Office where they often make buses and others stop for processing if they don’t clear the regular checkpoint. We then had to disembark and stand in line to have our passports checked and pictures taken. The agents inside were super nice, and the process took less than a minute once we were inside. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the need for all of this to protect our borders and the need for proper immigration and customs processing, but you would think there could be a system like at the airports, which seems so much more professional and efficient. We now lost an hour for our short stay in Detroit.

After my mom and I were processed, we left the building and started to walk up the ramp but got in trouble! An armed officer met us as quickly as a stealthy secret service agent might, politely directing us back to our bus. I guess the count had to match … AGAIN! So, we boarded the bus and were taken to Campus Martius. My sister Sandy, who works downtown, returned to work, not knowing how long it would take for all this to occur. We now had to wait for her to meet us, and then the real trick was to direct my other sister, Jackie, on how to make her way from the Lodge Freeway to meet me at the light on Jefferson just before the tunnel. By this time, I had a headache coordinating all of this. Eventually, I hopped in Jackie’s car, was able to swing around and pick up my mom and Sandy, and finally park the car at the Atwater Street garage so we could visit and stroll around the Detroit Riverwalk. Walking along the Detroit Riverwalk was another item on my mom’s bucket list of things to do.

After strolling around, we said goodbye, and my mom and I boarded the boat. The Detroit visit was over in a blink of an eye. Unfortunately, one thing I forgot to do was take a group picture with all of us. My sisters, who stayed below, waited until we returned to deck 5, where we waved goodbye. So, I did the next best thing: taking a selfie with my mom and me on deck 5 and framing it with my sisters on the shore.

It was now time for a late lunch. My mom and I chose a table on the Detroit side to see many other familiar landmarks as we continued our journey up the Detroit River. However, our departure was delayed because of an issue with some incoming food or items they were trying to get on the ship. It was rather humorous watching all of this happen right before our eyes!

More to come!

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!

In Christ,

15) Along the Way with Father Adam

Indulgences – Part III

Okay, I feel like you should be granted an indulgence just for reading all these bulletin articles about indulgences. But alas, this is the last one. So, indulge me one more time (and forgive me for the terrible pun). Next week, we’ll move on to equally confusing topic of purgatory… unless another idea pops into my head! 

We defined indulgences as thus: “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain defined conditions through the Church’s help when, as a minister of redemption, she dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions won by Christ and the saints” (Indulgentarium Doctrina, 1).

Two weeks ago I used the analogy of the baseball going through the neighbors window (it was a true story, by the way). Mr. Wilson forgave us for shattering his window, but someone still have to pay for it to be replaced. This is what indulgences are for... the temporal punishment – “time” in purgatory – to pay the debt of sin once it has been forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession. 

If the Church has the resources to wipe out everyone’s temporal penalties, why doesn’t it do so?

Because God does not wish this to be done. God Himself instituted the pattern of temporal penalties (purgatory) being left behind. They fulfill valid functions, one of them disciplinary. If a child were never disciplined, he would never learn obedience. God disciplines us as his children — “the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6) — so some temporal penalties must remain. The Church cannot wipe out everyone’s temporal punishments because their remission depends on the disposition of each person’s heart.

How does one determine by what amount penalties have been lessened?

Before Vatican II each indulgence was said to remove a certain number of “days” from purgatory —for instance, an act might gain “300 days’ indulgence”—but the use of the term “days” confused people, giving them the mistaken impression that in purgatory time as we know it still exists and that we can calculate our “good time” in a mechanical way. The number of days associated with indulgences actually never meant that that much “time” would be taken off one’s stay in purgatory. Instead, it meant that a partial remission would be granted.

To overcome the confusion Paul VI issued a revision of the handbook of indulgences. Today, numbers of days are not associated with indulgences. They are either “plenary” (full) or “partial”.

Don’t indulgences duplicate or even negate the work of Christ?

Despite the biblical underpinnings of indulgences, some are sharply critical of them and insist that indulgences undermine the work of Christ and turns us into our own little saviors. This objection results from confusion about the nature of indulgences and about how Christ’s work is applied to us.

Indulgences apply only to temporal penalties (in purgatory), not to eternal ones (heaven or hell). The Bible indicates that these penalties may remain after a sin has been forgiven and that God lessens these penalties as rewards to those who have pleased Him.

The merits and graces of Christ are infinite, like a treasury that is never ending. By applying these graces to believers, the Church acts as Christ’s servant servant in the application of what He has done for us, and we know from Scripture that Christ’s work is applied to us over time and not in one big lump (Phil. 2:12, 1 Pet. 1:9).

“Isn’t it better to put all of the emphasis on Christ alone?”

If we ignore the fact of indulgences, we neglect what Christ does through us, and we fail to recognize the value of what He has done in us. St. Paul used this very sort of language: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:24).

Even though Christ’s sufferings were superabundant (far more than needed to pay for anything), St. Paul spoke of completing what was “lacking” in Christ’s sufferings. If this mode of speech was permissible for St. Paul, it is permissible for us.

Final Thoughts

I know this is a confusing topic and I hope you aren’t even more confused after reading these lengthy bulletin articles. Indulgences are a gift from God and His Church. Don’t we want as much grace as possible from Christ and His Church? I started writing about all of this because a parishioner asked me about shrines/churches dedicated to St. Dominic… there began the rabbit hole regarding the Year of St. Thomas and indulgences.

Catholics should not be defensive about indulgences. They are based on principles straight from the Bible. In 1967 Pope St. Paul VI declared, “The Church invites all its children to think over and weigh up in their minds, as well as they can, how the use of indulgences benefits their lives and all Christian society… Supported by these truths, holy Mother Church again recommends the practice of indulgences to the faithful.”

16) Gala 2023: Save the Date - October 21, 2023

17) St. Vincent de Paul's 16th Annual Friends Walk

18) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

Facing the Death of Those You Love

Everyone you know and love is going to die someday. You will too, but… the thought of losing everyone else can sometimes be all the more frightening. This is a natural response to the ugly, “unnatural” reality of death, and those feelings of fear are not “wrong” to feel.

But, today, Fr. Mike implores you to take heart. There is yet one person who will never leave you.

19) Words on the Word: September 10, 2023 - Shirt Off Their Back

Love, it is said, is more about actions than it is about feelings.

To truly love, we know as Catholics, is to will the good of another person as other. Simply loving those who already love you, as Jesus points out, is easy. It’s when we choose to love other people who can do nothing for us – our enemies or even friends and family who, perhaps, provide nothing tangible in return – that’s when we’re truly loving.

It was interesting, then, to read a recent story on The Detroit Catholic website that detailed a program started by a downriver nurse who saw a problem with a segment of her patient population and decided to do something about it.

The need was patients who were lacking basic clothing necessities. Shoes, warm clothing items, and so forth. 

And the solution was her effort to establish a “clothing closet,” filled with items donated by people in the community, that is opened up to patients in need.

“When you have someone who comes into the hospital who is sick, they clearly don’t want to be there; nobody wants to be in the hospital,” the nurse was quoted in the story as saying. “But when I look at the person as a whole, I always try to think of this as a family member to somebody. I see my family in the people who come in. You get to know their story, and I just try to really see God in them.”

To give with no intention of receiving. That, indeed, is love.

“The commandments … are summed up in this saying, namely ‘’You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’” St. Paul writes to the Romans in today’s second reading.

“Love does not evil to the neighbor, hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

© 2023, Words on the Word

20) This WEEK on FORMED:

21) Hallow App:

22) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, September 11, 2023, Weekday (Green)

7:00 a.m., Martha Gray

Tuesday, September 12, 2023, Weekday (Green)

7:00 a.m., Dennis Fleming

Wednesday, September 13, 2023, Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (White)

7:00 a.m., Ann Marie Rogier

6:00 p.m., Allen Laturno

Thursday, September 14, 2023, Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Red)

7:00 a.m., A Special Intention for the Reeb and Gray Families

Friday, September 15, 2023, Our Lady of Sorrows (White)

7:00 a.m., Mary and Frank Fleming

Saturday, September 16, 2023, Vigil of the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

4:00 p.m., Bonnie Batche, Mr. & Mrs. Angelo Belloli, Irene Pacini, Carl Pacini, Ron Pacini, Edward, Helen & Henry Blind, Mary T. Hobig, Susan Federoff, Patricia Dimavicius, Joe DiTrapini, Grace & Sam Valenti, Joan Weber, Dr. Lori Karol, Laura Barkley, Souraya Nehro-Moses, Gabriel Nehro 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., Audrey Benedis

Sunday, September 17, 2023, Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

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

10:00 a.m., Dr. Edmund Aubrey

12:00 p.m., Joseph Paluzzi Jr., George J. Bugarin, Michael Artley, Joan Hardy, Feliciana King, and Special Intentions for Alison Reslow, Lorraine Jonas, Pam Haisenleder, and Sally Cabot

23) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE:

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (September 11)

7:00 AM - Mass

Tuesday (September 12):

7:00 AM - Mass

8:30 AM - School Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for Nancy Claphan (Read Obituary HERE)

Wednesday (September 13):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (September 14):

7:00 AM- Mass

7:00 PM - Holy Hour

Friday (September 15):

7:00 AM - Mass

Saturday (September 16):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Quinn C. Sandstrom

1:30 PM - Baptism of Russell D. Gerstner

2:30 PM - Baptism of Carter J. Biery

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (September 17):

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 cannot 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.

24) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin

Click on the image below

to download a copy of the bulletin

for September 10, 2023

25) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List

26) Detroit Catholic