While there are many beautiful feasts and solemnities in the church’s calendar, the celebration of all the saints is one of my favorites.

A couple of years ago, I received an email from my favorite icon store, Monastery Icons. The email wasn’t your typical sales email but contained an article entitled “7 Reasons Why the Saints are Important.” I thought I would paraphrase the article here.

The article opened with these words: “In these challenging times, it’s wise to ‘get back to the basics and reflect on what a great gift we as Christians have been given in the examples and the living intercession of the saints. Let’s consider just seven of the many, many reasons why the saints are important in our lives.”

1: The Saints are REAL. The saints and their stories and words were not legends or some equivalent to super-heroes or two-dimensional historical figures, however inspiring. They lived on earth and still live in the heavenly world. 2: The saints struggled with the very problems we do … and much worse. As we deal with the issues of the day, we must realize the saints lived through similar circumstances and will respond to our calls for help. 3: The saints are our heavenly helpers. Throughout the church’s history, the faithful have called upon the saints to respond to our prayers, to bless, protect, heal, and sanctify us. As the saints themselves turned to saints to help them on their journey on earth, we should call upon the saints to help us on our earthly journey. 4: The message of the saints’ lives and teachings are timeless and timely. While we may never face a demanding emperor or torturer, the supernatural courage and heroic examples of the saints who had to face their own challenges should be an inspiration for us as we face the challenges and persecutions of our day. 5: The words and actions of the saints are a sure guide and authority on how we should live. With material on FORMED, Ascension Press, YouTube, and other places on the web, it’s easy to learn about the saints, their challenges, and their heroic virtues. As such, search out this material, learn about the saints, and allow their words and examples to guide your earthly journey. 6: The saints are the best role models for sanctity. “If we make the remembrance of the saints our constant companion and study, we will find their example becoming the measure for our own behavior. You become what you contemplate….” 7: Make friends with the saints, and they will be with us and help us. “Christian tradition clearly shows us the way to open a window into heaven. If we place the icons and images of the saints in our home and church, honor and pray to them (especially on their feast days), and remember to always turn to them for guidance and help in every need, however great or small, we can experience for ourselves their blessed protection, healing, and intercession.”

As the Catholic Church gets ready to celebrate All Saints Day, Dr. Sri reminds us that this great solemnity is not just about remembering those great canonized saints, it’s also about recognizing all those unknown holy men and women who faithfully followed Jesus throughout the ages. Dr. Sri invites to reflect how God may be calling us to be saints and to love extraordinarily in our ordinary circumstances.

Snippet from the Show: On All Saints Day we remember all the holy women and men, both canonized and unknown, who loved God and others extraordinarily in their ordinary circumstances.

On Wednesday, November 2, the Feast of All Souls' Day, at 7:00 PM we will gather as a parish family for Mass to remember all those whose funerals took place at SJA over the course of the previous year. Please join us as we commend these faithful departed to the loving hands of Christ the Lord.

This video created by Grace Lutheran Church in Coopersville, Michigan is an awesome video that educates people on what Michigan would be like if Proposal 3 were to pass.

Please encourage others to watch it as well. We've created a simple link to the video. Just tell people to watch 3.stjoan.church

From Detroit Catholic: DETROIT — In a letter mailed to all registered parishioners in the Archdiocese of Detroit, Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron again pleaded with Catholics in the six-county archdiocese to reject an extreme ballot proposal on abortion slated for Michigan’s Nov. 8 election.

The nearly unprecedented letter — sent via U.S. mail to hundreds of thousands of Catholic households in southeast Michigan — began arriving in mailboxes the week of Oct. 24.

Proposal 3, also known as the “Reproductive Freedom for All” constitutional amendment, would have “vast and extreme” consequences for Michigan if it passes, the archbishop said, turning the state into “ground zero” for abortion extremism in the United States.

Polls show the measure tightening, with support near 50% as the election nears.

“We are quickly approaching the November 8 election, during which voters in Michigan will decide on Proposal 3, an amendment to the state constitution that would allow unregulated abortion on-demand through all nine months of pregnancy,” the archbishop wrote. “It is the most extreme proposal concerning abortion this state or country has ever seen.”

The danger of Proposal 3, the archbishop and others have said, is that its intentionally vague language would invalidate virtually all other laws in the state intended to regulate abortion, turning the gruesome procedure into a sort of “super right” in the state’s constitution.

The Fall 2022 issue of FOCUS was included in all bulletins this weekend and was mailed to all families who receive a bulletin in the mail. This issue has a wealth of information to help you understand the extreme measures that would be put into place if Proposal 3 were approved.

Please click on the image below to download a PDF copy of this issue of FOCUS.

Click on any of the images below to download these PDFs to help you be fully informed about the radical nature of Proposal 3. Consider passing these PDFs along to family and friends.

For close to 20 years, our parish has helped serve meals at Crossroads. Due to the coronavirus restrictions, we will follow the same process we did in 2021.   Rather than ask for food donations, we will ask for cash donations so that all the food that is needed can be purchased. 

Nov 6th is the date we will be cooking and serving the food at Crossroads. Our menu will consist of chili, hot dogs, condiments, cornbread, cookies, fruit, and beverages. If we have additional funds we would also like to purchase toiletries as we did last year for all the guests that we serve at Crossroads; they were very happy to each receive this gift from us.

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 $188,265 in pledges and gifts toward our $211,447 goal ($182,107 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). This amount represents gifts from 591families (we have 3,338 families registered). We have thus achieved 89% of our goal!

“Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

–Luke 19:9-10

Jeff Cavins focuses on God’s mercy and offers a few powerful insights on the readings for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.

First Reading: Wisdom 11:22-12:2

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14

Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2

Alleluia: John 3:16

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

Friends, our first reading from the book of Wisdom makes an extraordinarily important observation that’s of both theological and philosophical significance—namely, that the very fact that something exists means that it has been loved into being. In light of that, we can read our famous Gospel about Zacchaeus as a story of the infinite love and mercy of God pouring into someone’s life—and the conversion that follows.

Plumbing’s Not His Thing: As many know, I dabble in all kinds of DIY projects. As a result, I’m the preverbal Jack of all trades and master of none! I remember when Fr. Hoang and I would kibitz about projects. He would have that characteristic laugh of his and say, “Oh, I learned that on YouTube.” Yes, armed with the ”right” YouTube videos and tools, any novice can look like a pro! Plumbing, however, is one area that baffles me more than others. As my family on a recent Zoom after I shared the contents of today’s TALLer Tales said, “Yea, plumbing’s not his thing.” But armed with YouTube videos, boy, can I look like an intelligent Clark Griswold!

Now I have to admit, the following is genuinely TMI (too much information). But it was too funny to pass up for landing in TALLer Tales.

A few weeks ago, my mom and I went on a three-day excursion to the cottage of some friends. The whole purpose of the trip was to visit Boyer Glassworks in Harbor Springs. They had a pumpkin festival, and my mom wanted to add a glass-blown pumpkin or two to her growing collection of glass-blown pumpkins. For my part, I wanted to accomplish a project or two at the cottage. So it was a win-win for both of us. We also wanted to check out the fall colors up north, and I’ll tell you we hit the gold mine while we were there. It was stunning.

On the day of our departure from the cottage, I ran into some plumbing problems … so to speak. We were racing to pack our things, finish my projects, and tidy up after being there for a few days. There was one planned plumbing project on my list that I didn’t start until the morning of our departure. I bought the required parts the day before and thought it would be an easy fix. But as I began to embark on the project, I had visions of breaking something which would have caused water to go everywhere. As a result, I halted that project before it became a problem. But then there was an “unplanned” plumbing problem.

So this is where the TMI comes in. Let’s say I clogged the toilet with too much toilet paper! No big deal. That’s why you have plungers! As I plunged the toilet, water started erupting like a volcano. I stood paralyzed, trying to figure out what was happening. I didn’t know what to do. There was no sense in shutting off the water valve because it wasn’t coming from the tank, and the water wasn’t running. But the water kept erupting and overflowing, and there was no way to stop it. I grabbed some towels to absorb the water. Suddenly the water mess I was trying to avoid with one project became a water mess in another area. After cleaning up the water on the floor, there was NO WAY I was going to keep plunging this toilet. So I went and got the auger. Within minutes, the auger “ate” through the wad of toilet paper. Once I retracted the auger, I was aghast to see I had created all these black marks at the bottom of the toilet bowl. And, these were not disappearing by wiping them away. At this point, I clued my mom into what was happening, and she helped disinfect the floor, and we started a load of wash. But now my task was to figure out how to get rid of these marks left behind by the auger. I began to search google and YouTube for solutions. There was one solution that intrigued me. The solution was to use toothpaste that contained peroxide. Suddenly, bells went off because I use Crest Toothpaste with Peroxide. I got my tube of toothpaste and started to polish away. With much amazement, the black marks began to disappear. With a bit more polishing and gobs of toothpaste, I made that toilet look like new!

After all was said and done, my mom made another sweep of the bathroom. I then heard her call out from the bathroom, “Why do you have toothpaste near the toilet?” “Oh, mom,” I started to say, “don’t ask. It’s a long story. But the toilet looks great, doesn’t it?” Yea, plumbing’s not my thing. But I learned another use for toothpaste … and why you shouldn’t use wads of toilet paper. Good going, Clark!

Days of Recollection: This weekend I will be spending time with the undergraduate seminarians in Holly, at the Maryville Retreat Center, run by the Felician Sisters, for the seminarians’ annual “Days of Recollection” retreat. It was odd to get the email from the seminary asking if I would consider leading the retreat. I remember my first Days of Recollection weekend. It was 11 years ago, but how quickly that time has passed and now I was being asked to be the host priest.

I particularly remember the weekend because I was so frustrated that we were being sent away for the weekend at that time. It was the weekend before mid-term exams were due to begin on that Monday and we were absolutely forbidden from studying on the retreat. But what I remember about the experience was that it was a really important time of fraternity. It was a couple of days to really get to know my classmates, after beginning seminary in August and now just a couple of months later going away without the distraction of phones (I didn’t even own one back then) and studies. It was a time to pray together, take a walk around the lake with the beautiful Fall colors, sit around a campfire and attend some helpful conferences. I remember walking around the lake with a small group and encountering one of the Marquette seminarians, sitting with his back to a tree, looking out over the lake, playing the bongos! Not what we expected to encounter, but we all have our different ways of feeling recollected, I guess!

If anything, it was also a time to learn to trust in the wisdom of the program, that there was more to seminary formation than getting the best grade you can on an exam. Cementing friendships is done through all kinds of shared experiences, but that time away really helped me to develop friendships that endure to this day. We all need to take time out to attend to friendships and relationships. As Monsignor has been writing about in his column recently, it is a subtle work of the evil one that allows us to be convinced that there is no time for the things that matter in life, the things that can actually help us with the busyness and the challenges we encounter. I am always reminded of my friend Jack when he and I were building a cabin in Gaylord. We finished pouring a 40x60 ft slab of concrete at 8am one cold mid-October morning, and as we did so, flakes of snow started to fall, followed by sleet, then drizzle, then rain. This was not good! I looked at Jack and said, “So now what do we do?!” Jack paused and said, “I know what we need to do. We need to go back to my place and I’ll make us a hot chocolate.” Jack had a plan, but the first part of the plan was to breathe and to take care of ourselves.

Please pray for the seminarians, and for me, that I can provide them with some helpful conferences, and that they may be renewed in their discernment and refreshed by this time away.

The Edge of Incompetence: On Monday, the priests in our Family of Parishes were getting together for dinner at the St. Joan parish Center. Dina asked if I would pick-up an order of food from Licavolis Italian Market on Mack. Since we were having the cement work done on the main entrance and the dumpster was on the street and Msgr.’s mom’s RV was parked at the side of the PC, Dina had parked her Ford Edge on my driveway for the day. So Dina said just to take her car. No problem, I thought. Never having driven a car without a shifter, the first moment of confusion was just that, until I found the dial on the center console. So I headed off toward Mack, feeling like I was driving a wrap-around aquarium, with that long sloping windshield out in front, so different from my “in your face” vertical Jeep windshield.

I’ve enjoyed food from Licavolis Market many times, but never actually have been there before, so I wasn't sure where it was. I just plugged it into my phone’s GPS, since I had no idea how to work the one on Dina’s car. I found the market easily enough and pulled into the side street but there was no parking so I pulled in behind… no parking there either. So I looped around back onto Mack and parked on the street there. I walked in and wasn't sure where to pick-up the order, so I walked up to the payment counter. The young girl working there didn’t know either, but suggested the food-ordering counter. It turned out to be her first day there. Behind the second counter was a familiar face—it was Henry, Kristine Hass’ son. I didn't know he worked there, but recognizing me, he knew I was there to pick up the St. Joan order. He gave me the payment slip and I went back to the first counter and paid for the order. Then Henry helped me carry the food to the car. I mentioned on the way that it was a borrowed car, so hopefully I could figure out how to open the hatch, but before I tried, Henry opened it. He set the food trays down and he left. But when I closed the trunk and went around to the driver’s door and hit the key fob, nothing happened. Great! I thought. I’m stuck with a car trunk full of food and a car I can’t get in. In desperation, I went back and opened the hatch, eyeing a way to crawl into the car through the back without anyone seeing me.

And of course, right then, I hear someone yelling from the other side of Mack Ave. It was Kevin Kaptur, one of the SJA Leadership team! He was over at Trattoria Serventi. Now fully aware than I had been spotted, I was not about to crawl into the back of the car! So I called Dina… “How do I unlock your car?!!” …. “You use the key fob. Did you use the key fob?” Yes, I used the key fob…” “Well is it mine or yours?” “Yes, it’s yours!” Then I believe her exact words were, “User error...”

I explained that the little lock button on the inside of the door is staying down. Dina said, “there isn’t a button.” I said, “But I’m looking at it!”

Apparently there isn’t a button, but there is a something that looks like a button. The next advice was to try the door handle. So…. I’m not sure if I actually had tried that. But what do y’ know? Pulling on the door handle actually does open the door. Whoda thunk it? So complicated!

I drove the aquarium back to the parish, unimpressed by my little test drive, swearing I’d never buy a Ford Edge. But if I did, I’m not sure I’d know how to get in it anyway.

adawson@sjascs.org 

We believe as Catholics that at every Mass the simple bread and wine are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus.

But do we need to receive both species, namely the Eucharist and the Precious Blood in order to receive ALL of Jesus?

Today Fr. Mike explains the practice of intinction, dipping the Holy Eucharist into the chalice of the Precious Blood and when it’s a bad idea and when it may be appropriate.

Fall months usually bring with them an increase in the likelihood of seeing certain types of bugs or pests in the house. Why are there bugs, anyway?

And headlines were made a few weeks ago when a shark attacked a fisherman in Australia. And not long before that when there were shark attacks in South Carolina. Why are there sharks, anyway?

Such questions about things whose value may seem suspect – like bugs, and sharks and tsunamis and black mold – have been around forever. People of goodwill might wonder, in a more whimsical moment, what God was thinking when he created, or at least allows, such creatures and phenomena.

Some of these things, of course, do indeed have easy enough explanations. Sharks, for example, according to one authoritative website, “play an important role in the ecosystem by maintaining the species below them in the food chain and serving as an indicator for ocean health.” And tsunamis, tragic as they may be, could not exist if not for the beauty and ecological grandeur of oceans. But questions still arise.

And so, to the extent we may be tempted to ask God, on those particularly reflective days, why certain things exist, or are allowed, we might take solace in knowing that, whether it’s immediately apparent to us or not, God has his reasons, and his design is good.

“For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made,” we hear in today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom. “For what you hated, you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?

“But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things!”

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., Sr. Marie Houle, OP

7:00 p.m., George Rupinski

7:00 a.m., The deceased members of the Calisi Family who passed away in the Month of November

8:30 a.m., George J. Bugarin

12:00 p.m., For the Intentions of St. Joan of Arc Parishioners

7:00 p.m., A Special Intention for the Rogier and Dettloff Families

7:00 a.m., Hugo Calisi and Richard Mooney

7:00 a.m., Ron Lagodna

7:00 a.m., Duane Gore

4:00 p.m. Timothy Hollern, Bonnie Batche, Dick Hanselman, Melvin Dries, Phil D’Agostino, Joseph Molitor, Alfred Blind, Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, for the Thomas Family, for Joan Kowalewski, and Prayerful appreciation for the work of the Priests and Staff of St. Joan of Arc

6:00 p.m., Lori Karol

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

10:00 a.m., Arlene & Lawrence Szefler

12:00 p.m., Antonietta Mazzella, Aniello Mazzella, Bianca Calisi, Antonio Calisi, Sr. Silveria Conte, Richard Adamcik, Emael L. Sarmieto, Jose R. Medina, Rosario Medina, Daisy Mae Buenavista, Jeffrey A. Hardy, and a Special Intention for the Family of Tina Calisi

Wednesday (November 2):

Thursday (November 3):

Friday (November 4):

Saturday (November 5):

10:00 AM - Funeral for Margaret Wienck (Read Obituary HERE)

11:30 AM - Baptism of Kamar J. Adaniya and Mira H. Wenzloff

12:30 PM - Baptism of Madalyn N. Haisenleder

Sunday (November 6):