Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are a few updates from our parish for the week of October 17, 2021.
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1) Respect Life Month Prayer to St. Joseph: |
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As we celebrate Respect Life Month, we look to St. Joseph, the defender of life, to pray for us and to help us achieve a greater respect for all human life in our world. |
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A Prayer to St. Joseph, Defender of Life
Dearest St. Joseph,
at the word of an angel,
you lovingly took Mary into your home.
As God’s humble servant, you guided
the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem,
welcomed Jesus as your own son
in the shelter of a manger,
and fled far from your homeland
for the safety of both Mother and Child.
We praise God that as their faithful protector,
you never hesitated to sacrifice
for those entrusted to you.
May your example inspire us also
to welcome, cherish, and safeguard
God’s most precious gift of life.
Help us to faithfully commit ourselves
to the service and defense of human life
—especially where it is vulnerable or threatened.
Obtain for us the grace
to do the will of God in all things.
Amen.
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Our 15th Annual Gala ... OctoberFest ... was a HUGE success! We smashed all kinds of records because of your generosity! We sold more raffle tickets than ever before. We received more donations to the Msgr. Bass Scholarship Fund in one night than ever before. Gala 15 will be one of our most successful. THANK YOU for your support and all of your generosity that made all of this happen.
We'll have more information about our success in the coming weeks as we finalize all of our accounting of the evening. I just wanted you to know that it was a HUGE success! More details to come.
Msgr. Mike
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3) An Update on Leeland's Ramp |
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As I announced at Masses this weekend, the ramp for Leeland was recently installed. His mother said that the ramp has made a huge difference in being able to move Leeland around ... and especially help get him to school.
Below are a few pictures of the installed ramp. I'm grateful to you for your extreme generosity in helping make this gift possible to Leeland and his family!
In Christ,
Fr. Andrew
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4) A Biblical Walk through the Mass - Begins October 26 |
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5) 5th Grade Teacher Needed |
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St. Joan of Arc School is looking for a full-time 5th Grade Teacher. This position involves teaching various subjects to a 5th Grade homeroom, including Religion.
All teachers in the Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Detroit shall be certified and/or approved for teaching by the Department of Education for the State of Michigan.
This candidate is required to have a valid Michigan teaching certificate.
The candidate must complete fingerprinting, background check, and the Protecting God’s Children virtual workshop.
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6) Coordinator OPENING - Center for Excdeptional Needs |
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The mission of the Center for Exceptional Needs at St. Joan of Arc is to enable persons with a variety of challenges to encounter Jesus Christ and develop a friendship with him in a supportive and caring environment. Through faith formation and Christian fellowship, students learn about the Word of God, our Catholic faith. They come together with loving cate to share faith, friendship, love for one another, and to appreciate all of God’s creation. This is a seasonal part-time position. (Oct-May.)
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7) SJA's CSA Update as of October 17, 2021 |
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I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2021. As of today, we have $171,034 in pledges and gifts toward our $217,002 goal ($156,103 has already been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). This amount represents gifts from 541 families (we have 3,276 families registered). We have thus achieved 78% of our goal!
Here is a breakdown by gift range:
$2,500+ (5)
$1,000+ (35)
$500+ (44)
$250+ (103)
$100+ (206)
$75+ (14)
$50+ (68)
$25+ (38)
$10+ (24)
$0+ (3)
As stated above, the easiest way to give is electronically by clicking on the button above. If you wish to give by check, feel free to contact the Parish Center and we will mail out an envelope and related material.
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8) This Sunday's Readings - October 17, 2021 |
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9) Jeff Cavins: Encountering the Word - Reflections on the Sunday Readings |
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In this Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. |
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10) Grow+Go for the 29th 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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11) 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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12) This Week's Edition of TALLer Tales |
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Monsignor said …: Many years ago, Archbishop Vigneron introduced the Amazing Parish movement to the priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit. One of the founders of Amazing Parish is Pat Lencioni. Pat is a New York Times best-selling author and has worked with hundreds of CEOs and organizations to help them achieve success and build healthy leadership teams and organizations. He took his passion for organizational health and leadership and started to apply it to parish life and to help pastors become better pastors. What I have learned through the Amazing Parish and attending Pat’s workshops and webinars has become invaluable to me!
During one of his talks on the dysfunctions of a parish team, Pat shared a fictitious story to hit home his point. He said one day a small group of parishioners asked their pastor his opinion about the new landscape in front of the parish. Father simply said, “I kind of like the purple flowers.” Word quickly got out that Father liked purple flowers. Before long, purple flowers were found throughout the entire parish campus. Purple flowers adorned the sanctuary. Purple flowers were found out in the parish landscape. Father soon noticed all the purple flowers and one day asked his staff, “What’s with all the purple flowers these days?” The staff looked at him with amazement and said, “Well, we were told you liked purple flowers.” After all, “Father said….”
We have many versions around here of “Monsignor said….” Rather frequently, what “Monsignor” supposedly said is so far different than the original version or somehow was so misinterpreted that staff will come to me for clarification. The whole scenario is like that children’s game Operator or Telephone. In the game, what one person says gets so distorted as the “story” gets retold to others that the last person’s version is often indistinguishable from the original one.
A few months ago, during one of my staff meetings with Dina, our business manager, and our maintenance team, I noticed an agenda item that was simply labeled “Vacuuming.” It caught my attention. I started to think that maybe we needed new vacuums, but if that were the case, I figured the item would have been labeled “New Vacuums.” I couldn’t figure out what this item was all about for the life of me.
When we finally got to the “Vacuuming” item, I was asked if it were okay if the maintenance staff could vacuum the sanctuary in a pattern different than parallel to the steps. Right away, I thought to myself, “WHY in the world would I care HOW they vacuumed the sanctuary, as long as it got vacuumed.” I was truly baffled! But I played along with the game and asked a question or two to help me figure out why they were even asking the question. When I finally said I didn’t care HOW they vacuumed as long as they vacuumed, Dina blurted out, “I told you he didn’t care.” I was told that it was passed down among the staff for years that “Monsignor said” we could only vacuum the sanctuary in such a way that the lines were parallel to the steps. They were only doing as they were told because, after all, … “Monsignor said….” Vern was thrilled to hear the news. He now reports his vacuuming tasks are much easier to accomplish since he doesn’t have to do what supposedly, “Monsignor said.”
Are you interested in being baptized or joining the Catholic faith? Are you an adult that needs to be confirmed? If your answer is YES to either question, please leave a message at the Parish Center (586-777-3670 or email rcia@sjascs.org) for information about our upcoming RCIA classes. The RCIA stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. While the title would imply it is only for adults, many children go through the program too but on a different track explicitly designed for them. We haven’t started our sessions yet, so I figured I would put out one last “call” for candidates!
The whole RCIA process is a beautiful journey of conversion. Through instruction and dialogue led by members of our RCIA team and other presenters, candidates learn about the Catholic faith. Our group meets every Sunday after the 10 AM mass. Once we start, classes will go through the Solemnity of Pentest.
The RCIA is intended for persons who have never been baptized and for those who were baptized in another Christian church who now wish to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church. It is also for those who may have been baptized Catholic at an early age but never received any formal training in the faith. The RCIA process reaches its culmination as candidates receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.
One of the concerns people surface is the fear of making the initial call. Even if you only want to make a casual inquiry about the program, give us a call. There won’t be any pressure to join. We simply welcome the opportunity to answer any questions you might have. Also, don’t worry about the time commitment. While we have a formal schedule, special arrangements sometimes have to be made due to work or home obligations. Another concern people sometimes present is that they go to Church every weekend with their spouse and family, and everyone assumes they are Catholic. As such, they are embarrassed to acknowledge they are not Catholic, and the thought of making that fact known publicly when they are so connected in our community is awkward. Don’t worry; we’ll take care of you too! So, if you are interested or have questions, contact Father Andrew, Father Rich, Deacon Tom, Deacon Dom, or me after Mass. We’ll answer any questions you have and point you in the right direction.
Cell Phones in Church: Over the last several weeks, we have noticed a significant increase in the number of cell phones going off during Mass. We don’t mind the occasional ringing, but lately, it seems like it’s happening three, maybe four, times at every Mass! And, like clockwork, the ringing doesn’t usually happen when we are singing or speaking the parts of the Mass. No, it tends to happen during the homily or the more quiet or solemn moments of Mass.
So the Leadership Team and I have decided that it would be a good idea to put back into the pre-mass announcements a note about silencing cell phones. We also thought it would be good to put something up on the screens before Mass like they do in the movie theaters. I even thought about accompanying the “slide” about silencing cell phones with some obnoxious ring tones to get people’s attention! So let’s do what we can to silence our cell phones when we come into Church. This simple action will help lessen the number of distractions at Mass.
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Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!
In Christ,
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13) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc |
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The Gift of Time: The older I get, the more I have come to realize that “time is the greatest gift” is not just some cliché, but it contains more than a handful of truth. When spent, time doesn’t come back. There is just never enough of it. We could all use more time to accomplish the tasks of the day, and who wouldn't appreciate more time to sleep at night? We could argue about it being the “greatest” gift - perhaps sharing your faith or love with someone, or certainly, the gift of the Eucharist are even greater, but you get the point – time is a very valuable commodity and so we guard it carefully. Yet all the time we have in this world was gifted to us by God Himself, and our gifts are to be shared, so that God’s glory may be seen in His Kingdom on earth. Can any of us claim that we are here in the world because of something we did to put us here? And if not, then can we really claim that this day is ours to own and to keep for ourselves?
Call me old-school, but I still wear a watch. It’s analog, not digital. And in my office I have a large hour-glass. It really is one hour’s worth of sand. It was my theory in the seminary that I’d get my homework done faster if I was accountable to the hour-glass on my desk. It didn’t work, but it’s undeniable that it’s a good visual reminder that time is not something we get back.
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There are many ways in which the Lord calls us to serve Him by acts of kindness and mercy toward others. In so doing, we serve God. There are many worthy Catholic charities in need. We often have a choice to make – do I choose to help those I meet or hear about who are lonely, hungry, sad, forgotten, poor? The other option is to say, “No, I will not help. Let someone else help.”
We are half-way through this month of October, this Respect Life month. We are called to do acts to up-hold the dignity of life. This is a good time for a review. Many of you generously offered your gifts to Leeland’s family and to the baby bottle collection for Mary’s Mantle. That generosity is always such a blessing. But have you given any of your gift of time back to God as a sign of your respect for the life He has given you?
If time is really one of the greatest gifts we have, it’s surely then one of the greatest gifts we can give. Would you choose to give God your second best? Sometimes we might be willing to give money, but are we willing to give an hour to pray outside an abortion clinic or even to pray for an end to abortion at a holy hour? Are we willing to spend the time educating ourselves so that we can defend the Church’s teachings on life?
Would you give the second-best option to your loved ones, to your children? Would you send them to the school that you considered could provide the second-best learning environment and education you could find and afford? Would you do only what was “good enough” to make your dinner guests feel comfortable in your home, or would you really want them to feel welcome?
If you want to know where your priorities really lie, what’s really important to you? Two places offer a good clue: look at your credit card statement and your calendar. How are you spending your money, and how are you spending your time. How do they stack-up with the faith we profess at Mass every week? The words of the Creed are not casual words. They were agonized over by Christians who understood the significance of what each line meant. If we listen to ourselves professing those words each Sunday, they should act as a chance to check ourselves. Do I understand them? Do I believe them? If any of it troubles you, put the time into learning more. Part One of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is laid out specifically to map-out the Creed, line by line. It contains some beautiful reflections on the tenets of the faith. For instance, did you ever consider that it begins in the same way it ends, as a definitive confirmation of our faith— “I believe….. Amen (meaning “I believe”)? Perhaps those words are worth our time.
The Gift of Life: This Friday we will celebrate the memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, as much as anyone in modern times, a champion of life issues. Part of the reason for this was no doubt the suffering and cruelty he had encountered in Poland during Nazi occupation; but also, no doubt the knowledge that his own mother had refused to take her doctor’s advice to abort him during a difficult pregnancy was not lost on the future Pope. His mother sacrificed her own health to save her child, knowing that there was no other moral course of action.
This gift of life is not a Catholic issue, though as Catholics we must speak-out against evil. It’s not even a religious issue. So often it is conveniently presented in that way, but that’s a fallacy. Abortion is condemned by all the world’s major religious traditions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, conservative and orthodox Judaism, and Islam. The basis for this universal agreement on the evil of abortion is not merely a religious, and certainly not a political one, but a philosophical one. Not all people share the same religion, but all people possess the same human nature. All people belong to the human race and are given the gift of reason and born with a conscience, an innate moral law that is God-given and natural, the basis for natural law. Whether we know God personally or not, we have the capacity to know right from wrong. A pro-life stance is not an attempt to impose, force or dictate ideas upon others. Nor is it a matter of private opinion or political leaning. The pro-life position is an appeal to reason, conscience, justice, and the divine authority of God as the final judge of this issue. The challenge is to keep-out the agenda of a culture and media that denies objective truth and seeks to play God and establish its own “truth,” and to keep our own pride at bay.
Pope John Paul II said, “A nation that kills its own children has no future.” The ultimate test of the greatness of a nation is the way it treats every human being it is responsible to, but especially the weakest and most defenseless ones. If we want equal justice for all, and true freedom and peace, all hot-button issues of our day, we must defend life! All the great causes of today will have meaning only to the extent that we accept the right to life in the first place, and protect the human person.
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You are in my prayers this week.
Fr. Andrew
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14) Words on the Word: October 17, 2021 - Rulers of Men
The former Michigan governor, a Republican, was reportedly making a presentation at the recent Republican leadership conference at the Grand Hotel.
According to media reports, the former governor was providing some of the context for the last time Michigan was in a similar situation with respect to political leadership across the various branches of state government, some three decades ago.
He then went on to describe the best strategic approach to take in order to win the next election, giving Republicans control, once again, of state government. As part of that strategy, he described the likely strong financial position in which the incumbent governor will be, and the level of spending she will be able to bring to the campaign.
Immediately, of course, Democrats weighed in on why the presentation was incorrect or unfair. And, if it hadn’t already been, the state-level campaign season is off and running.
It’s all-important stuff, to be sure. Politics has its critically important place in our democracy, and that’s as it should be.
But leaders and their constituents alike might take heed of Jesus’ words in today’s gospel. Rulers, he says, often let power go to their heads, and use their office to unfairly exert influence over others.
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers … lord it over (others),” St. Mark quotes Jesus as saying, “and their great ones make the authority over them felt.
“But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”
Back to today’s political scenario, none of this is an attack on any particular individual or party, just an important reminder of what ultimately is most important.
© 2021, Words on the Word
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15) Ascension Presents with Father Mike Schmitz: |
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Why is Faith a Virtue? Do We Need Faith?
Have you heard the phrase, “never doubt in the darkness what you knew was true in the light?” Do you find yourself intellectually convinced that our faith makes sense but in times of difficulty, struggle to assent to those truths?
Today, Fr. Mike reflects on the virtue of faith and how we must engage not only our intellect but also our will to live out the fullness of our Catholic beliefs.
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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) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: |
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This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (October 18):
7:00 AM - Mass
Tuesday (October 19):
7:00 AM - Mass
Wednesday (October 20):
7:00 AM - Mass
Thursday (October 21):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Timothy Fox
7:00 PM - Holy Hour (Praise and Worship Music)
Friday (October 22):
7:00 AM - Mass
Saturday (October 23):
12:30 PM - Baptism of Jilian C. Nelson
1:30 PM - Baptism of Brooks M. Bates
2:30 PM - Baptism of Delilah Dechy
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (October 24):
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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19) SJA's Bulletin for October 17, 2021 |
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Click on the image below
to download a copy of our
Bulletin for October 17, 2021
The 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Weekly bulletin: 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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