Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are a few updates from the parish for the week of May 9, 2021.
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1) Mother's Day: We give thanks and praise to God for all moms and grandmas, for the love they have shown us, and for the many ways they have nurtured us over the years.
Every year on Mother's Day we read Father Rich's Beatitudes of a Mother that he wrote many years ago in honor of his own mom. If you are interested in downloading a copy of his Beatitude of a Mother, please click on the button below.
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2) Mother's Day Tribute Video: This is from the "Oops Department." I meant to do another Mother's Day Tribute video like we did last year, but time snuck away from me. But I thought I would post last year's video nonetheless. Happy Mother's Day!
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3) The 52nd Annual Raffle: Thanks to all who turned in their raffle tickets already. The response thus far has been OUTSTANDING! As I announced at masses this weekend, we have collected $120,000 so far in raffle sales. THANK YOU!
Tomorrow, Monday, May 10, 2021, we will draw two lucky winners from the pool of 100% tickets and each will win $1,500 as part of our Early Bird Drawing. We will announce the winners tomorrow evening.
And, once again, thanks to Father Rich for setting the lofty goal of $200,000 in raffle sales. Given our returns thus far, I think this goal is absolutely doable.
One of our seniors and lectors, Bill Taylor, sent me this email: “After reflecting on the challenge to hit a goal of $200K for raffle sales Dot and I came to this conclusion: we’ll double what we sold/purchased last year. Further, we offer this challenge for you to make to individuals or the parish: If everyone who is able doubled their sales, we would very likely exceed the $200K goal. You may use our commitment as an example of seniors supporting SJA.” THANKS for the example and challenge!
Raffle tickets can be dropped off at the Parish Center (through the mail slot in the door), dropped in the offertory box in the Gathering Place at Church or they can be mailed to us with the business reply envelope.
If you need or want more tickets either stop by the Parish Center or click on the button below to order more tickets; we'll then get them ready for you for pick up or drop them in the mail.
Regarding the business reply envelope, we ran into some delays with the Post Office last year in receiving those envelopes in a timely manner toward the end of the Festival. As such, I suggest you no longer use the business reply envelope to mail in your tickets; rather do everything you can to drop your envelopes off in person or use first-class mail.
If you have any questions about the raffle, please do not hesitate to contact the Parish Center at 586-777-3670 or info@sjascs.org.
THANKS for all you are doing to support our 2021 Raffle.
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4) A note about the 10 AM Mass on NEXT Sunday (May 16): A few weeks before we brought the 10 AM Mass back into the schedule, we scheduled one of our First Communion Masses at 10 AM on Sunday, May 16. Given our capacity limits and the need to maintain social distancing, we are asking parishioners who regularly attend the 10 AM mass to attend one of our other weekend masses that weekend. Thanks for your understanding.
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5) Information about Retrouvaille - A lifeline for Married Couples: |
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The Retrouvaille Program is for Married Couples Facing Difficult Challenges in their Relationship
- A Marriage program that helps couples restore their marriage and rebuild a loving relationship.
- A Christian marriage program, Catholic in origin, where couples of all faiths or no faith background are encouraged to attend.
- Primarily a practical program to improve communication, build stronger marriages, and help couples reconnect.
- Presenters are not trained marriage counselors, but rather couples sharing their personal stories of marital struggles and the tools they used to rediscover their love.
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6) Electronics Recycling Event for Holy Innocents / St. Barnabas Parish |
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7) This Sunday's Readings - Sunday, May 9, 2021 |
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8) Grow+Go for the Sixth Sunday of Easter: |
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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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9) Sunday Reflection by Jeff Cavins: |
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In this week’s Encountering the Word video for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Jeff Cavins shows us how this Sunday’s readings teach us to imitate God in the way he loves, because only in this way can we become Christ’s disciples. |
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10) Stimulus Check 3 Gift to SJA: With each of the Stimulus Checks, many in the parish have called inquiring if there was a family that could use the help. The answer is YES ... your parish family!
As was mentioned a few weeks ago, the first Saturday of March would have been our annual School Gala, the 15th Annual Gala. But because of COVID, the Gala couldn't take place. That annual fundraising nets approximately $100,00 per year. Then given the decline in Sunday offertory and Christmas collections because of the reduced number of people coming to Church, the income we rely on to carry out our many great works has been on the decline. So, we created, and are widely publicizing, the Stimulus Check 3 Gift to SJA. I hope you can be a part of this little project and fundraiser.
I realize not everyone can afford to give part or all of their stimulus check, but to those who can, I would ask that you consider this easy gift to the parish.
Checks can be written to SJA with a memo: Stimulus Check 3 Gift. You can also donate electronically by clicking on the button below.
Thanks for your ongoing and generous support of SJA!
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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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It’s all RED: Like most people of my parent’s generation, each spouse had their specific roles. One of my dad’s roles was handling all the finances and taxes. While I thought I was pretty much up to date with my parent’s accounts and passwords, I’m learning that wasn’t the case at all. Thankfully, my dad was somewhat organized because I’ve been able to find most things amid the many piles in his loft office. But it’s been a mighty challenge trying to reconstruct their financial world! With the help of my nephew JJ, we’ve been able to organize and sort through most of my parent’s banking information. My dad handled all of this himself and rarely relied on others for help. He did all of his banking with the help of Quicken and all of his taxes with the help of Turbo Tax. I would be brought in from time to time for tech support, but he pretty much handled it all. My dad would call upon my mom only occasionally, and that was only when some financial document had to be signed, when the checkbook had to be reconciled, or when he wanted information about a charge on their debit card (like most spouses, my mom loathed these moments … the infamous “day of reckoning”).
My parents and I often talked about sitting down to go over their financial information if anything ever happened to my dad! I wish now that the talk had turned into some action on my part. Thankfully, I know most of my dad’s passwords and have access to his infamous password book. With that information, I’ve been able to reconstruct and make some sense of their financial world. I recently had to find his 2019 tax return. I was proud of myself because I was able to log into his computer and figure my way through his filing system to find his 2019 Turbo Tax file. From there, knowing his usual passwords, I was able to gain access to his 2019 tax return and print a copy of it to help me with his 2020 return. But it all took time!
Considering all I’ve had to figure out, my earnest plea to people of my parent’s generation is PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share your financial AND login information with your spouse and a child or trusted relative or friend. Also, share or keep a log of your accounts. It will make life so much easier for those who have to sort through or handle your financial matters after you’ve gone home to the Lord.
If you, like me, have thought about having this conversation with your parents but haven’t done anything about it yet, DO IT NOW! Don’t keep saying I’ll do that tomorrow! That day will suddenly hit you like a brick wall, and you’ll regret not having that conversation.
With passwords and account credentials, I’m a big advocate for Roboform. I know there are many password managers out there, but I like Roboform because you can assign emergency access to a few people. They don’t have immediate access to your passwords and account information; they only get access after a predetermined timeframe you’ve established. I wish now I had taught my dad how to use Roboform (my mom is already an avid Roboform user). If I had done that, I could have requested emergency access to my dad’s account. He would have received a notification that I was requesting emergency access. If he didn’t respond to that request in the timeframe he established when he set me up for emergency access (let’s say 12 hours, one day, one week, etc.), I would have gained access to his account automatically. Having those passwords and login information is GOLD!
With all that being said, I recently sat down with my mom to show her how to log in to one of their accounts. This wasn’t a “day of reckoning” like with dad, but I wanted to show her how to navigate through this account to verify her charges. This account is tied to the debit card my mom uses most often. My mom has started a new hobby of painting and decorating unfinished birdfeeders and birdhouses. We’ve all been amazed with her outstanding work! With the growing demand for her birdhouses and birdfeeders, she may need to hire a few employees! She orders most of her supplies on Amazon because it’s easy and given the fact they are about a half-hour to forty-five minutes away from most major stores. My nephew will often talk about the few boxes that came in for the family and the nine or so boxes that arrived for Grandma! She is keeping the Amazon delivery people busy night and day.
As we were going through the charges, my mom was somewhat amazed by all the items I was scrolling through. She wasn’t too close to the screen, so she couldn’t see all the detail. She then moved in closer and asked what all the RED items were. “Mom, those are all your charges,” I proclaimed. Her eyes became wide open. She then paused and said, “WOW. I guess I was an expensive wife!”
Happy Mother’s Day: As we celebrate this special day dedicated to moms, we take a moment to thank and pray for our mother, who gave us life and showed us love. We pray for mothers who lost a child through death that they may continually turn to their faith to find hope and assurance their child is in the loving arms of the eternal Father. We also pray for women who care for the children they come in contact with daily even though they have no children of their own.
While looking for some reflections on Mother’s Day, I recently came across this quote from blogger Elizabeth Duffy that spoke volumes to me: “If motherhood is hard at times, it’s probably because it allows us, without going terribly far out of our way, to mimic Christ.”
I also found this reflection from blogger Christy Wilkens: “Motherhood is a path for mothers to sanctify their families, and for mothers, in turn, to be sanctified by and through their families. And moms, in order to do this, God gives you the family that you need. I want to reemphasize that. He gives you the family that you need. He doesn’t give you your neighbor’s family, or your best friend’s, or your frenemy’s. He may not even give you the family you want, the family you hoped and prayed for, the family you dreamed of since you were a young girl. For many of us, it means a family bigger or smaller than we imagined. But He gives you the family that will sanctify you.”
Finally, since so many call or email around Mother’s Day seeking to find a copy of Father Rich’s Beatitudes of a Mother, I decided to post a PDF copy of it on the homepage of our parish website. Consider sharing and/or reading it at your Mother’s Day gathering!
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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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Tales of trails: There was a time when I didn’t want to ride my bike. My mom had to bribe me with baked goods to get me to practice. I’d had a bike as a kid, with training wheels. It was a purple Mickey Mouse bike with solid rubber tires. Or so I thought… I think I was in my 20s by the time I put two and two together and remembered that my bike had been exactly the same color as the wood trim on my parents’ house. “Waaaait a minute! You painted my bike with leftover paint.” They admitted to it. And then the floodgates of revelation opened. My Mickey Mouse bike was not a Mickey Mouse bike at all! They had added those stickers to it and fooled me! Betrayal! But when I got my first training-wheel-free bike, I didn’t want to learn how to ride it. Eventually I got it, and rode about 6,000 circles on the street outside our house until the street-lights came on that night. Since then, I’ve always had a bike and often crashed it.
A couple of weeks ago I was looking at my mountain bike and decided it was time to get it ready for the Spring/ Summer. It needed to be oiled and put some air in the tires, but not much more. But I was looking at the computer on the handlebars that records distance travelled and speed. It wasn’t working last year. The batteries were probably dead. So I went online and ordered two new batteries. They are like watch batteries, about the size of a nickel. When I took the computer off the bike, it rattled, not a good sign. But anyway, the batteries arrived and I replaced the old ones and the screen lit up. “Great! It’s working,” I thought. I got on the bike and just rode to the end of the driveway, but the computer didn’t register anything. I traveled there at 0.0 mph, apparently. As I was trying to figure this out, I noticed the sensor on the front fork, that senses the magnet on the spokes as the wheel turns; it had a little door on it. I didn’t remember it because I bought it years ago. I opened the door and there was a battery in there too—no doubt a dead one. So I went online and ordered that one too. It arrived and I replaced the old one, rode down to the end of the driveway, and again… nothing. I played around with the set-up… still nothing. I guess that rattle was significant after all. Now I’m not that technically minded, but I do know that if you drop computers they tend not to like it. And I have, by misadventure, dropped this bike many times. So I gave-up on the computer. At least the bike was up and running. A few days ago I went to visit a parishioner in the neighborhood. I was too close to drive, but too far to walk, so I went by bike and sure enough, the computer was still not working.
Last Sunday was a beautiful early May day. I took the opportunity to find a spot to hang my hammock and enjoy the sun for a few minutes in the afternoon. But I was feeling lazy just laying there.
Maybe it was the U-Haul truck from the clothing collection that did it — it was still parked the other side of the fence. It had a picture of a cyclist on the side.
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So I decided I should take my bike out. I had dinner plans in Dearborn, but I had an hour or so before leaving for that, so I thought I’d just head up Marter Road and across Lakeshore to see the lake on this beautiful afternoon. First, I had to locate my bike helmet. I thought it was in my office, so I went and took a look. Nope. So it had to be in the house. It was, but why it was in the closet I found it in I have no idea. But helmet, sunglasses and I was good to go.
I actually had trouble finding a spot where I could get to the lake that wasn't private property, and I found myself at the end of Doremus St., cut-off from the lake by the Milk River.
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But I stopped there for a few moments. While I was there I got a text from my friend in Dearborn. His wife was not feeling well so we needed to take a raincheck on dinner. So I had more time on my hands now and decided to ride on a little more. I headed down Lakeshore, looking at all the huge houses. And I just kept going. Before long I was thinking this was a bad idea because it was pretty warm and I hadn’t intended to be out long so I hadn’t brought anything to drink. I didn't really want to turn around because then I’d be riding into the wind, which was pretty breezy. So I kept going. Then I realized I was almost to St. Paul on the Lake, so I called Fr. Colin to see if he was around, thinking I could stop in and say “Hi,” but he didn’t get my message until later. When I reached Moross, I figured that was a good route back inland so I took Moross to Mack and back home, hungry and thirsty. My short ride out to the lake turned into more like 10 miles, not a huge ride, but more than intended. I say “more like 10 miles” because how would I know? Not from my computer! |
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So sometimes the battery is only partly to blame. Sometime it’s more about me crashing the bike once too many times. My bike and I have had many adventures, in different parts of the state and country and not without injury, but the computer is apparently a loss than will not heal. I think its time is up.
All I know is that I wouldn’t have had this trouble on my fake so-called Mickey Mouse bike with its purple exterior mat house paint, solid tires, training wheels and no computer. And if I hadn’t been bribed with all those baked items 30-some years ago, it might have been an easier ride. But I can’t blame mom, not on Mother’s Day. (Yes, I sent the card this time!)
Happy Mother’s Day to all our moms! Thank you for all you do to raise us and encourage us. Thanks for bribing us with your baking, for removing the training wheels and teaching us to stand on our own two wheels. And thanks for patching us up when we crash. You are a blessing to us all.
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You are in my prayers this week!
Fr. Andrew
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14) Words on the Word: May 9, 2021 - A New Path
The pandemic, to be sure, is not yet over. Not even close.
Positive tests continue. Social distancing is still in place. Illness remains. Some people continue to suffer emotionally and economically from the fallout.
And yet, we do know that there is some glimmer of hope. Stories have increased in frequency about the confluence of factors that are sparking optimism. Indeed, one recent story on an internet news distribution site observed how many people, particularly millennials, have latched on to the trends and changes to set a new course with their lives.
Under the general heading of “You Only Live Once,” the story documented how government stimulus checks, increasing numbers of vaccinated people and a recovering job market have emboldened many people not only to consider new or different jobs, but to put their collective feet down and demand the ability to work from home if they prefer.
Or, in the alternative, to leave the structured job market altogether to pursue an entrepreneurial course, or a passion of another kind, such as writing a screenplay.
All of this, of course, is fine, and a matter of individual choice. But the larger observation, one of which we should never lose sight, is that certain fundamental priorities must remain, namely, keeping God and neighbor at the forefront of our lives, regardless of what the outer trappings of our lives may entail.
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love,” Jesus says in today’s gospel passage from St. John. “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be complete in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.”
© 2021, Words on the Word
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This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (May 10):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Al Rogier
7:00 PM - First Communion Mass
Tuesday (May 11):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass (Grades 5-8)
5:00 PM - First Communion Mass
Wednesday (May 12):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass (Grades 1-4)
Thursday (May 13):
7:00 AM - Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour (Praise and Worship Music)
Friday (May 14):
7:00 AM - Mass
Saturday (May 15):
11:00 AM - Baptism of Harrison Kukuk
1:00 PM - First Communion Mass
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (May 16):
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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Click on the image below
to download a copy of our
Bulletin for May 9, 2021
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
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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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