Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 15, 2022 |
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1) Food Truck Festival Next Weekend |
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2) Early Bird Drawing Winners |
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Congratulations go to:
Dr. and Mrs. Paul Meyering
and
Mr. and Mrs. William Radatz
who were our Early Bird Drawing winners. Each family won $1,500!
You can watch the drawing which took place on Monday, May 9, 2022, below.
Remember, you have until May 22nd to turn in your raffle tickets and your 100% tickets. If you need additional tickets, please go to tickets.stjoan.church or stop by the Parish Center!
Thanks for all you do for our amazing parish!
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3) Festival RAFFLE Tickets |
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Thanks for your generosity with the selling and purchasing of raffle tickets thus far. Keep the returns coming!
Our main drawing will take place next Sunday (May 22, 2022) at 5:00 PM. The event will be livestreamed at livestrea.stjoan.church.
I hope and pray you will consider buying or selling $100 worth of tickets! Your generosity will go a long way to help our amazing Parish to continue doing everything it does. PLUS, you might be lucky enough to win one of the raffle prizes!
Last year, we netted $145,000 from the raffle and proceeds from the food trucks. I am grateful for your amazing generosity in what you did to make “Festival” 2021 a fantastic success!
- If you are under 65, for every $100 worth of tickets you return, you earn ONE chance at the “Festival” 100% Drawings. If you are 65 or older, you earn ONE chance for every $50 worth of tickets you return. Thus, if you are under 65 and return $100 worth of raffle tickets, you can turn in 1 - 100% tickets. If you are 65 or older, turning in $100 worth of raffle tickets allows you to turn in 2 – 100% tickets. The 100% tickets are PRE-PRINTED on the enclosed YELLOW sheet.
- You can continue to turn in your raffle and applicable 100% tickets until the drawing on May 22, 2022. At that time, we will draw five (5) of the 100% tickets from the entire pool of tickets, and each will win $500.
I also wanted to explain that the senior designation is based on the date of birth we have in our database for the oldest member of your household. So, if the oldest person in your home is 65 or older, you qualify for the senior designation, and the word “SENIOR” will be printed at the top of each sheet of raffle tickets sent to you.
Raffle tickets can be dropped off at the Parish Center (through the mail slot in the door) or in the Sunday collection boxes.
Also, please read through the checklist to help make sure your tickets can be processed quickly and accurately. Please contact the Parish Center (586.777.3670) or visit tickets.stjoan.church if you need additional tickets.
Please know of my gratitude for your generosity! Let’s make “Festival” 2022 even more successful than “Festival” 2021.
Msgr. Mike
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4) VBS 2022: Built for God - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED |
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5) SJA's Men's Fellowship Group Invites you to THE PROPHETS 10-Part Bible Study |
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6) Ukraine Relief Efforts |
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If you are interested in supporting the Catholic Church's relief efforts for the people of Ukraine, please click here to donate through our OSV Online Giving Platform. |
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7) This Sunday's Readings - May 15, 2022, The Fifth Sunday of Easter |
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8) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins |
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Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter:
First Reading: Acts 14:21-27
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-5A
Gospel: John 13:31-33A, 34-35
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9) Bishop Barron's Reflection for the 5th Sunday of Easter |
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Friends, on this Fifth Sunday of Easter, we continue our reading of the book of Revelation, leaping ahead toward the very end of the Bible. Looking at the arc of the whole story—from God’s creation out of watery chaos in Genesis to the sea disappearing and a new creation emerging in Revelation—we see that God's final and definitive rescue operation, in the fullness of time, is his only Son. Jesus was sent all the way down into sin and death that he might rescue us who had fallen into those depths. |
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10) Grow+Go for the 5th 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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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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Changing Times: Many eons ago, when I traveled a lot, especially back and forth to Rome, I remember feeling like I had entered my own little monastery when the cabin door of a plane closed. There was no Wi-Fi access in the air at that point, and thus you could pray, watch a movie, listen to music, or whatever. There were no interruptions. I remember getting caught up on email (which was all done offline at that point), and then I would synch my computer once I landed. Then all of that changed when they started to have Wi-Fi access on planes, first domestically and then internationally. I remember my first international flight with Wi-Fi access. I was thrilled. I was able to text and do all my things from 35,000 feet in the air! I thought it was just way too cool. On one particular flight, I remember texting our Director of Communications, Ned McGrath, throughout the flight. Being “trapped” in the air, my responses were always immediate. Eventually, he sent a text, “Okay, shut your phone off and go watch a movie or do something else.”
Last Saturday, I began the journey with my mom and one sister down to Naples, Florida. Yes, I took a vacation. Please don’t tell anyone; it would ruin my reputation! Through the generosity of the Emmerich Family (brother of Peggy Venditti), who provided the School Gala with TWO - 2-week stay packages at their home in Naples and the fact my mom was one of the two winners, we’re enjoying some time here. In fact, I’m outside in the beautiful Florida weather next to the pool as I write this article.
Before my departure, I assured Father Andrew everything would be set with all the technology and that the streaming would be okay. Kristine Hass would handle most of the streaming tasks, but Father Andrew had to start things off on a very busy Saturday with one funeral, three baptisms, and then the two Saturday evening masses. Father Rich was kind enough to take all three baptisms so Father Andrew could handle the cameras. Everything was pre-programmed (part of the streaming functionality is automated). In fact, if we were ever without a camera person upstairs, we could set one camera to a wide-angle shot, and it would just turn on and off as programmed. We’re in the final stages of upgrades that will expand our system to include five cameras. Knowing the streaming equipment was all programmed, I thought I didn’t have to worry about it once I took off; I would simply enjoy watching all of our stuff from a distance.
I already scoped out (of course I did) the fact that our plane down to Florida had one of the newer satellite internet systems from Viasat (Delta is currently converting their entire fleet to this new system). As a result, the connection would be more stable, faster, and cheaper. It would cost just $5 per device for the flight duration. I had plans to do some work and get caught up on email. Our flight was to take off at 12:35 PM. We boarded the plane, and I helped my mom and sister with their carry-ons, and then I got settled in my seat (they were a row behind me). I figured I would check in on the first baptism once in the air to make sure all was okay. Minutes before we took off, I got an email from our streaming provider that our automated system could not connect with our stream box to start the broadcast. Good heavens; OF COURSE, this would happen while I was gone. I tried to start the broadcast manually from the plane, but it didn’t work. So I sent an urgent text to Kristine, who went back to Church to help Father Andrew. I told her I would be offline until we could start using the internet again. Once in the air, I tried to do some remote tech support. My mom and sister saw me glued to my phone but had no idea what I was doing. Texts and screenshots were flying back and forth to Delta Flight 1719. We were trying everything possible to get this stuff working. I checked our streaming provider’s operational status page, and everything seemed normal. I sent a few texts to a few tech support people I knew from eCatholic and to Rob from RMW Productions, hoping they could help Kristine and Father Andrew. The system was acting erratically, and nothing was making sense. For the whole 3-hour flight, I was glued to my phone trying to help solve this issue from 35,000 feet in the air! I was slowly getting a headache because I don’t give up too easily with my tech stuff … even more so with my streaming equipment because I know how much people depend on it. We still have some 400 people watch the 4:00 PM Saturday mass, so the pressure was one. I have a backup system on-site, but I’ve kept it boxed up, thinking I would program it if I needed it. Little did I know that I would be 35,000 feet in the air when I needed my alternate solution (guess what I’ll be working on when I get home).
Eventually, we got the system to respond, but then we had video but no audio. Poor Kristine and Father Andrew had to work through all of this and my MESS of wires upstairs. It was now 3:15 PM, and our flight was about to land. My mom and sister Jackie looked quite comfortable and relaxed after watching whatever movie they watched. But the pressure was still on for me as I wanted to get our system up and running by the 4:00 PM Mass. As we were trying the last thing I had in my bag of tricks and Kristine rebooted the system for the umpteenth time, I got a text “HALLELUJAH … it’s working!” Suddenly I felt like I was in Houston Control Center and could hear a whole room cheering and clapping with joy! It worked, thanks to Kristine and Rob from RMW Productions, who was also helping remotely.
Once we landed and got off the plane, my mom said, “What in the world were you doing so glued to your phone the whole 3-hour flight. We figured you were texting or emailing a lot.” “Oh, believe me,” I started to say. “It’s a LONG story … and all tech-related to our streaming equipment. You know what I’m like when my tech stuff doesn’t work. But it’s working now. Thanks be to God. But I need either some Tylenol or a glass of wine! Did you guys enjoy the flight?”
SJA’s 53rd Annual Raffle Update: Thanks a million to everyone who has supported the raffle thus far. The response has been phenomenal. At last count, we were close to $110,000 in raffle sales. THANK YOU!
Please remember that you can continue to turn in your raffle and applicable 100% tickets until 5:00 PM on Sunday, May 22nd. Congratulations to Dr. and Mrs. Paul Meyering and Mr. and Mrs. William Radatz, who were our Early Bird Drawing winners!
And, please remember to keep some room in your meal planning next weekend to stop by the SJA Food Fair. We will have close to 14 food trucks on-site with lots of variety the entire weekend.
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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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Community: The readings today should lead us to think about community and love for neighbor. From the first reading account of the many early church communities Paul and Barnabas travelled to, to the Gospel and Jesus’ commandment to “love one another.” Sandwiched in between (to channel my inner Fr. Fox) is the reading from the Book of Revelation and John’s vision of a “new Jerusalem” coming down from God. “Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” That’s how John begins the penultimate chapter of Revelation, the last book of the bible and our second reading today.
The idea of God erasing evil and starting over with the faithful is not new; witness the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or God’s impatience with Israel and the offer to start fresh with Moses (Numbers 14:11).
Not only will God do away with tears, pain, and death, but also that oldest adversary, chaos. The end of tears is a longtime promise of God; it’s time for the institution of a new covenant, represented by the marriage of the bride, a new Jerusalem, (the church) and Christ, God and His people.
This is a message of optimism – for the believers who first heard this in the late first century, as well as for us today. At its root, this is a message of grace. Those who have been judged as faithful will be comforted, satisfied, and will inherit the grace of eternal life as adopted brothers and sisters of Christ. It’s a good and true message, not one laced with the fear of destruction. In a crazy world, with so much uncertainty, so much of what was stable and known seemingly being torn down, God’s covenant with His faithful remains as bold and bright as it ever was.
The final chapter of Revelation then begins, “Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” This life-giving water is the water Jesus offered to the Samaritan woman at the well. It’s the flow of God’s grace that comes from Christ and is received by us when we surrender ourselves to a life lived in, through and with Him. Through God’s grace, all things are possible. On our own, we are lost. But allowing God to work through us, can be a great inspiration to the people around us. They notice. Don’t be surprised if people ask you the reasons for your faith. They want what you have! Be prepared to give those reasons (1 Peter 3:15). Through our surrender to God, the Lord can “open the door of faith” to others, as we hear about in the Acts of the Apostles today.
If there is a reminder to all of us in this first reading, it’s that we do not exist as Christians in a vacuum. There is no “God and me” Church. When Jesus tells Peter in Matthew’s Gospel that he is the rock upon which His Church will be built, the word “church,” the word He uses translates “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place.” The root of the word is the verb “to call” - we are called to something, ultimately to act in response to what Jesus has done for us.
This is why we gather on Sundays.
This is why we worship together.
This is why come to Church for mass.
Can we praise God at home? Yes. Can we be a community from our homes without coming together? That’s always going to be a compromised community because the community exists is primarily to support its members, and we are relational people.
One of the saddest parts of the pandemic was when priests were not permitted to enter hospitals and at times we had to pray with someone by iPad. Everyone recognized this as a sad compromise, that someone was very sick or dying and that the person should have been able to be anointed and receive the comfort and grace of in-person prayer.
The same absence afflicts the community when people isolate themselves and rely only on digital media. There are, of course genuine circumstances for some that make this the safer choice for now—those with serious health concerns or who are caring for those with compromised health immunity. There has always been a dispensation from mass for anyone too sick to attend or who might get another person sick. And for these people, livestreaming has been a great blessing to fill the void. But for most, the Covid dispensation from our obligation to worship with the community on Sundays no longer exists. If you’ve been away, come back! This community needs you!
As we begin the summer season of travel, it is also important to make sure we plan ahead to be able to join a community in person— praise God, there are churches all over this country! And finding one is easy.
Finding A Mass Time: You can find a mass anywhere in the country with masstimes.org
You can search this website by day of the week, address, zip code, or just click on the map of churches. All the parish contact information is there so you can call and double-check if you wish. But missing mass for the reason of travel, without making an effort to find another church, choosing to watching online for convenience, does not fulfill a Sunday obligation. It is not an equal alternative. Missing that obligation without a serious reason is a grave sin against God requiring sacramental confession before receiving the Eucharist again. (CCC 2181)
We worship together because it enriches our community. We share a communal experience of God and we receive His Body and Blood just as we are one body. The Catechism says that the faithful give witness “by their communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God's holiness and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 2182)
There is a subtle lie that living as a disciple of Jesus without the grace of the Eucharist is possible or even desirable. There is no sacramental grace received by digital means. Grace is defined by the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the “help God gives us to respond to our vocation.”
Paul and Barnabas were clearly active members of the early Church communities, responding to the grace they had received, acting boldly, withstanding hardships, enduring all and persevering and successfully growing the Church by their work. If our Church is in need of renewal today, perhaps it is because it is in need of opening itself to being able to receive an increase in God’s grace. It’s His grace He always wishes to give, but which we cannot receive, when we keep ourselves from the sacraments. We are a community of disciples; we either support each other in our faith, or we fail in our Christian duty.
The Scottish philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie: “No man can become rich without himself enriching others.” Let us find cause for hope in each other, this band of disciples that makes-up our St. Joan community, as we do what Paul and Barnabas did: ‘They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”’
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You are in my prayers this week.
Fr. Andrew
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14) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz |
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The Truth Is, You’re Spiritually Burnt
and Want to Quit
Are you feeling tired and spiritually exhausted? Do you feel like throwing in the towel on everything?
Today Fr. Mike offers us a way to evaluate our spiritual practices, service, and prayer based on our relationship, identity, and mission (RIM) to know what we can remove and keep from our Catholic spiritual life.
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15) Words on the Word: May 15, 2022 - The Highway Home
Few people would consider the heavily industrial stretch of I-94 between Detroit and Ann Arbor a road to the future, but play along, momentarily, with the analogy.
Local media reported recently on an initiative that will set aside a lane of that stretch of roadway for the exclusive use of autonomous, or self-driving, vehicles.
Among the technology that will be developed and refined in the project is “the digital infrastructure needed to communicate with connected vehicles, including the definition of messages, sensing requirements and protocols,” according to one such story, reported on MLive.com.
There likely will be numerous such projects in the coming years, as governments, automotive manufacturers, technology companies and other future-thinking organizations and individuals continue to pave the way, so to speak, with this new way of doing things.
It’s a metaphor, if you will, for the work that God is doing – and asking our help in progressing – as we move toward the coming of the kingdom that all people of goodwill seek.
Consider the image painted in today’s second reading from Revelation:
“Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more,” the reading begins.
“I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away… Behold, I make all things new.’”
And that, alas, is the kind of road all of us long to travel, on which everyone is advancing without conflict, accidents, or wrong turns.
© 2022, Words on the Word
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16) The Bible in a Year Podcast by Father Mike Schmitz |
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If you’ve struggled to read the Bible, this podcast is for you.
Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz and featuring Jeff Cavins, guides Catholics through the Bible in 365 daily episodes.
Each 20-25 minute episode includes:
- two to three scripture readings
- a reflection from Fr. Mike Schmitz
- and guided prayer to help you hear God’s voice in his Word.
Unlike any other Bible podcast, Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast for Catholics follows a reading plan inspired by the Great Adventure Bible Timeline® learning system, a groundbreaking approach to understanding Salvation History developed by renowned Catholic Bible teacher Jeff Cavins.
Tune in and live your daily life through the lens of God’s word!
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17) 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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19) Mass Intentions for the Week: |
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Monday, May 16, 2022, Easter Weekday
7:00 a.m., John Frahm, Judy Frahm, and Sam & Grace Valenti
Tuesday, May 17, 2022, Easter Weekday
7:00 a.m., Bernard J. Champine and Gerard Rogier
Wednesday, May 18, 2022, Easter Weekday, Saint John I, Pope and Martyr
7:00 a.m., Daniel Benedis and Jean Marie Thybault
Thursday, May 19, 2022, Easter Weekday
7:00 a.m., Raymond & Theresa Brazier
Friday, May 20, 2022, Easter Weekday, Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest
7:00 a.m., James Kosakowski and Phyllis DeMars
Saturday, May 21, 2022, Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
4:00 p.m., Nick & Ann Marie Cantrell, Bonnie Batche, Art & Irene Tack, Edward & Henry Blind, Frank Bradley, Anne Rogers, Helen Sadler, and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family and for the Thomas Family.
6:00 p.m., David Curcuru
Sunday, May 22, 2022, the Sixth Sunday of Easter
8:00 a.m., For the Intentions of Saint Joan of Arc Parishioners
10:00 a.m., Marie Therese Tobin
12:00 p.m., Robbie Battani and a Special Intention for the Family of Tina Calisi
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20) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: |
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This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (May 16):
7:00 AM - Mass
1:00 PM - Grandparents' Day Mass
Tuesday (May 17):
7:00 AM - Mass
Wednesday (May 18):
7:00 AM - Mass
Thursday (May 19):
7:00 AM - Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour
Friday (May 20):
7:00 AM - Mass
Saturday (May 21):
12:30 PM - Baptism of Vincenzo A. Monticciolo
1:30 PM - Baptism of Jackson J. Haubert
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (May 2):
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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21) SJA's Bulletin for Sunday, May 15, 2022 |
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Click on the image below
to download a copy of the bulletin
for May 15, 2022
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22) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List |
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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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