Week of December 31, 2023

1) Mass Schedule for New Year's Day

Because January 1, 2024, falls on a Monday this year, it is NOT a holy day of obligation.

The only Mass on New Year's Day will be at 7:00 AM.

2) God with US!

I happened to come across this short video that uses the words from an 1854 Christmas Eve sermon by Charles Spurgeon, a young English Baptism preacher. The video is only 4 minutes and is a good and simple reflection of the power that Christ gives us through his birth as Immanuel.

Using Spurgeon's words from that Christmas Eve sermon, an original score, and a collection of animated paintings, this Christmas video illustrates the wonder of the ages, God with us.

3) Upcoming Retrouvaille Weekend in January

What is Retrouvaille?

• 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.

4) Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist - After Mass Beginning January 8

Although the Eucharist appears to be simple bread and wine, it is actually the "source and summit" of the Christian life. Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist explores the truth and beauty of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist, from its origins in Sacred Scripture to its profound role in the life of the Church and her members. it is the crescendo of the entire story of salvation.

Learn about the truth and beauty of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist, from its origins in Sacred Scripture to its profound role in the life of the Church and her members.

We will show one episode of the series each week after all the masses in Church beginning January 6/7.

5) Walking with Purpose Women's Bible Studies

Join women of our parish in the Sr. Carol Center for a coffee and to learn about the fruits of these beautiful weekly Catholic Bible studies written especially for women. All women are welcome and invited to bring a friend. Each group is doing a different study. Feel free to drop in on the first session. There's always an open seat.

Beginning January 8th, the 7 pm evening group will start a 22-week program: Discovering our Dignity. Women of the Old and New Testaments were as flawed and broken as we can be, yet the power of God worked in their lives. Discovering Our Dignity will allow you to learn from their experiences and uncover ways to deal with unwanted circumstances and deferred hopes.

On January 22nd, the 10 am morning group is starting an 11-week look at Fearless and Free, a Bible study based on the book of Ephesians. This study is ideal for those who long for wholeness of heart and are in need of freedom from past wounds. So many of us are wrestling with the reality that life isn’t easy, even when we are doing the right thing.

No previous experience is needed.

6) New Men's Fellowship Bible Study

7) Rescue Project Returns in late January

8) Christmas Giving to SJA

Parishes around the world rely on their parishioners' generosity ... especially at Christmas. The Christmas Collection is our biggest collection of the year.

As each of us prepares to provide people important in our lives with a gift or some token of our appreciation at Christmas, please remember to include our amazing parish in those plans too! Your generosity goes a long way and helps us continue our mission of bringing Christ to so many people.

The easiest way to give a Christmas gift to the parish is electronically. Click on the link below to make an electronic gift to the parish. You can do so as a guest or by setting up an account. It couldn't be any easier! Thanks for your extraordinary generosity!

9) Ascension's Bible and Catechism App

10) Holy Hour on Thursdays

11) This Sunday's Readings: December 31, 2023 - Feast of the Holy Family

12) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

In this week’s Encountering the Word video for the Feast of the Holy Family, Jeff Cavins encourages us to teach the Word of God and the Catholic Faith to our whole family.

The readings are:

First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 or Psalms 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21 or Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19

Alleluia: Colossians 3:15A, 16A or Hebrews 1:1-2

Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

13) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

Go to Joseph



Friends, we come to the wonderful Feast of the Holy Family. Over the years on this feast day, I’ve certainly preached on the dynamics of the Holy Family, on Mary, and of course on the Lord, but I don’t think I’ve ever focused on St. Joseph. Well, that ends today. Let’s look at four dimensions to the holiness of this greatest male saint in the history of the Church.

14) Grow+Go

15) Giving to SJA:

I'm truly grateful for all of your support of SJA. Your support means so much. The increase in electronic giving has been tremendous. Giving electronically, whether on a one-time or recurring basis is pretty simple. For more information on online giving, please click on the following button.

16) This Week's Edition of TALLER Tales

Make it STOP: This has been quite an extraordinary year for me. I’m not even 60, and I’m starting to feel the effects of getting (being) OLD! I’m now within seven months of 60, but Holy Toledo, the health things I’ve dealt with seem somewhat endless this year, especially with my knees and foot. As one of my doctors recently said, “Well, Monsignor, you’re an anomaly. Things usually don’t happen this way.”

Well, I had another first last week. Shortly after I crawled into bed at the end of the day, “Alexa” started squatting about something on my Amazon Echo. I had no idea what she was saying, and I rapidly turned toward my nightstand because I was super annoyed with her talking when I didn’t even ask her a question. Suddenly, the room started spinning forcefully, like I was on some super fast merry-go-round. I was taken aback and tried to figure out what was happening. It lasted for not more than 10 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. Once the spinning settled down, I turned to the other side, and it happened again! Then it hit me: I had a case of Vertigo! I then thought to myself, “Vertigo is for OLD people.” I apologized to Alexa for being super annoyed with her and asked if she could make the room stop spinning! 

I woke up the following day and had to be super careful getting out of bed. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Much like when I messed up my knee getting into bed a couple of months ago and erroneously thought things would be better in the morning, the same happened here because I thought my Vertigo would have disappeared by morning, but that wasn’t the case. The room started to spin as I sat up in bed! I then got to tell my family and people at work about my experience; I got some expert advice on dealing with it.

A few days later, I was giving out communion in the middle aisle at a daily mass. My non-surgical knee was already giving me many issues early that morning, so I was being super careful with every step because I was hurting. At first, I was giving out communion to a single line, but then two lines formed. As I started turning back and forth repeatedly because of the two lines, the Church began to spin slightly. I knew I had to slow down and regroup quickly. My mom taught me to stare at the upper right-hand corner of the room to stop the spinning, so I did. I’m sure people were trying to figure out what I was doing. I wish it were because I was praying or having some mystical experience! That wasn’t the case. As I returned to the altar, I remember thinking, “GREAT. I can barely walk, and now the room is spinning. Does this qualify for a day off? Or does it simply mean I’m old?”

Family Life: Perils to Avoid … Pearls to Embrace: This weekend, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. We usually picture the Holy Family in the context of the peaceful manger scene, but we forget all the ups and downs they experienced as a human family. It wasn’t always easy for them. And it’s not always easy for us! Yet every family is called to be a HOLY family, and the Holy Family should give us hope and encouragement as we try to follow their example. While it may not be easy, it certainly is possible if you’re willing to avoid the perils that obstruct the holiness of a family and if you are willing to embrace the “pearls” that lead to healthy family living.

This week, I’ll focus on the perils that obstruct the holiness of a family. This list could be quite long, but I’d like to highlight three points that immediately come to mind: 1) Embracing wrong priorities, 2) Being overscheduled, and 3) Problems with addictions.

Embracing wrong priorities: Unfortunately, we live in a culture that often challenges or ridicules those who keep faith and family as top priorities in their life. Our culture says that many things “outweigh” these fundamental priorities. Faith and family need to be at the top of our list. Our actions as individuals and as families need to be directed by the keeping of these essential priorities in our lives. I am amazed how many excuses I hear as to why people chose not to attend Sunday liturgy or why families don’t gather on weekends like the “good old days.” The excuses run the gamut from “I’m just too busy,” “This was my only free day to get anything done,” or “My kid is on this traveling sport’s team, and it’s really important to him/her, and we simply couldn’t find time to get to Mass.” I’m equally amazed how many families don’t find time to eat a common meal at least once during the week. Eating a common meal together without all the electronics is vital for family bonding.

If you were to list your priorities, would faith and family be number one and number two on the list?

Being Overscheduled: One doesn’t have to look too far to realize we’re way overscheduled. We go from event to event to event without even thinking about how being that overscheduled takes a toll on us. We add so much to our day that our lives become unbalanced, overly stressed, and absolutely unhealthy. We run out the door without eating breakfast because we have to get someplace. We go to bed late and wake up early because we have something to do. The list goes on and on. At some point, we have to sit down and acknowledge that we can’t take on the whole world. It’s okay to say NO. That simple little word can help us start living a more balanced life.

Problems with Addictions: You don’t have to look too far to realize that addictions to alcohol, drugs, and other substances are on the rise. Then there are the addictions to pornography and immoral sexual behavior. While this list of addictions isn’t exhaustive, it highlights several addictions that contribute significantly to the destruction of family life.

I often tell people that we have to do all that we can to protect our “house,” that is, our physical and spiritual person, from the insidious attacks of Satan. Protecting our “house” means doing all we can to make sure we don’t fall into temptations or grow weak enough to fall into Satan’s traps. We are most vulnerable to Satan’s attacks when we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. Without thinking and without any determination of will, one can fall because the “moment was right.” We must fortify our house so we don’t fall even to the slightest temptation. As the saying goes, “Give Satan an inch, and he will become a ruler!”

By fortifying our “house,” I mean we have to protect every aspect of our lives from Satan and his evil ways. Only Christ can fulfill this for us! Christ has to be our all. Christ has to be all around us. If there is something that even in the slightest way isn’t Christian or Christ-like, we need to refrain from it with all our might lest we get driven down the wrong road (and it can happen so quickly). From the moment we wake up to the time we go to bed, we have to be on guard so that Satan can’t even get an inch out of our lives.

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers! Happy New Year!

In Christ,

17) Along the Way with Father Adam

New Year’s Resolutions for Catholics

The New Year is here again, and it's time to make those annual resolutions. Every Catholic should add to their list a few spiritual resolutions designed to help them walk higher up that mountain of faith. Let the freshness of a new year be your impetus to make new strides in your walk with God! There is no time but the present! Here are some ideas.

1: Read the Bible.

Yes, the whole thing! Check out a one year Bible plan online and take a more manageable approach to soaking in God’s word this year. Or listen to the Bible in a Year podcast. 

2: Cling to the Sacraments.

Make a concrete resolution to live a more Sacramental life. Up your confession game to once a month, add one extra daily Mass each week, or spend more time praying in a church instead of just praying in traffic. Perhaps it’s something as small as crossing yourself every time you pass a Catholic church (greeting Jesus in the Eucharist) or making sure to stop by the tabernacle first thing when you get to church and last thing before you leave, even if you’re just there to get something signed or to go to a meeting. Treat him like he’s really present there.

3: Get to know the Saints.

Why not begin the tradition of walking along your pilgrimage of faith with a different Catholic saint each year? There are so many of them with unique graces to bestow. Pray about your New Year and the goals you have for your spiritual life, your family, your relationships, your career, etc. Then choose a patron saint whose virtues you would like to emulate in New Year, and entrust your year to their special intercession. This is a great way to guard against the typical two-week lifespan of New Year's resolutions; with a new saint by your side praying for you, it will be a lot harder for your goals to slip away. There may be a particular saint whom you already admire, but to whom you have never prayed or had a devotion. Ask this saint to be your guide for 2020.

4: Read something worthwhile.

You’ll have to determine for yourself what a good goal would be – one spiritual book a month or 20 minutes of spiritual reading a day or maybe just one book this year – but reading worthwhile books can be an absolute game-changer.

5: Learn to love the Blessed Mother

For many of us, Mary wasn’t a big part of our childhood. However, she was a huge part of Jesus’ childhood, so she has to be part of our lives. If you don’t love her as you should (and who does?), try adding some Mary into your life. Maybe it’s time to commit to a daily rosary. If that is too much for you, try reading some good books about Mary or make a Marian consecration. You could pray a Marian litany each day or meditate on Marian art. Whatever you do, just try to love her more.

6: Share your Catholic faith with others.

With so many people far away from God today (and with more and more people noticing it), the culture is ripe for evangelism. There is a clear hunger for God and his Truth. Modern Catholics aren't usually great about sharing their faith with others, but this is something that can change with practice. You don't have to be obnoxious or overbearing about your faith, just focus on doing simple things like being joyful in your walk with Christ or inviting people to come to Mass with you.

7: Set a time each day to pray

This year, commit to a certain amount of time every day without fail just being still before the Lord, talking to him and listening, too. A good rule of thumb is one minute per day for every year old you are, which is great if you’re 15 but not so much if you’re 45 with a million little kids and no experience with silence. Start with 15 minutes a day, see if you can’t stretch it to 20 for Lent, then go from there.

New Year’s resolutions are notoriously hard to keep, but we belong to a Church that continually gives us a second chance. So make these resolutions, but set yourself a reminder for February 13 (just before Ash Wednesday) to check in on how these resolutions are going and try to start afresh for Lent. Then do the same thing for Easter, for Ordinary Time, and again for Advent. By the end of 2024, maybe you will have made a real change!

Blessings!

Fr. Adam

anowak@sjascs.org

18) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

“God, What’s Your Plan for My Life?”

The angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her all about how she’d conceive and bear God’s son Jesus, and even when she asked how this could be, he elaborated. Wouldn’t that be nice? Wouldn’t it be nice to have an angel show up and tell us what God’s plan for our life is?

But… that’s not how it went. The angel actually told her very little. And after Mary’s “fiat” (“Let it be done unto me according to thy word”), what happens? “The angel departed.” That’s it.

See, God probably won’t tell you what his plan is for your life. Not all at once. And Fr. Mike is here today to tell you why it’s actually better that way, and how we can follow Mary’s example of trust.

19) Words on the Word: December 31, 2023 - Better with Age

Those who have reached a certain point in their life know that aging brings with it some challenges. 

Maybe they’re not quite as sharp as they used to be, or their hearing or eyesight requires the assistance of hearing aids or glasses.

Or perhaps their knees ache or their hearts aren’t as strong as they used to be; whatever the circumstance, it’s as natural a part of life as getting stronger in adolescence.

It’s important for the aging person to keep all this in mind, to be sure, but it’s equally or more important for loved ones of aging people, and society at large, to do so. 

It’s a natural enough temptation – whether it’s ourselves or loved ones – to believe that an aging person may have less to offer due to their limitations.

Indeed, a well-known politician made a speech a few weeks ago calling for other aging politicians to start transitioning away from their offices.

“As a 70-year-old person, I’m part of the problem,” the politician said. “It’s time for my generation to get off the stage politically.”

Putting aside the increasing level of attention that age is getting in prominent political campaigns – and the arguments that go with it – it may be helpful simply to focus on the larger context premise: that increasing age means decreasing worth.

And to reject that notion out of hand.

“My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives,” we hear in one of the choices for today’s first reading from Sirach. 

“Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not all the days of his life; kindness to a father will not be forgotten, firmly planted against the debt of your sins – a house raised in justice to you.

© 2023, Words on the Word

20) This WEEK on FORMED:

21) Hallow App:

22) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, January 1, 2024, The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord; Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (White)

7:00 a.m., George J. Bugarin

Tuesday, January 2, 2024, Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (White)

7:00 a.m., Danuta Siwik

Wednesday, January 3, 2024, Christmas Weekday

(White)

7:00 a.m, Diane Rozewski

6:00 p.m., Peter Accica

Thursday, January 4, 2024, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious (White)

7:00 a.m., Gina Bogos

Friday, January 5, 2024, Saint John Neumann, Bishop (White)

7:00 a.m. John Gaines

Saturday, January 6, 2024, Vigil for the Epiphany of the Lord (White)

4:00 p.m., Sam & Grace Valenti, Sally Cabot, Frances Folgado, Mary Mastay, Bonnie Batche and special intentions for Harry Thompson, the J. Champine Family, for Alison Reslow, Pam Haisenleder, Lorraine Jonas, and Linda Frank.

6:00 p.m., Virginia and Richard Hendricks

Sunday, January 7, 2024, The Epiphany of the Lord (White)

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

10:00 a.m. Ann Terlescki

12:00 p.m., Jerome Rogier, Rita Snyder, Berton Dygert, Kenneth Choike, the J. Champine Family, for Alison Reslow, Pam Haisenleder, Lorraine Jonas, and Linda Frank.

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

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (January 1)

7:00 AM - Mass

Tuesday (January 2):

7:00 AM - Mass

Wednesday (January 3):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (January 4):

7:00 AM - Mass

7:00 PM - Holy Hour

Friday (January 5):

7:00 AM - Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for Helene Jean Mahoney (Read Obituary HERE)

Saturday (January 6):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Matilda Marie Vasher

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (January 7):

8:00 AM - Mass

10:00 AM - Mass

12:00 PM - Mass

Please note that all of our masses and events can be accessed through the ARCHIVE section of our Live stream page if you cannot watch it live!

We also have our own ROKU Channel. Search for "CATHOLIC" in the ROKU channel store, and you will find SJA's channel. A Fire TV Channel is also available.

24) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin

Click on the image below

to download a copy of the bulletin

for December 31, 2023

25) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List

26) Detroit Catholic