I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2023. We currently have $172,617 in pledges and gifts toward our $208,946 goal ($135,871 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). This amount represents gifts from 458 families (we have 3,299 families registered, which gives us a 14% participation rate thus far). We have achieved 83% of our goal! 

$2,500+ (10)

$1,000+ (24)

$500+ (34)

$250+ (72)

$100+ (199)

$75+ (7)

$50+ (55)

$25+ (40)

$10+ (15)

$1+ (2)

As stated above, the easiest way to give is electronically by clicking on the button below. If you wish to give by check, feel free to contact the Parish Center, and we will mail out an envelope and related material. Generic pledge cards can also be found on the bookcase of the Gathering Space.

From Detroit Catholic: Rommel D’Souza, like many parents of teenagers, knows one day he might encounter challenging conversations with his daughters, but he is pleased to know he can find online resources and guides to discuss matters from a Catholic perspective through a new resource from the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Compass, a project spearheaded by the Archdiocese of Detroit's Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, is an online search guide aimed to assist parents who have questions about the Church’s stance on issues and to help parents guide conversations with their school-aged children.

D’Souza attended a pilot launch of the resource at Christ Our Light Parish in Troy this spring.

“We go to church regularly, but that only happens once a week, so this information is always there, not just once a week,” said D’Souza, whose daughters are 12 and 14.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, parents found themselves with more face time with their school-aged children, which often led to conversations about controversial topics such as pornography, same-sex attraction and abortion, said Nicole Joyce, associate director of family ministry for the archdiocese. It prompted some parents to call the diocese asking for guidance, Joyce said.

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were on the other end of that search (for information),” said Joyce, who is also a mother of four children.

Joyce said Compass targets today’s parents because “we are a generation of Googlers.”

The website gives parents tips and step-by-step instructions for having open communication with their children. Compass' project coordinator, Giovanni Vitale II, who is also a psychologist by trade, said he was brought into the project to connect parents with the right resources.

“I look for good material for parents so when they are in crisis mode or when they are looking to prepare to have a conversation with their kids like sexual education, mental illness and other topics, they can find good Catholic resources to talk with their children,” Vitale told Detroit Catholic.

Because there is such a wide variety of information on the internet, the Compass website aims to organize resources in a way that is easy for parents to find information for a variety of subjects, Vitale said.

“I think one of the main reasons it's important is that there are a lot of parents who are looking to support their kids, and it’s difficult to find the information,” Vitale said.

The goal is that parents will find the information they need on the Compass website, empowering them to become better educators of their children, Joyce added.

Please remember that we will continue our Wednesday evening confessions and Mass.

Confessions will be heard from 5:00 until 5:45 PM in the Sr. Carol Center, and then Mass will be celebrated at 6:00 PM. For those who may be interested in knowing, the Wednesday evening Mass is in the daily mass format, that is, with no music. So, it is usually only about 30 minutes in length.

The word of God and the complete teachings of the Catholic Church. Answers and commentary by Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins, and other experts. Video, audio, and textual commentary. Right on your phone.

The Ascension App Includes:

The full text of the Great Adventure Catholic Bible with color coding interwoven throughout so you can immediately recognize where you are in the story of salvation history.

The full text of the Catechism of the Catholic Church with The Foundations of Faith color-coding built in.

Every episode of Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz for easy access and cross-referencing with your reading plan and Scripture.

Every released episode of the Catechism in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz so you can easily stay on top of your daily readings.

Summaries, the exact wording of Fr. Mike’s daily prayers, and extra content for every single episode of Bible in a Year.

Over 1,000 commonly asked questions about the Bible with answers right in the text from experts like Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins, and others.

An interactive reading plan for both podcasts that tracks your progress.

Notes and bookmarks so you can quickly pick up where you left off and write down your reflections and prayers along the way.

…And we're just getting started. More to be announced soon!

In this week’s Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins discusses the treasure that is the Kingdom of God as he reflects on the readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

First Reading: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130

Second Reading: Romans 8:28-30

Alleluia: CF. Matthew 11:25

Gospel: Mathew 13:44-52

Friends, our first reading is from the First Book of Kings, and it’s one of my favorite passages in the entire Old Testament. If you’re going on a retreat, spending a Holy Hour, or just wanting to get in touch with the Lord at the end of the day, it’s a wonderful little passage to focus on. The setting is the early days of the reign of King Solomon, and the question it raises is this: If you could ask God for anything, what would you ask for?

Cruisin’ with Mom: My mom has a “bucket list” of items she wants to accomplish in her “senior years.” The number one item on the list was to do a Great Lakes Cruise! Ever since she mentioned she wanted to do a Great Lakes cruise, my ears have been attentive to that reality, and I have been amazed by how many cruises there are of the Great Lakes. The most popular of the Great Lakes cruises are the Viking Cruises. Much like I’ve never heard of a Great Lakes Cruise, I never heard of the Viking Cruise line until my mom asked me to join her and to come up with some dates for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

After the Viking Octantis made its maiden voyage through Detroit last year and all the press about this mighty cruise ship, their bookings skyrocketed, and it wasn’t easy to find available dates. My mom booked this cruise about a year ago, and at that time, everything was sold out until July 21, 2023. So, here we are. As I write this, I’m sitting in a beautiful library on Deck 4, looking at Alpena, today’s stop. I’ve never been on a cruise, so a Great Lakes cruise on a smaller ship accommodating only 378 passengers is an ideal starting point. I’ll have several weeks of cruise stories, but this will be a short one to give you my initial thoughts.

Everything about the Viking Cruise Line is first-class: first-class service, first-class food, and first-class safety! When we arrived in Toronto, where we boarded our ship, we were met with a “sea’ of Viking red-shirted staff. We were gathered together and led to our bus. Once on board the bus, I noted something most startling and laughed. I was by far the youngest person on this bus. Granted, the bus only had some 30 or so passengers, I was still the youngest by maybe ten years.

Once we arrived at the port where our ship was docked, we were met by another sea of Viking red-shirted staff and officially dressed crew members. It was pretty impressive. We then climbed the stairs and entered what would be home for the next seven days. You couldn’t help but be super impressed by the environment from the moment you entered the ship.

After attending the safety briefing, we were allowed to grab some lunch and find our stateroom. I heard that our stateroom was only 200 square feet, and I was a bit concerned. But it is relatively spacious. My mom told me a 200-square-foot stateroom for a cruise ship is fairly spacious. Because the Octantis is an expedition boat, there are no balconies but floor-to-ceiling heavy-paned windows. The top window can be lowered halfway so you can get fresh air and peer outside. My mom claimed I had too much fun playing with the window and blind controls throughout the cruise.

When we found our way to the World Café for lunch, I had an eye on the enormous food offerings and the massive dessert table, BUT I also had an eye on the crowd. The theme from the bus was indeed being carried out with the 378 passengers. I was one of the youngest by maybe ten years. There had to be only perhaps 15 or 20 of us younger than 60. I texted Fr. Rich that this was going to feel like a week of being at the 4:00 PM Saturday Mass! Father Rich texted back, “You can feel young again. It will last only a week!”

To be continued!

The Sacrament of the Sick: For the next several weeks, I plan to write about the Sacrament of the Sick. I find that the Sacrament of the Sick is greatly misunderstood. I would be a millionaire if I got a $1 every time someone referred to it as “Last Rites.” Today, I’ll offer a bird’s eye view of the history of the sacrament.  Then over the next few weeks, I’ll share some insights on the redemptive value of our sufferings and offer some practical insights and advice about receiving the sacrament or suggesting to others that they may want to consider receiving the sacrament.

Pope Saint Paul VI, in his Apostolic Constitution Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick (Sacram unctionem infirmorum) states, “The Catholic Church professes and teaches that the anointing of the sick is one of the seven sacraments of the New Testament, that it was instituted by Christ our Lord, ‘intimated in Mark (6:13) and through James, the apostle and brother of the Lord, recommended to the faithful and made known: ‘Is there anyone sick among you? Let him send for the presbyters of the Church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, they will be forgiven him’ (James 5:14-15).’”

Pope Saint Paul VI goes on to say there is evidence that the anointing of the sick has been a part of the Church’s liturgical tradition from ancient times. The Church’s actual teaching on the anointing of the sick can be seen primarily in the ecumenical councils of Florence (1438-1445), Trent (1545-1563), and especially Vatican II (1962-1965). The Council of Florence described the essential elements of the sacrament while the Council of Trent declared it was of divine institution and offered a thorough teaching on the scriptural reference from the letter of St. James. The same Council, according to Pope Saint Paul VI, “also declared that these words of the apostle state with sufficient clarity that ‘this anointing is to be given to the sick, especially those who are in such serious condition as to appear to have reached the end of their life. For this reason it is also called the sacrament of the dying.’” Hence we have the foundation for the sacrament of the anointing of the sick also being known as the “last rites” or “extreme unction.”

Vatican II, in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctus Concilium, (no. 73-75), indicated that “anointing of the sick” is the more proper name for this sacrament. It further indicated that the sacrament is not only for those who are at the point of death (this is still a point most people don’t realize). The Council called for the number of anointings to be adapted to the occasion and that the prayers which belong to the rite of anointing were to be revised. Pope Saint Paul VI established that the following was to be observed in the Roman Rite: “The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is given to those who are seriously ill by anointing them on the forehead and hands with duly blessed oil – pressed from olives or from other plants – saying, only once: ‘Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.’”

Next week, I will share the Church’s understanding of the redemptive value of our sufferings. This is something that most people miss when they suffer from some illness or when they watch someone they love suffer from a disease or terminal illness. Yet, understanding the redemptive value of our sufferings AND uniting that suffering to the sufferings of Christ is absolutely KEY.

Last weekend we had a large family gathering that my dad hosted at his house. It was our first get together with everyone since the pandemic began. We had beautiful weather and delicious BBQ. It was a blast catching up with family, and especially seeing my cousins from Illinois. There were 12 children under the age of 12. Needless to say, they enjoyed the pool and the bounce house that my brother brought. I provided the water balloons, which I strategically filled up right before I left to return and celebrate the 6pm Mass.

I was celebrating the Vigil Mass just thanking God for the gift of my family. I grew up in a wonderful family, surrounded by love and support. Faith was an important aspect of our lives – my dad, mom, and I even taught catechism at our parish. However, the one thing that we did not do so well together was praying. Other than Mass and meals, we never really prayed together. But I don’t think this is unique to my family alone. Nonetheless, prayer is critical in the life of a Christian and for families.

The recent study from researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) was published in the Journal of Family Psychology and included a sample of 198 religiously-diverse families from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths in 17 states.

The researchers asked both parents and children a number of questions about their faith traditions and how these traditions impacted their family life, including: “How does your family overcome major stresses and problems?” and “How do you share your faith with your children?” In an effort to avoid bias, the word, “prayer” was not used in the interview questions; however, prayer was referenced by family members in 96% of their responses.

The study identified several common themes related to prayer and family relationships, including:

Families used prayer time as a way to transmit religious traditions to younger generations. Prayer enabled family members to address problems or stresses they were facing, as well as reduced tensions in their relationships.

Prayer helped family members bond with one another and created a sense of family unity.

When parents pray with their children, they are not only teaching them how to pray but also modeling and emphasizing the importance of prayer in the hopes that their children will begin a practice of private prayer that they will carry with them into adulthood. And according to new research from the Harvard T.H. School of Public Health, the practice of prayer during childhood is linked to better physical, mental, and emotional well-being among young adults.

Published in the America Journal of Epidemiology, the Harvard study examined the effects of both regular religious service attendance and prayer/meditation on a sample of more than 5,000 adolescents whom the researchers followed for between 8 to 14 years. The study "found profound effects of child and adolescent prayer on the big three dangers of adolescence—depression, substance abuse, and risky behaviors—as well as positive effects on happiness, volunteering, having a sense of mission, and forgiveness." Young adults in the study who prayed or meditated at least daily as children or adolescents were 16% more likely to report higher happiness as young adults compared to those who never prayed or meditated.”

What we can learn from this is that a life of prayer and an integrated spirituality give rise to an experience of God or of transcendence, and so an adolescent need not turn to drugs or risky behaviors for this. Moreover, that experience of God may fundamentally make a person more other-oriented, leading to volunteering, forgiveness, and a sense of mission, and these things ultimately make one happier and protect against depression.

Okay… so, how do family’s prayer together? One of the best ways is to integrate it into daily life and to make expressions of the faith a normal practice. You can create a sacred space in your home – like a little prayer corner – and have a crucifix in each room of the house.

Celebration of baptismal anniversaries and the feast days of the saints after whom they are named can be a worthwhile practice. I know one family that has a white board on their fridge where everyone can write prayer intentions. Of course prayer before bed as a family is a great idea as well. Here you can do an examine with your children – what are you thankful for; who needs prayer; how did you see God today. You can also create a prayer box (that you fill with different intentions and prayers) and each night a different child picks a prayer out of the box to lead.

It is also to live the liturgical year. Pray the Stations of the Cross together during Lent and create Advent wreathes . Make the faith fun and interesting for your children. And, of course, come to Mass together as a family. But prepare ahead of time by reading the Sunday Scripture and talking about it. The Archdiocese of Detroit has produced a book called “52 Sunday’s” to help with that.

And parents, you can bless your children. When they leave for school or for a sporting event, and when they go to bed, make the Sign of the Cross on their forehead, saying, “May God bless you and keep you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

St. John Paul II said in Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life): “The family celebrates the Gospel of life through daily prayer, both individual prayer and family prayer.

The family prays in order to glorify and give thanks to God for the gift of life, and implores his light and strength in order to face times of difficulty and suffering without losing hope. But the celebration which gives meaning to every other form of prayer and worship is found in the family's actual daily life together, if it is a life of love and self-giving. (no. 93)”

My prayer for our parish is that we would create families filled with Saints! If we can transform our families, we can transform the world! And we can create a world where God is loved and served, a world of justice and peace, a world where God’s Kingdom is present everywhere.

Blessings!

Fr .Adam

We must place our faith in Christ in order to allow him to save us. But what does it actually mean to have faith? What does it look like? Does it mean you just “agree” with everything Jesus and his Church say? Or is it deeper than that?

Today, Fr. Mike draws a sharp distinction between faith and mere “agreement”, and calls us to a more radical trust in our savior.

We all learn from an early age to watch what we say. And it’s not only what we say, obviously, but also when we say things, and to whom we say them. That’s just a matter of understanding the best way to navigate relationships and social situations.

But one could argue that such filters have, in many ways, been taken to an extreme.

One local media source did a feature a few weeks ago called “the worst opinions in Detroit,” highlighting the things people say that “will get you canceled if you dare to speak them.”

The story went on to list things like criticism about certain small businesses, preferences about food and soda pop, how money is invested in the city, preferences about sporting teams, and so forth.

Much of it, most likely, was intended to be taken in jest, but, to be sure, there is plenty of opinion, on this particular list and otherwise, that is dangerous to express without offending.

The good news is that we’re not the first people to struggle with understanding others.

“Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong,” Solomon asks God in today’s first reading from 1 Kings. “For who is able to govern this vast people of yours.”

The better news is that God recognizes an open and honest heart, and, if we are earnest, will come to our aid, as he did with Solomon, in managing the social complexities of the day.

“The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request,” the reading continues. “So God said to him: ‘Because you have asked for this – not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding that you may know what is right – I … give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now.’”

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.

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.

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.

7:00 a.m., Special Intentions for Mary Ann Sandora and Lois Tarantowicz

7:00 a.m., Cardinal John Francis Dearden

7:00 a.m., Suzanne Roland

6:00 p.m., A Special Intention for Lorraine Jonas

7:00 a.m., Lisa Miller

7:00 a.m., A Special Intention for the Family of Tina Calisi

4:00 p.m., Bonnie Batche, Anna & Charles Signorello, Mary Ann Ryntz, William Kroppe, Frank Bender, Lisa Miller, and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, for Alison Reslow, for Pam Haisenleder and Prayerful appreciation for the work of the Priests and Staff of St. Joan of Arc

6:00 p.m., Elizabeth Howard 

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

10:00 a.m., Jaclyn Maul

12:00 p.m., Louisa Sarra, Ed Baranek, William Mason, Sr. Virginia Shamo, Joan Hardy, Feliciana King, Bob Fannon, Pamela Gervasoni, Margaret Maher, and Special Intentions for Alison Reslow, Pam Haisenleder

Thursday (August 3):

Friday (August 4):