Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are a few updates from our parish for the week of August 15, 2021.
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1) What does Mary's assumption mean? | WHY? |
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Do you ever wonder what the significance of Mary's Assumption is? And did you know that the Blessed Mother was not the only one to be assumed into heaven?
Fr. Dave Tomaszycki answers these questions and more.
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Ascension Presents continues its study on Mary through the month of May in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Saint Mary, the traditional spot of her assumption. Dr. Edward Sri, presenter of Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother, explains that even though there is no biblical reference to Mary’s assumption, Scripture does tell us that other biblical characters such as Enoch and Elijah were taken up into heaven after living holy lives. Mary’s assumption into heaven shows that she shared in her son’s victory over death. Since she was the first in the New Testament to hear God’s word and remained faithful through her life, it’s only fitting that she should go ahead of us.
Taken from Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother
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3) heART of our Faith Children's Workshop |
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Children who have recently completed grades 1-6 (ages 7-12) are invited to spend a morning discovering how different kinds of art can speak to our hearts when telling the stories of our Catholic Christian faith. Through a fun hands-on project, music, and a little bit of no-pressure drama, we'll be explorers and artists trying out what it means to create as a way to tell others about Jesus. There is no cost for the workshop, however, free-will offerings on the day of are accepted and appreciated.
Maximum 40 students at each.
See our parish website for information and to register. There are no walk-ins. Call/Email Mrs. Hass if you have any questions (586-777-1282 or khass@sjascs.org).
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4) Fr. Mike Schmitz: How to Lose Everything and Still Hope |
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Today, Fr. Mike explains why it might be necessary to lose sometimes, and how to do it well.
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5) Information about Retrouvaille - A lifeline for Married Couples: |
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6) Catholic Services Appeal 2021 |
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Dear Friends in Christ,
In St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians, he urges them, "Whatever you do, do from the heart (Col. 3:23)." These words are particularly meaningful since he wrote them from prison, facing persecution and hardship. The faith community at Colossae was facing its own hardships as they strove to live the life Christ called them to whatever the circumstances. Being rooted in the Lord would serve them well as they continued to grow as a faith community, and as the Church continued to grow throughout the world.
The theme of the 2021 CSA is FUEL THE MISSION. The mission is simple, to make Christ's kingdom present in our day to the many people of Southeast Michigan. That mission cannot be fully accomplished unless it is fueled with human and materially resources.
Our CSA goal this year is just slightly more than $217,000. Anything raised above the goal will return to the parish, while any shortfalls must be covered by the parish. Thus, your support is greatly needed and appreciated.
Your gift helps support men who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood. It impacts youth, family, and young adult ministries to help people at all stages of life grow in faith. It helps Catholic schools continue to form the next generation of leaders and disciples. It helps our food pantries and soup kitchens feed and clothe the poor. Your gift brings Jesus to Southeast Michigan in a very real and tangible way.
You may have already received a mailing from the Archdiocese of Detroit. If you did so, please make a contribution to the CSA as indicated in that mailing. You can also easily give by visiting: csa.stjoan.church or by clicking on the button below.
Also available at the Church exists, in the bins outside the Sr. Carol Center, and at the Parish Center are general CSA brochures and envelopes that can be used to make a contribution to the CSA.
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7) SJA's CSA Update as of July 25, 2021 |
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I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2021. As of today, we have $121,311 in pledges and gifts toward our $217,002 goal. This amount represents gifts from 384 families (we have 3,236 families registered). We have thus achieved 56% of our goal!
Here is a breakdown by gift range:
$2,500+ (3)
$1,000+ (27)
$500+ (38)
$250+ (69)
$100+ (138)
$75+ (12)
$50+ (53)
$25+ (23)
$0+ (21)
As stated above, the easiest way to give is electronically by clicking on the button above. If you wish to give by check, feel free to contact the Parish Center and we will mail out an envelope and related material.
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8) This Sunday's Readings - August 15, 2021 |
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9) Grow+Go for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
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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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10) 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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11) This Week's Edition of TALLer Tales |
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Shark Week Vacation with your Big Brother: The week that my mom, my sister Jackie, and I traveled to the western side of Michigan also happened to be Shark Week on TV. If you don’t know about Shark Week, Google it and see how many hits you get.
My sister Jackie LOVES Shark Week (and that’s a massive understatement). She who can’t stand to be in the presence of a spider less than the size of a pinhead amazingly loves guts and gore TV shows and movies. She was lucky I traveled with my own Roku streaming stick because we could watch some pretty gory Shark Week shows while sitting around our hotel room. As the week progressed, I soon noticed that the number of times we watched Shark Week shows quickly outpaced the number of times we were watching the news. But then again, watching the news these days seems to be the equivalent of a Shark Week show!
One night as we were settling down for the evening, we were watching some gory Shark Week show on the Discovery Channel. You can almost predict the outcome of a Shark Week Show like you can predict the outcome and storyline of a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel. Of course, a good Shark Week show wouldn’t be complete without a gory scene of blood in water.
Earlier this particular day, we had gone on an excursion and bought some chocolate and some French burnt peanuts (those old-fashioned Spanish peanuts covered with a red crunchy candy shell). I decided to grab some of the French Burnt Peanuts while we watched the latest gory Shark Week show. Jackie was TOTALLY engrossed in the show. My mom was going along for the ride while I was trying to find something else to do to occupy my time. Eventually, I decided it was time to get ready for bed, so I went over to the sink and started to brush my teeth. Well, the mixture of toothpaste, water, and the remnants of the RED French Burnt Peanuts in my mouth created a special “Shark Week Effect” in the sink. Being quite amused with the imitation bloody mess I accidentally “created,” I called my sister over to the sink to inspect my Shark Week effect creation. She came right over to the sink while keeping an eye on the show she was engrossed in watching. “Look, my own Shark Week effect creation,” I announced with great joy as I pointed to the remnants in the sink. She took one look at the sink, immediately shook her head, rolled her eyes, and gave me a little shove. As she walked away, I’m sure she was thinking, “That was such a Michael and a Big Brother move. But you’re 56!” Once a big brother, always a big brother. Once a Michael, always a Michael. Even more so during Shark Week while on vacation with a sibling!
The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: This weekend, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What exactly are we celebrating with the Assumption of Mary?
First, let’s look at the word assumption. The word assumption comes from the Latin word assumere, meaning to take to oneself. Thus, with the Assumption of Mary, we celebrate that moment when Christ took the Blessed Virgin Mary home to himself when the course of her earthly life had finished. Over time and in other rites or Orthodox traditions, the Assumption of Mary is called the Dormition of Mary or the Glorification of Mary. As stated by Pope Saint John Paul II in his general audience on July 2, 1997, “The dogma of the assumption affirms that Mary’s body was glorified after her death. While for other human beings the resurrection of the body will take place at the end of the world, for Mary, the glorification of her body was anticipated by a special privilege.”
Belief in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to the earliest days of Christianity. The most substantial evidence we have comes not from scripture but the ancient liturgical texts, iconography, and poems honoring the mother of Jesus Christ.
Mary’s assumption into heaven was well established theologically and was part of the devotional life of the Church by the Middle Ages. While the concept of the Assumption of Mary was undoubtedly part of the life of the Church, it wasn’t proclaimed as dogma until 1951 by Pope Pius XII in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus.
As noted by Fr. Michael O’Carroll, C.S.Sp. in Theotokos, Pope Pius XII appealed to the faithful of the world as a partial basis for the definition of the dogma of the assumption: “Between 1849 and 1950, numerous petitions for the dogma arrived in Rome. They came from 113 Cardinals; 18 Patriarchs; 2,505 archbishops and bishops; 32,000 priests and men religious; 50,000 religious women; 8,000,000 laypeople. On May 1, 1946, the Pope had sent to the bishops of the world the Encyclical Deiparae Virginis, putting this question to them: ‘More especially we wish to know if you, Venerable Brethren, with your learning and prudence consider that the bodily Assumption of the Immaculate Blessed Virgin can be proposed and defined as a dogma of faith and whether in addition to your own wishes this is desired by your clergy and people.’” When the replies were collated, 1,159 out of 1,181 residential bishops replied in the affirmative. As a result, Pope Pius XII in 1951 defined the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pope Saint Paul VI, in his Apostolic Constitution Marialis Cultus (For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary), offered a beautiful reflection on Mary’s role in our life (#57): “Contemplated in the episodes of the Gospels and in the reality which she already possesses in the City of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary offers a calm vision and a reassuring word to modern man, torn as he often is between anguish and hope, defeated by the sense of his own limitations and assailed by limitless aspirations, troubled in his mind and divided in his heart, uncertain before the riddle of death, oppressed by loneliness while yearning for fellowship, a prey to boredom and disgust. She shows forth the victory of hope over anguish, of fellowship over solitude, of peace over anxiety, of joy and beauty over boredom and disgust, of eternal visions over earthly ones, of life over death.”
The University of Dayton has an awesome website dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There you will find a ton of information about the Church’s teaching and writings about the Blessed Mother. I strongly encourage you to glance through the vast resources available at udayton.edu/imri/mary/.
Mother of the Church. Pray for us! Queen assumed into heaven. Pray for us!
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Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!
In Christ,
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12) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc |
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Soul Music: On Monday one of our deacons (let’s say for the sake of argument he shares a name with the Apostle Thomas) and I were discussing music in the sacristy before mass, and I mentioned that I’d been listening to a Billie Holliday song, but one sung by the 80s and 90s artist Robert Palmer. I like Robert Palmer. He was born from just 3 miles from where I grew-up. I said that I liked his music, but I also respected that he was about the only artist of my youth who could confidently appear on a TV pop-music show wearing a 3-piece suit and look the part. He just wasn’t afraid to be his own man; he wasn’t caught-up in the stream of the culture. He sang, pop, blues, jazz, reggae and sang with Big Bands—a really adaptable artist and I liked all of it. My dad always said I had a “catholic” taste in music, in the universal sense. And it’s true, I love so many styles of music. My mom was a stay-at-home mom until my siblings and I were teenagers, so I recall hearing a lot of her musical tastes played in the house. There was often Beatles songs playing and I learned those like the back of my hand. Post-Beatles break-up, my mom went the Paul McCartney route rather than the John Lennon one, so I came to love a lot of his generally critically-panned early solo albums. They were cheesy, but I didn’t care. I still love them.
One of the lessor-know artists my mom liked was an English classically-trained pianist-singer-song-writer named Peter Skellern. I can almost guarantee you will never hear a Peter Skellern song played on the radio in the U.S., but there is plenty of his music on YouTube. Skellern had a warm and rich northern-English accent that he didn’t try to disguise either in his lyrics or his delivery. His songs often embrace his nostalgia for his northern, simple, industrial-town upbringing, recalling the grime of the coal-mining community. Some were funny, some melancholic, some making use of the traditional brass colliery-bands that developed among the coal-mine workers, some were written as choral pieces, others just him and his piano. He even had one UK top-40 hit!! Several songs also had a religious undertone, either anecdotal stories about people within the church, or a yearning for life after death. Later in his career he began to compose sacred music. It’s enough to say that my musical tastes were not something to shout about at school recess in my teenage years. I definitely was not listening to the same music my classmates were.
Those religious undertones in Skellern’s music were telling a story of his own faith. Later in life, Skellern finally answered what he said had been a life-long calling to ordination in the Anglican Church and was well into his 60s. He put aside his music career and began studying to become an Anglican priest. But sadly, in 2016, Skellern was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and later that month was given permission by the Archbishop of Canterbury to be ordained both as a deacon and priest on the same day. He died 4 months later, aged 69.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Skellern’s music is some of the most authentic music I know, but even more so, is the story of his life. He was not afraid to end a successful career to respond to the call of God in his life.
When Cardinal Tobin was at St. Joan for mass a couple of weeks ago, he said in his homily that one way of looking at faith was our capacity to be surprised by God. That seems to me to be a very healthy approach to our faith; that we never limit, by our own lack of imagination, how God may want to use us. What Jesus says and does often might not seem to make sense to us… but it does to Him!
Ordinarily today, we would have arrived at the high-point of Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist. For a few weeks, we have been listening to the “Bread of Life” discourse and today’s gospel reading from St. John would have been Jesus’ clincher: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” But just as we arrive at this point, this year, this Sunday happens to be August 15th and so the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary trumps the ordinary Sunday readings. Next weekend, though we will have missed the words, we’ll hear the lack of imagination of the Jews, who grumble at what Jesus said. They consider it all too hard to accept. But if there is to be an interruption to the Bread of Life teaching, there could perhaps be no more fitting interlude than Mary praying her Magnificat: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.”
Everything about Mary’s life proclaims God’s glory, but most profoundly, her very soul, “full of grace,” sings praise to God. Mary, the one who said “yes” to God’s plan for her life had the capacity to be surprised by God and not to recoil or reject that plan. She recognized that what may have sounded impossible to her—that she would give birth to the Son of God—was not impossible for God. And because of her yes, and her generosity of spirit, she allowed God to use her life to accomplish His marvelous plan of salvation for us. Because of Mary’s capacity for generosity toward God, she conceived by the Holy Spirit and gave birth to the Jesus. Mary is the one who gives us the body that Jesus will tell the Jews He is giving to them—His body. Mary’s generosity is possible because her soul is “full of grace,” full of God’s presence. We who lack that kind of perfection in our souls are fed by the grace of the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist, so that we too may continue to be engaged in the work of perfecting our souls. One day we will face the final purifying trial of purgatory, cleansing us of anything that might make us unworthy of being in God’s presence forever. For Mary, that work of purification is unnecessary. Her very soul gives glory to God from her conception until her final day on earth. This is why God assumed her into Heaven, body and soul. As the Preface prayer for mass today says: “rightly you would not allow her to see the corruption of the tomb since from her own body she marvelously brought forth your incarnate Son, the Author of Life.”
It might be worth reflecting today on any way that you face challenges to your faith. The more you live your faith and love it openly, the more you will stand out from those who lack the imagination to be surprised by God, and the more likely God is to use your life in the way that will leave you the most fulfilled. An authentically lived out faith is not a faith that always understands and never questions. An authentic faith is one that is strong enough to endure, and pray through, our doubts long enough for God to strengthen us and nourish and convict us as that faith grows.
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You are in my prayers this week.
Fr. Andrew
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13) Words on the Word: August 8, 2021 - Dragon Slayers
Remember the days when, if there was precipitation in the summer weather forecast, we’d hear something like “showers and thundershowers possible today”? Quick, simple, non-threatening? It would be understandable if the answer is no.
Now, every time there is rain on the way, the reports read like this one, from a few weeks ago in The Detroit News, quoting the National Weather Service:
“Rainfall rates in excess of 1 inch per hour are possible,” the story said, adding, “total rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches will be possible (due to) an organized complex of thunderstorms.”
Such stories usually refer to “damaging hail,” “destructive wind gusts,” “torrential rain.”
One is reminded of the descriptive language from Revelation used in today’s first reading on this Solemnity of the Assumption. It describes the threat faced by “the woman clothed with the sun … as she labored to give birth.” There, we hear of the “huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns (whose) tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth (who) stood before the woman about the give birth, to devour her child.”
We know, of course, how that story ultimately turned out, thanks be to God. The birth was successful, the child was protected by God, the woman escaped safely and, in the end, our salvation was won.
Back to the present-day weather situation, we know it’s true that weather can be threatening and cause damage, as we’ve seen several times this summer. But we also know that, no matter the hyperbole of the warnings or the severity of the storms we face, no matter the dragons we must slay, we can be confident we will do so with the support and presence of God to see us through.
© 2021, Words on the Word
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14) 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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15) Assumption Mini-fest: August 19-22, 2021 |
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16) Wine Bottles Available: |
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We have about 20 cases of good (and empty I should add) wine bottles available for the taking. The wine bottles are remnants from the days when we made our own wine for our annual fall wine event. Rather than toss them, I thought I would put something out to see if anyone wanted them. Please contact the Parish Center (586-777-3670 or info@sjascs.org) if you are interested in some or all of them.
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Are you looking for a one-stop app for prayer and meditation? Look no further than Hallow. Hallow is an awesome prayer app. Hallow is a Catholic prayer and meditation app that helps users deepen their relationship with God through audio-guided contemplative prayer sessions. The app launched 2 years ago and is already the #1 Catholic app in the world.
We have a number of parishioners who are already using the app and loving it (my mom being one of them and she is on the app most of the day). Great for praying alone or together with your spouse/family, Hallow truly has something for everyone, no matter what you are going through (see below for their different content categories).
Hallow is free to download and has tons of permanently free content, as well as a premium subscription, Hallow Plus.
To get started, simply click the button above/below to activate your free account on the Hallow website. Make sure to select “Sign Up with Email” when registering. For step-by-step instructions, you can visit this process guide. Enter the code stjoanofarcmi to obtain a discount on individual pro plans.
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18) Teresa and Deacon Dom's Roman Holiday Marriage Retreat
Click on the image below to learn more about this Roman Holiday Marriage Retreat.
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19) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: |
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This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (August 16):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Salvatore Ciaravino (Obituary)
12:00 PM - Funeral for Juanito Collamar (Obituary)
Tuesday (August 17):
7:00 AM - Mass
Wednesday (August 18):
7:00 AM - Mass
Thursday (August 19):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Rita McBride (Obituary)
7:00 PM - Holy Hour (Praise and Worship Music)
Friday (August 20):
7:00 AM - Mass
Saturday (August 21):
10:00 AM - Funeral for Florence Black
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (August 22):
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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20) SJA's Bulletin for August 15, 2021 |
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Click on the image below
to download a copy of our
Bulletin for August 15, 2021
The Solemnity of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mother
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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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