Week of August 17, 2025

1) Special Collection for the People of Gaza

Archbishop Weisenburger asks Detroit-area Catholics

to be 'most generous' in helping groups working to end starvation crisis

DETROIT — Joining bishops across the United States, Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger is urging Detroit-area Catholics "to be most generous" this week and next in supporting a "critical collection" to provide emergency humanitarian aid for the starving people of Gaza, a crisis that has reached "catastrophic" levels, he said.

The collection, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will be taken up the weekends of Aug. 16-17 and Aug. 23-24 in Detroit-area parishes. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the USCCB, has asked dioceses across the United States to participate in the collection.

"We mourn the terrible sufferings of Christians and other innocent victims of violence in Gaza who are struggling to survive, to protect their children, and to live humanely in tragic circumstances," Archbishop Weisenburger said in a bulletin announcement distributed to parishes Aug. 12. "Pope Leo continues to call for a ceasefire and for aid to enter the territory, noting with great sorrow that 'Gaza is starving.'”

All funds from the special collection will be used by Catholic Relief Services, which is on site in Gaza and partnering with local Church entities to provide food, shelter, financial assistance, hygiene supplies and trauma assistance; and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, which is providing "vital emergency humanitarian relief and medical care for the sick, malnourished, and wounded," Archbishop Weisenburger said.

Donations can also be made directly to either Catholic Relief Services or the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

"Your generosity is an opportunity to serve Christ Himself," Archbishop Weisenburger said.

Pope Leo XIV and Catholic ambassadors around the world have highlighted with great concern the unfolding humanitarian crisis and mass starvation in Gaza, with the pope calling the situation "dire" and expressing his "heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the full respect of humanitarian law."

2) Youth Group Welcome Back Gathering

3) Registration for Faith Formation 2025

4) Help Connect College Students to their Faith and Local Catholic College Communities

5) Discover Scouting

6) CSA 2025

Each year, the CSA allows us to celebrate how our Church in Detroit responds to the material and spiritual needs of individuals and families throughout southeast Michigan. One parish alone could not meet these many needs. It is through the sharing of our gifts and our service that we, together, can be the Church Christ wants us to be.

Would you consider making a gift to this year’s CSA? Your generosity allows more than 100 ministries, services, and programs to fulfill this year's CSA theme: Feed My Sheep, taken from the Gospel of John.

Our CSA goal this year is $205,013. Anything raised above the goal will return to the parish, while the parish must cover any shortfalls. Thus, your support is greatly needed and appreciated.

If you have not given yet this year, please follow the instructions found in that mailing or make a gift electronically by clicking the button below or by visiting https://givecsa.org/st-joan-of-arc.

7) Why Series: Why Register as a Parishioner?

Belonging to a parish is about much more than finding a place to attend Mass each Sunday. It’s about finding community, a place to plant spiritual roots, and to commit ourselves to being involved. Learn why belonging to your parish is so important in our current culture and choose to commit to your parish today!

8) Want to become Catholic? Want to be baptized? Do you need to be Confirmed? Learn More about the Catholic Church

9) Ascension's Bible and Catechism App

It's Here: The Bible & Catechism App!

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.

10) Holy Hour on Thursdays

11) This Sunday's Readings: August 17, 2025 - The 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

12) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

The 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeff Cavins encourages us to "run the race" and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, reflecting on St. Paul's words in the Sunday Readings. The Sunday Readings are:

First Reading: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 40:2, 3, 4, 18

Second Reading: Hebrews 12:1-4

Gospel: Luke 12:49-53

13) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

Christ Came to Cast Fire Upon the Earth

Friends, the title of my ministry, Word on Fire, came from our Gospel for today. Jesus says to his disciples, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” This is not the lighting of a cozy campfire. This is closer to, if you want, Sodom and Gomorrah—to fire and brimstone. It is a dangerous and divisive fire. Christ is the light of the world, the divine luminosity—but to the degree that we are still in darkness, we will experience that light as something difficult, off-putting, even torturous.

14) Grow+Go

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 the button or image below to download a PDF copy of this Sunday's Grow+Go.

15) Giving to SJA:

I'm truly grateful for 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) TALLer Tales

The Pet Peeves of Doing Laundry: I’m one of those odd people who likes doing laundry. I know, call me crazy. I hate ironing, but I don’t mind doing laundry. When a load of laundry is done, it seems like a great accomplishment in the midst of a busy day. If I don’t get anything significant done in a day, I can say that I at least got a load of laundry done! And I’m always amazed at how fast it piles up.

But there are several aspects of laundry, besides the ironing part, that drive me crazy. In fact, they are pet peeves of mine! I know there are some solutions to these problems, but I’ve never really taken the time to explore them.

The first pet peeve has to do with sheets. I know there are all kinds of solutions to this one, but it drives me nuts when sheets get tangled up in the washing machine or dryer. I find it really maddening when it happens in the dryer because you go to your dryer thinking everything is all nice and dry, and then you find this huge wad of sheets all tangled together that are still damp when the rest of the clothes are dry. Yes, I’ve heard about the tennis ball or dryer ball trick, or the other gizmo that you connect the ends of the sheets together, but I’ve never tried those solutions.

The second pet peeve is when I forget that I left a load of clothes in the washing machine. You cannot imagine how many times I’ve started a load only to remember several days later that I never put the load in the dryer. Then, I do the smell test with the wet clothes. If they smell, they get to go for another cycle. I think the greatest number of times a load had to be washed was three times. The easy solution would be to set a reminder on my phone for the end of the day. But that has never happened either.

My third biggest pet peeve about doing laundry, and one that seems to be rather universal, has to do with socks. I laugh at how many stories are out there about how to deal with socks in the laundry. Socks seem to have this great ability to play a disappearing act. And sometimes the disappearing act happens well before the socks even hit the washing machine. Earlier this week, I was grumbling because a sock went unaccounted for once I got to my washing machine, and I wasn’t going to start the load until I found that missing sock. In the end, it had slipped out of my pile as I was dragging my clothes down from the second floor.

The following story happened while I was still in the early recovery period from my foot surgery. For those first several months, I couldn’t do much of anything other than roam around the second floor of my house … and that second floor is pretty small. So, I was dependent on my family, staff, and friends to help with all kinds of things. That included everything from meals to helping me get up and down the stairs for appointments, driving, and even doing my laundry.

My sister Jackie got the short end of the stick for having to do the bulk of my laundry while I was recovering. But there was one incident where she was pretty annoyed after doing a load. When she returned after doing this particular load of laundry, you could tell by her face and her tone that she was pretty irritated. I didn’t pursue it at first, but after she folded the clothes, she joined my mom and me in the little sitting room we created on the second floor of my house. Jackie then shared the reason for her frustration. She lost a sock, and it was driving her crazy that she couldn’t find it in the laundry she had just done. After she finished her tale of frustration, I smiled and said, “Jackie, remember I’m only wearing one sock at a time right now. That’s why you can’t find the other one. The other one never made it to the laundry because it’s sitting in my sock drawer.” She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. She had forgotten I was still in a cast, and one sock of each pair of socks would be unemployed for some time!

The Consequences of Living a Busy, Hurried Life (Part 4): In Part 3 of The Consequences of Living a Busy, Hurried Life, I shared how we need to be intentional in making time for prayer and others. I recalled the story of Martha and Mary and how Jesus was straightforward in His challenge to Martha when He said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her (Luke 10:41-42).” The “one thing” necessary is prioritizing time with God over life’s distractions. Whenever we prioritize tasks over connectedness, whether with others or with God, we risk losing sight of the “one thing necessary.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2697) quotes a great line from Saint Gregory of Nazianzus that is worth reflecting upon: “We must remember God more often than we draw breath.”

Many people ask for suggestions on how to make prayer possible in the midst of extremely busy lives. There are several suggestions I would like to offer.

The first suggestion is to set a reminder on your phone or calendar to pray. Don’t make it a recurring time every day because the ebb and flow of our days can make it impossible to keep the exact prayer time each day. A better solution would be to look at your day first thing in the morning, find pockets of time that might work for you THAT day, and then schedule it. Don’t think it has to be long, drawn-out periods. Your time with God today might only be a half hour, while other days might allow for an hour of reflection or prayer. Further, I’m a big proponent of the idea that the quality of time is more important than the quantity of time. Sure, you could spend an hour praying, but if you’re distracted the whole time, you may not accomplish much other than sitting for an hour. God wants your full attention, not just a part of it.

The second suggestion is to remember that your prayer will be different from someone else’s prayer. This doesn’t mean that one person’s prayer is better than another’s. It simply means that each of us prays differently, and that’s okay. Some enjoy praying the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Others prefer the Liturgy of the Hours. Some reflect on Sacred Scripture, while others might use traditional or contemporary music as a form of prayer. Some sit in silence. Some may even use a combination of all these methods. That’s okay. What matters most is that you dwell in the presence of God in ways that allow you to grow closer to Him.

The third suggestion is to establish places of prayer. One of the most obvious places of prayer is in a church or chapel. Another place of prayer could be your bedroom or a quiet corner in your home. I believe it is essential to establish several places of prayer that become automatic go-to spaces depending on what your heart is drawn to at the moment. If you establish these places of prayer and remain mindful of them, you are more likely to seek one of them out when your heart feels the need.

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers.

In Christ,

gmb@sjascs.org

17) Voiland's View

Are you an effective Christian witness? You may not think so, but there is no reason for you not to be. Every one of us who is baptized in Christ Jesus is expected by him to be his visible representative in the world. We are sent on mission to preach the Good News, the Gospel – to evangelize. What is encouraging about the mission on which we are sent is that it is not as complicated to excel at as we might think.

When we think about being a Christian witness and announcing the Gospel of Christ, we might naturally recoil at the thought of sticking ourselves “out there” in the public sphere. Most people are uncomfortable making waves in a social setting. Many of us don’t even want to make a peep in public. So, to engage others on something like religion or politics – especially to talk about JESUS! – is the last thing we find ourselves inclined to do. It would feel like standing out on a busy city street corner holding a big sign and a megaphone, telling people with grumpy looks on their faces to ‘get some religion!’ “Not me, man!”

Fortunately, street-corner preaching is only one way to spread the Word – and it is not necessarily the most effective. Surely, it has its place. But evangelization, in which every one of us can regularly participate, has its place, too. It is an evangelization of being more than it is preaching. Yes, speaking about Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is certainly part of our existence as Catholics, but talking is not the totality of our Catholic being. Living our Catholicity is something that we should be doing all the time.

It's not like we get up in the morning, put on our ‘Catholic hat,’ say a few prayers, and greet the family. Then, we pull that hat off, put on our worldly ‘work hat,’ and head out the door to get swept up in the rat race. Next, we come home, go back into ‘Catholic mode’ for grace before supper. Finally, we shift into ‘destroy-the-other-team-mode’ as we leave for the kids’ football game in the evening. We alternate between living in the City of God and the City of the World constantly throughout the day. This endless vacillating is not healthy moral conditioning for us, and it makes for lousy Christian witness to others. We need a consistent Catholic mindset.

Where our Catholic witness is incredibly powerful, and sorely needed, is among those closest to us. Our family and friends need solid support in practicing their faith. It is amazing how many Catholics feel alone in their faith. They may be part of a family where they are the only person in the household who has stayed connected to the Church. Sometimes, this isolation can branch out to extended family. A person may come from a long-established family line of Catholics who have all managed to abandon the Faith, except for this one solitary soul. Finding oneself all alone in the practice of a once widely cherished religious life is hard. We need support from like-minded people for the things we do – especially living the Christian life, which is now so culturally denigrated.

In such a world, where true Catholic believers are scant, our honest living of our faith is incredibly important for other believers to see. When someone sees us confidently living our Catholic faith – especially in a hostile environment, be it among family or otherwise – it is bold witness! This is hard-core evangelization that has nothing to do with standing out on a street corner with a sign. But, being there for a lone family member, or neighbor, or coworker, or fellow parishioner, and being seen as someone who won’t give up on Jesus and his Church just because everyone else has, greatly strengthens the faithful. Such witness is a major unity builder among Jesus’ sisters and brothers. It may be easy for us to dismiss our Christian witness as being insignificant, but it is not true. “What difference can my measly practice of the Faith possibly make?” How about: a HUGE difference? In some cases, ALL the difference.

Our support for someone who is struggling with their faith may be the only support available to them. The world is big. With the number of genuine Catholics shrinking, we are not exactly swimming in a sea of solid witness to Christian principles. God may put a particular person specifically in our life to save that individual from abandoning the Faith. To do so is a bigtime witness to Christ. And it doesn’t involve hitting the streets and doing a lot of Bible thumping. It is simply a matter of being a steady, real, believable presence of Jesus Christ in someone else’s life who needs our example to help them stay in the game. There is no need to introduce them to Jesus. They already know him. What they need is the encouragement we all need: to know that they are not alone in the fight – to know someone else is with them on their Christian faith journey.

There is also unique value in our witness to Catholics as other Catholics. While all Christians face opposition to living out religious principles in a culture that largely rejects Christ, Catholics face internal opposition, too. We all know that, among people who call themselves "Catholic,” there are those who make up some personal moral rules as they go. These personal rules may be in opposition to legitimate Catholic teaching. Freelancing within Catholicism causes problems, just as in any other organization that depends upon prescribed guidelines to keep order. Where confusion results from the disorder of personal innovations, witnessing to the truth, again, is a great gift we can give others.

Our supportive witness to some often-hated Catholic teachings can help those who feel lost amidst opposing beliefs held by some Catholics. For example, the Church teaches that abortion is always wrong, that we are not to use artificial birth control methods, and that we are obligated to attend Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation. To many Catholics, “them’s fightin’ words!” They simply reject these rules to their own detriment. But for Catholics who abide by the Church’s teaching on these topics, such dissent leaves them feeling quite alone at times. Again, our witness of obedient faith is a powerful support for others who may feel isolated – even among fellow Catholics. Sad that such division persists, but it does. (This must be heart-breaking for Jesus, who so desires our unity as members of his Body.) Our forthright living of our Faith will ultimately break through with God’s wisdom. May the Lord strengthen us all to let his Light shine in our world.

In Christ Jesus,

Fr. Bob

rvoiland@sjascs.org

18) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

Fr. Mike Being Unhinged for 5 Minutes Straight

We're just going to leave this here.

Fr. Mike Reacts to Confession Scenes from Movies and TV Shows

Have you ever watched a confession scene and wondered how accurate it really is? Join Fr. Mike as he reacts to popular confession scenes in movies and tv shows!

19) Words on the Word: August 17, 2025 - Strength in Numbers

Someone once observed that, as additional people are added to a group or situation, things become stronger, better and happier.

In other words, “the more the merrier!”

But let’s face it, that’s not always the case. While that may be true in the context of, say, a garden party, it’s more difficult to make the case for things being stronger, better or happier in the context of, say, a political party.

A national publication recently did a story exploring how one of the U.S. political parties is increasingly encountering infighting over a particular set of international allegiances and priorities. The story explained that what had been an automatic issue of unity for several decades is now just the opposite.

It’s not hard to expand the concept to assume that the other political party likely is facing the same types of issues, finding it harder and harder to reach common ground even on things that, perhaps, were once automatic.

Political houses are a long way from individual households, small communities or workplaces. That much is certain. 

And politics, to be sure, is a long, long way from religion. 

But today’s gospel makes the observation that, even in matters of religious truth, it’s quite likely there will come for many people the need to clarify – if only in their own mind – the priority that God has in our lives.

Everything else is to fall in line accordingly.

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing,” Jesus says in the passage from St. Luke. “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!

“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

© 2025 Words on the Word

20) This WEEK on FORMED:

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:

• 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.



21) 52 Stories: Good News from Spirit Juice Studios

Prepare to be Inspired

Spirit Juice Studios is blessed to work with countless Catholic organizations, dioceses, parishes, and schools. We get to help them tell their powerful stories about all the good stuff that is happening within the Church. Sign up for 52 Stories so we can share them with you! You’ll meet the unsung heroes of the Catholic Church, discover the stories of holy women and men around the world, and witness miraculous moments of God’s grace in everyday life.

In a world full of bad news, these stories will give you 52 reasons to believe that God is working through the Catholic faith to transform lives through His love and mercy. Sign up today!

Sean Beeson - Catholic Arts Today

Sean Beeson is a composer who has written pieces for Disney, McDonald’s, Google, Taco Bell, and (above all) Spirit Juice Studios. His primary inspiration throughout his career as a professional composer has been his high school sweetheart-turned-wife, Laura. She told him, “If you’re going to worry, don’t pray. But if you pray, don’t worry.”

Now, over ten years later, this Catholic father of five reveals the secret to his success. “Stay rooted in your faith. When God is at the center of your faith, your life flourishes.”

22) Hallow App:

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.

23) Garden of Hope

24) Men of the Sacred Heart

25) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, August 18, 2025, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: Rosemary Schenden

Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Weekday; Saint John Eudes, Priest (Green/White)

7:00 am: Special Intention for Joe Schottoefer

Wednesday, August 20, 2025, Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (White)

7:00 am: Doreen Saur

6:00 pm: Casey Zaranek

Thursday, August 21, 2025, Saint Pius X, Pope (White)

7:00 am: Robert Bidigare

Friday, August 22, 2025, The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (White)

7:00 am: Nick DiCresce

Saturday, August 23, 2025, Vigil for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

4:00 pm: Antonietta Mazzella, Kurt Heythaler, Bonnie Batche, the deceased members of the Calisi Family who died in the month of August, Mr. & Mrs. Casimir Wojcik, Palma Strussione, Helen Haamen, Glenn Kucway, Special Intention for the living and deceased members of the J. Champine Family, for the Thomas Family, for Sam Manalo and Sam Baur

6:00 pm: Ralph Mastay and Marion Malloy

Sunday, August 24, 2025, Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

8:00 am: The Intentions of SJA Parishioners

10:00 am: Thomas Gillette

12:00 pm: Pio Alberti, Hans Loeber, Special Intentions for Christine Bugarin, Laurie Ruda and Sam Baur

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

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (August 18)

7:00 AM - Mass

Tuesday (August 19):

7:00 AM - Mass

Wednesday (August 20):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (August 21):

7:00 AM - Mass

7:00 PM - Mass



Friday (August 22):

7:00 AM - Mass

12:00 PM - Mass

7:00 PM - Mass

Saturday (August 23):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Dominic J. Walworth

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (August 24):

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.

27) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin

Click on the image below

to download a copy of the bulletin

for August 17, 2025

28) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List

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.



29) Detroit Catholic

Stay Connected with Our Catholic Faith — Sign Up for the Detroit Catholic Free E-Newsletter

Looking for a trusted source of Catholic news delivered straight to your inbox?

Detroit Catholic offers free daily or weekly email editions featuring insightful coverage of Catholic issues and events—locally, nationally, and globally.

I join Archbishop Edward Weisenburger in encouraging every parishioner to subscribe.

It’s quick and easy:

1. Visit: detroitcatholic.com/subscribe

2. Enter your email address and choose the daily and/or weekly edition.

That’s all it takes to start receiving this excellent—and completely free—source of Catholic news.

Stay informed. Stay inspired.

Msgr. Mike