Week of August 25, 2024

1) Scriptural Foundations for Catholic Leadership

2) Interested in becoming Catholic? Do you need to complete your sacraments of initiation? Join the next OCIA class!

3) Faith Formation Registration

4) In God’s good time: Older men embrace call to priesthood later in life (VIDEO) - Featuring our Father Bob!

From Detroit Catholic:

DETROIT — One had a long career at General Motors. Another had a wife and kids. A third was a combat veteran and a military judge.

All three heard God’s voice loud and clear: They were to become priests, serving God’s people in the Catholic Church.

The call to a vocation can happen at any point in a man’s life, and there’s no such thing as “too late.” Detroit Catholic interviewed three men in their 60s, Fr. Robert Voiland, Fr. John Maksym, and Deacon Patrick Bruen — who will be ordained in the spring — about their journey to the seminary and beyond.

(Video by Andrew Kleczek and Rick Giffin)

5) CSA Update

If you have not yet given to this year's CSA, please do so soon. We still need to raise $9,969 to reach our goal.

You can give online by clicking on the link below, by calling in your pledge/gift, or by picking up a CSA packet in the Parish Center or in the Gathering Space of Church. Your gift is important and enables us, the Church in Detroit, to carry out Christ's ministry of mercy and love throughout southeast Michigan and beyond — works no one individual or parish could possibly do alone!

6) GALA Save the Date - Saturday, November 2, 2024

7) Celebrating Marriage with the Saints of Umbria with Deacon Dom and Teresa

Get a $250 Discount Through Septemb

8) Ascension's Bible and Catechism App

9) Holy Hour on Thursdays

10) This Sunday's Readings: August 25, 2024 - the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

11) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

“My Words Are Spirit and Life”

In this week’s Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins reflects on the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.

First Reading: Joshua 24: 1-2a, 15-17, 18b

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34: 2-3, 16-21

Second Reading: Ephesians 5: 21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32

Alleluia: John 6:63c, 68c

Gospel: John 6:60-69

12) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

Do You Accept This Teaching?



Friends, we come now to the close of this great discourse of Jesus in the sixth chapter of John, where we see the aftereffects of his teaching on the Real Presence. The Eucharist is a standing or falling point of Christianity, and the question Jesus poses to the Twelve is posed to every one of us today: Do you also want to leave over this teaching? Do you reject it, or do you accept it? 

13) 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.

14) 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.

15) TALLer Tales

Drivin’ Ms. Daisy to the UP (Part 5: Looking for Crystal Falls): This week’s article continues my “travelogue” of my journey to the Upper Peninsula with my Mom in mid-July.

While the primary purpose of our trip was to trace the footsteps of Bishop Baraga and visit the Shrine dedicated to him in L’Anse, Michigan, we also wanted to experience some of the beauty in the UP. My Mom had a few places she wanted to visit, and she got it in her head that she wanted to go into Canada while we were in Sault Ste. Marie. We both read there was this beautiful little falls about fifteen minutes from the border. 

According to what we read, Crystal Falls is a “59-foot waterfall in Kinsmen Park, also known as Hiawatha Highlands Conservation Area, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada…. The waterfall is located in Crystal Creek and tumbles down the rock face, winding around boulders and through crevices. It’s hard to see the entire waterfall at once, but you can climb up alongside it to get different views.” Based on that description, it sounded like an awesome place to visit.

On cue, Google Maps had me turn into Kinsmen Park. It was in the middle of absolutely nowhere. I expected to see signs and even other cars making the same journey. But there was nothing! That should have been enough of an indication that we should just turn around and head back to the good old USA! But, no, I decided to keep going. We pulled into this gravel parking lot that looked like it was long abandoned and closed. I felt like I was on the set of National Lampoon’s Vacation with Clark Griswold, and we just arrived at Walley World. There was another car but nothing else. I told my Mom I would go and inspect things to see where this incredible Crystal Falls was located. I eventually stumbled upon two ladies deep into a conversation and asked them where the Falls were located. The one lady looked somewhat puzzled and said, “The Falls? I think they’re up the road at the next turn-off.” That should have been clue number two to turn around. But NO, I kept going. I thanked the ladies for their time. I then decided to walk around this little park to see if there was anything worthwhile to see. What I stumbled upon was a most beautiful little lake surrounded by trees. It was breathtaking. I took a bunch of pictures (which I will post in my Sunday email), and I went back to Dasiy Loo and told my Mom that we had to go up to the next turn-off. So, we exited Kinsmen Park and went up the road.

At the next turn-off, there was a sign that provided me with a bit of hope. It said we were entering the Hiawatha Highlands Conversation Area. I figured this was it. We turned right, and it was a dirt road that wasn’t well-kept. The tree branches were hitting the top of Daisy Loo, and I had to go super slow as the craters in the road were HUGE. Suddenly, I found myself not only trying to dodge tree branches from hitting the top of Daisy Loo but also maneuvering so that I wouldn’t do any damage to our trusted vehicle. At this point, Ms. Daisy (my Mom) was growing concerned about our journey, and she was worried about doing some serious damage to the RV because of the bouncing and now the scraping that was happening on the undercarriage because we were hitting the ground and bouncing all over the place. At this point, there was no turning back. We were also trying to dodge a bunch of kids riding their dirt bikes up and down this dirt road. So, here I am, trying to maneuver us through this severe “turbulence,” but also worried about my passenger. At one point, I said, “Mom, this is going to be rough; I may need to blindfold you and drug you with some Xanex. I’ll let you know when it’s over.” We eventually reached a spot where I could turn around and head back. I was sweating bullets the entire time!! This was far worse than the sandbar I encountered the previous day. I couldn’t wait to get back to the main road and back to the USA. I was done for the day … and so was “Ms. Daisy!” I think we both had some Chocolate wine that night!

Getting to Know Bishop Baraga (Part 5): One of the first key milestones in Father Baraga’s missionary work was his time at the Ottawa Indian village of Waganakisi, later named Little Traverse. Here, his piety, humility, and sincerity won over many new converts to the faith. Within just two and a half months of his missionary work there, Baraga baptized 70 individuals, and by the end of 1831, he had baptized nearly 131 people.

Father Baraga’s work was more than just baptizing new converts; he immersed himself in the community, preaching, hearing confessions, and teaching school through an interpreter. His dedication to his mission was evident when, after being with the Ottawas for a little over a year, he mastered their language sufficiently to compose a prayer book and hymnal in their tongue. 

Bishop Baraga’s living conditions were far from comfortable. His log house was essentially a hut, with cold winds blowing through the cracks during long winters and rain dripping through the birch bark roof in the summer. To keep his bed dry, he resorted to spreading an umbrella over it. Despite these harsh conditions, he lived eagerly, fasted often, prayed much, and worked tirelessly. He always thanked God warmly for the privilege of serving Him. (Gregorich, Joseph, The Apostle of the Chippewas, 30).”

It is important to recall that Bishop Baraga’s efforts occurred during a pivotal time in 19th-century America, characterized by westward expansion and the increasing confrontation between Indigenous peoples and European settlers. The Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi tribes were facing significant changes to their way of life due to the intrusion of new settlers and conflicting cultural values. Father Baraga arrived at a time when the Catholic Church sought to address the spiritual needs of these communities amid the unrest caused by land treaties and forced relocations. Father Baraga formed a strong bond with the Ottawa people, allowing him to be seen as a trusted ally and advocate. The Ottawa people appreciated his commitment to their rights and well-being. However, Baraga’s empathetic approach and refusal to conform to colonial expectations contributed to a less favorable perception among European settlers. Many viewed his advocacy for Indigenous rights and cultural preservation as an undermining of their own interests, leading to a mixed legacy that highlights the complexities of Bishop Baraga’s role within both Indigenous and European communities.

More to come!

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!

In Christ,

gmb@sjascs.org

16) Voiland's View

With the kick-off of the new school year, it is time for all of us to give some prayerful thought to our children’s education. Every one of us, whether we realize it or not, is affected by the development of the young members of our society. We might be tempted to think that if we don’t have children of our own, we don’t have any skin in the education game. But, we do. Similarly, even when we do have daughters or sons of our own, we might figure that once they are out of the house and on their own, concern about what kids are learning in school can fade into the background. Not so. Parents and grandparents often lose sight of their children’s or grandchildren’s learning processes. Sure, Grandma and Grandpa love to attend the little one’s sporting events, holiday programs, and academic presentations. Yet, when it comes down to knowing the nitty-gritty of what’s happening in the classrooms of youngsters, adults let ‘somebody else’ worry about that. They’ve had enough worry, raising their own families, they say.

As understandable as it might be to want to leave the specifics of formal education to someone else, none of us can afford to have a hands-off attitude regarding our children’s learning. In fact, regardless of our age or family structure, we need to know what kinds of ideas are being poured into our children’s heads. Particularly in elementary school, what children learn will largely form them into the people they will be for the rest of their lives. We simply cannot be too careful to ensure that our children are taught well.

So, what does it mean to be taught “well”? Good education is not simply a matter of “readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmetic.” Similarly, we hear a lot about STEM nowadays – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. These fields of study are all good, but hardly representative of full-bodied education. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are simply basic tools for life-long learning. Furthermore, proficiency in the sciences, technology, systems design, and advanced mathematical applications provides us with practical ways to have “dominion” over God’s creation. Yet, excellence in these areas of study are a means to an end – not an end in themselves. Indeed, God formed us in his own image so that we might use created things to be fruitful and multiply. Even so, learning to be “masters of the universe” is not the ultimate goal of education.

So, why educate? To know God. Plain and simple – the point of education is to know our Creator - the true Master of the Universe. All of our efforts at growing intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually will be pointless unless those efforts are guided toward fulfilling God’s will. Happily, it’s not as though a Godly educational process is foreign to us. In fact, being created in God’s image, we are naturally drawn to learn more about him. We want to know God. We come to understand God a little more clearly through the things he has created, and in other people who are also made in his image. That’s where formal education comes in.

We certainly learn a great deal about the world around us all on our own. We are curious, and our attraction to things prompts us to explore our surroundings. But learning on our own can be slow and tedious. We are far more effective learners when we combine our knowledge-seeking efforts and share them with others. Thus, we find ourselves in schools, like fish, moving through the waters of learning together. By sharing our personal learning experiences with others, our ability to learn more quickly expands dramatically.

Since learning in groups is powerfully effective, it is necessary to keep close tabs on what the group is learning. Obviously, groups are made up of people – and people have a tendency to drift off course. We tend to pursue certain human interests even when our better judgment tells us we shouldn’t. We find ourselves sinning. To keep ourselves out of trouble, we need to monitor what we learn, to scrutinize educational trends.

Educational trends within American culture, and Western civilization in general, often do not align with Catholic moral sensibilities. As Catholics, we adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ. It shouldn’t be news to anyone that living a faithful Christian life in 21st century America means swimming against the cultural tide most of the time. Given that environment, we might find ourselves getting lax in our demand for high educational standards for our children. 

We get tired and worn down. We concede seemingly insignificant pieces of moral ground in favor of getting along with the culture. Yet, nothing in our Catholic, moral make-up is insignificant. Anything we surrender is a serious loss. It all comes back to the purpose of education in the first place: to know God.

Everything we do is useless unless it leads us closer to God. It doesn’t matter if it is learning about a chemical reaction, how to color inside the lines, who Homer is (not Simpson!), or how many books are in the Catholic bible. It all relates to God. He created us for eternal union with him. So, what we do on earth before we go to God matters. How we spend our time, especially how we form our minds through education, will lead us either closer to God or farther from him. The Devil and his coworkers want us separated from the Lord, separated from the Truth.

At bottom, the Truth in Jesus Christ is what we should want most for our children. The time they spend in class, engaging in school activities, has a huge bearing on their reception of Christian Truth versus worldly fiction. We must stay attentive to our young one’s education. WE must guide them to the truth. And we must support those who give their lives to teach Christ to our loved ones, no matter what the class subject or school activity may be.

Peace, 

Fr. Bob

rvoiland@sjascs.org

17) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

Criticism vs Admiration

When we encounter excellence, what prompts us to critique rather than admire?

Fr. Mike suggests that this tendency often stems from jealousy and insecurity. He says humans are made to admire all that is praiseworthy. When we witness remarkable talent in athletics, academics, or the arts, we should take the opportunity to commend the hard work and discipline that leads to greatness.

God made us to appreciate excellence and work to cultivate it in our own lives.

18) Words on the Word: August 25, 2024 - Love Conquers All

We live in a very turbulent time, politically speaking. By its nature, politics has always been divisive. But we’ve gotten to a point in our national “dialogue” where colleague is pitted against colleague, neighbor against neighbor, and even family member against family member. Nobody is clear anymore which issue might trigger a contentious political debate.

USA Today recently did a story looking at the problem. The headline: “She’s a Democrat. He’s a Republican. Can love conquer all?” It focused on a married St. Louis couple and their ways in which their relationship has had to adapt to the changing political culture.

At one point, the story said, the wife posted a video on social media discussing the couple’s political differences. “It quickly went viral,” the story said, adding “thousands told her to get a divorce and that her husband is the devil.”

Yikes. All this over the difference between being red or blue, which the wife quickly added is something they continue to lovingly work through.

In an effort to offer helpful advice, the story observes “As cliché as it sounds, they’ve found that their love for each other than their family outweighs political tension.”

One would hope that wisdom is unassailable, but, alas, it increasingly seems not to be.

St. Paul offers a word of advice, grounded in God’s love for his church, in today’s second reading from his letter to the Ephesians.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over to sanctify her,” he writes. “Cleansing her by the bath of water and the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, with spot or wrinkle or any such thing...

“So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.”

Advice to be sure, that goes both ways, and transcends politics.

© 2024 Words on the Word

19) 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.



20) 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!

McGivney Miracle Baby

When Daniel and Michelle Schacle learned that their unborn son was given a zero percent chance of survival due to a severe medical condition, they turned to the intercession of Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney. This is the extraordinary story of what came next, as told by the Schacles and the subsequent beatification of Father McGivney.

21) Hallow App:

22) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, August 26, 2024, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: Deacon Robert Busch

Tuesday, August 27, 2024, Saint Monica (White)

7:00 am: Marie Rogier

Wednesday, August 28, 2024, Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (White)

7:00 am: Hugo Calisi 

6:00 pm: Giovanni Ciccone

Thursday, August 29, 2024, The Passion of Saint John the Baptist (Red) 

7:00 am: Florance Semany

Friday, August 30, 2024, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: A Special Intention for David Dinser

Saturday, August 31, 2024, Vigil for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

4:00 pm: Sophie Rupinki, Roseann Coules, Martin Krall, Edward S. Ancypa, Bonnie Batche, Thomas Benoit, and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, Alison Reslow, Marco Julian Moro, and Tom & Diana Ziolkowski

6:00 pm: Mario & Ann Catalanotte

Sunday, September 1, 2024, Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

8:00 am: The Intentions of SJA Parishioners

10:00 am: Robert Boesiger

12:00 pm: Beverly Ohlrich, Daniel Drop and Special Intentions for Alison Reslow and Marco Julian Moro

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

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (August 26)

7:00 AM - Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for Karen Rygiel (Read Obituary HERE)

5:00 PM - Mass (Meet the Teacher Night)

Tuesday (August 27):

7:00 AM - Mass

Wednesday (August 28):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (August 29):

7:00 AM- Mass

8:30 AM - Opening Mass of the School Year

12:00 PM - Funeral for Nick Di Cresce

7:00 PM - Holy Hour



Friday (August 30):

7:00 AM - Mass

Saturday (August 31):

1:00 PM - Wedding of Nicole Purcell and Thomas Ross

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (September 1):

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 August 2, 2024

25) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List

26) Detroit Catholic