I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2023. When I opened the report his morning, I had to blink and make sure my glasses were on! We currently have $211,224 in pledges and gifts toward our $208,946 goal ($168,347 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). YES, we exceeded our goal this year!

This amount represents gifts from 557 families (we have 3,301 families registered, which gives us a 17% participation rate thus far). We have achieved 101% of our goal! THANK YOU!

$2,500+ (13)

$1,000+ (33)

$500+ (44)

$250+ (92)

$100+ (237)

$75+ (8)

$50+ (64)

$25+ (44)

$10+ (19)

$1+ (3

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.

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 for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jeff Cavins explains why we can trust the Church. The Sunday Readings are:

First Reading: Isaiah 22:19-23

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8

Second Reading: Romans 11:33-36

Alleluia: Matthew 16:18

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

Friends, I do a lot of debating and dialoguing with agnostics and atheists, and very often, when they attack the faith, it's along the lines of: How could an all-knowing and all-good God allow (fill in the blank)? Why does he allow childhood leukemia, or natural catastrophes, or animal suffering? Much of the objection hinges upon the puzzle that is proposed by the existence of God. And we hear a classic answer from within the heart of our tradition today in our second reading from St. Paul to the Romans.

Cruisin’ with Mom (Part FIVE): For the last several weeks, I have been sharing about my trip with my mom on board the Viking Octantis for a Great Lakes Cruise. Our journey began in Toronto, and from there, we traversed the Welland Canal Locks and made stops in Port Colborne, Point Pelee, Detroit, Alpena, Mackinac Island, and finally, Milwaukee.

Once we passed through the Welland Canal Locks, we docked in the quaint little town of Port Colborne. Port Colborne, known as Niagara’s best-kept secret, is located on Lake Erie’s north shore at the Welland Canal’s south end. Port Colborne has a population of 20,000, is filled with shops, charming restaurants, and cafes, and is rich in marine heritage. It looked like a picturesque and THE ultimate little fishing town. The other notable aspect of Port Colborne is that it has this cool vertical lift bridge (the Clarence Street Bridge) that looks like it was made out of an erector set! The bridge is still used today and is THE vital link between East and West Port Colborne. We docked in Port Colborne because it was from here that we would take our excursion to Niagara Falls.

We docked in the early morning and had a spectacular view of Port Colborne from our stateroom window. It was fun watching this little town come alive on a Saturday morning. As it was a couple of hours before we would begin our journey to Niagra Falls, we just enjoyed our breakfast and watched this little fishing town come to life.

I had already scoped out the many tenders on board, but we wouldn’t use them yet as we were docked at a pier. This was also our first expedition off the boat, so watching the “sea” of motorcoaches line up to take the “seniors and us few kids” on a trip to Niagara Falls was fun. Since we were “locals,” we didn’t need the guided tours but wanted to do our own little excursion to Niagara Falls. We took the bus but thought if we got tired or wanted to return to the boat, we could catch an Uber back to Port Colborne.

It was a Saturday and a Saturday afternoon at that. Niagara Falls was super packed! You couldn’t move with ease through the crowds it was so packed. Because of all the people, you couldn’t even get close to an edge to take pictures. I haven’t been to Niagara Falls in eons, but it has changed so much. And then add all the people on a beautiful sunny summer afternoon, it was a recipe for a headache. By then, I had taken my few ceremonial pictures and was over it. I was also hungry, which didn’t help matters either. Ask my mom, there is nothing worse than a hungry and tired kid … oops Monsignor. So as my mom meandered through the Niagara Falls International Center Gift Shop, I hunted for M&M’s and cookies … any cookies. I eventually found my snacks, M&M’s, and some maple-flavored cookies and headed to the checkout. After waiting about 15 minutes (my mom has a great picture of the annoyed Monsignor waiting in line), I glanced at my total and choked when I saw $50 Canadian show up on the register. 

“These better be some perfect M&M’s and Canadian Maple Cookies,” I thought. With my snacks in hand, I found my mom, and we headed outside and sat in a far corner away from most people, but a bunch of pigeons seemed to have gotten notice I had snacks! I wasn’t budging. If I paid $50 for a few cookies and M&M’s, these were all mine!

Surprisingly, we were only given an hour to wander around before boarding the bus to take a quick tour around the Niagara Falls area. Our tour guide was local and had lots to share as we drove around; almost too much to share. I don’t think she took a break for even a quick breath of air the entire hour of our ride. My mom and I commented that the Niagara Falls experience wasn’t spectacular, but it was something to check off on the list. But we could both see ourselves going back to experience Port Colborne again.

After boarding the boat and checking in, we grabbed lunch and found a lovely little table outside near the bow of the boat. I wanted something else other than M&M’s and maple cookies for lunch. After all, I was on a cruise!

The Sacrament of the Sick (Part Four): I’ve been writing about the Sacrament of the Sick over the last few weeks, partly because many people have misinformed opinions or improper information about the sacrament. This week, I want to continue reflecting on the redemptive value of our sufferings.

Last week, I shared a quote from Mother Teresa that’s worth repeating: “Suffering will never be completely absent from our lives. If we accept it with faith, we are given the opportunity to share the passion of Jesus and show him our love.” Accepting suffering WITH FAITH becomes a critical point to remember. Life changes when we start to view things through the lens of faith.

This reminds me of a lady I once visited in a nursing home. After I anointed her, we had a rather spirited conversation about her illness and her anger with God. “Why would God do this to me? I’m good and have been good all my life. Why couldn’t he choose to give my illness to some bad people? There are plenty of them who deserve it; I don’t deserve this at all,” she said. I told her that she was flat-out wrong! I wanted to encourage her to see the redemptive value of her suffering and that she needed a change of attitude about the whole situation. Once we accept that sometimes God loves us so much that he gives us incredible crosses to carry in life, it’s up to us to turn that cross into something redemptive for ourselves and those around us. It isn’t always easy to swallow, but the more faith you have and the more you accept the reality of God’s will in your life, the more you will come to a better understanding of the crosses we are called to embrace. God never intends to leave us hanging in a perpetual Good Friday experience; WE keep ourselves there. Every cross we embrace is a sharing in the passion of Christ. And just as Christ journeyed from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, so too can we, with our own crosses, move from the pain of our own Good Friday to the emptiness of our own Holy Saturday to the joy of our own Easter Sunday. It is about our faith. It is about our relationship with God. It is about our attitude and whether we acknowledge that God may just be using us to accomplish his divine plan.

I still often quote and ask people to reflect upon the prior English translation of the opening prayer for Masses for the Sick. “Hear the prayers we offer for our sick brothers and sisters. May all who suffer pain, illness, or disease realize that they are chosen to be saints, and know that they are joined to Christ in his suffering for the salvation of the world ….” CHOSEN to be saints … JOINED to Christ in HIS suffering for the salvation of the world. Those are some powerful words that deserve our attention and reflection!

Okay, I’ll admit… it’s a confusing topic. I’m trying to be as clear as possible while accurately explaining Church teaching. Why do we need indulgences? Because we are all sinners, all of us. Last week I defined indulgences thusly: “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain defined conditions through the Church’s help when, as a minister of redemption, she dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions won by Christ and the saints” (Indulgentarium Doctrina, 1)

Essentially, an indulgence takes time off purgatory. (Again, I know I’ll have to write about purgatory soon too.) I’ll give a sneak preview, which I think will help us understand indulgences too. When I was in 4th grade my best friend and I (we lived on the same block) would play outside all the time. At one point in the summer, we were playing catch and the baseball went right through the neighbor’s window. We mustered up all our courage and went to knock on Mr. Wilson’s door to tell him what happened. He, thankfully, accepted our apology. We were forgiven. But someone still had to pay for the window to be fixed and returned to its original state.

Similarly, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are forgiven of our sins but there is still a debt to be paid, so to speak. Because nothing unholy, nothing that is not perfect cannot enter heaven, purgatory is where are hearts continue to be purified so there is absolutely no attachment or proclivity for sin. Indulgences then, help to remit that extra purification time in purgatory. Let’s look at some common myths about indulgence this week to help further clarify some things.

Since indulgences remit only temporal penalties, they cannot remit the eternal penalty of hell. Once a person is in hell, no amount of indulgences will ever change that fact. The only way to avoid hell is by appealing to God’s eternal mercy while still alive. After death, one’s eternal fate is set (Heb. 9:27).

The Church has always taught that indulgences do not apply to sins not yet committed. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “[An indulgence] is not a permission to commit sin, nor a pardon of future sin; neither could be granted by any power.”

The definition of indulgences presupposes that forgiveness has already taken place. (See definition above.) Indulgences in no way forgive sins. They deal only with punishments left after sins have been forgiven.

Indulgences developed from reflection on the sacrament of reconciliation. They are a way of shortening the penance of sacramental discipline and were in use centuries before money-related problems appeared.

The number of days which used to be attached to indulgences were references to the period of penance one might undergo during life on earth. The Catholic Church does not claim to know anything about how long or short purgatory is in general, much less in a specific person’s case.

The Council of Trent instituted severe reforms in the practice of granting indulgences, and, because of prior abuses, in 1567 Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any fees or other financial transactions.

One never could technically “buy” indulgences. Instead, people gave alms to some charitable fund or foundation and thus were granted an indulgence. To give money to God or to the poor is a praiseworthy act, and, when it is done from right motives, it will surely not go unrewarded. Being able to explain these seven myths will be a large step in helping others to understand indulgences. But, there are still questions to be asked.

Look for more in next week's bulletin.

Blessings!

Fr .Adam

Your life probably wouldn’t have so many rules. You wouldn’t be as guilty for any sins you commit (you wouldn’t even know they were sins in the first place). You wouldn’t need to evangelize.

And you wouldn’t know that the God of the universe—your creator—loves you with a burning passion that you can’t even imagine.

Today, Fr. Mike makes the case that it is better to know Christ. It is better to live in the truth. And it is better to take on the challenge of Christian discipleship.

“In God we Trust.” We all know that. Somewhere along the line, a cynical realist added, “Everyone else pays cash.”

We may chuckle a bit at the all-too-human circumstances that gave rise to such an admonition, but we also know it is all-too-true: it is exceedingly difficult to trust other people, given the lying and cheating that goes on out there.

A story in The Detroit News a few weeks ago reported on a Shelby Township woman who paid a local contractor a $60,000 deposit last summer toward the construction of a swimming pool. A year later no work has been done, and the contractor indicated that financial problems prevented him not only from starting the work, but also from refunding the deposit.

The story said the contractor was arraigned late last month on charges relating to false pretenses and fraud. How the situation ultimately is resolved remains to be seen, but it’s worth noting that the abundance of caution required in financial/contractual relationships is a two-way street.

Perhaps more importantly, it serves as a reminder that the only rock-solid, airtight certainties are those provided by God.

Today’s gospel story from St. Matthew provides a description of the origin of the sacrament of reconciliation. It’s a gift given to the church for all time after Peter’s recognition of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus’ reply:

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it,” the gospel says. “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Cash may be king on earth. Jesus, though, is the king of kings. Of that, we can be sure.

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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7:00 a.m., Hugo Calisi

7:00 a.m., Giovanni Ciccone

7:00 a.m., The deceased members of the Kopacko Family

6:00 p.m., Edward S. Ancypa

7:00 a.m., Ralph Augle

7:00 a.m., Beverly Ohlrich

4:00 p.m., Bonnie Batche, Raymond Cichoracki, Sophia Rupinski, Elaine Hernick, Robert Fannon and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, for Alison Reslow, Pam Haisenleder, Lorraine Jonas, Sally Cabot and Prayerful Appreciation for the work of the Priests and Staff of St. Joan of Arc.

6:00 p.m., Warren Shawhan

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

10:00 a.m., Jaclyn Maul

12:00 p.m., Joan Hardy, Feliciana King, Lisa Miller, Michael Fallon, and Special Intentions for Alison Reslow, Lorraine Jonas, Pam Haisenleder, Sally Cabot, and Robert Varrasse

10:00 AM - Funeral for Glenn Malcolm (Read Obituary HERE)

Thursday (August 31):

Friday (September 1):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Roman Modina Rogue