Week of December 8, 2024

If you are interested in the Little Blue Books from the Diocese of Saginaw, the Advent Issue of Word Among Us, other Advent resources, or the 2025 Calendar compliments of A.H. Peter's Funeral Home, you can find these resources in the bins outside the Sr. Carol Center or near the bookcase in the Gathering Space.

1) Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - This MONDAY

Monday, December 9, 2024, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It is NOT a holy day of obligation this year. Archbishop Vigneron has dispensed the faithful of the Archdiocese of Detroit from the obligation to attend Mass on this Holy Day.

Even though it is not a holy day of obligation, we will still have our full schedule of masses:

Monday, December 9:

7:00 a.m.

12:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

Surprisingly, many people think that the Immaculate Conception has something to do with the birth of Christ. It doesn’t; well, sort of! The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is about Mary being born without original sin. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches: CCC #488: “’God sent forth his Son,’ but to prepare a body for him, he wanted the free cooperation of a creature. For this, from all eternity God chose for the mother of his Son a daughter of Israel, a young Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, ‘a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary’… The Father of mercies willed that the Incarnation should be preceded by assent on the part of the predestined mother, so that just as a woman had a share in the coming of death, so also should a woman contribute to the coming of life.”

With the celebration of the Immaculate Conception, “we recall that Mary, free from original sin, remained free of all sin throughout her life. This means that she always chose to be faithful to God’s will, even in the most difficult times. Mary was a human being who, as the Second Vatican Council taught, was on a ‘pilgrimage of faith.’ Even when her faith was tested, she remained steadfast. As the Council also affirmed, she freely cooperated ‘in the work of human salvation through faith and obedience.’ She shows us what it means to be a follower of her Son. As we participate in the Eucharist on this December 8, we thank God for giving us the Blessed Virgin Mary as the pre-eminent model of discipleship and holiness (from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website: www.usccb.org).”

2) Living Rosary on Monday at 6:30 PM

3) SJA Giving Tree Project 2024

The “Giving Tree Project” is a special charitable project designed to match our parishioners’ generosity with our community’s needs during the Christmas holidays. The project serves 100% local individuals who may not otherwise receive a gift at this special time of the year. This year, we have also taken on additional charitable organizations that focus solely on gifting children’s toys. In addition to our gift cards and online giving, we will have boards in the Gathering Space with tags for toys to be purchased.

HOW IT WORKS:

PURCHASE GIFT CARD(S): 

The Giving Tree will accept gift cards again this year. This decision makes it safer and easier for our parishioners to participate. It also makes the program more flexible for our charity agencies.

Buy plastic* gift card(s) valued from $15-30 (per card). You may purchase more than one, but please make sure limits fall within per-card limits of $15-$30.

* tangible gift cards, please, no electronic vouchers. Please ensure the cards have been activated by the retailer that issued them.

STORES ACCEPTED: Meijer, Walmart, and Target

WHERE TO BUY: At the named retailer, most drug & grocery stores, or online.

LET US PURCHASE THE GIFT CARDS FOR YOU: You may donate again this year via our online giving platform by clicking the button below and indicating the amount you want to donate. We will take care of the rest.

PURCHASE TOY(S):

New this year, there are 100 gift tags for toys on boards in the Gathering Space. They are specific to the age and gender of the child. Please bring the purchased toys unwrapped and place them in the red bins with the tag attached. Gifts can also be brought to the Parish Center.

DEADLINE for all donations: Monday, December 9, 2024

Bring your marked envelope(s) to the Parish Center Office during office hours or place it in the locked collection boxes in the Sr. Carol Center or the Parish Center Lobby.

4) Hat, Mitten, and White Socks Project

This year, for our Hat and Mitten Tree Project, we are also adding white socks to our list. We are donating to multiple agencies this year. We are accepting hats, mittens, and white socks for children and adults. Any hats, mittens, or white socks you wish to donate can be placed in the bins on either side of the Sr. Carol picture in the Gathering Place or dropped off at the Parish Center.

5) Additional Confession Opportunities during Advent

Father Bob and I will be available for reconciliation during the following times in one of the conference rooms in the Sr. Carol Center. Chairs will be set up in the Gathering Place and will serve as a “line” for confession; you’ll be getting some exercise moving from one chair to another as the line moves. If you wanted to wait for a specific confessor, you could do so.

The remaining schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, December 10: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Wednesday, December 11: 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Saturday, December 14: 11 AM to 12:00 PM

Tuesday, December 17: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Wednesday, December 18: 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Saturday, December 21: 11 AM to 12:00 PM

You would be amazed how many times I welcome people back who haven’t celebrated the sacrament in years or even decades. Don’t be afraid if you’re one of these people and are worried about going to confession. Tell the confessor it’s been a while since you’ve gone to confession; he will walk you through the ritual. Don’t worry if you can’t remember the Act of Contrition; we have cards in the confessionals with the prayers. Your act of contrition could be as simple as: “Lord Jesus, Son of God have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Another excuse I often hear about why people don’t go to confession is: “Father, you don’t have the time to hear all that I need to confess.” Nice try, we’ll make the time! Another excuse: “Father, I wouldn’t have the time to do the penance you would give me. By the way, what kinds of penances do they give out these days?” The penances given out these days are often in the form of a prayer or some act of kindness. It’s not difficult, people! I encourage you to give it a try.

6) Advent Tea for Women - Wednesday, December 18, 2024

7) Advent and Christmas Concerts in the Archdiocese of Detroit

From Detroit Catholic: Snow has begun to fall, wreaths and candles have been lit, and chestnuts are roasting on an open fire.

Advent has begun in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

As the Church flips the calendar to a new liturgical year, one of the most cherished seasonal traditions is attendance at an Advent or Christmas concert. Each year, Detroit Catholic brings you a collection of concerts and musical offerings at local Catholic parishes.

The concerts below (with a few notable exceptions) are free and open to the public, featuring some of the best parish musicians, choral ensembles and professional singers performing classic Christmas carols, songs of the season and melodies to get your family in the spirit to welcome the coming newborn king. If you know of a concert that should be added to this list, email us at detroitcatholic@aod.org.

May you and your family have a joyous, holy Advent season this year.

Click here to see the full story and schedule of concerts.

8) High School Youth Group

9) Pregnancy Aid Appeal

Dear Friends of Pregnancy Aid,

As you prepare for the Christmas season, please consider giving a generous gift to Pregnancy Aid Detroit. Jesus calls each of us to help others and your contribution to Pregnancy Aid enables us to continue to be a beacon of hope to pregnant mothers in need. The root of the word philanthropy translates to loving people and that is what the volunteers & staff do every day at Pregnancy Aid by offering unconditional love to moms who are facing a pregnancy crisis.

As you may already be aware, Pregnancy Aid offers critical support for both moms and babies during their entire pregnancy and up to their baby's first birthday. We provide material aid and free counseling to pregnant mothers including free ultrasound exams, emotional support, accurate pregnancy & post pregnancy information and basic supplies such as diapers, formula, car seats, pack-n-plays, etc.

Just so far in 2024, we have already given away over 10,000 free

maternity and baby items to mothers in need.

Your gift to Pregnancy Aid allows us to continue our work to help as many mothers as possible make the right decision...to choose life and keep their babies. Reflecting on the first Christmas, the aid of just one willing heart allowed Mary and Joseph to find a place for the birth of Jesus. You too can be a willing heart this Christmas by supporting the mission of Pregnancy Aid.

The following are some of the ways your philanthropy can personally make a phenomenal difference in the lives of God's most vulnerable children:

• Write a check to “Pregnancy Aid” and mail it to 15847 E. 8 Mile Road, Eastpointe, MI 48021.

• Give securely online at www.pregnancyaiddetroit.org/support.

• Use a donor-advised fund such as Vanguard, Fidelity Investments, etc. Please note that our complete name is Pregnancy Aid, Inc. of Eastern Wayne County, and our tax ID number is 23-7377830.

• Donate through Venmo. Search for Pregnancy Aid @Pregnancy-Aid.

Thank you for your support of Pregnancy Aid and your generous contribution is always greatly appreciated!

God Bless,

David Swider

President

10) 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.

11) Holy Hour on Thursdays

12) This Sunday's Readings: December 8, 2024 - the Second Sunday of Advent

13) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

“The Baptism of Repentance”

Second Sunday of Advent

Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Second Sunday of Advent:

Reading 1: BAR 5:1-9

Responsorial Psalm: PS 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

Reading 2: PHIL 1:4-6, 8-11

Gospel: LK 3:1-6

14) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

Have You Wandered Away from God?

Friends, in our readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, there is a lot of talk about building highways. In the Bible, both Old Testament and New, we find the theme of exile. Very often, Israel finds itself sent away from its own Promised Land, and a great hope is that one day, the exiles will return home on a highway that God has built. This is a symbol of spiritual exile—and to meet the highway that God has prepared, we have to do some preparation ourselves.

15) 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.

16) 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.

17) TALLer Tales

No One Got Sick or Hurt. AMEN: I can make the simple the most complex, especially when it comes to cooking. I enjoy cooking and baking, but I don’t do either often enough to make me proficient in either department. My primary cooking and baking days have now come down to Thanksgiving Day and our Staff Christmas Cookie Exchange.

My contribution to our family’s Thanksgiving Day meal is to cook the turkeys. I always say cooking the turkey(s) is the easiest part!

For the last several years, I’ve used my standard tested and tried herb butter rub that has never failed me. It’s pretty simple, and I use a bag and have always had success with it. But a few days before Thanksgiving, someone on staff, let’s say her name is Mary for this article, piqued my interest when she said she uses wine in her recipe. That got me thinking, and I started hunting for a turkey recipe incorporating wine. But a priest friend of mine shared a Martha Stewart recipe that called for a bottle of wine and a cup and a half of olive oil that would drench a cheesecloth that would drape the turkey while it baked. He shared the recipe with me the day before Thanksgiving, and it piqued my interest enough that I ventured back out to a crowded 9 and Harper Kroger at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve to gather the missing ingredients.

When I returned from Kroger that night, I decided to prepare my herb butter rub. This year, I decided to go with fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary rather than use the jar variety. Well, it wasn’t in the “manual” what a pain it is to grind fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary. Good heavens, that was a lot of work. If I had not watched a YouTube video, I would have also chopped the stems! When I finally got everything ground up, I transferred my prized herbs and butter to one of these ceramic cereal-type bowls I’ve had for eons. As I was mixing all this stuff, I accidentally lifted the bowl, which then crashed on my countertop, chipping off part of the bowl’s rim. I tried finding all the pieces to save my work, but when I couldn’t find everything, I knew I had to dump the whole mixture and start over again, as I was sure some of the ceramic pieces landed in my butter mixture. I wasn’t a happy camper. My big problem now was that I used most of the fresh herbs. And, I WASN’T going back to Kroger! I chopped what little I had and supplemented it with my couple-year expired jar herbs! I figured I was safe since I’ve never heard of anyone dying from using expired herbs. I finished the rest of my prep work and called it a night.

After Masses on Thanksgiving Morning, I hightailed it over to my house and started working diligently on the turkeys. I prepped my bagged butter herb turkey and walked it over to the Parish Center, where it would bake. I then turned my attention to the wine and oil oil recipe. With the turkey ready to receive its dressing, I diligently cut out the four-layer, 17-inch square piece of cheesecloth and soaked it in the wine and olive oil mixture. I then transferred it to the top of my turkey and put it in the oven. The recipe called for the turkey to be generously basted with the remaining olive oil and wine mixture every 30 minutes. Easy peasy, unless you’re me! Within the first 15 minutes, I smelled something odd in my kitchen. When I opened my oven at the 20-minute mark, I found the cheesecloth rather brown (okay, more burnt) and crispy! I rolled my eyes and thought, “Can’t ANYTHING ever be simple for me?” I decided to drench the turkey with the wine and olive oil mixture. 

Right at the four-hour mark, both turkeys signaled they were done! I got them both prepped for their 40-minute journey to my mom’s house, where we were gathering. Everything was being timed for the conclusion of the Lion’s game! Everything worked out well. The turkeys turned out great; ironically, they both tasted the same. You couldn’t tell the difference between the two recipes. Thankfully, no one got hurt from chomping down on broken ceramic, and no one got sick from my use of expired herbs! But new herbs will be on my list of items to get from Kroger as we get closer to Thanksgiving Day next year; hopefully, I won’t need any of those ingredients for my Christmas Cookie exchange!

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: This Monday is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. While it is NOT a holy day of obligation this year, we will have three masses on Monday: 7:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.

Surprisingly, many people think that the Immaculate Conception has something to do with the birth of Christ. It doesn’t; well, sort of! The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is about Mary being born without original sin. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches CCC #488: “’God sent forth his Son,’ but to prepare a body for him, he wanted the free cooperation of a creature. For this, from all eternity God chose for the mother of his Son a daughter of Israel, a young Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, ‘a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary’… The Father of mercies willed that the Incarnation should be preceded by assent on the part of the predestined mother, so that just as a woman had a share in the coming of death, so also should a woman contribute to the coming of life.”

With the celebration of the Immaculate Conception, “we recall that Mary, free from original sin, remained free of all sin throughout her life. This means that she always chose to be faithful to God’s will, even in the most difficult times. Mary was a human being who, as the Second Vatican Council taught, was on a ‘pilgrimage of faith.’ Even when her faith was tested, she remained steadfast. As the Council also affirmed, she freely cooperated ‘in the work of human salvation through faith and obedience.’ She shows us what it means to be a follower of her Son. As we participate in the Eucharist (on Monday), we thank God for giving us the Blessed Virgin Mary as the pre-eminent model of discipleship and holiness (from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website: www.usccb.org).”

Advent Reconciliation Opportunities: Yikes, it’s already the Second Sunday of Advent. To give people ample opportunities to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation, Father Bob and I will be available in the Sister Carol Center to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation on Tuesdays from 1 – 2 p.m., Wednesdays from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., through Saturday, December 21. If it’s been a while since you’ve celebrated the sacrament, I have plenty of resources about preparing for and going to confession in my Sunday email. A link to my Sunday email can always be found on the home page of our parish website: stjoan.church.

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!

In Christ,

gmb@sjascs.org

18) Voiland's View

Every so often I will be enjoying a conversation with someone, admiring the insights of the person with whom I am speaking, when she or he will say something like, “Well, I’m not all that smart, but I really think . . . (you fill in the rest).” And I think to myself, “HUH? Not smart? What am I missing?” A comment like that from someone who is obviously on top of things causes me to think again about the crucial distinction between intelligence (“smarts”) and wisdom. It is an important distinction that is regularly lost on us in our day-to-day living. Particularly in our present-day culture, where wisdom is as rare as hen’s teeth, many people wouldn’t know there is a distinction to be made. Certainly, intelligence and wisdom are interrelated. I like to think of intelligence as simple knowledge and wisdom as practical knowledge. Again, the two concepts are connected, but they are of two entirely different orders, or levels, of importance.

There is a difficulty when we examine the difference between being smart and being wise. Culturally, smart people seem to have the edge. Intelligence, especially extreme intelligence, can be readily monetized – turned into cold, hard cash. Also, smart people tend to gravitate toward power. They are quick enough on their feet to be manipulative and strategic in their dealings with others to mold situations to their advantage. When smart people become unethical and devious, they find common folk, of more moderate intellectual capacity, to be easy prey. These brainiacs see life as a game to be played, where the player with the slickest moves wins.

Wise people, on the other hand, are often people who live simply and quietly. They may even be very poor – from a worldly perspective. They may feel inadequate, or feel that they're at a great disadvantage because they don't have quick arguments to defend against those who possess a high IQ – which is basically an ability to quickly and efficiently process a lot of data. To further deepen the discomfort of those of us who don’t have IBM supercomputers for brains, we live in a society that values materialism and influence peddling far more than intangibles like enduring, unified human relationships, and a vision of eternity with God. Goals like unity with our fellow sisters and brothers, and with God, require thoughtful contemplation – a slow process. Pumping out products and making the cash register ring (alright – making the card reader blink) demands speed and aggressiveness. These seem to be starkly different worlds for the intelligentsia and contemplatives. But, wait a minute! Intelligence and wisdom may not be the identical, but they are not opposed to each other.

Intelligence is a great gift. The ability to process a broad pool of data requires a good memory and a brain that is capable of integrating that data into usable concepts and applications. This is where things like medical breakthroughs come from, and other positive advances in human existence. Those of us who don't have much of that kind of brain power, might think that we've got nothing. When in fact, a “lowly” person who has a tiny bit of wisdom – practical knowledge – is in a better place than a genius with none.

Wisdom, practical knowledge, common sense is not common anymore. But, common sense is necessary to survive in a society where people are truly free. Free people literally need common sense – wisdom – to morally function each day. If we don't have common sense, we will die or become slaves. Yet, wisdom is not much in demand in our current culture where we simply emote all the time. We throw tantrums. So we constantly respond to emotional outbursts by giving people anything and everything they want. Instead of being childlike, we act and treat others like babies. Out of “compassion,” we keep others from becoming wise. Sadly, we steal their freedom in the process because we avoid common truths. Time was, there were not all the props and supports available to serve as social pacifiers. We were not so affluent. We did not have much excess lean on. We had to be practical, had to get wise, at least at the most basic survival level, pretty early in life.

So, believe it or not, those who have a scrap of wisdom, have more going on than a nuclear physicist who does a stellar job processing data but doesn’t know how to tie his shoes. True human success can be readily possessed by someone who is considered a simpleton. And that's why Jesus talks about us becoming like children to inherit the Kingdom of God. He's not kidding. He's not saying that we become cute and sweet, or infantile. He's saying that we become simple – and dependent. We understand that we are not God. That is wisdom. A person who is brilliant, who is utterly successful, who can't seem to do anything wrong, on a worldly scale, often does not have the needed level of simplicity to live rightly. The more a person knows, the more he or she is likely to think that he or she is God. 

And we're not. This is why a person who can say, “I've got issues; I can't figure everything out,” has wisdom. To understand that we are limited, and that we need religious faith to reach beyond our human limitations, comes from wisdom. Faith does not come from accumulating data, other than to realize that data gathering gets us only so far in our search for ultimate truth. Intelligence and wisdom address the difference between how something happens and why something happens? Intelligent persons know how; they don't know why. If we don't know why, and don’t care to find out, we’re not wise.

O’ Come Emmanuel!

Fr. Bob

rvoiland@sjascs.org

19) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

Why Did God Let Them Die?

Grief is natural, and sadness at the death of a loved one is to be expected. But what about people who feel anger in their bereavement? Especially anger at God?

Fr. Mike shares a difficult truth for those who wish their loved ones were still with them instead of with Jesus in heaven.

20) Words on the Word: December 8, 2024 - AI Yi Yi 

Technology, to be sure, has brought many wonderful innovations to our lives.

Even if the conversation is limited to, say, the last generation or so, imagine navigating around without some sort of GPS app. Or not having the convenience and flexibility of a cellular phone. Even artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to show some promise for regular folks.

But something decidedly not promising, or beneficial, is the suggestions that AI can somehow become a replacement for our spiritual needs.

Some media outlets reported a few weeks ago on a “church” in Switzerland that has begun offering the opportunity to make a “confession” to an AI-powered hologram of Jesus, who then offers a conversational response.

“At least two-thirds of people who spoke to AI Jesus came out of the confessional reporting having had a ‘spiritual’ experience,” one story reported.

This is wrong on so many levels it’s difficult to know where to begin.

Perhaps the most important thing for people of goodwill to keep in mind when hearing of developments like this is that, for all the things technology can do, one thing it cannot and will not ever be able to do is replace God, who created everything.

In that case, it becomes a distraction, potentially a very harmful one.

“This is my prayer,” St. Paul writes to the Philippians in today’s second reading. “That your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.”

Christmas is just 2-1/2 weeks away. Are we striving to discern what is valuable, and readying to be pure for the coming of Christ?

© 2024 Words on the Word

21) 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.



22) 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!

Who Will Fill These Shoes

In this Emmy award-winning video, the mystery and beauty of the call to the priesthood is cinematically expressed through the eyes of an elderly priest and a young man.

23) 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.

24) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, December 9, 2024, Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (White)

7:00 am: Wallie Gray and Martin Gray

12:00 pm: Sr. Carol Juhasz, IHM

7:00 pm: The living and deceased members of the Rogier & Dettloff Families

Tuesday, December 10, 2024, Advent Weekday Our Lady of Loreto (Purple/White)

7:00 am: Joseph Poirier

Wednesday, December 11, 2024, Advent Weekday; Saint Damasus I, Pope (Purple/White)

7:00 am: Sr. Marie Gregory, SSJ & Mario & Ann Catalanotte

6:00 pm James Freundl

Thursday, December 12, 2024, Our Lady of Guadalupe (White) 

7:00 am: Hugo Calisi

Friday, December 13, 2024, Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Red)

7:00 am: Aniello Mazzella & Special Intention for Flor Amante & Carmencita Rojas on their 54th Wedding Anniversary

Saturday, December 14, 2024, Vigil for the Third Sunday in Advent (Purple)

4:00 pm: Bonnie Batche, Dennis Lex, Marie Ann Easley, Michael Timmreck, David Sperry, Thomas Benoit, Paula Nagel, David Damm, Mitzi Phillips, and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, Jesse Agnello, Maria Agnello, and John Agnello

6:00 pm: Special Intention for Keith Ketelhut

Sunday, December 15, 2024, Third Sunday in Advent (Purple)

8:00 am: The Intentions of SJA Parishioners

10:00 am: Steve M Terlescki

12:00 pm Joseph Paluzzi Jr., Mary Lou Orsini, Daniel Bommarito, Emilia Adamcik, Paulette Wagner, Paula Nagel, Mitzi Phillips

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

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (December 9)

7:00 AM - Mass

12:00 PM - Mass

7:00 PM - Mass

Tuesday (December 10):

7:00 AM - Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for Patrick Wearn (Read Obituary HERE)

Wednesday (December 11):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (December 12):

7:00 AM- Mass

5:00 PM - Baptism of Saylor R. Dansbury

7:00 PM - Holy Hour



Friday (December 13):

7:00 AM - Mass

Saturday (December 14):

12:00 PM - Wedding of Mackenzie Powers and Miguel Fernandez

1:30 PM - Baptism of Grace Dittmer

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

7:00 PM - Living Nativity

Sunday (December 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.

26) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin

Click on the image below

to download a copy of the bulletin

for December 8, 2024

27) 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.



28) Detroit Catholic