Week of February 23, 2025

1) An Update on Pope Francis

As many know from the news, Pope Francis continues to remain hospitalized with double pneumonia, and they anticipate him remaining in the hospital for at least the next week. Below is the update given a few hours ago.

Please offer up a prayer or a rosary for our Holy Father.

Blessed Solanus Casey, pray for him!

In Christ,

Msgr. Mike

By Vatican News

Pope Francis had a peaceful ninth night in the hospital, the Holy See Press Office published on Sunday morning, issuing its latest note to journalists as the Holy Father is being treated for double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.

Again this morning, the Pope used nasal cannulas for the administration of high-flow oxygen. Other clinical exams are underway. The medical bulletin this evening will shed light on the results.

Saturday night, the Press Office issued the following evening health update on the Holy Father:

The condition of the Holy Father continues to be critical. Therefore, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger. This morning, Pope Francis experienced an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity, which required the administration of high-flow oxygen.

Today's blood tests also revealed thrombocytopenia, associated with anemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions.

The Holy Father remains alert and spent the day in an armchair, although he is more fatigued than yesterday. At the moment, the prognosis remains guarded.

At a press conference in Rome’s Gemelli hospital on late Friday afternoon, Dr Sergio Alfieri, the head of the team taking care of the Pope, and Dr Luigi Carbone, the Vice-Director of the Vatican’s healthcare service, spoke for some forty minutes to a roomful of journalists.

The pair said that they believed the Pope would be hospitalised for "at least" the entirety of the next week, and that Pope Francis is not “in danger of death,” but he’s also not fully “out of danger.”

Dr Alfieri emphasised that the Pope is not attached to a ventilator, although he is still struggling with his breathing and consequently keeping his physical movements limited.

Nevertheless, the physician said, the Pope is sitting upright in a chair, working, and joking as usual. Alfieri said that when one of the doctors greeted the Pope by saying “Hello, Holy Father”, he replied with “Hello, Holy Son”.

Asked by a journalist what their greatest fear is, the doctors noted that there is a risk that germs in the Pope’s respiratory tract might enter his bloodstream, causing sepsis.

Dr Alfieri did say, however, that he was confident that Pope Francis would leave the hospital at some point and return to Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican – with the proviso that when he does so, his chronic respiratory issues will remain.

2) The Hallow App and a Parish Partnership: 

I’ve recently been approached by the good folks at Hallow to consider their parish partnership program. Hallow is a Catholic prayer and meditation app that offers guided prayers, Bible readings, meditations, and spiritual content to help deepen faith and mindfulness. It truly is a great resource!

That said, like many of these wonderful tools, there is a cost involved. After discussing this with some of our staff, we thought it would be best to gauge interest from you, our parish community, before making any decisions. We’re exploring a robust partnership plan that would allow parishioners to access Hallow’s full content for just $1 for 12 months for the first year (after which it reverts to the free version unless you choose to subscribe). Included would be free and full access to those in the OCIA, our Faith Formation families, and our current school community. We would be able to develop some of our own content and create smaller “communities” to promote prayer groups for our various parish groups.

To help us decide whether moving forward with this Hallow partnership is the right step, we’ve created a simple survey for parishioners to share their feedback. You’ll find more details and a full-page flyer in this week’s bulletin. Your responses will help us determine whether this partnership aligns with our parish’s needs and whether it would be something you’d use and enjoy.

I see many potential benefits in offering Hallow to our community, but I want to ensure it’s something that will resonate with and support you on your faith journey. Please take a moment to participate in the survey and share your thoughts—I value your input!

3) High School Youth Group

4) Heart Afire Prayer Ministry

5) Need a Lenten Challenge? Here Are 25 Things to Give Up for Lent in 2025

From Churchpop.com: Lent begins on Wed., March 5, 2025. Have you thought about what you’re doing for Lent?

Here’s a list of challenges for the Lenten season that might help you deeply ponder this season's purpose.                      

1) Sweet treats. 

This one may sound simple, but it's often the hardest to give up. With the rise of the "sweet treat" trend, getting hooked is easy. This Lent, challenge yourself to go beyond just one type of sugary snack and give them all up.  

2) Clean out your closet. 

Lent is a great opportunity to donate to your local charities and a chance for you to make space in your closet and heart for the Lenten season. Plus, it might be the perfect time to let your sister borrow that one shirt of yours she’s been begging to wear.   

 3) Give up Meat throughout Lent.

Instead of waiting to abstain from meat until Friday, try restricting yourself completely from it for 40 days.  

4) Complaining.  

Challenge yourself to do it anyway, without finding excuses. If you want to take the extra step, put a dollar in a jar and donate it to charity every time you fail by the end of Lent.  

5) Wastefulness.  

Whether it's food, garbage, or gas, we tend to waste many resources readily available to us. Let us be mindful of what we use and only take what we need. Try walking or riding a bike to places you usually drive. Think about using reusable bags or containers when storing food or grocery shopping. 

6) Listening to your favorite artist. 

Take a break from listening to artists we might unknowingly idolize. Try listening to something that draws your attention towards Christ and away from those who may hinder growth in your faith.  

7) Oversleeping.

Some days we fall into the habit of waking up at our leisure. This Lent, make a point to set an alarm and be disciplined about waking up at the same time each day. 

8) Spending money on unnecessary items. 

A good trick for Lent might be to delete Apple Pay and the cards in your online wallet. The impulse buying will subside. 

9) Excessive talking.  

Challenge yourself to communicate more effectively by using fewer words. This will open space for others to share thoughts or opinions. This might give you a chance to restrict yourself on using filler words such as “umm" and “like.”  

Continue Reading by Clicking HERE ...

6) Operation REACH OUT

7) St. Basil Parish Lenten Retreat

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: February 23, 2025 - The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

12) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

First Reading: 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

Gospel: Luke 6:27-38

13) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

Give Expecting Nothing Back

Friends, our Gospel for today is from the Sermon on the Plain, which is Luke’s version of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, and it’s not only saying something about the moral life; it’s also saying something very profound about God. It has to do with what a number of philosophers in the twentieth century called the aporia—the difficulty or even impossibility—of the gift. Can we give a gift that’s truly a gift, with no strings attached?

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 Complexities of An Outing: As I mentioned in my video last weekend, traveling with the “BIG Baby” … a.k.a. me, requires a ton of stuff and people. After all, we don’t travel lightly. I have to bring my pillows to prop up my leg, my wedge when needed, a blanket, my iWalk, as well as my knee scooter. It gets a bit unruly at times, but between my mom, my sister, Fr. Bob, Kevin and Barb Hendrick, Sharon Ozark, Deacon Tom, Charlie Kaiser, Tony Latarski, and Fr. Tim Wezner, we’ve developed a system. I hop off my knee scooter near the top of my stairs, strap on my iWalk (a story about that is coming up), and then begin descending my stairs backwards. Once I reach the bottom, I turn around and “walk” to the door until I make it outside.  

Once outside and near the vehicle transporting the “BIG Baby,” someone holds the scooter while I disconnect my iWalk. At this point, I use the scooter only for support. Then, I back into the vehicle, slide into the back seat, and properly prop myself up. By the time I’m comfortable and situated, I’m ready for either a vacation or a drink! That’s how our journeys begin.

Over the past five weeks, I’ve only had a few outings, but so far—knock on wood—they’ve been successful without any MAJOR issues (another bulletin article).

The day before we “cut the umbilical cord” last week, my sister Jackie and I had a brilliant idea to take a “journey” to the condo to get things set up so Mom could move back in. After all, she hadn’t been to the condo in a month, and we wanted to make everything ready for her, including stocking up on groceries. Plus, it gave me a chance to get out of the house. It sounded easy … or so we thought.

To make things simpler, I decided to do both a Kroger and BJ’s curbside pickup order. I ordered the groceries Mom requested, along with some much-needed (or maybe not) snacks for my house and cases of Snapple iced tea and water. But there was just one problem—I didn’t give much thought to how much space was left in the back of my sister’s car after loading my “All-Terrain Souped-Up” knee scooter and iWalk device.

After cramming in the Kroger order, I started to worry that my BJ’s order wouldn’t fit. Unfortunately, I had ordered three cases of water and two cases of Snapple. When we got to BJ’s and the staff brought out the order, Jackie had to go to the back of her car and start rearranging. Miraculously, with some creative shuffling, we got everything to fit. I’m still not sure HOW, but it worked.

Then it hit me—I forgot to call the cavalry (the other family members) to help unload at the condo. I couldn’t do much to assist, and my mom couldn’t handle all the heavy stuff. That left Jackie to unload all the cases of water, iced tea, groceries, scooter, and iWalk on her own. Ugh.

Once they got me inside, I collapsed on the couch and had to sit back, helplessly watching all the activity from afar. And to make matters worse, it had snowed that Super Bowl Sunday, so Jackie also had to shovel and lay down deicer on the driveway. I was exhausted just from watching her.  

Finally, with the condo prepped and ready for Mom’s arrival on Monday, it was time to pack me up and load me into the back seat for the return trip to Saint Clair Shores.  

When we got to my house, we went through all the usual steps to get me back inside: opening the car door, positioning the scooter, helping me onto it, grabbing the iWalk, strapping it on, climbing all the stairs, removing the iWalk, grabbing the upstairs scooter, helping me transfer to it, and finally, letting me plop into my chair. By the end, I was ready for another vacation.

Once everything was settled, they asked me how I felt. “Exhausted,” I replied. Then we performed the ultimate test to check my status. We pulled off my half-sock to inspect the color of my toes. If they’re any shade of blue, it means I’ve had my foot down too long and need to prop it up. Thankfully, my toes weren’t TOO blue this time, which meant it was a successful outing!

Now it was naptime for everyone … including me who didn’t do anything but watch it all happen! 

It’s exhausting being me! And, I know others will say, “It’s even exhausting taking care of you!”

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!

In Christ,

gmb@sjascs.org

17) Voiland's View

We humans are a hasty bunch. We want what we want NOW! We get an idea in our heads and expect it to happen yesterday. “What’s taking so long?!” We live extremely hurried lives. Because of the pace we keep, we often feel we are running behind, needing to catch up. We demand of ourselves and others that things happen quickly. It seems like the earliest modern-day outgrowth of our cry for instant gratification was back when “fast food” was actually fast. The burgers and fries were all cooked up and waiting with a timestamp on them for the next customer to place an order. 

Nowadays, we lean more on technology to satisfy our need for speed. Fast internet connections and fast phones are supposed to solve all of our problems. But it doesn’t really work out that way. In fact, most of our technological advancements have made us more frantic.

For one thing, when the technology breaks down, everything comes to a screeching halt. And until some tech guru comes up with a fix, we are dead in the water . . . waiting. Blood pressures rise! Yet, even when our 21st century machines are running smoothly, we just end up pushing ourselves to do more. We treat ourselves like machines that have value only measured by how much we can produce. In our busyness, and bending to the unrealistic expectations of the world, we find ourselves trapped in a dangerously skewed perception of what it means to be a human being.

Even for those of us who may be blessed to avoid the frustrations of our common worldly rat race, there still lurks the danger of being ensnared in a spiritual kind of rat race. This battle of life usually takes place entirely inside our heads. The same attitude that enslaves us to worldly demands can form in us a sense that we must also meet spiritual goals that are realistically beyond our reach. Then we find ourselves constantly berating ourselves for not measuring up to some particular spiritual model. We chase after a perfection that is beyond our capabilities. Then, we cuss ourselves out for falling short – for being a failure.

The problem with pursuing unrealistic spiritual perfection is that it cripples our growth in faith. When we load all the responsibility for our eternal well-being onto ourselves, exclusive of God’s faithful promise to help us through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we will be crushed under the weight of an impossible task. We cannot save ourselves. Eternal salvation comes solely through Jesus Christ. Our role in securing our salvation is to cooperate with Jesus – to receive his love and follow his example. This calls for us to accept that we are being drawn into deeper faith in God as our life progresses.

A definition of faith that we find in the Letter to the Hebrews is that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11: 1). This definition seems rather abstract and hard to grasp. [Reread it a few times.] How are we to buy into something we don’t fully grasp as true? How do we make that leap? Our default position regarding belief that something is true is: “Show me! Then I’ll believe it.” So, to be “assured” that something we hope for is truly in our possession – when we cannot see it in front of us – demands that we stretch . . . sometimes a lot. Strong faith comes from the experience of repeated successful leaping. We learn faith by seeing it in others and by practicing it ourselves. Faith is tough. It is a gift that wells up from within us. Faith is a virtue that keeps strengthening as we turn to it and stand more and more readily upon it.

We impede the growth of faith in ourselves when we live as if spiritual perfection is all our doing. There is no room for faith to grow when all of our spiritual energy is directed from us back toward ourselves. God ends up being a bystander as we spin in a circle of self-dependence. God is pushed to the fringes, wondering why we won’t take him up on his promise to help us.

Our tendency to get wrapped up in ourselves, as we seek spiritual growth, does make some sense. Our obstinate self-dependence comes from our culture and, in fact, from our wounded human nature. Turning into themselves for all the answers is precisely what Adam and Eve did. They bought Satan’s lie that they owned themselves – that they could be their own masters. It’s a fool’s game, but they freely chose to play. We play as well.

We often play the game in a worldly, materialistic sense, chasing after ‘stuff’ that never truly satisfies. But we also can get sucked into a more costly spiritual game. Certainly, the inclination to seek spiritual (moral) success is indeed more noble than being consumed with worldly success. 

But damage is great if spiritual pursuits end up crushing our souls rather than helping them grow more holy.

We can avoid spiritual failure by not trying to be holy in isolation. We need help – and God is waiting to provide that help. We just need to ask. Then we simply have to keep on asking as we plot out a steady course toward him. It’s silly to do things the hard way when God himself wants to provide the grace for success!

Bles,

Fr. Bob

rvoiland@sjascs.org

18) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

Did God Abandon You?

Are you praying everyday but still suffering? Are you doing all the right things but your heart is still broken?

Fr. Mike shares with us today that God doesn’t promise all our desires, but promises that He will be with us through our sufferings. He reminds us that we are never abandoned by Him.

19) Words on the Word: February 23, 2025 - Judge Not!

Let’s face it. We are, in general, very quick to judge.

Whether it’s people we know personally or people in the public eye we may think we know, give us a little bit of information and we’re quick to opine. Those who recognize this tendency in themselves may be better than others at stifling the tendency to provide knee-jerk responses and judgements. Those who do not recognize it, or who don’t care, probably give voice to the responses and judgements very quickly.

Local media reported a few weeks ago on a well-known business executive who had filed for divorce. The story angle pursued by most of the reports centered on if and how the divorce proceedings and settlements would impact the executive’s business decisions and the health of his enterprises. Most included a request from the couple that their privacy be respected.

But, as might be expected, people weighed in quickly and often cruelly with their opinions on the causes of separation, the expected fallout, and even on matters even more personal. Predictable as the commentary was, it nevertheless was sad to see.

Jesus speaks clearly in today’s gospel about how we are expected to treat others. Included is a checklist of do’s and do not’s, many of which resonate in this situation. And in others, as well.

“Love your enemies and do good to them,” Jesus says. “And lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

More to it: Keep your mouth shut!

© 2024 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!

Fighting for LIf

More than a billion babies have been aborted in the past century, lives that could have been meaningful. Made for the Thomas More Society, this documentary tells the story of Joe Scheidler and how his 28-year-long battle to end abortion paved the way for pro-lifers and activists around the country to be peaceful, brave, and passionate in the fight for life.

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) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, February 24, 2025, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: Rachel Allemon

Tuesday, February 25, 2025, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: The deceased members of the Krolikowski Family 

Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Weekday (Green) 

7:00 am: Sr. Carol Juhasz, IHM and Carlos Mallare

6:00 pm: Karen McMahon

Thursday, February 27, 2025, Weekday; Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbott and Doctor of the Church (Green) 

7:00 am: David Damm

Friday, February 28, 2025, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: George J. Bugarin

Saturday, March 1, 2025, Vigil for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

4:00 pm: Bonnie Batche, the deceased members of the Calisi Family who died in the month of March, for the living and deceased members of the J. Champine Family, a Special Intention for the Thomas Family and Prayerful Appreciation for the work of the Priests and Staff of St. Joan of Arc

6:00 pm: Giuseppina Ciccone

Sunday, March 2, 2025, Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

8:00 am: The Intentions of SJA Parishioners

10:00 am: Sue Krolikowski

12:00 pm: Robert Palonis, Jack Accardo, Jay Barker, and Charles Debinski

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

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (February 24)

7:00 AM - Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for Cecelia and Baby Forinash (Read Obituary HERE)

Tuesday (February 25):

7:00 AM - Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for Dennis Miriani (Read Obituary HERE)

Wednesday (February 26):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (February 27):

7:00 AM - Mass

7:00 PM - Holy Hour



Friday (February 28):

7:00 AM - Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for Lynn David Sigurdson

12:00 PM - Funeral for Barbara Harry

Saturday (March 1):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Luca John Spagnuolo

1:30 PM - Baptism of Anthony J. Imbrunnone

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (March 2):

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.

25) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin

Click on the image below

to download a copy of the bulletin

for February 23, 2025

26) 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.



27) Detroit Catholic