Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are a few updates from our parish for the week of January 2, 2022.
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1) What Happens to You When You Attempt to Steal Jesus |
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One of my priest friends recently laughed at me when I told him that we "tether" Baby Jesus and all the pieces of the outdoor nativity set with steel roping and that we have an alarm and security camera on it too. Well, someone, once again, attempted to steal baby Jesus. They didn't accomplish their mission. BUT, this is what happens when you attempt to steal Jesus on a short rope ... |
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Consider beginning the year by "Chalking Your Doors" following an old tradition asking God to bless your home and family life as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Click on the image below to download a PDF copy of the flyer below. Blessed chalk will be available in the gathering place as well as in the bins outside the Sr. Carol Center. |
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3) The Chosen Season TWO Watch Party Starting Jan 11, 2022 |
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Click on the image below for more information or to register. |
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4) Walking with Purpose Starting Monday, January 10, 2022 |
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Click on the image below for more information or to register. |
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5) Christmas Giving to SJA |
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Parishes around the world rely on their parishioners' generosity ... especially at Christmas. For our parish, our pre-COVID Christmas collection was usually anywhere from $100,000 to $130,000.
With the reduction in the number of people coming to Church and not knowing what our attendance will be like at our Christmas masses, I wanted to give a gentle reminder to our parishioners that if you haven't given a Christmas gift by using your envelopes or our electronic giving platforms already, it's easy to make a one time or recurring gift electronically.
Click on the link below and there you can make a one-time or recurring gift. You can do so as a guest or by setting up an account. It couldn't be any easier! Thanks for your extraordinary generosity!
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6) SJA's CSA Update as of January 2, 2022 |
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WE MADE OUR GOAL!
THANK YOU!
I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2021. As of today, we have $217,803 in pledges and gifts toward our $217,002 goal ($210,998 has already been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). This amount represents gifts from 590 families (we have 3,286 families registered). We have thus achieved 100% of our goal!
Here is a breakdown by gift range:
$2,500+ (10)
$1,000+ (34)
$500+ (50)
$250+ (109)
$100+ (224)
$75+ (16)
$50+ (78)
$25+ (40)
$10+ (26)
$0+ (2)
As stated above, the easiest way to give is electronically by clicking on the button above. If you wish to give by check, feel free to contact the Parish Center and we will mail out an envelope and related material.
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7) This Sunday's Readings - January 2, 2022 |
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8) Jeff Cavins: Encountering the Word - Reflections on the Sunday Readings |
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Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Epiphany of the Lord:
First Reading – Isaiah 60:1-6
Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Second Reading – Ephesians 3:2-3A, 5-6
Gospel – Matthew 2:1-1
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9) Grow+Go for the Solemnity of the Epiphany |
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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 on the button or image below to download a PDF copy of this Sunday's Grow+Go.
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10) Giving to SJA:
I'm truly grateful for all of your support of SJA during this pandemic. 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.
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11) This Week's Edition of TALLer Tales |
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‘Twas the Night Before the Cookie Exchange: Yes, ‘Twas the Night Before the Christmas Cookie Exchange, when all through the house … Monsignor was looking forward to making (and eating) the cookies he had chosen for the Parish Center Christmas Cookie Exchange. You might be asking yourself why Monsignor was in the cookie exchange. Well, he knew this would be the only way he would get a large quantity and a variety of homemade cookies for his family Christmas party. Since the “12 Days of Christmas Cookies” wasn’t an auction item at this year’s school gala, he had to bribe some people to make cookies (which is always an option), or he could participate in the cookie exchange. So, he chose the cookie exchange option!
This was no ordinary cookie exchange because it was organized by the ultimate cookie baker herself, Mary Pat Brennan, and Kathy Kalich. So, the pressure was on! Then, to spare me of the ultimate nightmare of having one of my cookies turn out to be a disaster, I decided I would bake two different kinds of cookies. “This would be easy and a welcomed change to his schedule,” I foolishly thought. But that was before I thoroughly read the recipes I had chosen. “After all, aren’t all cookie recipes a few ingredients that you put together, and then drop by the spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake them?” NOT! And, of course, I didn’t start this project until 9:30 PM the night before the exchange. Yes, 9:30 PM! While I had all the necessary ingredients for my two cookie versions, it wasn’t until 9:30 PM that I finally read all the instructions … AND. THEN. SCREAMED. One batch required the cookie dough to “chill” in the refrigerator for an hour and then be formed into balls that then had to be flattened with a glass dipped in sugar. The other cookie had to be formed into balls too. “You have to be kidding,” I thought to myself. But there was no stopping now as it was late, and I had all the ingredients. I had no choice but to roll up my sleeves and get to work!
Thankfully, I was thinking that night because I started to work first on the cookie dough that needed to “chill” for an hour! I gathered all the ingredients and started to follow the recipe. For once in my life, I used real cream cheese and real butter. I had asked the night before at our Sunday family dinner if I should go my usual route of low-fat cream cheese and margarine. Before I could even finish my sentence, the peanut gallery shouted out: “REAL butter and REAL cream cheese.” I think they were having flashbacks to my infamous “healthy” Thanksgiving Day Dinner of many years ago. I heard the message loud and clear: I had to go with the real ingredients if I wanted good cookies!
My poor mixer struggled to mix everything after getting all the ingredients into my nice big bowl (it was a triple recipe). I actually started to smell my mixer burning a bit! So, I brought out a big plastic spoon to finish things up. That didn’t go too well either, as the spoon split in two. “Maybe doing a triple version was too much,” I thought. When the spoon broke, I pulled out some foodservice gloves I had sitting around and put them on to finish the mixing by hand. That didn’t go too well either as some of the plastic glove broke off, and I found myself making sure none of the plastic was left in the dough. As you can read, things weren’t going too well, but it didn’t matter because I had to keep moving. Once the first cookie got done, I placed the huge bowl in the refrigerator to “chill” a bit! At this point, I wanted to chill too! I then moved to cookie number two. This one was easier to mix, and I got through it without any disasters. I then started to form 1 oz balls of dough. I began to use a plastic measuring spoon, but that too broke. So, I pulled out my food scale and started to measure 1 oz portions of dough. I formed all the dough balls and then flattened them as noted in the recipe. I dutifully baked my first batch but wasn’t happy with the results. They were Andes Mint Cookies that tasted like Andes Mints squished into some dry flour clumps. I wasn’t impressed at all. I was hoping they would have tasted like the cookie of the year! Once bland cookie number two was done, it was time to bake cookie number one, which was M&M Cream Cheese Cookies. This version was very tedious to finish, too, because the dough was chilled, and it had to be formed into dough balls and then flattened with a glass dipped in sugar! I eventually baked them all and wasn’t too impressed with the results again. They tasted like M&M’s squished into clumps of flour! Do you see a pattern here? But it was now pushing 1:30 AM, and I just wanted to get this project done. I bagged all of my cookies according to the rules and regulations of the Cookie Exchange, and off to bed I went.
Oh, the lessons learned on this one. First, READ the instructions before embarking on a cooking journey. Second, use real ingredients. Third, don’t use plastic or wooden utensils. Fourth, don’t use cheap foodservice gloves because they’re made to serve and not mix. Fifth, don’t start at 9:30 PM. Sixth, stick to one recipe. Seventh, and most importantly, a novice is better off bribing a sister or a niece to do the cookies for you next time! One day I’ll learn! But the good thing is that despite my cookies turning out to be somewhat of a flop, I still benefited from the other cookies from my fellow cookie exchangers that would grace my family’s Christmas Eve dinner table. That’s all I needed and wanted! So, mission accomplished!
Thank Yous: There are many people to thank for their efforts going back to the late summer and fall for all of their work on our parish and school grounds. Our grounds and Christmas decorations look absolutely incredible because of these remarkable people who gave some much time and their talent to making our parish look absolutely awesome! Please join me in thanking: Parish Grounds: The Dirt Angels -- Debbie Bigham and Thelma Socia, Charles Socia, The Hass Family, and Giles and Jackie Wilborn. The School Grounds Crew: Danny Storrs, Kate Tanner, Anna Artley, Kate Artley, Andre Maes, Blake Moseley, Daniella Pietrowski, Andrew Larimer, Adrianna Spindler, Brian & Yvette Wicker, Mrs. Storrs, Mr. Pietrowski, The Zalewski Family, The Benoit Family, The Pattie Family, Joanna Eisbrenner, Vern Dave, Greg Ruvolo, Our Partners at Zeppelin Services, Lonnie Scheuer and our Partners at Green Valley Outdoor Services. Christmas Set Up Crew: Pat and Sandy Markielewicz & Family, Father Rich, Father Andrew, Patty Kesner, Maria Krzesowski, Kristine Hass, Mary Garofalo, Debbie Bigham, Thelma Socia, Laura Sorget, Mary Pat Brennan, Kathy Kalich, Barb Hendrick, Ann Meliese, Ilona Higgins, Charles Kaiser, Rachel Gerard, Vern Dave, Greg Ruvolo, Pete Ciaravino, Dina Ciaffone and Jackie Scheuer. Christmas Bulletin: Kristine Hass. Outdoor Christmas Lights Crew: Ed Allemon and Charles Colzza.
I also wish to thank Catherine Thomas and all of our music ministers for all of the awesome music at our Christmas liturgies. It was another extraordinarily beautiful Christmas at SJA and one that we needed because it lifted our hearts and minds amid our ongoing COVID experience! THANK YOU!
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Know of my best wishes and prayers for you and your family
for a most blessed New Year.
In Christ,
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12) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc |
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New Year: As we approached the last couple of days of 2021, I heard again of one of the saddest traditions I can recall hearing. Apparently, New York City celebrates “Good Riddance Day.” People are invited to write down all the things from the past year to which they’d like to say “good riddance,” and they are shredded and added to the Times Square confetti, as those people look forward to better times next year. And in 12 months, I’m sure they will be saying the same things again.
It strikes me as a terrible way to miss just how blessed we are and how God, even in the midst of difficulties, tragedies and challenges, never ignores us, never stops blessing us.
Tragedies sometimes occur, but we always have something to be thankful for. Sometimes, though we get blinded to what it good and allow ourselves to be fixated on the negative. If our hope is in some utopian experience in this present world, I’ll confidently say it won’t be this year, or next. And it’s not likely to be the one after that either. We will only find happiness and make sense of the events of the coming year if our hope is not in the ideal of a year without trouble, but in the Lord. Jesus never promised us a life without struggle; He promised the Christian would face struggle.
What if we were to enter this New Year with a thankful disposition instead of a negative one? What if we could take off the blinders that stop us seeing either side of whatever is troubling us now? Could we ever dare to remember that God has blessed us so much already and plans on continuing to do so? Do we ever consider that each one of us was a deliberate thought of God, who willed us into existence in the first place and maintains our life to the extent that if He no longer intended us to be here on earth, He would have simply removed His Will.
We are so blessed, in so many ways that we so probably come to expect—as though they are ours by right. I often comment in confession to the penitent that they are wearing shoes. So far I have never seen anyone come into the confessional without shoes. And yet around 1 billion people in the world own either no shoes whatsoever or inadequate footwear to protect their feet from infection. But when was the last time any of us thanked God for our shoes? It’s just an example of the smallest of things that we can so easily overlook while we are busy being distracted by all the bad things we encounter and hear about in our world.
This world, and our community, would be a much kinder place if we were all working to develop a culture of gratitude. Sin comes from the focus on ourselves; gratitude pulls out of us a focus on others.
I have been pondering a phrase I heard recently, “Life is local.” The point is that there is so much going on in our world and in the news that can cause us to be distracted, angered, anxious, frustrated, upset. And while the events that happen out there, whether it be in our own country, elsewhere in the world can affect us in the long-term and we should be aware of them, if you ask most people what’s really important to them, most people will likely see through all those things and would tell you that it’s their family, and their health, having a roof over their head and food on the table to eat. And if those are the things we care out, let’s not miss seeing them and expressing gratitude for them. Focusing on “the local” in our lives can be a way to keep out the anxiety caused by all that is not the way we would hope in this world. If we begin this year with the expectation that this finally will be the perfect year, we’re probably setting ourselves up for disappointment. But if we begin the year making it a goal to recognize just how generous God is to us, it could bring great peace to our hearts. 2022 is likely not be a utopian year, but will assuredly bring with it many blessings, challenges and opportunities to be a blessing to others and to come to know the Lord in a deeper way.
Along the way, we’d all do well to take a leaf from the writings of the 14th Century mystic, St. Julian of Norwich. Considering the mystery of God’s love for us, Julian asked: “Ah, good Lord, how could all things be well, because of the great harm which has come through sin to your creatures?”
Of the response she heard from God, she wrote: “And so our good Lord answered all the questions and doubts which I could raise, saying most comfortingly: ‘I make all things well, and I can make all things well, and I shall make all things well, and I will make all things well; and you will see for yourself that every kind of thing will be well.’ ... And in these words, God wishes us to be enclosed in rest and peace.”
Happy New Year!
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You are in my prayers this week.
Fr. Andrew
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13) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz |
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Surrender Your Past and Future to Jesus Christ
Can you believe it’s almost a new year!? Are you reflecting on both the suffering and gifts of the past year and also looking to the future and making resolutions for 2022?
Today, Fr. Mike gives us a word of encouragement and challenge to surrender our past brokenness and sin as well as the future blessings and difficulties to the lordship of Jesus Christ!
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14) Words on the Word: January 2, 2022 - Gifts of the Heart
Christmas day is past, but it might be instructive, for a moment, to think about a Christmas present.
In the flurry of activity that leads up to the big day, many people scramble about to complete their Christmas shopping. In the not-too-distant past, that meant being in pre-dawn lines on Black Friday, or rushing around to numerous malls and department stores looking for just the right item, in just the right size and color.
Or it meant scouring the newspaper circulars looking for needed items at the lowest possible prices.
In more recent years, it’s meant spending more time shopping online, seeking the best bargains or delivery deals.
In the waning days of the shopping season just completed, one local publication ran a story that featured a list of numerous gift-giving ideas essentially guaranteed to arrive in time to be given for Christmas.
Whether the gift was for him or for her, for a child or a hard-to-please relative, it’s likely many readers – noticing shortages borne of supply chain issues of various kinds – took the bait and ran with the ideas.
And, again, while the buying spree portion of the season is done, maybe the larger takeaway for us is keeping in mind the purpose of gift-giving in the first place.
“(The magi) were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother,” we hear in today’s gospel passage from St. Matthew. “They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then the opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
In other words, they opened not just their treasures, but their hearts, as well, to the Christ child.
It’s an act of charity from which we all can learn a lesson.
© 2021, Words on the Word
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15) The Bible in a Year Podcast by Father Mike Schmitz |
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Join us for Day 1 on January 1st, 2022!
If you’ve struggled to read the Bible, this podcast is for you.
Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz and featuring Jeff Cavins, guides Catholics through the Bible in 365 daily episodes starting January 1st, 2021.
Each 20-25 minute episode includes:
- two to three scripture readings
- a reflection from Fr. Mike Schmitz
- and guided prayer to help you hear God’s voice in his Word.
Unlike any other Bible podcast, Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast for Catholics follows a reading plan inspired by the Great Adventure Bible Timeline® learning system, a groundbreaking approach to understanding Salvation History developed by renowned Catholic Bible teacher Jeff Cavins.
Tune in and live your daily life through the lens of God’s word!
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16) FORMED Pick of the Week: |
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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:
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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.
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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.
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18) RSV Study through Ascension Health |
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19) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: |
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This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (January 3):
7:00 AM - Mass
Tuesday (January 4):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass
Wednesday (January 5):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass
12:00 PM - Funeral for Sharon O'Brien Meulebrouck
Thursday (January 6):
7:00 AM - Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour (Praise and Worship Music)
Friday (January 7):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Christopher Sellers
Saturday (January 8):
12:30 PM - Baptism of Jack H. Smith
1:30 PM - Baptism of Kennedy J. Hintzsche
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (January 9):
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 are not able to 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.
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20) SJA's Bulletin for Sunday, January 2, 2022 |
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Click on the image below
to download a copy of the bulletin
for January 2, 2022
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21) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List |
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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.
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Read the latest from the DETROIT CATHOLIC
Click on the image below.
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