Our CSA goal this year is $208,946. Anything raised above the goal will return to the parish, while the parish must cover any shortfalls. Thus, your support is greatly needed and appreciated.

You can also easily give by visiting: sja.aodcsa.org or by clicking on the button below.

$2,500+ (8)

$1,000+ (20)

$500+ (30)

$250+ (60)

$100+ (176)

$75+ (7)

$50+ (45)

$25+ (36)

$10+ (13)

$1+ (2)

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.

From Detroit Catholic: Rommel D’Souza, like many parents of teenagers, knows one day he might encounter challenging conversations with his daughters, but he is pleased to know he can find online resources and guides to discuss matters from a Catholic perspective through a new resource from the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Compass, a project spearheaded by the Archdiocese of Detroit's Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, is an online search guide aimed to assist parents who have questions about the Church’s stance on issues and to help parents guide conversations with their school-aged children.

D’Souza attended a pilot launch of the resource at Christ Our Light Parish in Troy this spring.

“We go to church regularly, but that only happens once a week, so this information is always there, not just once a week,” said D’Souza, whose daughters are 12 and 14.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, parents found themselves with more face time with their school-aged children, which often led to conversations about controversial topics such as pornography, same-sex attraction and abortion, said Nicole Joyce, associate director of family ministry for the archdiocese. It prompted some parents to call the diocese asking for guidance, Joyce said.

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were on the other end of that search (for information),” said Joyce, who is also a mother of four children.

Joyce said Compass targets today’s parents because “we are a generation of Googlers.”

The website gives parents tips and step-by-step instructions for having open communication with their children. Compass' project coordinator, Giovanni Vitale II, who is also a psychologist by trade, said he was brought into the project to connect parents with the right resources.

“I look for good material for parents so when they are in crisis mode or when they are looking to prepare to have a conversation with their kids like sexual education, mental illness and other topics, they can find good Catholic resources to talk with their children,” Vitale told Detroit Catholic.

Because there is such a wide variety of information on the internet, the Compass website aims to organize resources in a way that is easy for parents to find information for a variety of subjects, Vitale said.

“I think one of the main reasons it's important is that there are a lot of parents who are looking to support their kids, and it’s difficult to find the information,” Vitale said.

The goal is that parents will find the information they need on the Compass website, empowering them to become better educators of their children, Joyce added.

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, Jeff Cavins discusses the parable of the seeds found in the Gospel for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Are you allowing the seed of the Word of God to be planted in your heart today?

First Reading: Isaiah 55:10-11

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14

Second Reading: Romans 8:18-23

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23

Friends, our first reading and our Gospel today are about the word of God, both from God’s side as he speaks, and then from our side as we receive. God has spoken through creation, the prophets, the Scriptures—and, in the fullness of time, the very Word of God. If you open your mind and heart to the power of God’s word, it will change you.

Playing Paul Bunyan: My paternal grandparents (my dad’s dad) had an 80-acre farm in Imlay City. As a kid, I always enjoyed spending a day at the farm. My grandparents grew corn, beans, potatoes, and tomatoes. I think I was the only one of my siblings who enjoyed a day up at the farm. My grandparents had a large pole barn, a small camper trailer they called home at the farm (their real house was on Eureka in Detroit). I really enjoyed it when my dad allowed me to sit with him as he drove the tractor. Most notable, and probably the reason my sisters didn’t like the farm, was that the only bathroom facility was an outhouse. Despite the outhouse, from the time I was a little kid, I had a fascination with farms and farming.

Fast forward to when my sister Cindy met her future husband, Jay Finn. I thought it was so ironic that the Finns lived up in Allenton, which wasn’t too far from Imlay City … and thus, all farm and country living. Cindy and Jay settled in Allenton, right on Capac Road. Several years after my brother-in-law died in 2015, my oldest nephew bought that house and property for him and his now wife Kerry, and Cindy and my niece McKenzie built and settled in a home a mile up the road. It’s a beautiful house, and all adjacent land is being farmed.

Now all of this information had to be known because, in a remote corner of the property, I installed a solar and cellular camera so we could scope out what was happening on the property. Why did I do this … well because I’m me. There is no power and no internet connection, so I enjoyed the challenge of configuring a solar and cellular-based security camera. In the fall and wintertime, the camera catches all the deer passing by, and during the spring and summer, we see the crops the farmer is farming on the property.

When setting up this camera late last summer, I spent some time scoping things out to get the most sun and the best cellular signal because my camera would be absolutely useless without the sun and a good cell signal. I finally found the perfect tree and got everything functioning. I trimmed the tree a bit to ensure no stray leaves interfered with the solar panel, and everything worked (which sometimes is an anomaly in my world). I was most pleased as this was my first venture with a solar and cellular system.

The camera worked well until the end of May. The last image recorded was on May 31st. Of course, this drove me crazy because I couldn’t hop on over there, climb a ladder and fix it because of my knee surgery and foot issue. I thought about it for a nano-second, but somehow I knew I would be caught and read the riot act for doing this without asking for help. Often, my nephew J.J. is my partner in crime for these types of projects out there. But I decided to wait it out. I knew the tree had grown a bit because one branch kept causing the motion sensor to go off, but I had no idea how overgrown it had become. I figured the stray leaves had finally blocked the solar panel, and thus the camera died because it wasn’t being charged.

We had a family gathering in Allenton on July 4th. I commandeered my mom to leave early so I could play Paul Bunyan and trim off some leaves or small branches from the tree. I planned on a half hour to accomplish my task. My mom was game, and a plan was made.

When we arrived at the property, I grabbed the small saw I brought, which I thought could handle the task. I carefully walked to the spot where I installed the camera. I knew my mom would be all eagle eyes watching to make sure I didn’t do anything crazy. I finally got to the infamous tree and was amazed by all the growth. The camera and the entire solar panel were overtaken with leaves. I crawled through all the brush and the patch of wild raspberries, hoping it would be a few minute job to trim the tree a bit. As I did so, I noted a vine of leaves overtaking the tree. It looked odd, but my focus was really on one thing, and that was to trim this tree. It must have been 90 outside, and I was dressed in long pants and started to sweat a ton as I sawed off some branches from this tree. As I did so, I continued to be intrigued by this vine that was all over the place. At one point, my mom shouted, “I hope there isn’t any poison ivy out there.” Suddenly I started to panic. I was covered in vines and brush. I shouted back, “I don’t think there is any poison ivy; I think I know what that looks like. But this vine with leaves all over the place looks odd.” My mom shouted back, “Oh no, it’s probably poison oak!” I instantly backed off and started to Google poison oak. What came up on my phone looked like what I saw in front of me. “OH NO,” I thought to myself. “This is the last thing I needed was a case of poison oak.” At this point, I gave up on my project and just wanted to wash down my arms and dry off. I returned to the car and asked how long it would take before knowing if I had a case of poison oak. My mom said it could easily be within an hour or two. So I began the timer in my mind and hoped the redness on my arm was more psychosomatic than a real rash. We got to my sisters, and I changed clothes and threw what I was wearing in the dryer. After devouring some chocolate chip cookies my niece made, I continued the Google hunt on poison oak while staring at my arms, watching for changes.

When we got to our family gathering down the road, my arms showed no changes, and I was starting to breathe a sigh of relief that I wasn’t affected by the poison oak. All I wanted was to play Paul Bunyan and Farmer Mike for a few hours. Instead, I got another incomplete project (a dead camera) and a poison oak education. But what is the solution to every DIYer’s dilemma? Go and buy a new tool! So I bought a 14-foot pole saw and pruner the other day so I could go back and tackle my project another day. This way, I would stay clear of the poison oak and anything else lurking around in this overgrown area of the property. All I wanted was to get my camera working so I could watch the corn grow and look at the silo of the nearby dairy farm!! It’s the little things that amuse this Monsignor! But at least I got another tool out of the adventure!

CSA Update: Thanks to your generosity, we have $130,867 in pledges toward our $208,946 goal. To all who have contributed to the CSA thus far, thank you for your generosity! What’s impressive to me is that 364 families alone have helped us reach our $130,867 total pledged amount.

I have to admit I’ve been amazed at the number of people lately who stop me and say, “OH, I keep forgetting to drop off my CSA stuff.” Well, don’t forget … please! Please help us reach our goal. The easiest way to give is electronically at csa.stjoan.church or by following the link on the homepage of our parish website. Let’s do what we can in prayer and action to make this year’s CSA a huge success.

Thank you all for your warm welcome this past weekend. It is always a challenge moving to a new parish – getting used to a new routine and environment, meeting all new people, etc. But your graciousness has made the process so much easier! 

I am all settled in now and unpacked, except for my office – I’ll get to that eventually. It has been fun exploring the “East Side,” of which I am totally unfamiliar. It is so beautiful! I grew up in Southgate and then Brownstown Township and lived just 5 minutes from the water. As a child my dad had a boat, and we would often go fishing. But there is one big difference between where I grew up and here in St. Clair Shores…. fish flies. That is definitely something I am going to have to get used to. Even in my seminary and diaconate internship at Holy Trinity Parish in Port Huron we didn’t have fish flies like this. But everyone keeps saying that they are a sign of a healthy lake, so that’s a good thing!

Another big adjustment for me is living alone. Believe it or not, at 32 years old, this is the first time that I have ever lived alone. Though I’m very extroverted, I have to be honest, I enjoy that quiet solitude in the evening. I am also starting to become a master chef with the air fryer – maybe I’ll release a cookbook? Though I like to cook, it sure is hard to find the time. My dad, Alan, is a phenomenal chef, as was my late mother, Shelly. They taught me many Polish recipes handed down from my grandmother and great grandmother.

If you attended the 10am Mass this past weekend, you may have seen my dad there. Though Msgr. Mike said they are the same age, let me assure you, Msgr. is actually 359 days younger than my dad.

My dad and mom raised a beautiful family, of which I am the middle child. My older sister, Brittaine, and her husband, Jacob, have three beautiful daughters: Addisyn, Paityn, and Olivia. I am the godfather to Addiysn and Olivia was my first baptism. My younger brother, Scott, and his wife, Madison, have a daughter named Harper and a son, Levi. Harper always reminds us of the beauty of life and the blessings that can come even in sorrow; she was born the day after my mom lost her battle with cancer in 2020.

As a youngster I attended St. Pius X School in Southgate. (Other notable attendees include Fr. Mario Amore and Fr. Mark Livingston.) From there we moved to Christ the Good Shepherd School in Lincoln Park where my dad and his four brothers had attended. Eventually we moved to what then felt like so far away, Brownstown Township. I really came to encounter the Lord and grow in relationship with him while I was in youth ministry at Our Lady of the Woods in Woodhaven. If you’ve heard of that parish, it might be because Fr. Rich was pastor there once upon a time. Our beloved Sr. Carol also ministered there for a number of years.

As I said this past weekend in my homily, I didn’t want to be in youth group because I didn’t think it was cool. Well God has a sense of humor because during college I became the coordinator of youth ministry at St. Cyprian in Riverview. Ministering in a parish really helped solidify my vocation to the priesthood. So, after graduating from the University of Detroit Mercy with a degree in psychology and religious studies in 2013, I entered seminary.

It was never my plan to enter seminary, but it was always in God’s. I tried to ignore His calling while in college because my plan was to go to Notre Dame to get my doctorate in clinical psychology. But God’s calling is persistent, and I always knew that if I didn’t answer, I would be asking “what if?” for the rest of my life. 

I really enjoyed my time in seminary and graduated in 2019 with degrees in philosophy and theology. I have to admit, I’m a bit of a nerd. I love reading and learning and I’m back in school full-time again, pursuing and MBA and an MA in philosophy (it’s a dual degree program) at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. That is the reason you didn’t see me the first weekend of July since I was attending the summer institute on campus for the program.

Anyway, after ordination I spent three years at St. Frances Cabrini in Allen Park as parochial vicar and campus minister of the high school. It was interesting, to say the least, to be assigned to a parish so close to where I grew up, but a blessing. After Cabrini I was assigned to St. Hugo of the Hills, Bloomfield Hills, where I spent the last year. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed all my priestly assignments and I thank God every day that He has allowed me to and with His people. I also feel very blessed to join this wonderful community at St. Joan of Arc. Thank you again for your gracious welcome and I look forward to getting to know you all better. Please continue to pray for me!

Blessings!

Fr .Adam

If you profess to be a Christian, that means that you profess to follow Jesus Christ. But, of course, that presupposes that you know who Jesus is—where he came from, what he came to do, where he went, and what he continues to do until the end of time.

Our understanding of Jesus can be shaped by our parents, our schooling, our culture, and our own ignorance. But, today, Fr. Mike redirects us to the primary revelation about Jesus that we have access to: scripture.

What would Jesus do?

It’s a common expression, and it comes to mind frequently as one contemplates the day-to-day cycles of news.

Consider the developments in Oakland County a few weeks ago related to the amount of noise pollution emanating from muscle cars and motorcycles.

According to a story in the Detroit Free Press, several Oakland County communities have come together to work on ordinances that would attempt to regulate the extreme noise these vehicles make. At the time of this writing, it remains to be seen whether the initiative will gain any traction, and, if so, the impact it will have.

But the entire scenario brings to mind how, Jesus, if he were preaching in southeast Michigan right now, might use the scenario as an opportunity for a parable.

“This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand,” Jesus says in today’s gospel passage from St. Matthew. 

“Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them.”

So, were Jesus to preach on the corner of 14 Mile Road and Woodward tomorrow, he might suggest that the loud cars and motorcycles are not only a symptom of – but are actually emblematic of – a society so inundated with noise that it isn’t able to hear the word of God.

“We need to put mufflers of our vehicles,” he might well say, “so that we can enable ourselves to be more attentive to my Father’s word.”

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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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.

7:00 a.m., Dolores Dobson

7:00 a.m., Dr, Edmond Aubrey 

7:00 a.m., Bianca Calisi

6:00 p.m., Delphine Kirejczyk

7:00 a.m., Suzanne Roland

7:00 a.m., Monsignor Ricardo Bass and Keith Khalil

4:00 p.m., Grace & Sam Valenti, Florence Semany, Bonnie Batche, Shirlene Keyes, Italo Binelli, Tom Koehler, Patricia Dimavicius, and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, for Alison Reslow, and for Pam Haisenleder.

6:00 p.m., Elizabeth Howard

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

10:00 a.m., Frank Shuder & Johnny Spath

12:00 p.m., Jaclyn Maul, Joan Hardy, Feliciana King, Joseph DiTrapani and Special Intentions for Alison Reslow and Pam Haisenleder

Thursday (July 20):

Friday (July 21):