I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2023. We currently have $165,052 in pledges and gifts toward our $208,946 goal ($127,948 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). This amount represents gifts from 429 families (we have 3,297 families registered, which gives us a 13% participation rate thus far). We have achieved 79% of our goal! 

$2,500+ (10)

$1,000+ (22)

$500+ (31)

$250+ (67)

$100+ (187)

$75+ (7)

$50+ (51)

$25+ (38)

$10+ (14)

$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: Over the weekend, a new feature film, "The Miracle Club," hit theaters. The star-studded movie, featuring Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney, takes place in 1960s Ireland and follows the story of several generations of women as they take a pilgrimage to Lourdes in search of healing at the site where Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous.

Most of the women go on the pilgrimage in search of physical healing, allegedly found in the baths at Lourdes, which are filled with miraculous spring water. However, Bates’ character discovers only after stepping into the freezing cold healing baths, that only 62 medical miracles have occurred at the site since Our Lady first appeared in 1858. (The number is now 70, and millions of pilgrims visit the site every year). While this moment of reckoning briefly shakes her faith as her idea of people stepping up out of wheelchairs and throwing crutches aside is crushed, it’s ultimately the miracles unseen and the seeds planted from the visit for emotional and spiritual healing that make the story hopeful.

Films with Catholic themes have been hitting theaters more frequently, it seems — Shia LaBeouf played Padre Pio in the titular film last year; "The Chosen" has become extremely popular among Christians and non-Christians alike; and "Father Stu" featured Catholic actor Mark Wahlberg. Not since the midcentury have Catholic films been so in the mainstream, when Bing Crosby crooned as a priest on film and Jennifer Jones played an earnest, wide-eyed Bernadette in the 1943 movie, "The Song of Bernadette."

In my memory, the Catholic films of my youth were overdone and overacted — my schoolmates and I would make fun of them, and it’s unlikely that a non-Catholic crowd would have been drawn into the theater, enticed by what often were low-budget films with unknown actors.

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 significance of the parables of the weeds in the wheat, and the mustard seed in the Gospel reading for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

First Reading: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16

Second Reading: Romans 8:26-27

Alleluia: cf. Matthew 11:25

Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43

Friends, we are reading during these weeks of summer from the thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, which contains many of the great parables of Jesus. But I want to focus just on one today because it’s so rich both theologically and spiritually: the parable of the wheat and the weeds. Jesus’ story shows us how evil, by its very nature, is a corruption of the good. It is a parasite—and we need requisite care and patience in dealing with it.

The Great Thermostat Debate: Okay, I’m being polite. It’s more like the Great Thermostat War! Some like it hot. Some like it cold. And the summer months seem to bring out the best in the thermostat wars … especially at SJA!

I realize this isn’t an isolated problem. But try being the pastor or lead priest at a parish during the summer months. I’ve always been convinced that if I installed fake thermostats in each pew, people would “think” they were controlling the temperature and would feel quite content.

Our office environment is another reality. My office seems to be at the least amount of heat in the wintertime and an excessive amount of cold in the summertime zone. It gets so cold in my office during the summer that I have to cover up all of my vents and sometimes use a heater to stay warm when most others CLAIM they are roasting. I’ll hear things like, “Go put on a sweater” or “Go get your winter coat!” My solution, I log onto our Nest Thermostat account and change the temperature. I’ll be good for a few hours until someone realizes someone touched the thermostat and cranks it down again.

Most in the office were ecstatic years ago because Fr. John liked it really really really really cold … but this is from a man who could sweat in the dead of winter. Fr. Andrew was more of the middle-of-the-road type of guy, and I felt vindicated because he would occasionally open his office window in the summer because the temperature was set so low in our hall. Now enter Fr. Adam, who likes it cold, so most of the office feels vindicated that he is on their side. It was so cold the other day that a particular staff member who resides at my end of the “office sphere” texted me, “They are plotting something about the air conditioning. HELP ME!” My replies, “Interesting. We will get our own air conditioning and heat system. Haha.”

Then, I get this friendly letter from a sweet and caring parishioner who likes to write little notes to me. Let’s say her name is Rebecca, and she might be the wife of one of our lectors. I opened her letter thinking there would be some uplifting note or spiritual tidbit. But NO! It was about the church’s temperature!

“Dear Monsignor. YES, we ‘kneed’ you … as ‘your sheep’ miss your voice that calms and guides us. I have a request. Is there any ‘slight hope’ that you would allow our church building to be COOLER during Mass? I think you are one of those ‘fortunate’ people who do not get hot very easily. Might you wear some warmer garments? That would keep you comfortable while allowing us ‘sheep’ with our little tongues hanging out a place of comfort during Mass? Remember Father John Bettin’s travails? Anyway, we love you and keep your healing in our prayers. JMJ, BAAAAA, Rebecca.”

The office staff was ecstatic when they saw this note that I freely but reluctantly shared. “SEE, we’re not alone!” UGH! Maybe I’m the one who needs the fake thermostat or my winter coat! But thank God I have the master password and code for the Nest accounts. At least I think I have “some” control around here!

Ten Ways to Live Your Faith at Work: A couple of years ago, I paraphrased in this space an article by Kevin Lowry that I saw in the Our Sunday Visitor. The article was entitled “10 Ways to Live Your Faith at Work.” I thought it was opportune to reprint his advice again. For whatever reason, many people are reluctant to take their faith to work. Granted, the culture and climate in which we live make some feel squeamish about bringing faith to work but doing so is certainly part of the new evangelization efforts that we often speak about. Think about how much time people spend at work and interacting with co-workers. Witnessing to the power of Christ at work may help a co-worker on their own faith journey. You may never know the fruit of your efforts, but it will make a difference! Even if you only touched one person’s heart, it will certainly be worth it.

Here are the ten simple ways to live your faith at work, as listed in the Our Sunday Visitor article by Kevin Lowry: 1) Be Joyful! We all know that joy is contagious. “Joy transcends emotions; it’s rooted in the hope we have in Christ and the knowledge that his faithfulness is constant and enduring. Within this context, we are able to better live in the present moment and dispense with the anxieties that come from focusing too much on either the past or the future.” So, be joyful at work and brighten other people’s days! 2) Strive for Excellence: In everything we do, we should strive for excellence as if we were doing all for the Lord. As such, we should do our very best at everything, even the most menial of tasks. 3) Support Others: We never really know all the difficulties people are going through. We may think we know our co-workers well, but we often have no clue as to the number of crosses a co-worker may be carrying. We can be sources of support and encouragement in a quiet and unobtrusive way to our co-workers. All it takes is a smile, an encouraging word, or a listening ear. 4) Be an Ally: We all need allies for mutual support and encouragement. Be an ally to someone, especially those who are marginalized or often forgotten at work! 5) Forgive: “Forgiveness is frequently necessary in the workplace, and as Catholics we need to ask for it and receive it. The words, ‘I’m sorry’ are among the most powerful we can use, and when it’s our turn to forgive, we’re called to do it from the heart.” 6) Embrace Failure: “There’s no better impetus to success than failure.” Embracing failure means looking through such realities as “teaching moments.” Turn the failure into a teaching moment and move on. 7) Be a Friend: Given the fierce competition often seen in the workplace and the difficult relationships many face at work, it can often be most difficult to see the face of Christ in others. Yet, if we accept this challenge and treat all people with respect and dignity, and see Christ in the face of everyone at work, broken relationships can be healed. 8) Be Grateful: Show people in the workplace how grateful you are for even the smallest thing. Go out of your way to say thanks! 9) Be humble: “There are no limits to the benefits of humility in the workplace. In fact, if we want strong teams, we need to play off the strengths of others rather than their weaknesses.” 10) Pray: “Perhaps the best thing we can do is pray for others we encounter in our work.” Imagine a workplace where people prayed for each other often, where people prayed for the success of their individual and collective tasks. There is great power in prayer!

“Let’s resolve together to approach our daily work as a means of loving God, our neighbor or co-worker, and effectively serving our employer.”

In 2013 just before entering seminary I had the opportunity to go on a discernment pilgrimage through the Office of Priestly Vocations. The pilgrimage was walking the Camino de Santiago to the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The Camino is also called “The Way of St. James” or more simply, “The Way.” The Camino is a 1,000-year-old pilgrimage to the cathedral where the remains of St. James the Apostle are said to be enshrined.

James was the elder brother of St. John and they were the sons of Zebedee. Legend suggests he had a fiery temper and a direct, impulsive nature—which possibly led to his execution by sword, ordered by King Herod, in about 44 AD. He is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament (Acts 12:2).

Tradition has it that after the Resurrection, James had evangelized the people of Galicia, modern-day northwestern Spain. Legend has it that after his martyrdom by decapitation in Jerusalem, his headless body was brought back to Galicia and buried in a field, under the stars. Nine hundred years later a shepherd found the grave under the stars (hence campo – field, stela – star). The local bishop proclaimed them to be the remains of St. James the Apostle (aka, St. James the Greater).

This pilgrimage usually takes about a month and covers 500 miles of ground. While our group didn’t walk the entire Camino, walking the last 62 miles gave us an idea of what the experience is like. It is not easy, but it is beautifully transformative.

In speaking of the Camino, Pope Benedict XVI said, “It is a way sown with so many demonstrations of fervor, repentance, hospitality, art and culture which speak to us eloquently of the spiritual roots of the Old Continent.” People walk the Camino for many reasons – to grow closer to God, for a challenge, to lose weight, to find themselves, to process grief, etc.. But no matter the reasoning, one cannot leave the Camino unaffected. Myself and three other men from our pilgrimage are now priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit (Fathers Zaid Chabaan, Derik Peterman, and Ryan Walters).

One particular memory I have from the Camino come from when we finally reached Santiago de Compostela and were able to attend the pilgrims Mass at the Cathedral. They have a giant thurible for incense, which they call a botafumeiro. (The name comes from the Galician language, where botar means "to throw" and the Latin fume, meaning "smoke”.) The botafumeiro is about 5.5 feet tall and swings from the ceiling; the original purpose was to mask the smell from all the pilgrims that had just walked 500 miles to be there. Now they don’t use it every Mass, but since we had Bishop Hanchon with us and he was presiding over the Mass, we knew they would bring it out. You are told throughout the Cathedral and during Mass not to take any pictures. However, right before Mass Bp. Hanchon handed me his phone and said, “I don’t care what they say. Take pictures and videos.” I was obedient (of course!) and I never even got yelled at! It is an amazing sight to see though – it takes 4-6 men to pull the rope as it flies through the air.

So why do I write all this? It’s not just because St. James is one of my favorite saints and I have a special devotion to him since I share his name as my middle name, or just because his feast day is celebrated on July 25.

For centuries Christians have viewed the faith life as a pilgrimage. In fact, in the early Church, Christianity was sometimes referred to as “The Way,” (see Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 24:14). It is possible that they adopted this phrase from Isaiah 40:3, "prepare the way of the Lord.” Hence why I have named my bulletin articles, “Along the Way” – recognizing that we are all on this journey of life together. And our goal along the way is always the same – deeper relationship with Jesus in this life and eternal life with Him in heaven. A “way” is a traveled road, a journey, a pilgrimage, a manner of thinking. It is also a place of encounter. Often Jesus would take His disciples aside and spoke to them about something personal “on the way” (see Matthew 20:17).

When I think of “the way,” Jesus’ words to His disciples in John 14:6 come to mind: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He is our Way. As we journey together on this pilgrimage of life, I look forward to seeing and experiencing how together we will encounter the Lord along the way.

O God, be for us our companion on the walk, 

Our guide at the crossroads, 

Our breath in our weariness, 

Our protection in danger, 

Our refuge on the Way, 

Our shade in the heat, 

Our light in the darkness, 

Our consolation in our discouragements, 

And our strength in our intentions.

 

So that with your guidance we may arrive safe and sound 

at the end of the Road 

and enriched with grace and virtue 

we return safely to our eternal home filled with joy.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

 

St. James the Greater, pray for us. Amen.

Blessings!

Fr .Adam

In our world today, there are millions trapped in slavery and sex trafficking. The most horrific and devastating example of this, is the sale of the weakest and most vulnerable in society, our children.

Today, Fr. Mike shares his honest review of the film, “Sound of Freedom,” currently in theaters and offers a word of encouragement for how each of us can confront this terrible reality head on and proactively do something about it.

We’ve reached the time of year where eyes start looking down toward the ground, and prayers reach upward to heaven.

The health of our nation’s crops is a topic that isn’t typically top of mind for city dwellers, but the fact of the matter is that it impacts all of us to some extent, even if it’s “only” in terms of the price we pay for groceries.

According to a recent story in The Detroit News, the drought conditions much of the country have been dealing with so far this year, at least at the time of this writing, were the worst they’ve been in more than a decade. 

“Nearly half of Kansas is in either extreme or exceptional drought condition – the highest drought designation,” the story reported. “More than a quarter of Nebraska is in extreme drought, and 13% is in exceptional drought. Arid conditions permeate Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.”

As a result, the story said, corn, wheat and soybean crops are under particular stress.

Jesus, of course, knew the impact on people of healthy – or unhealthy – crops. In today’s gospel passage from St. Matthew, for example, he uses the metaphor of fields, seeds, and weeds to make a spiritual point.

“He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,” Jesus explains. “The field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.”

May we use the current agricultural situation then, to call attention to whatever droughts may exist in our own hearts.

That’s it! You’re in. Now you can get the free FORMED app for your phone by searching FORMED Catholic in your app store.

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7:00 a.m., Pedro Silva

7:00 a.m., William R. Richer

7:00 a.m., A Special Intention for Eric Ketelhut

6:00 p.m., A Special Intention for the Priests and Staff of St. Joan of Arc

7:00 a.m., Ann Stanglewicz

7:00 a.m., Hugo Calisi

4:00 p.m., Lisa Miller. Bonnie Batche, Greg Pepper, Eileen Kelly and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, for Alison Reslow, and for Pam Haisenleder.

6:00 p.m., Ricky Sanders

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

10:00 a.m., Frank J. Adamcik

12:00 p.m. Joan Hardy, Feliciana King, Joseph DiTrapani, Michael Artley, William McGraw; Special Intentions for Alison Reslow, Pam Haisenleder, for Jose’ and Alodia Valencia on their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

10:00 AM - Funeral for Georgiann Kaptur (Read Obituary HERE)

Thursday (July 27):

Friday (July 28):