We are pleased to welcome Fr. Adam Nowak to SJA.

He is appointed a member of the In Solidum team of priests who will pastor St. Joan of Arc, Our Lady Star of the Sea, St. Basil the Great, St. Lucy, and St. Veronica. He will live and serve primarily here with us at St. Joan of Arc. He comes to us after serving as Priest In Solidum at St. Damien, St. Thomas More, Sacred Heart and St. Hugo of the Hills, where he lived and primarily served. Here’s a bit about him from his blog and the Office of Priestly Vocations’ website.

Fr. Adam was ordained on June 8, 2019. He graduated from Sacred Heart Major Seminary with a Master of Divinity and a Bachelor of Philosophy and from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas (Rome) with a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology. Prior to entering seminary, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Detroit Mercy. He was also the coordinator of youth ministry for a parish before seminary. Fr. Adam has a heart for ministry to young people and a passion for mission, having participated in numerous national and international missions.

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.

I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2023. We currently have $127,382 in pledges and gifts toward our $208,946 goal ($86,226 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). This amount represents gifts from 348 families (we have 3,302 families registered, which gives us an 11% participation rate thus far). We have achieved 61% of our goal! 

$2,500+ (8)

$1,000+ (14)

$500+ (23)

$250+ (50)

$100+ (157)

$75+ (6)

$50+ (42)

$25+ (34)

$10+ (12)

$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: Archdiocese's video team collaborates with Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network on pope's July theme: 'For a Eucharistic life'

DETROIT — The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is going to have a Detroit flair in July.

The Archdiocese of Detroit’s Department of Communications has been tapped by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network — the apostolate that produces and distributes monthly videos of Pope Francis’ prayer intentions on Vatican media channels — to produce a two-minute video on the pope's July prayer intention.

Every month, the Holy Father asks the universal Church to pray for a particular intention, with July's intention centered on the Eucharist, "For a Eucharistic Life."

"Let us pray that Catholics place at the center of their lives the Eucharistic celebration, which transforms human relationships profoundly and opens up an encounter with God and their brothers and sisters," the pope prayed.

"The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network sometimes produces the video in house and sometimes reaches out to another organization to have it produced,” Emily Mentock, associate director of strategy for the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Department of Communications, told Detroit Catholic. “We were blessed to do it for the month of July, which has the theme of the Eucharist.”

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 reflects on the readings for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time and discusses what it means to have “life in the Spirit.”

First Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14

Second Reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13

Alleluia: Matthew 11:25

Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30

Friends, the Gospel for this weekend from the eleventh chapter of Matthew contains a passage that has been called “Matthew’s most precious pearl.” “No one knows the Son except the Father,” Jesus exclaims, “and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” We are on very holy ground here because we are being invited into the very inner life of God.

The Ladder: I like DIY (do-it-yourself) projects. I don’t mind climbing up tall ladders to accomplish a task, but there is one “ladder,” a horizontal one, I saw in use over the last few weeks that I thought was never meant for me!

While doing physical therapy, I’ve gotten used to the people that were also doing physical therapy all around me. We all have our own “tracks” and do our own individual exercises. It’s young and old and everyone in between. It’s the gathering of the wounded and those on the road to healing. In that sense, it’s awesome and cool to see everyone working toward a common goal of healing after surgery or an injury. And, as I’ve said, EVERY STAFF member at Gilboe’s is so awesome. They are the best physical therapists and cheerleaders around.

Now Gilboe’s is somewhat segmented into different areas. I usually start in the gym near the front of the building facing Mack Avenue. There I spend time doing this or that exercise. For the longest time, though, I would be intrigued by the people who would be “sent” to what they call “The Ladder.” The Ladder is a series of squares on the carpet where the routines help you renavigate and build balance in various circumstances. Here’s a picture:

While on the hamstring curl machine or doing the hurdles, I often heard some physical therapist tell their patient, “Okay, let’s head on over to The Ladder.” For a while, I only saw “little old ladies” do these most intriguing steps on The Ladder. They would walk forward and then backward and then from side to side. To me, it was like sobriety test #2. Sobriety test #1 was the hurdles (and I would often fail by knocking over one of the hurdles every time). I figured The Ladder was something only for older people. I never saw anyone but those much more advanced in years than me doing these fancy foot routines.

Then one day, after doing my routine in the gym, trying to push myself on the hamstring machine, I GOT SENT to The Ladder. “Wait,” I thought, “that’s only for little old ladies. I’m three times their size in height and weight.” After doing the macho hamstring curls, I felt like I was walking the hall of shame to THE LADDER! “That’s not for me!” “OH, yes, it is.” So to The Ladder I went.

Suddenly, I found myself FAILING at the footwork those little old ladies I’ve watched for weeks do with ease. This is crazy! You had to walk in such a way that you would advance two squares and then back one. And if that wasn’t hard enough, then I advanced to the sideways routine. You would move diagonally to the left, then to the center, then advance diagonally to the right. I quickly found I couldn’t talk and do this all simultaneously. I was getting a headache just trying to make it all happen.

Then, yesterday while at The Ladder, let’s say her name was Julie (another parishioner and physical therapist) wanted me to do the sideways routine backward. Until now, Josh and Joe only had me doing this routine going forward. “I was shouting in my head, “BACKWARDS? You want me to do that sideways routine backward? ARE. YOU. CRAZY. I can’t even do that going forward without trouble. And you want me to do that while you’re also talking to me? I can’t multi-task anymore and can’t do this like the 79 and 89-year-olds do. I’m only 59! Let me talk to the manager!!” I was going to need Tylenol not only for the knee pain but for the ensuing headache I was getting from my little brain going into hyperdrive. I did it; but boy, it was tough!

Vacations and Mass Attendance: Yes, my dear friends, it’s that time of year when summer vacations kick into high gear. Please remember though we can never take a vacation from our relationship with God or going to Mass. Many times people will use the “excuse” they didn’t know how to find the mass times for parishes near their vacation spots. Well, let me take that “excuse” off the table! One of the easiest ways to find this information is by visiting masstimes.org, parishesonline.com, or thecatholicdirectory.com. It couldn’t be easier! Using either the website or app, you can search by zip code, area code, diocese, or city to find parishes and all the relevant information and schedules you might be seeking.  

So, before you head off for vacation, please bookmark the above websites or download their app. Many families will spend quite a bit of time researching their destination points. Finding a place to celebrate the Eucharist on the weekends and weekdays with your family should be an essential part of that research!

And, NO, there is no “automatic dispensation” while you are traveling. As tempting as it is to sleep in on Sunday morning while traveling and enjoying all the summer fun, you need to ensure that your participation in the Eucharist is planned into your schedules and activities.  

If you genuinely believe you cannot attend a Saturday evening vigil Mass or a Sunday Mass while traveling, please talk to your parish priest before your vacation. A dispensation can be granted for a legitimate and valid reason.

Vacation, attending Mass, and the Reception of Holy Communion: This time of year also tends to surface the question of whether it is permissible for a Catholic to receive communion in a non-Catholic liturgy. The question is often asked because families find themselves vacationing with family or friends of other faiths.

While attending a liturgy or service in another Christian Church or ecclesial community is permitted, attending such a service or liturgy does not fulfill a Catholic’s Sunday obligation. Only attendance at a Roman Catholic or Eastern Rite Catholic Liturgy fulfills your Sunday obligation.

Further, Catholics are not permitted to receive communion in other Christian ecclesial communities; these communities have not preserved the fullness of the Eucharistic mystery, especially because they lack the presence of validly ordained priests and bishops.

You probably don’t outright lie on a regular basis. But, do you exaggerate? Do you give half-truths sometimes, or leave things unclear on purpose? Do you hide some facts in order to smooth things over?

Today, Fr. Mike shows us the very-human reasons we all struggle with these “white lies”, and how to tell the “full” truth more often.

"Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil." —Jesus in Matthew 5:37

At one time, being employed as a lifeguard was, arguably, one of the “cooler” ways to make a living. Especially for people of a certain age, it was a great way not only to earn a paycheck, but also to enjoy the sunshine and outdoors. And it was a good social outlet. 

But, as with so many other things in recent years, the tide seems to have turned.

A recent story in The Detroit News described the difficulty many communities are having in finding, training, and retaining lifeguards for their pools. The story pointed to a number of factors for the problem, from the pandemic to the fact that fewer people are taking swimming lessons as children.

As a result, the story said, employers are paying higher wages, offering bonuses, staggering hours, and opening later in the summer than they used to. One community in metro Detroit, the story said, decided to shut down its pool entirely this year.

While this particular story focused on lifeguards, there has been an overall change in the labor market observed over the last couple years. Media has chronicled the so-called “great resignation” across numerous industries, and almost everyone has observed or been impacted by a shortage of labor in one way or another.

The need for workers will never entirely go away, and, in the scheme of things, that is good.

Honest work is one way we can bring ourselves closer to God. It makes us keenly aware of life’s burdens, and of Christ’s message of relief.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest,” Jesus says in today’s gospel passage from St. Matthew. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.”  

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., Anna Marie Wilson

7:00 a.m., The deceased members of the Calisi Family who died in the month of July and Paul Rothrock

7:00 a.m., Raymond Stangelwicz

6:00 p.m., A Special Intention for Kathlyn Caffrey

7:00 a.m., Special Intention for the Dobrzechowski Family

7:00 a.m., Mary & Frank Fleming

4:00 p.m., The deceased members of the Sloan Family, Bonnie Batche, Blair Zernick, Edward, Helen & Henry Blind, A. Joseph Rademacher, Mary Stonestreet, Joe DiTrapini, Mr. & Mrs. Steven Gordon and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, for Alison Reslow, and for Pam Haisenleder.

6:00 p.m., Elizabeth Howard

Sunday, July 16, 2023, Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

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

10:00 a.m., Philip D’Agostino

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

Thursday (July 13):

Friday (July 14):

12:30 AM - Baptism of Michael Thomas Hoenicke