Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are a few updates from the parish for the week of June 20, 2021.
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On this day we give thanks and praise to God for our fathers and for those who showed us a father's love.
God our Father,
in your wisdom and love you made all things.
Bless these men,
that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their sons and daughters,
may honor them always
with a spirit of profound respect.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.
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2) Father Rich's Beatitude of a Dad: Much like Father Rich did for his mom on Mother's Day, he wrote a similar piece for dads. It's called BEATITUDES OF A DAD and he wrote it in honor of his dad, step-dad, and granddads. To download a PDF copy of it, click on the link below.
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3) St. Joseph Novena for Families (Today thru June, 28th) |
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All are invited to participate in a special novena for families that calls on the intercession of St. Joseph. For nine consecutive days, you will receive a prayer prompt that reflects on different titles of St. Joseph. There is also a space to include any specific intentions for your family. The goal of this novena is to help the domestic Church flourish through families praying to grow closer to God and one another.
Just as we call on our friends, family, and church community to pray for us here on earth, we also call on the communion of saints to bring our intentions to the Lord. This year has been designated the Year of St. Joseph by Pope Francis. This novena provides us an opportunity to ask him to pray for our specific intentions, our universal needs as families, and our desire to grow in holiness.
To sign up, click on the button below. Sign up via email and receive one PDF with the full nine days’ reflections and consecration, or include your phone number to have the daily novena prayers texted to you, starting on June 20.
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4) Father's Day Tribute Video from 2020 |
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Last year, we did a Father's Day Tribute Video, much like we did for Mother's Day. Unfortunately, I never got around to creating a new one this year. But, I thought it would be good to post this again. We had 160 pictures that were submitted last year. Happy Father's Day! |
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5) Ascension Presents: Fr. Mike Smitz: “Why does God let bad things happen?”
If God is all-good and all-powerful … why does he let suffering exist? Couldn’t he just stop it? If he wanted, couldn’t God just make things perfect?
This is a question that comes up all the time. And here’s the thing: It’s a very good question.
It’s a question that shows us that this person sees all is not right in the world.
You don’t need to be afraid of this question coming up. (In fact, you can look forward to it!)
In this short video, Fr. Mike offers a simple, clear way to answer it.
Watch it now.
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6) Catholic Services Appeal 2021 |
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Dear Friends in Christ,
In St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians, he urges them, "Whatever you do, do from the heart (Col. 3:23)." These words are particularly meaningful since he wrote them from prison, facing persecution and hardship. The faith community at Colossae was facing its own hardships as they strove to live the life Christ called them to whatever the circumstances. Being rooted in the Lord would serve them well as they continued to grow as a faith community, and as the Church continued to grow throughout the world.
The theme of the 2021 CSA is FUEL THE MISSION. The mission is simple, to make Christ's kingdom present in our day to the many people of Southeast Michigan. That mission cannot be fully accomplished unless it is fueled with human and materially resources.
Our CSA goal this year is just slightly more than $217,000. Anything raised above the goal will return to the parish, while any shortfalls must be covered by the parish. Thus, your support is greatly needed and appreciated.
Your gift helps support men who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood. It impacts youth, family, and young adult ministries to help people at all stages of life grow in faith. It helps Catholic schools continue to form the next generation of leaders and disciples. It helps our food pantries and soup kitchens feed and clothe the poor. Your gift brings Jesus to Southeast Michigan in a very real and tangible way.
You may have already received a mailing from the Archdiocese of Detroit. If you did so, please make a contribution to the CSA as indicated in that mailing. You can also easily give by visiting: csa.stjoan.church or by clicking on the button below.
Also available at the Church exists, in the bins outside the Sr. Carol Center, and at the Parish Center are general CSA brochures and envelopes that can be used to make a contribution to the CSA.
I'm grateful to those who have already contributed to the CSA. We have raised a little more than $41,575 toward our $217,000 goal. I hope I can count on you to help FUEL the MISSION of all that the Archdiocese of Detroit is trying to accomplish in the name of Christ in Southeast Michigan.
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Archbishop Vigneron's 2021 CSA Message |
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7) SJA's CSA Update as of June 19, 2021 |
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I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2021. As of today, we have $78,620 in pledges and gifts toward our $217,002 goal. This amount represents gifts from 262 families (we have 3,227 families registered). We have thus achieved 36% of our goal!
Here is a breakdown by gift range:
$2,500+ (3)
$1,000+ (11)
$500+ (26)
$250+ (45)
$100+ (103)
$75+ (9)
$50+ (36)
$25+ (21)
$0+ (8)
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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8) This Sunday's Readings - June 20, 2021 |
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9) Grow+Go for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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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) Sunday Reflection by Bishop Barrons |
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Friends, the book of Job is one of the most profound and most challenging books in the entire Bible. In today’s reading, we see that God does not hand-wave away Job’s suffering. Rather, the Lord places profound hurt and heartache in an infinitely greater context—into his loving providence. We must not narrow our focus on our pain; we must rather open ourselves to ever greater trust. |
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11) 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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12) This Week's Edition of TALLer Tales |
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Havin’ a Conversation: Okay, I think I can squeeze one more story out of my recent cemetery adventures!
Last Friday, in between our errands, my mom and I stopped by the cemetery to check on our flowers. I’m happy to report that the “Better Homes and Gardens” showcase cemetery plots above our family section continue to look awesome. They’re still in first place! Our family section, however, is having some major issues! My mom and I can’t get it. My dad’s flowers look great, but the flowers at the other family graves look rather pathetic. It’s maddening given all the time we’ve spent trying to create the “Better Homes and Gardens” cemetery section. All we’ve got is something that looks like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree! ARGH!
As my mom and I were trying to demystify the conundrum of how five identical planter boxes, with identical plants, identical dirt, identical watering can go from somewhat awesome (my dad’s planter) to pathetic, I tried to convince my mom we still needed to go out and get some mulch. But she wasn’t buying my idea. Her biggest excuse was that ANY project I declare would take only an hour usually lasts all afternoon. She had a point! And, we didn’t have all afternoon! So, we decided we would water the flowers, say our prayers, and then take off for lunch.
I took our water cans and started to head over to the spigot. Now our plots are in the middle of the section and the spigots are about 175 feet from the graves (no surprise, I walked it off to see how much hose I would need if I ever wanted to use a hose). As I was walking away, one of the cemetery groundskeepers started to trim the bushes at the nearby monument of the saints. He was generating a bunch of noise from using his hedge trimmers, but I heard some loud talking, almost as if someone was talking to me or shouting for me over the noise of the hedge trimmers. I turned around and all I saw was my mom, but her head was pointed to the ground. I thought maybe I was imagining the loud talking, but I heard it again, turned around, and all I saw was my mom. The talking was rather muffled because it was being drowned out from the hedge trimmers. I continued on my merry little way and filled both of my watering cans with water (I now have my watering excursions down to a science).
Once I got back to the graves, I asked my mom if she heard the commotion of someone talking rather loudly. I mentioned I initially thought she was trying to get my attention, but when I turned around, I just saw her head bowed down as if she was looking at the graves, so I figured it wasn’t her. I then thought maybe I was hearing things, and the sound from the hedge trimmers was just creating enough noise to make me THINK I was hearing a human.
My mom then started to laugh. “NO, that was ME,” she piped up. “What was going on,” I asked. “I was giving your dad THE BUSINESS! I was telling him I was irked that he left me and that I didn’t like the mess he left us. We were supposed to have all this stuff organized and figured out before either one of us died. He NEEDED to know how I felt. So, I GAVE IT to him!” I just laughed and said, “GO at it, MOM!” “But then I assured him I was doing okay and that he didn’t need to worry at all because I was doing LOTS of praying … in fact, more praying on a daily basis than I’ve ever done in my whole life … and was painting birdhouses and spending his hard-earned money. I’m. Doing. Okay. In spite of it all!”
“Well,” I thought to myself, “too bad her voice was being drowned out from the noise of the hedge trimmers. I would have LOVED to have heard that WHOLE conversation! Poor Dad!” Then I thought to myself further, “Can you imagine how many conversations like that go on EVERY day at a cemetery! Yikes. Maybe the hedge trimmers and landscaping equipment are God’s white noise generators precisely for cemeteries!”
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! At their national convention years ago, the Knights of Columbus launched a great website on fatherhood that I encourage all dads to visit. Located at fathersforgood.org, the site offers men of all ages invaluable information and insight to assist them to excel in their vocation of fatherhood. The authors of the site remind us that a Father is: 1) a work in progress, 2) called by God the Father, and 3) “an ordinary man who is called and equipped to do extraordinary things from day to day – work, provide, protect, pray, get involved with his family and be there as an example for his children and to be faithful to his wife.”
Located on the site is a great interview entitled, “You Can Keep Your Kids Catholic. Here’s How …” with Patrick Madrid. Patrick is a Catholic author, public speaker, and the host of the daily “Patrick Madrid Show” on Relevant Radio and online. He and his wife Nancy have 11 children and 27 grandchildren. The full article can be found at bit.ly/KeepKidsCatholic.
The article starts by saying, “There are very few things a father can give his children that will last forever – the latest iPod, a trust fund and even a college education are good only for this lifetime. But there are some eternal gifts that a dad should be very careful to pass on. They are love, and the greatest expression of love that is found in death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is, the Catholic faith.” Patrick continues, “We cannot underestimate the importance of parental good example when considering what Catholic parents can and should do to help foster a lively faith in God and love for the Church in the hearts of their children. There is a great and powerful effect when mom and dad themselves live out as best they can their own love for God, in a visible but not ostentatious way, through their prayer, piety, and sacramental life…. Children need firm guidance and good example from their youngest years so that they will grow straight and “upright” in their knowledge of and love for God. So, the combined benefit of good example from mom and dad, as well as clear and purposeful handing on of the truths of the faith is essential.”
When speaking specifically about the importance of fatherhood, Patrick concludes, “Fatherhood is a great joy and a great privilege, but we must never forget that it is also a great and awesome responsibility given to us by God the Father. As a Catholic father, ask yourself what greater joy could you possibly have than to pass on the riches of the Catholic Faith as a permanent, priceless inheritance to your children. If they have their Catholic faith and a true love for God, they have everything. And they will eventually rejoice with you in heaven, thanking God and thanking you for the ineffable fatherly gifts that you bestowed on them. That is your mission as a father. That and nothing less.”
Happy Father’s Day!
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Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!
In Christ,
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13) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc |
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Riding the Waves: There’s a stormy theme to this Sunday’s readings. The Lord reminds us in the Book of Job that no matter the intensity of the storm, it shall pass. God knows the limits of our tolerance and they will not overcome us. With Him at our side, the storms do not destroy but renew. The Gospel is one of my favorite passages, which appears in all four gospels. It’s the scene I used on my ordination card, painted by Rembrandt.
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The disciples are on the Sea of Galilee and are alarmed by the strength of the storm. Meanwhile, Jesus sleeps in the boat. They wake Him, asking why He doesn’t appear to care that they are about to perish. And Jesus questions their faith. They call Him “Teacher.” They still have not reached a level of understanding Jesus as the Savior and Master. What they saw as a threat, Jesus, still among them, was able to sleep through because it was not troubling to Him. It’s not that He didn’t care, but that that the storm was not a concern. Jesus has the situation well in hand so that He is able to sleep in peace. When He is awoken, He commands the storm and calms the seas. He rebukes the waves and orders them to be quiet, just as He had the evil spirit (Mark 1:25). The command by Jesus to “Be quiet” removes all power from the evil spirit, as it does here from the sea. Jesus shows that He has total command over the storm. All the disciples need to do is to learn to trust that when they stay close to Jesus, the storms that come from outside the boat, which is an ancient image of the Church, will not overcome them.
St. Padre Pio wrote about this gospel story: "Stay in the boat in which the Lord has placed you, and let the storm come. You will not perish. It appears to you that Jesus is sleeping, but let it be so. Don't you know that if He sleeps, His heart watches vigilantly over you?"
We also experience these storms in life, sometimes in the circumstances of life -our health, our families, our jobs, our finances, any number of worries and concerns. Sometimes the storms come from within - our anxieties and insecurities. No matter what, never try to ride out the storm alone. If Jesus is allowing the storm: 1.) He knows about it, and 2.) Remember that He’s riding it out with you. You are not alone, but if Jesus is allowing it and appears not to have commanded it to stop yet, it shows that He’s not concerned for your safety. He is calmly watching over you and you will not perish. Stay in the boat with Him. Notice in the image that it’s those closest to Jesus who appear the safest. Those trying to man-handle the sails themselves are the ones on the edge of the boat, furthest from Jesus, most at risk from the waves. Stay in the boat! Calmer days will come.
Storms are as much a part of nature as the calm sunny days. I didn’t grow up on the water, but 3 times in my life I have been closer to large falling trees than I ever wanted to be. It’s easy to assume that trees only fall in the forest when nobody is looking. Not true!! When a storm takes down a rotten or dying tree, we might think it’s a natural cycle of regeneration. The forest continually is renewed as the old trees are cleared out and more light is able to reach the new saplings. I’ve seen how an old mature forest that had been all but abandoned by the deer will return when the forest is partially cleared. Now there is new growth that the deer can reach and can feed on and insects that will take up residence in the fallen trees. So, too, can the storms clear out of our lives what needs to be cleared out and offer us a new lease on life and new opportunities. Maybe we have to ride the waves for a while to learn that with Jesus we can endure this for a time, and that when the time is right, Jesus will carry us through to calmer waters. Maybe the future looks impossible from the middle of the storm, but stay in the boat! Jesus is not troubled, neither should you be. Remember how clear the air feels after a storm.
Garden Update: So to my original vegetable garden I added cantaloupe a few weeks ago, planted in the ground. Recently a selfish squirrel dug-up two of the three clusters of seeds, leaving just one plant to sprout. I was also suffering from carrot flies in my planter box, an affliction that early-planted carrot crops is particularly susceptible to. The flies themselves won’t destroy the carrots, but they lay eggs and the larvae will burrow down into the soil and tunnel out the carrots. So I put a fine netting over both crops. That could only stay so long, though—the cucumbers and cantaloupe needed to pollinate. So I removed the netting. But how to keep the squirrels away? I used to have a plastic owl, but alas, no longer…. So I went to the closest I had available…..
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Seems to be working. But the carrots? That’s another story. I am now on the look-out for the culprit that got into my carrots! |
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All looked well, until I noticed a hole dug in the soil and a couple of green shoots lying on the surface with tiny would-be carrots attached. I’m sure they didn’t climb out by themselves. And then I saw it! On the ground, under the planter box… the thief had left a trail of evidence, a clue to his identity. He’s not as smart as he thinks. I will be asking Msgr. to check the security cameras, but if you see a squirrel sucking on Werther’s Originals, please let me know immediately. He has my carrots! |
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You are in my prayers this week (except you, Mr. Squirrel! - he’s obviously reading these updates)
Fr. Andrew
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14) Words on the Word: June 20, 2021 - Feeling Secure
Cybersecurity, or the security surrounding our increasingly digital world, is an ever-increasing concern.
Back in the “good old days,” we might only have been worried about relatively simple things like our desktop computer being exposed to a virus and causing some inconvenience. Back then, an off-the-shelf piece of software usually took care of things.
Now, our personal computers are only the beginning. In the workplace and, increasingly, on a large-scale infrastructure basis, we hear stories of cyberattacks that did – or could have – caused massive disruption.
Consider the east coast oil pipeline cyberattack. And the cyberattack on the world’s largest beef processor. And just a couple weeks ago, media reported on a plot – thankfully unsuccessful – to disrupt the New York subway system. That one was allegedly found to be connected to a hostile foreign government.
But regardless of the perpetrator or the underlying intent, clearly there is an ongoing threat to the peacefulness of the day-to-day lives of people in all corners of the world. It’s the kind of thing that, if we’re not on guard, could lead to a sense of fear or hopelessness since there’s little to nothing we, as individuals, can do to impact the situation.
And so it comes down to putting our trust in professionals who deal with these matters.
All of which is an apt metaphor for the way in which we, as vulnerable humans, must put our faith in God to help us through the storms of life, as we hear in today’s gospel passage from St. Mark, in which the storm came upon the disciples’ boat.
“(Jesus) woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still,’” we hear in the passage. “The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, ‘Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?’”
© 2021, Words on the Word
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15) FORMED Pick of the Week: |
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16) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: |
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This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (June 21):
7:00 AM - Mass
Tuesday (June 22):
7:00 AM - Mass
Wednesday (June 23):
7:00 AM - Mass
Thursday (June 24):
7:00 AM - Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour (Silent Holy Hour)
Friday (June 25):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Katherine Pollock
Saturday (June 26):
10:00 AM - Baptism of Rosalie Gamalski
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (June 27):
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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17) SJA's Bulletin for June 20, 2021 |
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Click on the image below
to download a copy of our
Bulletin for June 20, 2021
The 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Weekly bulletin: 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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