During the season of Lent, we have scheduled plenty of confession opportunities:

Mondays: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Wednesdays: 5:00 PM - 5:50 PM

Saturdays: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

The Sacrament is celebrated in the Sr. Carol Center; signs are posted in the Gathering Place with further directions.

As we have mentioned at the weekend masses, don't worry if you've forgotten the prayers or how to go to confession because we will guide you through it. And, it doesn't matter how long it has been since you've last gone to confession. Just come and experience the Lord's awesome gift of mercy!

From Ascension Presents: Confession is a place of never-ending mercy and forgiveness, and is one of the most beautiful parts of our Catholic faith. But for many, it can also be a very daunting experience, especially if it’s been a long time since your last confession. Whether it’s the first time you’ve gone in a year, or it’s the first time you’ve gone in your life, God is ready and willing to forgive your sins. All we have to do is let him into our hearts.

In the following video, Fr. Mike Schmitz explains how to approach going to confession for the first time in a long time.

In an online article by Caroline Harvey entitled, "Stations of the Cross: A Lenten Tradition of Love," she writes, "There are certain Lenten practices that are so customary or traditional that without them Lent would not be Lent. This is the same for most holidays and celebrations—what is Christmas without a Christmas tree or Nativity scene, or a birthday with a cake, candles and singing? With Lent, Catholics are used to the announcements after Mass about Friday fish fries, reconciliation services, and the praying of the Stations of the Cross.

Traditions can become so commonplace, so normal, that we may not even know why we are doing them. Why do we have a Christmas tree? Why do we use candles to show how old someone is on their birthday? Or, why do we watch the priest or deacon walk around the church as we kneel and stand during the Stations of the Cross? There is nothing wrong with upholding traditions for the sake of tradition; there is something dignified about respecting the actions and words that have been handed down to the current generations from generations past. However, with every tradition, there comes a moment when the person partaking in it recognizes the importance of the actions and the words, more than just for the sake of ancient repetition. This “coming of age”, so to speak, allows the person to enter into the mystery of the tradition and participate in it in a way that transcends time and space."

In this second week of Lent with the Ascension Lenten Companion, Fr. Toups reminds us that if you need to start over with your Lenten commitment already, God does not think of you as a failure. If you are doing well, God wants you to go deeper.

If you’re struggling due to distractions and discouragements, take heart because God wants to remind you that you are his son or daughter—and he is not giving up on you. You didn’t do anything wrong. Trust God. He is here with you.

Or maybe you’re really persevering this Lent. Maybe God is revealing truths to you that you had only hoped to find. This is awesome. Keep going. There is always more that God wants to show you.

See yourself as God sees you, as he sees all his loved ones:

“Seeing with the eyes of Christ, I can give to others much more than their outward necessities; I can give them the look of love which they crave” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 18).

God is never surprised about the things you find when you explore the depths of your heart. In fact, he has been waiting for you to talk to him about these hidden things.

Be not afraid. God looks upon his sons and daughters with the eyes of love.

SJA is moderating a Facebook group for our parishioners and friends embarking on the Catechism in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz and Ascension Press.

You can find the link to join on the SJA Facebook page or click the button below. We already have 90+ participants!

In this week’s Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent. The readings are:

First Reading: Genesis 12:1-4A

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:8B-10

Verse Before the Gospel: Matthew Matthew 17:5

Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9

Friends, the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent brought to mind my good friend Bishop David O’Connell, who was killed last month. He was one of the most Christ-like people I have ever known—a man of deep spiritual conviction, with a profound sense of the power of the Holy Spirit. Like Abraham, he followed the Lord’s call from his homeland of Ireland to serve in the United States, working among the poor and with members of gangs. He called those he served to a deep life of prayer and spiritual transformation in Christ, a mystery revealed in the Gospel account of the Transfiguration.

The Tupperware Cabinet: While growing up, there was one aspect of our family kitchen that I remember the most besides the old yellow rotary phone on the wall: the infamous “Tupperware Cabinet.” The cabinet held the “precious” collection of our Tupperware and other plastic food storage containers. Now I’m assuming everyone had and continues to have such a cabinet. I could be wrong, but I don’t think there is a person on earth with a neatly stacked and organized Tupperware Cabinet. With four kids in the house growing up, it was much easier to toss all those food containers into that one cabinet and then QUICKLY close the door. And, if you were smart, you only opened the cabinet ever so slightly when you needed to put something in there so as not to disturb the natural order of things behind that closed door. And then you did all of that with your eyes closed, cringing, and saying a prayer.

When we had major family gatherings at our house, I remember that the ultimate punishment in the pre-party house cleaning was to be sent to organize the “Tupperware Cabinet.” That was pure drudgery! And then, there was the known requirement at large family gatherings that you guarded the door of the “Tupperware Cabinet” lest an unknowing relative opened that particular cabinet and set off an avalanche of towering plastic containers to go flying across the floor. Having a “Tupperware Cabinet” is difficult stuff! They don’t teach you about that stuff in the “Homeowner’s Manual.”

At my house next to the Parish Center, I still have a “Tupperware Cabinet.” And its characteristics haven’t changed from my childhood experiences. I remember one family gathering at my house many years ago when my nephews decided not only to organize my Tupperware cabinet, but they went as far as to number all the containers and lids so it was easier to find a matching set. If you were to open my Tupperware Cabinet today, you would still find stuff with numbers on it.

As I mentioned last week, my mom is staying at my house while she recovers from her recent hospital stay. Having my mom stay at my house has meant that my siblings, friends, and some staff have frequently been in and out of my house. Somehow my “Tupperware Cabinet” has become a topic of many conversations lately. First, I guess the cabinet in question is “prime real estate” in my kitchen, and I should consider changing things around. Then I was told I had way too many Tupperware and food storage containers. “What am I supposed to do with all that stuff? I just toss them in there and hope they’ll disappear.” To which many have responded, “Recycle. Throw. Them. Out. You don’t need them.” But I’m the real winner because some now want to reorganize my kitchen and cabinet space. Go at it, I say. I’ll focus on taking down the Christmas tree! Yes, it’s still up. My sister Jackie took off all the ornaments, I just haven’t taken the tree down yet! Being a homeowner and having a “Tupperware Cabinet” is complicated stuff.

Some Advice from a Parishioner: At least once a year I publish the text from an anonymous letter I received in 2005 shortly after the First Sunday of Lent. The scripture readings each First Sunday of Lent tell the story of Jesus being led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by Satan. The letter offers timeless advice, and it warrants being reprinted frequently. Usually, I toss anonymous letters right away, but this one escaped that fatal ending. By God’s grace, this letter has touched the hearts of many people at SJA and beyond (you would be amazed how many times I’m asked for a copy of it). I encourage you to keep a copy AND to pass a copy around to your family and friends. If you want a copy of the letter, I have posted a PDF copy of it on the homepage of our parish website.

“Fr. Bugarin, I was very moved by your homily on Sunday, February 13, 2005, regarding Hell, Satan, and the response of faithful people to temptation. I am the father of an adult son and daughter, and it pains me to think of the mistakes my wife and I made in raising our children. We thought we had a clever, well thought out solution to the dangers and evils of the world, but instead we were victims of our over estimation of our own perceived abilities and power. In so doing we neglected the saving power and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the intercessory power of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“Knowing the evils and temptations of our world, my wife and I sought to shield our children through endless activity. Like many other parents, we got our son involved in hockey and our daughter in dance; our goal was to keep our children busy and thus not give them a chance to get in trouble. However, I now realize that in engaging in a futile attempt to shield our children from battle with the Devil we were instead merely failing to equip our children for their inevitable battles with Satan. We attempted a human solution to a spiritual problem, and our human limitations and inadequacies resulted in failure. We failed to fill our children with Christ, and instead left a vacuum too easily exploited by Satan.

“In focusing our children on endless activity we created selfish, self-centered children. By failing to involve them in Catholic charitable works we taught them to believe they were the centers of their own universes. We replaced rosaries, adoration and bible study with ice time, games and recitals. We missed Sunday masses for tournaments and catechism for performances, and we rationalized it by asserting that it was ‘for the best.’ How wrong we were.

“Today, both of our children have left the Church. Our daughter is living with a man and has had an abortion; our son has experimented with drugs and regards the Church with contempt and cynicism. Our first priority should have been to pass on the faith and to teach trust in the Lord; instead, we relied on our human intellect and put our faith in schemes of this world.

“If I could only go back in time I’d make every Sunday mass as a family, lead my family in a weekly rosary, take my children to pray in front of an abortion clinic, lead them in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and help them volunteer at a soup kitchen. For despite our best efforts and intentions there still were times my children were alone and lonely, tired and weak, hungry and desirous. I failed to anticipate and prepare my children for those inevitable times of temptation, and the Devil had been patiently waiting.

“Father, please print my letter in the church paper. If it will serve as a warning to at least one family it may help them to avoid the pain and regret my wife and I have experienced. An Anonymous St. Joan of Arc Parishioner.”

Indulgences: During our Marian Consecration program recently, some participants expressed a desire to hear more about indulgences. I present here a few paragraphs from the Catechism.

1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.

What is an indulgence?

"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints."

"An indulgence is partial or plenary (full) according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin." The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.

The punishments of sin

1472 To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the "eternal punishment" of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the "temporal punishment" of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.

1473 The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the "old man" and to put on the "new man."

1478 An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity.

1479 Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.

In order to gain an indulgence, one must have been baptized and in the state of grace at the time of the completion of the work. One also must have at least the general intention to do so. In order to gain a plenary indulgence, one must perform the specified work. The person must also receive Holy Communion, make a Sacramental Confession (within several days), and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. In addition, to receive the indulgence one must also be free from the attachment to sin, mortal and venial. Indulgences are meant to be a fruit of a life of real and committed holiness, not just something that people can receive divorced from living a Christian life.

The faithful can receive one plenary indulgence each day and many partial indulgences. The desire of the Church in granting indulgences is to assist the faithful in the life of grace and also to share the tremendous riches of the action of Jesus Christ himself. It is a way for the faithful to participate in the sanctification of the whole world and to share the gift of God’s grace with those most in need of it. It is a spiritual work of mercy.

There are two types of indulgences - partial and plenary (full).

- Plenary indulgences can only be granted one a day, unless death is imminent.

To have a plenary indulgence it is necessary to perform the work to which the indulgence is attached and to fulfill three conditions:

1 - sacramental confession,

2 - Eucharistic Communion and

3 - prayer for the intentions of the Pope.

Here are some prayers/devotions and whether it is a partial or plenary indulgence. 

Partial:

- Teaching of studying Christian doctrine

- Praying the Nicene Creed or the Apostles' Creed

- Act of Spiritual Communion

- Prayer for a household

- Reciting several approved litanies

- Praying the Memorare

- Reciting Psalm 51

- Making devout use of a blessed holy object (e.g., a crucifix, rosary, etc)

- Spending devout time in mental prayer

- Prayer for the Pope

Plenary:

- Half an hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

- Adoration of the Cross during Good Friday services

- Attending the closing Mass of a Eucharistic Congress

- Three days of retreat

- Receiving 1st Communion or assisting at a 1st Communion Mass

- Being ordained a priest or participating in an ordination Mass of a priest

- Reciting a rosary in a church or within the family or religious community. Other times it is partial.

- Reading Sacred Scripture for 30 minutes or more. Partial if less than 30 minutes.

Moving on: He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come." (Mk 1:38) It is a verse that has always impressed me. Jesus sees the big picture. There is always more work to be done, but Jesus knows His Father is calling him to move on and continue the mission elsewhere.

And so, it is time for me to do the same. It has been a privilege to share with you all, the past 3 years, our journey toward the Heart of Christ here at St. Joan. Recently, Archbishop Vigneron asked me to move on and to take a new assignment as of July 1, 2023. On that date, I will begin ministry at Prince of Peace in West Bloomfield. I was able to announce this personally after each of the masses last weekend, but I wanted to take this opportunity to write this in case anyone reading was not yet aware. I thank you all for so many conversations and so many opportunities to serve and to deepen my own faith over the last 3 years. You will always hold a special place in my heart. As I said last weekend, I feel that at every parish a priest serves and in every assignment, it’s the people of God who add layer after layer of experience and wisdom to the priest. You help to form your priest, which can only aid in the service of others, wherever the priest goes. During the remainder of my time here at St. Joan I will continue to serve and minister to the best of my ability - to continue to share the beauty of the gift of this One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic faith with you all. I will continue to hold you all in prayer as I prepare to make this transition and I ask that you do the same.

adawson@sjascs.org 

Each day of our lives we make countless decisions. Many of them have small consequences, good or bad. But what about the BIG decisions we make, like what career to be in, who to marry, or what vocation to follow?

Today Fr. Mike delves into the four principles surrounding our vocational discernment and what to do if we feel like we’ve made the “wrong decision” in that area of our lives.

Just what is the State of the Union?

The quick answer, of course, is that it’s an annual address from the president to members of Congress and the nation on our present and future course; a chance for the executive to discuss domestic and foreign priorities.

A more realistic answer to the question though – as it regards both the speech itself and the overall condition of the country – is a little more pessimistic.

In the 2023 speech just a few weeks ago, the nation and the world got a taste of what might be the worst elements of the state of our union. The messaging itself, one could argue, was partisan and combative. That’s pretty common, of course, for presidents from either party.

And the behavior of some people in the room, too, has devolved from respectful applause or, at worst, silence, to downright name calling and jeers. Citizens who are a little older may agree that the overall tenor of the address – and the sheer decency of all participants – has degenerated.

Healthy debate and disagreement are one thing. Hostility and rudeness are another.

And citizens of other countries tuning in to the proceedings might wonder why there is so much anger and discord in the greatest nation in the world.

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you,” God tells Abram in today’s first reading from Genesis. “I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” 

Those words, of course, were intended in the context of building a holy people, not just a particular geopolitical entity. But Abram’s response might be a lesson for us all, especially as it regards our nation today.

“Abram went as the Lord directed him.”

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., Robert Bidigare 

7:00 a.m., Antonietta Mazzella

7:00 a.m., Stephen & Nancy Fattore

6:00 pm, Homer & Veronica Recor

7:00 a.m., Special Intention for the Family of Tina Calisi

7:00 a.m., Joseph & Anna Niemczyk

4:00 p.m., Josephine Lucchese, Bonnie Batche, the deceased members of the Karem Family, Donald Cairns, Virginia Stieber, Allen Hayosh, the deceased members of the Lamprides Family, and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family and for Christine Bugarin

6:00 p.m., Anne Sheill

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

10:00 a.m., Marguerite Krapp

12:00 p.m., Lydia Woloszyk, Marie Champine, Luke Loukopoulos, and Deanna Leone

10:00 AM - Funeral for John Mueller (Read Obituary HERE)

10:00 AM - Funeral for Ron Zaremski (Read Obituary HERE)

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (March 9):

Friday (March 10):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Elias Anthony Safar