Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are a few updates from the parish for the week of March 7, 2021.
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1) Desert Formation Experience - Sacred Heart Major Seminary: |
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This weekend, we welcomed to our parish seminarians from Sacred Heart Major Seminary to talk about the Desert Formation Experience.
The Desert Formation Experience is the thirty-day spiritual pilgrimage first-year graduate seminarians make each year to the Holy Land. There they experience firsthand the places Christ walked and taught, suffered and died, while seeking his guidance in their own walk toward the priesthood.
The ultimate goal of the Desert Formation Experience and all of the summer programs is to ensure the priest-graduate of the seminary is a man of strong character and deep spirituality; a man you can be proud to call your spiritual “Father.”
To watch a 3-minute video about the experience, click on the image below. To donate to the Desert experience, click on the following button:
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2) Confession Schedule during Lent: To assist you on your Lenten journey, we are expanding the number of confession opportunities. Beginning this week and through Holy Week, we will be available in the Sr. Carol Center on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM and on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:30 PM for the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation. These will not be reconciliation services as we have done in the past, but opportunities for individual celebrations of the sacrament like what is done on Saturday mornings. Chairs will be lined up in the Gathering Place, and you will wait your turn to celebrate the sacrament with one of the priests. We will, of course, still be available on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
As part of our SERF Vicariate plan, we have two days where most parishes in the SERF Vicariate will have priests available to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with you. Those dates are: Thursday, March 25, 2021, from 1:00 to 2:30 PM and from 7:00 to 8:30 PM and then on Monday of Holy Week (March 29, 2021) from 1:00 to 2:30 PM and from 7:00 to 8:30 PM.
Here is a full calendar listing of the above-mentioned dates:
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Tuesday, March 9, 2021...................... 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Wednesday, March 10, 2021................ 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Saturday, March 13, 2021.................... 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tuesday, March 16, 2021..................... 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Wednesday, March 17, 2021................ 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Saturday, March 20, 2021.................... 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tuesday, March 23, 2021..................... 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Wednesday, March 24, 2021................ 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Thursday, March 25, 2021................... 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Thursday, March 25, 2021................... 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 27, 2021.................... 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Monday, March 29, 2021..................... 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Monday, March 29, 2021..................... 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Tuesday, March 30, 2021..................... 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Wednesday, March 31, 2021................ 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Saturday, April 3, 2021........................ 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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3) Back to Church Sunday (NEXT WEEKEND): With Archbishop Vigneron's call to the faithful to return to Church a week from now, we have designated that Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, as Back to Church Sunday. While the Archbishop has brought the general dispensation from the obligation to attend mass to an end, several individual dispensations remain in place and are explained in the article below.
To those who have been regularly attending mass in person, please spread the word about the many precautions we take at SJA and more importantly, share your personal testimony about what it was like to return to Church in person. Of course, we will continue to live-stream all of our liturgies at livestream.stjoan.church.
To celebrate the weekend, we're going to have cookies at the Saturday Masses and donuts at the Sunday Masses. Everything will be pre-wrapped and ready for grab-and-go. While we can't necessarily gather and socialize yet, we can certainly enjoy a little bit of hospitality.
For the time being, our mass schedule will remain as it exists today: Saturdays at 4 PM and 6 PM and Sundays at 8 AM and 12 PM. It is only a matter of time before we bring the 10 AM Mass back into the schedule. So, stay tuned.
If you are looking for a Mass that is not that crowded, consider the 6 PM Mass on Saturdays.
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4) COME HOME TO HOPE
Come home to the sacraments.
Come home to community.
Come home to hope.
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5) Regarding the General Dispensation from the Obligation to Attend Mass
Archbishop Vigneron Calls the Faithful Back to Mass Starting March 13 ... with some exceptions. The dispensation remains in place for people in high-risk categories, caregivers and others; masking and capacity rules do not change.
Citing the “essential and central nature of the Eucharistic Sacrifice” in the life of the Church, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron on Feb. 9 announced the general dispensation from Sunday Mass for Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit will expire on March 13.
However, while the general dispensation — which relieves all Catholics in the archdiocese from their moral obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days — is expiring, the archbishop said he will continue to grant “particular dispensations” to those in need, including those who are at high risk of COVID-19.
Others who may continue to be excused from their Sunday obligation include:
- Those who are ill or whose health would be significantly compromised were they to contract a communicable illness;
- Those who care for the sick, homebound or infirmed or someone in a high-risk category;
- Pregnant women;
- Those age 65 or older;
- Those who cannot attend Mass for other reasons (such as a lack of transportation or being turned away because of capacity limits); and
- Those who have “significant fear or anxiety of becoming ill by being at Mass.”
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6) Stimulus Check 3 Gift to SJA: With each of the Stimulus Checks, many in the parish have called inquiring if there was a family that could use the help. The answer is YES ... your parish family!
As was mentioned at the Masses this weekend, yesterday would have been our annual School Gala, the 15th Annual Gala, but it couldn't take place. That annual fundraising nets approximately $100,00 per year. Then given the decline in Sunday offertory and Christmas collections because of the reduced number of people coming to Church, the income we rely on to carry out our many great works has been on the decline. So, we created, and are widely publicizing, the Stimulus Check 3 Gift to SJA. I hope you can be a part of this little project and fundraiser.
I realize not everyone can afford to give part or all of their stimulus check, but to those who can, I would ask that you consider this easy gift to the parish.
Checks can be written to SJA with a memo: Stimulus Check 3 Gift. You can also donate electronically by clicking on the button below.
Thanks for your ongoing and generous support of SJA!
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7) Registration now OPEN for SJA School: If you or someone you know might be interested in sending their child or children to SJA School, please let them know that registration is now open. We have openings in all grade levels.
For over 70 years, St. Joan of Arc School has had a rich tradition of excellence in faith-formation, academics, service, activities, and athletics. Focusing on Jesus Christ and the Gospel message, the school community provides a caring and supportive environment in which every member is valued and encouraged to grow to his/her full potential. Students are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and Catholic vision necessary to become responsible citizens who have a living, growing faith and an understanding of their responsibilities as Christians in today's world.
Among the indicators of SJA quality is our accreditation by the Michigan Nonpublic School Accrediting Agency since 1992. This honor certifies that St. Joan of Arc School meets or exceeds the 14 standards of excellence in staffing, curriculum, services and program effectiveness in meeting the needs of young people. Additionally, SJA School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education.
Extensive technology supports our fine academic program. All classrooms have interactive white boards and access to iPads. All students, K-8, learn varied applications of technology in our computer lab.
Check out our 6-minute Virtual Open House video below. For more information or to register call 586-775-8370 or visit stjoan.net.
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8) Lenten Resources: Lent is an opportunity for each of us to enter into a retreat with the Lord.
As you begin your Lenten journey, here are some resources that you may find helpful (if you have any other resources you think should be on this list please email Msgr. Mike at gmb@sjascs.org):
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9) Hallow App: I am excited to share with you a gift from the parish that will hopefully be useful in your own prayer lives and those of your families.
Hallow is a Catholic prayer and meditation app that helps users deepen their relationship with God through audio-guided contemplative prayer sessions. The app launched 2 years ago and is already the #1 Catholic app in the world.
We have a number of parishioners who are already using the app and loving it. Great for praying alone or together with your spouse/family, Hallow truly has something for everyone, no matter what you are going through (see below for their different content categories).
Hallow is free to download and has tons of permanently free content, as well as a premium subscription, Hallow Plus.
This Lent, we have partnered with the Hallow team to provide Hallow Plus access to all parishioners for FREE through Easter. No credit card required. If you are interested in continuing the PLUS version after Easter, our parish code will get you a 20% discount on a yearly subscription.
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. If, for any reason, your parish code does not automatically apply, you can manually enter the code [stjoanofarcmi] on the subscription screen.
If you run into any issues, simply reach out to Hallow support using the live chat at https://hallow.com or by emailing support@hallow.app.
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10) Fish Fry Finder: The Archdiocese of Detroit recently launched an interactive Friday Fish Fry Finder to help metro Detroit Catholics find a Fish Fry located near them. The site can be found at FishFryFinder.org.
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11) Holy Hour This Week: Please consider joining us for Holy Hour this Thursday (also live-streamed) at 7 PM. This week's Holy Hour will be silent (there will be no music).
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12) This Sunday's Readings - Sunday March 7, 2021 |
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13) Grow+Go for the Third Sunday of Lent: |
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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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14) Sunday Reflection by Jeff Cavins: |
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In this week’s Encountering the Word video for the Third Sunday of Lent, Jeff Cavins discusses how the Ten Commandments are an expression of our loving relationship with God. |
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15) 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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16) This week's edition of TALLer Tales: |
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Driving Miss Daisy: As I was thinking about a catchy title for this week’s column, I contemplated “Fridays with Mom,” but that didn’t seem to do the trick. As I thought about it a bit more, I remembered the movie “Driving Miss Daisy,” and that title seemed to be the perfect fit.
My Fridays with my mom have been pretty productive. Besides getting the usual errands done and getting a doctor’s appointment or two in, we’ve also spent time working through some of the banking chores that still need to get done. I could devote a whole column on this topic alone based on my lived experience since my dad’s death. Trying to piece together all of my parents’ financial stuff has been a real challenge and has become sort of a game. My dad never shared much of this with my mom. My dad took care of the banking stuff himself. He even did his own taxes with TurboTax. I would get called in for “technical support” from time to time, but he enjoyed doing these tasks himself. I once tried to get him to use a password manager program, but he resorted to a binder with pages of crossed-off user names and passwords.
The bank challenge has been even more complicated because of COVID restrictions. Timing is everything too. My schedule, my mom’s schedule, and available appointment times at a bank or credit union have complicated the process too.
A week ago this past Friday, my mom and I set out to run a few errands with the ultimate goal of getting her to a doctor’s appointment. On the way out, we decided we would try this one credit union that had a branch in Romeo. Going through Romeo was somewhat on our way. As my mom was calling the branch to see if we could stop by and accomplish what needed to be done, I was hoping and praying they would meet with us without an appointment. Thankfully, they said they could help us, but the transactions had to be done at the drive-thru window.
Now, I’m usually pretty good with directions. I’ve written in the past how my sister Jackie is the direction-challenged one in the family. It’s not too uncommon for some of us to get frantic phone calls from her asking us to help her get back on track to her final destination. When she gets lost, she really gets lost and is usually miles and miles off course.
Once my mom and I started the trek down Main Street in Romeo, we had our eyes on the lookout for the credit union. But I was getting totally discombobulated as we drove around. I had to ask my mom a few times if I had to turn right or turn left. It was getting rather embarrassing. We finally found the credit union and spent about 45 minutes in the drive-thru window. Thankfully, no one ever pulled up behind us! Once we finished all that needed to get done, I slowly pulled away from the narrow bank lane and stopped at the street. I paused and tried to figure out which way I had to turn. I was royally confused at this point. As I was waiting there for my brain to kick in and signal which way I had to turn, I could see my mom out of the corner of my eye turn toward me. Then, without blinking an eye, she said, “BOY, I feel like I’m driving with Jackie. Turn left and then right. I’ll get you out of here!” Yikes. I guess the guy Driving Miss Daisy better get his GPS engaged, or he better get to know these small country towns a bit more!
Back to Church Sunday: With Archbishop Vigneron’s call to the faithful to return to Church next weekend, we have designated next weekend, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, as “Back to Church Sunday.” As I’ve noted at masses recently, the general dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days comes to an end on March 13. While the general dispensation expires next weekend, there are still individual dispensations that remain in place. Archbishop Vigneron is granting individual dispensations to those in need, including those who are at high risk of COVID 19.
Others who may continue to be excused from their Sunday obligation include: those who are ill or whose health would be significantly compromised were they to contract a communicable illness; those who care for the sick, homebound or infirmed, or someone in a high-risk category; pregnant women; those age 65 or older; those who cannot attend Mass for other reasons (such as a lack of transportation or being turned away because of capacity limits); and those who have “significant fear or anxiety of becoming ill by being at Mass.” If you have any questions about the dispensation, please reach out to me or Father Andrew.
To those who have been regularly attending Mass in person, please spread the word about the many precautions we take at SJA and, more importantly, share your personal testimony about what it was like to return to Church in person. I have been moved to tears by the testimony of so many people about their experiences of being back to Mass in person.
Of course, we will continue to live-stream all of our liturgies at livestream.stjoan.church. Our live-stream ministry has become an essential part of our life, and we plan not only to continue it but expand it as well.
To celebrate “Back to Church Sunday,” we’re going to have coffee and cookies at the Saturday Masses and coffee and donuts at the Sunday Masses. Everything will be pre-wrapped and ready for grab-and-go. While we can’t necessarily gather and socialize yet, we can certainly enjoy a little bit of hospitality.
For the time being, our mass schedule will remain as it exists today: Saturdays at 4 PM and 6 PM and Sundays at 8 AM and 12 PM. It is only a matter of time before we bring the 10 AM Mass back into the schedule. So, stay tuned.
Reconciliation during Lent: To assist you on your Lenten journey, we are expanding the number of confession opportunities. Beginning this week and through Holy Week, we will be available in the Sr. Carol Center on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM and on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:30 PM for the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation. These will not be reconciliation services as we have done in the past, but opportunities for individual celebrations of the sacrament like what is done on Saturday mornings. Chairs will be lined up in the Gathering Place, and you will wait your turn to celebrate the sacrament with one of the priests. We will, of course, still be available on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Again, all of this takes place in the Sr. Carol Center.
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Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers.
In Christ,
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17) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc |
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Home to God: I was saddened recently to learn that the priest who had been my spiritual director for my 30-day silent retreat back in 2014, Msgr. Richard Mahowald, passed into eternal life at the end of last year. He had just celebrated his 90th birthday. I knew Monsignor for just a month, but he really made an impression on me. I liked him a lot. He was a priest for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a humble and kindly man who had lived a long and colorful priesthood.
During the 30 days, I would encounter Monsignor 3 times a day, once at mass and twice we would meet every day for 30 minutes of spiritual direction. I was initially a little frustrated because all the other retreat spiritual directors would meet once a day for an hour with their directees, and meeting twice split the day. I had taken my mountain bike out to South Dakota with me and liked to head-out in the afternoon (if you’ve ever been to South Dakota you’ll know you often have to go a long way to find a change of scenery. But I had plenty of adventures on my bike that month. Splitting the day made getting a good bike ride more difficult, needing to get back for another meeting, but Monsignor insisted that he didn’t want to let his directees get too far off-track, spiritually-speaking, if our prayer was not going well, so he wanted to meet twice a day. It was really a sign of how much he cared and took seriously his role as a spiritual father. In my morning meetings, I would always delay Fr. John, who also had Monsignor as his director for the same retreat. My meeting was 10:30am and poor, patient Fr. John was always sitting waiting for me to finish, as I ran over into his 11am meeting, a smile on his face. He was very gracious!
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Part of our daily meetings, and I admitted it to Monsignor, was me just telling him all things that I had no-one else to tell because I wasn’t allowed to speak to anybody else! But he always made me laugh, while at the same time offering great insight and wisdom and some wonderful stories of his life as a priest. As humble a man as Monsignor was, he had a great sense of humor but was a terrible name-dropper! And he had certainly met some big names. He said to me one day, “When I was living in Europe, I held a Thanksgiving dinner one year, and I invited a man by the name of Karol Wotija to dinner. And he came.” (He said it like I didn’t know who he was talking about!) He continued, well aware of what he was doing, “and there were some bishops and priest there, and they were from Detroit. (He said it like he didn’t know where I was from!). He continued, “And they were in charge of the wine. And they were having a great time! And I couldn’t help but wonder what Karol, who came from nothing, sitting down there at the end of the table, was thinking about all this.” And “Karol” was not the only Pope or Saint Msgr Mahowald had met. He certainly loved his stories. He’d make a point and then pause and look at you with a little jutting-out of the head that came right from the back of his neck, and his eyes would get big and his jaw open, and in that momentary pause he was looking at you and mentally saying, “Huh? What d’ you think about that?!”
Monsignor told me one day toward the end of the retreat that he did his 30-day silent retreat back in 1978. While we were at a comfortable retreat house with 400 open acres of farmland, he was at a monastery for his. And whereas we had two “days of repose” during the month, in which we could break the silence and leave to go get dinner as a group, his retreat had been silent straight-through. He said on the 28th day, one of the monks came to see him and said “Father, you have to come watch the TV!” He said he really didn’t want to break his retreat. Maybe it was a trap! But the monk insisted, so he went with him. On TV was live coverage of the election of Pope John Paul II, the man who years before had accepted his Thanksgiving dinner invitation.
There was a look on the face of many of my classmates near the end of the retreat that told me they were very ready to be done. I had experienced that in the first week, but had found my rhythm and by the end I was actually quite content to stay longer. I told Monsignor, “I could do another 30 days.” His response was, “Well, just become a Carthusian!” The Carthusian order is a religious community that lives in almost total silence. It is an austere contemplative order founded by St. Bruno in the 11th Century. I replied, “I said 30 days, not 30 years!” There was a movie a number of years ago called “Into Great Silence” about the life of the Carthusians - a 3-hour movie with almost no sound other than the repeating refrain of a wobbling dinner plate as it’s being washed and left to dry. Someone loaned me the movie when I first talked about a religious calling. That, I assured him, after watching the movie, was NOT my vocation!
But I did learn to appreciate the silence, that July in South Dakota. Time to think, time to pray, time to take-in the amazing pilgrimage to the Holy Land we had all just returned from a month earlier. Time to hear God, without all the static of a busy world. Time to see God in the wonder of His beautiful Creation. One day my story for Monsignor was of my bike ride the previous afternoon. I had been riding down an anonymous long dirt road when a hawk flew over - not unusual. But what stopped me in my tracks was something I knew happened, but had never seen before. A red-winged blackbird was flying “chase plane” to the hawk and I watched it land on the back of the hawk and stand there, hitching a ride. I encountered these blackbirds daily on my bike. They are highly territorial and will literally fly at you and attack you to protect “their corner.” And they make a pest of themselves to the hawks to warn them off too. God’s Creation is just amazing to witness at work. I love it.
Not everyone has the luxury of being able to take 30 days to immerse themselves in silence and prayer. (Maybe you don’t imagine you’d want to! 30 days of silence?!! Some of us thought the same before we went.) But during Lent, can you find 10 minutes each day to be quiet with the Lord? That 10 minutes would pay far more in spiritual dividends. As the weather is, right now, mercifully, a little warmer and milder, maybe a 10-minute walk with Jesus during your lunch-time, to notice and thank God for His Creation and for those who have taught us to listen.
“Huh? What did you think about that?!” God bless you Msgr. Mahowald.
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You are in my prayers this week!
Fr. Andrew
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18) Words on the Word: March 7, 2021 - Signposts
There is a crucial scene near the end of one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best known films in which a doctor explains the psychological underpinnings of the movie’s main character.
In doing so, he observes that matricide is among the most horrific of crimes.
How much more troubling, then, would be the murder of both parents?
That was the charge brought a few weeks ago on the west side of the state against a man alleged to have taken the lives of his parents. At the time of this writing, there had not been a motive offered for the crime, although some media reports provided other details that may have given clues.
There are, to be sure, few scenarios one could imagine that would justify an action such as this; it all seems pretty black and white.
Sometimes simplicity is what we need as a guidepost in leading our lives, which is why the conciseness of the ten commandments is so powerful.
“Honor your father and mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you,” we hear in one of the choices for today’s first reading, from the book of Exodus.
And that one is immediately followed with, “You shall not kill.”
Two simple rules, both allegedly violated in one action in the news story from Portage.
Not every sin one might commit, of course, rises to the level of such extreme violence; thank God. And not every sin is committed in such seeming black-and-white circumstances. But all sins are, nevertheless, a turning away from God.
And every commandment, from the admonition to love the Lord our God to the reminder not to be covetous, is a signpost to keeping on the right path, or to finding our way back.
© 2021, Words on the Word
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19) New Podcast From Fr. Mike Schmitz, featuring Jeff Cavins: The Bible In A Year:
If you’ve struggled to read the Bible, this podcast is for you.
Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz and featuring Jeff Cavins, guides Catholics through the Bible in 365 daily episodes starting January 1st, 2021.
Each 20-25 minute episode includes:
- two to three scripture readings
- a reflection from Fr. Mike Schmitz
- and guided prayer to help you hear God’s voice in his Word.
Unlike any other Bible podcast, Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast for Catholics follows a reading plan inspired by the Great Adventure Bible Timeline® learning system, a groundbreaking approach to understanding Salvation History developed by renowned Catholic Bible teacher Jeff Cavins.
Tune in and live your daily life through the lens of God’s word!
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This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (March 8):
7:00 AM - Mass
Tuesday (March 9):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass (Grades 5-8)
Wednesday (March 10):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass (Grades 1-4)
Thursday (March 11):
7:00 AM - Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour (Silent Holy Hour)
Friday (March 12):
7:00 AM - Mass
7:00 PM - Stations of the Cross
Saturday (March 13):
11:00 AM - Baptism of Penelope Bruss
12:00 PM - Baptism of Charles Roa
1:30 PM - Baptism of Charles Gross
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (March 14):
8:00 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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Click on the image below
to download a copy of our
Bulletin for Sunday, March 7, 2021
The Third Sunday of Lent
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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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