Week of May 21, 2023
1) We Need Your Help with a Parish-Wide Survey
Our parish has been asked to participate in a parish-wide survey about discipleship conducted by the Catholic Leadership Institute, a non-profit Catholic apostolate that does leadership training and development around the world.

But I need your help.

We want as many parishioners as possible to complete a 10-15 minute survey. 

The survey, which will only be available until June 4, will ask you to reflect on your own spiritual growth and enable you to provide feedback on what our parish is doing to help you grow.

The survey is done online and will only take 10-15 minutes to complete. The questions are easy and simple. All responses will be confidential and the parish will only receive information about the community as whole.

The survey results will be invaluable to me, our leadership team, and our many volunteers as we seek ways to best support everyone in their discipleship journey.

I look forward to sharing the findings with you when the project is complete!

Please take the time to complete the survey TODAY!
What is It?

This 75-question survey is a tool that invites parishioners to reflect on where they are on their journey of discipleship and enables parish leadership to make data-driven decisions to help parishioners grow in their faith.

Comprehensive and useful reports will be prepared including interactive software that allows the parish to dive deeper into responses of interest.

The context for the parish's data will be made available so we can compare our results with national trends, other parishes in our diocese, and the top three performing parishes in the country.

Faithful and expert consultation will be provided by CLI as they help us interpret survey results and create a plan to translate the data into action.

The Survey Questions deal with:

Attitude and Beliefs – Stage and pace of spiritual growth, personal beliefs, parish effectiveness in helping people connect with a community and helping them evangelize

Participation – Frequency of parishioners’ participation in various parish activities

Relationship/Satisfaction – Parishioners’ satisfaction with their parish, pastor, and parish activities

Demographics – Gender, age, ethnicity, etc. to understand who is responding
2) Annual Raffle Drawing Information
By now, I hope you received your packet of raffle tickets; they were dropped in the mail last week. As I mentioned at the masses a few weeks ago, our Kickoff to Summer event will occur on Sunday, June 11, 2023, from 1 until 6 PM. It will include family-friendly activities, food trucks, and the annual raffle. More details about the day will be forthcoming soon.

I hope and pray you will consider buying or selling $100 worth of tickets! Your generosity will go a long way to help our amazing Parish to continue doing everything it does. PLUS, you might be lucky enough to win one of the raffle prizes!

Last year, we netted $119,000 from the raffle and proceeds from the food trucks. I am grateful for your extraordinary generosity in what you did to make last year’s event a fantastic success!

Here are the details you need to know about the 100% Drawings:

  • To qualify for the Early Bird Drawing, tickets are due by 1 PM on Sunday, May 21, 2023.

  • If you are under 65, for every $100 worth of tickets you return, you earn ONE chance at the Annual Raffle 100% Drawing. If you are 65 or older, you earn ONE chance for every $50 worth of tickets you return. Thus, if you are under 65 and return $100 worth of raffle tickets, you can turn in 1 - 100% tickets. If you are 65 or older, turning in $100 worth of raffle tickets allows you to turn in 2 – 100% tickets. The 100% tickets are PRE-PRINTED on the enclosed YELLOW sheet. If you need more 100% tickets, please contact the Parish Center.

  • On May 22, 2023, at 5:00 PM in Church (watch it live at livestream.stjoan.church) we will conduct our Early Bird Drawing. We will draw two (2) tickets from the pool of 100% tickets and each will win $1,500!

  • You can continue to turn in your raffle and applicable 100% tickets until the drawing on June 11, 2023. At that time, we will draw five (5) of the 100% tickets from the entire pool of tickets, and each will win $500.

I also wanted to explain that the senior designation is based on the date of birth we have in our database for the oldest member of your household. So, if the oldest person in your home is 65 or older, you qualify for the senior designation, and the word “SENIOR” will be printed at the top of each sheet of raffle tickets sent to you.

Raffle tickets can be dropped off at the Parish Center (through the mail slot in the door), in the Sunday collection boxes, or mailed to the Parish Center (although please be aware that if you MAIL your tickets you run the risk of your tickets not arriving in time for the drawing). And please read through the enclosed checklist to help make sure your tickets can be processed quickly and accurately. Please contact the Parish Center (586.777.3670) or visit tickets.stjoan.church if you need additional tickets.

Please know of my gratitude for your generosity! Let’s make our Kickoff to Summer Event and Annual Raffle a great success.
3) SJA's 2023 Social Calendar
4) St. Basil the Great Pre-Rummage Sale
5) The Catechism in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz
In response to countless requests, Ascension is launching The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz).



With this podcast, Catholics will:

  • Read the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 days
  • Understand the essentials of the Catholic Faith and why they matter
  • See how Church teaching is rooted in Sacred Scripture
  • Absorb over 2,000 years of Sacred Tradition
  • Encounter God’s plan of sheer goodness
  • Transform their relationship with the Church that Christ founded.

If you have ever wanted to understand what it means to be Catholic and allow those truths to shape your life—this podcast is for you!
6) Join SJA's Moderated Facebook Group for the Catechism in a Year Podcast
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!
7) This Sunday's Readings: May 21, 2023 - The Ascension of the Lord
8) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins
In this Encountering the Word video for the solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord, Jeff Cavins reflects on the last command Jesus gave his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. The readings for the Ascension are:

First Reading: Acts 1:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23 
Alleluia: Matthew 28:19A, 20B
Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20 
9) Bishop Barron's Reflection for the Ascension of the Lord
Why Did Jesus Ascend to Heaven?

Friends, right at the end of the Easter season and in anticipation of Pentecost, we come to the great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. We should do a theological reflection on this feast—how we should and shouldn’t understand the Ascension, and what it means for Christ’s work in the world—because it is key to understanding the dynamics of the Christian life.
10) Grow+Go for the Ascension of the Lord
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.
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.
12) This Week's Edition of TALLER Tales
From Recovery Land: Thanks again for all the well wishes, emails, and cards. I appreciate all of your kindness. Given that I’m only two and a half weeks into the experience of a new knee, I think I’m doing remarkably well. However, I decided to lay low again this weekend as I’m still using a walker and can’t maneuver stairs too well. Watching me with a walker and maneuvering around the sanctuary with all those steps would probably make people as nervous as watching me before surgery hobbling around or when I was caught climbing to the second to last step of a short ladder to light the paschal candle a few weeks ago (I forgot before what Mass that happened but there were audible gasps and shouts of MONSIGNOR from the peanut gallery). So I figured I would give you all a break one more weekend. Plus, I figured it would take too much work just helping me around if I showed up.
 
Father Andrew mentioned the other day that you could tell I haven’t been around too much lately. The most notable sign was that the chocolate candy dishes in the office were still packed. He also mentioned he noticed he could move faster walking out of the sacristy for Mass because he didn’t have to look behind wondering where “slow poke” was trailing behind him. Yes, I’ll admit that the weeks leading up to surgery saw slow poke become slower than slow. The timing of the surgery was just perfect.
 
Then, on Mother’s Day, our family gathered here, and rather than have people sprawled out around my house, we had dinner in the Parish Center conference room. When I finally made my way into the Parish Center kitchen, I found another sign I wasn’t around the office. The first thing my sister Jackie spotted was that the usual baked goods we have sitting around the Parish Center kitchen (which are devoured mainly by me) started showing signs of mold. Yes, it’s time for me to get better!
 
The day after my surgery, I had some surprise visitors to my front lawn. Much to my surprise, I had the 5th and 6th graders as well as the kindergarteners and 1st graders sending me greetings to cheer me up. As I think about it, it wasn’t even 24 hours since my surgery and I was able to hobble over to my bedroom window to see all of those smiling faces. It was so cute to see them.
Then, the cards I received from the schoolchildren brought me many smiles. What they said in their cards was priceless. I wanted to share some snippets of their practical advice. You would think some were already in health care, or nutritionists (my kind of nutritionist specializing in chocolate and sweets), or physical therapists. Here’s the sage advice of the ages: “Dear Msgr. Mike. Did you know that I’m with my grandparents right now? I wish you were here (for Grandparents’ Day), but it’s okay because we will have it next year. But you didn’t miss that much. I know you are watching us at Church so you can see us. We miss you here. When you come back, it will be good at Church, and you won’t need to watch us!” § “Dear Msgr. Mike. I hope you get well soon ; we have all been saying prayers for your recovery. I remember one time I broke my two fingers and had to learn how to do stuff with my opposite hand. I know how you feel. You just want to do something fun but you can’t.” § “Dear Msgr. Mike, I hope you’re feeling okay. I have some suggestions for what to do to feel great: You can ice your leg, eat healthy, and pray to God.” § “Dear Msgr. Mike. I hope you get well soon. Make sure to get lots of rest. I already miss your high-fives. When I am stuck at home, I like to work on games and puzzles.” § “Dear Msgr. Mike. I really had no idea you had surgery until this morning. Please have a healthy and quick recovery because we all miss your high-fives, laughs, and smiles! Make sure your mom makes a lot of chicken noodle soup! And make sure you stay as warm as possible! It’s freezing today. The school’s going crazy without you! We’ll miss you these next few weeks.” § “Dear Msgr. Mike. I hope you get well soon and that your knee gets better. When I get sick, I sit on the couch and watch TV and have some chicken noodle soup. Maybe having chicken noodle soup can help you get better. Feel better. Get well. Eat cookies.” § “Dear Msgr., Get well soon. Drink lots of Gatorade and eat lots of soup. Play some games and watch TV too! Also, ICE your knee and heat it. Take your medicine and make the pain go away. Don’t forget to rest and sleep lots.” § “Dear Msgr. I hope you have a healthy and steady recovery. Your knee must be begging to get out there and greet kids and give other kids high-fives! I bet every student misses your huge booming voice during homilies. We all really bet your knee is gonna get better in absolutely no time! Remember that we all wish you a speedy recovery!” § “Dear Msgr. Mike. The best thing you can do when you’re sick or hurt is to get a Slurpee.” § “Dear Msgr. Mike: I hope that you have a quick recovery. I think that you should ice and heat your knee, get a lot of calcium and work it out so it will go back to normal.” § “I hope you rest until you feel okay. And have a quick recovery. I have five things that will help you have an easy recover: 1) watch TV, 2) rest, 3) eat your favorite snack or food, 4) read, 5) drink lots of water.” § “Dear Msgr. Mike. I hope and pray that you will get better soon. Something that I do when I’m not feeling well that you could try is to lay on the couch drinking Vernors and eating ice cream. That always helps me!” § “I hope you get well soon so you can come back and start preaching about God again! So God will help you to get better like he did with people back in his time! Feel better. God is by your side! Pray one Our Father before the start of your surgery.” § “Here are some things you should do: Lay in bed. Pray. Take medicine. Use an ice pack.” § “I hope you get well soon and get better. Take your medicine. When I don’t feel good I drink soup.” § “Get well soon! I hope your foot and knee feel better! To feel better you can eat cookies and ice cream.” § “Dear Msgr. Mike: Make sure to ice and heat your knee, eat healthy food, and drink milk to build your bones and make them strong.” § “Dear Msgr. Mike, Get well soon, Monsignor! Make sure you ice your knee and make sure you don’t use and walk on it a lot. Get well soon!” § And the cleverest: “We ‘knee-d’ you!”
Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!

In Christ,
Msgr Mike Simple Signature 2
13) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc
From the Mouths of Babes: You can always rely on the youngest kids in the school to provide the one-liners to brighten the day. They’re so forthright and honest. 

On Friday of last week the Kindergarteners had a Teas with Mom event early in the day. It was a cute little event, with their plastic tea cups and cookies and iced-tea. They drew pictures and about their moms and presented these to them. They sang a couple of songs to mom that they had been practicing and I gave them all a Mother’s Day blessing.

I suggested to one of the students that maybe we should start every school day with tea with mom. She rolled her eyes and said, skeptically, “ooookay Monsignor…” Her mom said, “he’s not Monsignor, he’s Fr. Andrew.” The girl’s response to that was, “He acts like Monsignor!” “So how does Monsignor act,” I inquired. “Like a grandpa!” she said. 

I don’t know who should take that more to heart, Monsignor or me, but the evidence is pointing away from me:
Losing My Mind?: Okay, so I did have a “senior moment” of my own recently. I was in the rectory and could not find my phone. Looking all around, I went upstairs and eventually found it… in the towel closet on the landing. Urgh. Don’t ask. So I returned to the kitchen with my phone to find coffee all over the counter. What happened?! Urgh…. I know what happened…. Before I realized my phone was missing I had made a cup of coffee with the Keurig machine and then, missing my phone, went looking, still not finding it, I figured it must be upstairs somewhere, so while I was gone upstairs I thought, I’d save myself having to wait for it to brew by putting the Keurig machine on while I searched upstairs. I totally forgot I’d already made coffee and just had not moved the mug yet. Two cups of coffee don’t fit into one mug. The third mug was the one left to clean it up….and he only has himself to blame! 

What’s New?: I told Monsignor I should be keeping a list of “Things I’ve noticed while he’s been gone.” It’s not really a list yet, but here’s a few:

1. I have been processing down the aisle into mass much quicker lately! Usually He’s either limping ahead of me or I’m trying to watch to not leave him in the dust behind me.

2. The chocolate jar is full! Both jars are full. And they have stayed full. Actually just how full they are in just a couple of weeks compared to how empty they usually are has told me that I underestimated just how much Monsignor is fueled from those jars. 

3. The office temperatures have plummeted. Some people in our office (Dina and Rachel) think that the Parish Center would be better moved to Siberia in deep winter. And so they the thermostat is set to about 12 degrees. (I exaggerate, but still…) Monsignor and I and others are usually sit with icicles hanging from our noses down our hallway. With Monsignor out of the office they have taken the opportunity to crank-up the A/C a little more. … I see how it is….

The Ascension: Today the church celebrates the Ascension of our Lord. The Ascension is not a day on which we bid farewell to Jesus as He is taken from us to dwell in a far-off heavenly place. The Ascension is not a going away party for Jesus. The Ascension is about Jesus, our triumphant and resurrected Lord, who ascends to be seated at the right hand of God so that He may be near to us all for always.

Jesus teaches His disciples where He is to be found. Jesus is not far off. He promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The ascension of our Lord does not mean Jesus has left us, but that in the ascension, as the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, in the second reading for today, “[God] gave Him as head over all things to the church. In the ascension Christ is given to us, the body of Christ. Jesus is hidden from our eyes, but we know where Jesus can be found, where Jesus has promised to be for us.

We see Jesus with the eyes of faith given to us by the Holy Spirit. In the waters of Holy Baptism, Jesus unites us to Himself and seats us with Himself in the heaven. Jesus’ ascension means we will ascend with him.

Through the ears of faith, we hear the words of Christ in the words of absolution spoken to us in confession. Our ascended Lord advocates for us and comforts us with the assurance of sins forgiven. Jesus is seated in power at the right hand of God intercedes for us, His beloved and redeemed people.

Just as the disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, so we, through the working of the Holy Spirit, recognize our Lord in the Word and Sacraments. Though He is hidden from our eyes, we pray with the words of the disciples on the Emmaus road, “Stay with us.” And Jesus does. He promised.
You are in my prayers this week.

Fr. Andrew
14) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz
If I’m Suffering, Is it Better Never to Be Born?

The question of evil, suffering and brokenness in our world can be a hard one to grapple with. Sometimes, when we’re in a place of darkness, the question can arise, “Would it be better if I had never been born?”

Today Fr. Mike tackles these incredibly tough questions and offers some insights into why God created you, and why it is good that you exist.
15) Words on the Word: May 21, 2023 - Homeward Bound  

We go about our business, setting our goals, checking our progress, building our careers, positioning ourselves for power, or creating the structures and “empires” that we think are critically fundamental to our lives.

To be sure, there are plenty of temporal or secular things that have relative importance. Expending energy and concentration on our education, our jobs or our communities can and do have an important place in the scheme of things.

It’s when we assign these pursuits the wrong priority in our lives – particularly when we put them ahead of God or attempt to accomplish them in uncharitable ways – that potential problems occur.

The Detroit News ran an extensive investigative story a few weeks ago on the ways in which politics have ripped at the fabric of our lives. Its particular focus was a lakeside community in West Michigan that has seen fallout and emotional turmoil over the right-vs-left issues that have become so prominent everywhere.

Newly elected politicians at the county level were quoted as seeking to “thwart tyranny.” The story itself was under a headline that indicated the community was at “war with itself.” 

Again, there are certainly earnest people on both sides of issues who believe they are acting for the good of the community. But as the story makes clear, the day-to-day reality of the community environment has become toxic.

The good news is that, for those who keep God and his admonition to live with charity prominent, there is another kingdom, infinitely more important, that awaits.

“May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,” St. Paul writes to the Ephesians in today’s second reading, “in accord with the exercise of his great might … raising (Christ) from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named.”

© 2023, Words on the Word
16) The Bible in a Year Podcast by Father Mike Schmitz
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.

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!
17) FORMED Pick of the Week:
Our parish has a subscription to FORMED, a premier online platform filled with over 4,000 Catholic studies, movies, audio dramas, talks, e-books, and even cartoons for our children. FORMED has content from over 60 apostolates, including Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, and the Knights of Columbus, with material that is professionally produced, engaging, and solid in its catechism. Best of all, this material is free to you because of our parish subscription.

You have easy access to all of the material on FORMED to support your own faith journey and that of your family members.

You can enjoy FORMED on your computer or on your television with an inexpensive Roku device or Apple TV. You can even listen on your phone as you commute to work or do chores. 

To gain access to all of FORMED’s content, follow these simple steps:

  • Go to https://signup.formed.org/ 
  • Enter our parish’s zip code 48080 or enter St. Joan of Arc
  • Enter your name and your email address
 
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.

18) Hallow App:
Are you looking for a one-stop app for prayer and meditation? Look no further than Hallow. Hallow is an awesome prayer app. 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 (my mom being one of them and she is on the app most of the day). 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.

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. Enter the code stjoanofarcmi to obtain a discount on individual pro plans.
19) Mass Intentions for the Week:
Cross
Monday, May 22, 2023, Easter Weekday, Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious (White) 
7:00 a.m., Robbie Battani


Tuesday, May 23, 2023, Easter Weekday (White)
7:00 a.m., Erveill Mozingo


Wednesday, May 24, 2023, Easter Weekday (White)
7:00 a.m., Beatrice Ketelhut

6:00 p.m., 


Thursday, May 25, 2023, Easter Weekday, Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church; Saint Gregory VII, Pope; Saint Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi, Virgin (White)
7:00 a.m., A Special Intention for Curtis Ketelhut


Friday, May 26, 2023, Saint Philip Neri, Priest (White)
7:00 a.m., Barbara Gaines


Saturday, May 27, 2023, Vigil of Pentecost
4:00 p.m., George & Sophie Rupinski, Bonnie Batche, William R. Richer, William Peck, Allen Baumgart, Peter A. Joseph, Michael DePetro, Souraya Nehro Moses, Marty Raymond, Suzanne Roland, Shirlene Frech, Margaret Menner and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family and Alison Reslow.

6:00 p.m., Sue Krolikowski


Sunday, May 28, 2023, Pentecost Sunday (Red)
8:00 a.m., For the Intentions for St. Joan of Arc Parishioners

10:00 a.m., Marie Shaheen

12:00 p.m., Hugo Calisi, Deborah Albrecht, Rosario Medina, Jose’ Medina, Jeffrey Hardy, Daisy Marie Buenavista, Feliciana King, Gerry Doak, Debbie Simonds Albrecht and a Special Intention for Alison Reslow
20) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE:
This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
 

Monday (May 22)
7:00 AM - Mass
5:30 PM - Baptism of Keegan Lennon Grove

Tuesday (May 23):
7:00 AM - Mass

Wednesday (May 24):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Dorothy Lipinski
6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (May 25):
7:00 AM- Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour

Friday (May 26):
7:00 AM - Mass

Saturday (May 27):
12:30 PM - Baptism of Jordan Spiruda
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (May 28):
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 cannot 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.
21) Camp Ozanam 2023 Employment Opportunities
22) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin
Click on the image below
to download a copy of the bulletin
for May 21, 2023
23) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List
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.

24) Detroit Catholic
Read the latest from the DETROIT CATHOLIC
Click on the image below.