Week of November 5, 2023

1) SJA's Annual Memorial Mass Video

Every November during our Annual Memorial Mass we show a video with the names and pictures of those who went home to the Lord from our parish over the past year. The entire Memorial Mass is a very moving experience and is certainly a highlight of the entire liturgical year.

I often get comments that it would be nice to post the video for all to see. We often don't always know the names of those who have died but we know them by sight. So, for those who would like to watch the video, please click on the link below.

The video starts out with the names of our pastors, associate pastors, deacons, and religious staff who have died over the years. The video is about 18 minutes long and provides a great opportunity to pray for these souls who have gone home to the Lord.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

2) St. Padre Pio’s relics to visit Detroit churches Nov. 17-19

Just weeks after a relic of St. Jude stopped in Detroit, Catholics have another chance to venerate a saint known for his healing faith

From Detroit Catholic: ROSEVILLE — Another saint known for his miraculous intercession will make a three-day stop in the Archdiocese of Detroit later this month.

Just weeks after a major relic visit of St. Jude Thaddeus, the Archdiocese of Detroit announced the relics of St. Padre Pio, a 20th century Italian Capuchin friar known for his healing prayers, will visit three southeast Michigan churches Nov. 17-19.

The relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, as he is officially known, are currently on a national tour sponsored by the Saint Pio Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes the life and teachings of St. Padre Pio and cares for the poor.

Five first- and second-class relics will be available for veneration at St. Barbara Parish in Dearborn from 3-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17; at St. Joseph Parish in Erie from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18; and at St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish in Roseville from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19. Mass in honor of St. Pio will be celebrated at 6 p.m. at St. Barbara, at 5:30 p.m. at St. Joseph, and at 6 p.m. at St. Pio.

St. Padre Pio, a Capuchin who spent most of his life in the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo or Pietrelcina in Italy, was known for his healing touch, with thousands of faithful flocking to visit him from all over the world. He was also known for bearing the gift of the stigmata, or the five wounds of Christ, on his hands, feet and side.

The relics currently touring the United States include the crusts of the saint’s wounds, cotton gauze bearing his blood stains, a lock of his hair, his handkerchief soaked with his sweat hours before he died, and a piece of his mantle.

“We are indeed grateful to Archbishop (Allen H.) Vigneron for inviting the Saint Pio Foundation to bring the relics of Padre Pio for the first time in the Archdiocese of Detroit,” said Luciano Lamonarca, founder and CEO of the Saint Pio Foundation. “The most important fact, in our opinion, is that the majority of those attending the tour of the relics of Padre Pio would never be able to travel to San Giovanni Rotondo or Pietrelcina to visit the places where our saint was born, lived, and died. It has, therefore, become a mission for us to enable these faithful devotees to have a 'spiritual encounter' with Padre Pio.”

Read More ...

3) The Rescue Project

4) Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist

5) Michigan March for Life

6) Gala Update

7) SJA's Annual Feather Party - November 20, 2023

8) Ascension's Bible and Catechism App

9) This Sunday's Readings: November 5, 2023, 2023 - The Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

10) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

"How do I Enter the Kingdom?" + The Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

In this week’s Encountering the Word video for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jeff Cavins discusses the virtue of humility in relation to Sunday’s Gospel. The readings are:

First Reading: Malachi 1:14B-2:2B, 8-10

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 131:1, 2, 3

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:7B-9, 13

Alleluia: Matthew 23:9B, 10B

Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

11) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

Classic Sunday Sermon: Your Life Is Not About You

Friends, there’s only one real sadness in life—not to be a saint. But what does it mean to follow this path of righteousness? To follow the will of God, and God wills that we habitually direct our actions and thoughts to the good of others. Jesus says blessed are the merciful, the peacemakers, the pure in heart. Following Christ’s Sermon on the Mount leads to our beatitude; living in this way leads to sainthood.

12) Grow+Go

13) Giving to SJA:

I'm truly grateful for all of your support of SJA. 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.

14) This Week's Edition of TALLER Tales

Eat Those Words: I have this uncanny ability to always be around when my mom stumbles a little. The Bugarin kids are very protective around our mom to ensure she doesn’t stumble or trip over things. But often enough, I’m a witness to it, and my mom … as she fondly says … gets “The Lecture” from you know who. “You have to be smart when you’re walking.” “Take your time.” “Don’t rush.” “Use your cane.” Use your walker.” My mom and sisters do a great job of mocking me, giving “The Lecture.”

Last summer, my mom and I were walking alongside her driveway, and it happened that my nephew’s truck was parked there. My mom was following lessons learned from “The Lecture” and was paying attention to the cement when she accidentally ran smack into the passenger-side mirror. Unfortunately, this wasn’t any small collision because it caused a pretty big goose egg on her head later that evening. My mom immediately looked at me and said (as if she knew she would get “The Lecture” in nano-seconds), “I was following instructions to keep my head down and pay attention to the cement; see where that got me! I was trying to be SMART about this!”

As many of you know, because of the reappearance of my crutches and cane for a few weeks, I had some “issue” happen, which caused my right leg to lock and swell up. Of course, this is my non-surgical, “good” leg. Before I get to the story of what happened that night, I had some x-rays taken as well as an MRI, and it was determined that I have a loose foreign body about a 1/3 of an inch lodged underneath my kneecap.  

After some rest, plenty of icing of the knee, and using my crutches and cane for a couple of weeks, the pain and stiffness finally calmed down to the point where I could walk without a cane or crutches. We’ll continue monitoring it, but it doesn’t appear to need any surgical intervention just yet.

I’m still not sure how it happened, but that particular Saturday night, I crawled into bed, and as I did so, I knelt with my right knee on my mattress to get into bed. As soon as my right knee hit the mattress, I felt this considerable shooting pain from my kneecap, and once I got positioned in bed, I realized I couldn’t straighten my leg out. No matter what I did, my leg would NOT straighten out. As long as my leg was bent, I was fine. But anytime I tried to straighten my leg, the pain would return. I figured I would just fall asleep and hope that whatever happened would disappear once I got up.

It happened that my mom was staying at my house that particular weekend. As I tried to get out of bed that Sunday morning, I quickly realized the issue was still there. I sat up at the edge of my bed and contemplated how I would walk to the bathroom and, for that matter, carry on the rest of the day. As I attempted to hop over to the bathroom, my mom saw me and asked what happened. After giving her all the details, we scoured every closet upstairs for my tall crutches. With the crutches in hand, I had some mobility without significant pain. Once I found my way to my recliner, my mom had the perfect opportunity to start giving ME “The Lecture,” and she did so! “You always tell me I must be smarter about walking, etc,” she started. “You know, sonny-boy, you’re almost 60, and you need to start paying attention to these things. Were you “SMART” about getting into bed last night? You always get on my case; now I can get on your case,” she said with a smile. Good heavens, I hate when my words come right back at me and hit me square in the face. I was eating a lot of words that morning. I need to start being careful about “The Lecture” because apparently, I’m now game for it, too! UGH!

Remembering the Dead during November: This past Thursday, the Church celebrated the Feast of All Souls. On that day, we turned our attention to the souls of the dead who await the day they will join the company of the saints in Heaven. It was a day to remember and a day to reflect on our own mortality, our relationship with Christ, and the hope of the Resurrection!  

In his message for All Souls’ Day a few years ago, Pope Francis reminded the world that the Solemnity of All Saints and the Feast of All Souls are intimately linked: “Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints, and today the liturgy invites us to commemorate the faithful departed. These two recurrences are intimately linked to each other, just as joy and tears find a synthesis in Jesus Christ, who is the foundation of our faith and our hope. On the one hand, in fact, the Church, a pilgrim in history, rejoices through the intercession of the Saints and the Blessed who support her in the mission of proclaiming the Gospel; on the other, she, like Jesus, shares the tears of those who suffer separation from loved ones, and like Him and through Him echoes the thanksgiving to the Father who has delivered us from the dominion of sin and death.

“Church Tradition has always urged prayer for the deceased, in particular by offering the Eucharistic Celebration for them: it is the best spiritual help that we can give to their souls, particularly to those who are the most forsaken. The foundation of prayer in suffrage lies in the communion of the Mystical Body.

“Remembering the dead, caring for their graves and prayers of suffrage, are the testimony of confident hope, rooted in the certainty that death does not have the last word on human existence, for man is destined to a life without limits, which has its roots and its fulfillment in God…. With this faith in man’s supreme destiny, we now turn to Our Lady, who suffered the tragedy of Christ’s death beneath the Cross and took part in the joy of his Resurrection. May She, the Gate of Heaven, help us understand more and more the value of prayer in suffrage for the souls of the dead. They are close to us! May She support us on our daily pilgrimage on earth and help us to never lose sight of life’s ultimate goal, which is Heaven. And may we go forth with this hope that never disappoints!”

As a people of hope and a people of the Resurrection, visiting the graves of family and friends would be a noble thing to do during November. You might consider praying for deceased family and friends by name at your family meals. You might think about creating an art project with your children where you remember your deceased relatives and friends by name by creating holy cards for each of them and then placing those cards in a special basket that could be highlighted at your family meals or family gatherings during November.

May our family and friends who have already gone before us enjoy eternal rest in the loving hands of Christ the Lord.

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!

In Christ,

15) Along the Way with Father Adam

Rome: Part III

Last week I shared about the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the major basilicas of Rome. One of the other major basilicas that I had the privilege of visiting was St. Mary Major, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. The basilica is sometimes called the Our Lady of Snows. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary indicated and inspired the construction of her abode on the Esquiline Hill. She appeared in a dream to the aristocrat, Giovanni, and to Pope Liberius, asking for the construction of a Church in her honour, in a place that She would miraculously reveal.

On the night of 5 August 358, Our Lady appeared in a dream to Giovanni and his wife. The Virgin promised them that she would grant their desire to have a child through a miracle. The couple went to visit Pope Liberius who told them that he had had the same dream. As they were leaving, the married couple saw that part of the Esquiline Hill was covered in snow. Using his crosier (staff), the Pope marked the perimeter of where the couple was to build the church. While the original aspect of that church is still unknown, the consecration of today’s Basilica, which was ordered by Pope Sixtus III in 431, after the Council of Ephesus, took place precisely on the day of the miracle, on 5 August. In memory of this miraculous event, each year solemn celebrations take place that culminate with a shower of white petals falling from the ceiling above the altar.

One of the most prominent pieces of religious art in the basilica is the painting known as Salus Populi Romani. Legend tells us that the icon, made of cedar wood, was painted by St. Luke himself. The origin of the "Luke image" is unknown, but a charming legend has prevailed through the ages. It reveals that after the Crucifixion, when Our Lady moved to the home of St. John, she took with her a few personal belongings – among which was a table built by the Redeemer in the workshop of St. Joseph. When pious virgins of Jerusalem prevailed upon St. Luke to paint a portrait of the Mother of God, it was the top of this table that was used to memorialize her image. While applying his brush and paints, St. Luke listened carefully as the Mother of Jesus spoke of the life of her son, facts which the Evangelist later recorded in his Gospel. Legend also tells us that the painting remained in and around Jerusalem until it was discovered by St. Helena in the fourth century.

The painting Salus Populi Romani  means Savior (or Protectress) of the People of Roman. Where did this name come from? The answer is found in the mysterious origins that lie shrouded in history, the fact that it has endured, and the many miraculous stories of protection that are attributed to Our Lady imaged therein. During the pontificate of St. Gregory the Great (590-604) a plague viciously attacked the people of Rome, killing entire families. The pontiff fervently prayed to the Blessed Mother. During the Easter festivals he carried her image in solemn procession. Arriving at Hadrian's Mausoleum (now called San Angelo), an angelic choir was heard singing a joyful Resurrection hymn. After which, the plague was ended.

Catechism in a Year

Many of you have been following along with the Catechism of the Catholic Church in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz. One of the recent episodes has raised quite a few questions that have been addressed either to me or to Msgr. Mike. In particular, questions regarding abortion and excommunication. The Catechism states: “The formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae…” Latae sententiae essentially means an automatic excommunication.

HOWEVER… there are many nuances that Fr. Mike did not mention.

First, we must look again at the nature of moral sin. For someone to commit a mortal sin, it must be grave matter, they must know that it is grave matter, and they must freely choose this grave matter. I have never met a woman that has, with 100% freedom, chosen to undergo an abortion without some sort of physical or psychological or emotional pressure, either coming from within or without. Second, for someone to be excommunicated, they must know prior to their intended action that it is an excommunicable offense. If you have made a choice in your life that you suspect or fear is a cause for excommunication, know that there is always restoration possible.

If you have had an abortion, please know that you are loved! You are welcome here. Jesus is kind and merciful. If you have any doubts or concerns, please talk to me. If you are still searching for healing after making the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy, please visit rachelsvineyard.org. Healing and freedom are possible!

Blessings!

Fr. Adam

anowak@sjascs.org

16) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

Are Your Sins the Same Story Again and Again? Rewrite the Script.

Do you commit the same sins over and over again? Does it feel like a bad movie that you’re stuck watching, with the same sad script playing over and over again?

Rewrite it. Rewrite the script.

Today, Fr. Mike gives us some novel ideas for steering hard out of the “grooves” of sin we’ve worn deep into the bedrock of our daily lives.

17) Words on the Word: November 5, 2023 -Choices, Choices...

Everybody's got their list of troubles. For some, it's physical difficulties – perhaps illness, pain, or some other discomfort. For others, it's emotional burdens – perhaps heartache over a family situation or a past hurt. For still others, it's a financial problem – perhaps a job loss or difficulty making ends meet. And for still others, it's something spiritual – a feeling of desolation or of being lost in their relationship with God.

Choices about everything from the food we eat to the activities we undertake to the books we read to the television shows we watch.

We also make more important choices, such as how we prioritize our time and how we treat other people.

A couple recent news stories illustrated the difference in striking terms.

One the one hand, a story reported by Fast Company explained how and why certain “toxic” employees work their way to the top of the heap in corporate settings. Long story short, the piece explained, the very things that make these people so abrasive to their colleagues – their schmoozing, politicking, and dirty tricks – are the “dark side… social skills” that position them well in reviews and work assignments.

To be sure, such “success” begs the question of who, in the long run, is really winning.

Meanwhile, a story on the Aleteia website described the experiences of a man who has carried a 55-pound cross in countries around the world for more than 35 years.

“I often feel when you carry the cross it's like a red carpet being rolled out before you,” the man was quoted as saying. “It's like God has got people for you to meet.”

The effort gives him, he said, a great opportunity to evangelize. And that would seem to be a much more important use of time and energy than self-aggrandizing activities in the dog-eat-dog corporate world.

“You have but one Father in heaven,” Jesus says in today's gospel passage from St. Matthew. “Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

© 2023, Words on the Word

18) This WEEK on FORMED:

19) St. Germaine's Annual Holiday Craft Show

20) Hallow App:

21) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, November 6, 2023, Weekday (Green) 

7:00 a.m., Joseph Allemon

Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Weekday (Green)

7:00 a.m., George J. Bugarin

Wednesday November 8, 2023, Weekday (Green)

7:00 a.m., Fr. Richard Gorecki, SPC & Angie Calus

6:00 p.m., Georgiann Kaptur

Thursday, November 9, 2023, The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (White)

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

Friday, November 10, 2023, Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (White)

7:00 a.m., George J. Bugarin

Saturday, November 11, 2023, Vigil of the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

4:00 p.m., Joseph Gielniak, Mary Ann Cannon, Dick Hanselman, Helen Blind, Casey & Juliette Zaranek, the deceased veterans in the McQuillan, Zaranek and Gaidis Families, Charlotte Miller, Sally Cabot, Joseph & Rita Snyder, Clarence & Philomene Wolschlager, Pat Ireland, Gertrude Shaw, Angelina Calus, Bonnie Batche, and special intentions for the Thomas Family, the J. Champine Family, for Alison Reslow, Pam Haisenleder, Lorraine Jonas, and Ray DeFrates

6:00 p.m., Harriet Armaly

Sunday, November 12, 2023, Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

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

10:00 a.m., Peter & Norma Sehee

12:00 p.m., Dennis Venuto, Steve Haamen, the deceased members of the Bryk & Kidon Families, Joel VanDenbussche, Jose Medina, Rosario Medina, Jeffrey Hardy, Joan Hardy, Feliciana Punzalan, Dini Hamm, Daisy Marie Buenavista, Special Intentions for Pam Haisenleder, Alison Reslow, Lorraine Jonas and Ray Defrates

22) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE:

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (November 6)

7:00 AM - Mass

Tuesday (November 7):

7:00 AM - Mass

Wednesday (November 8):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (November 9):

7:00 AM- Mass

7:00 PM - Holy Hour

Friday (November 10):

7:00 AM - Mass

Saturday (November 11):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Rhett Joseph Rutkowski

1:30 PM - Baptism of Willow E. Bettens and Eleanor Muklewicz

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (November 12):

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.

23) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin

Click on the image below

to download a copy of the bulletin

for November 5, 2023

24) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List

25) Detroit Catholic