Week of October 20, 2024

1) World Mission Sunday

World Mission Sunday: This Sunday is World Mission Sunday, a special day when we unite ourselves with Catholics throughout the world to pray and sacrifice for the missionary efforts of the Church.

Every year, the needs of the Catholic Church in the Missions grow – as new dioceses are formed, as new seminaries are opened because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ’s call to follow Him as priests, as areas devastated by war or natural disaster are rebuilt, and as other areas, long suppressed, are opening up to hear the message of Christ and His Church.

Mission dioceses – about 1,110 at this time – receive regular annual assistance from the funds collected this weekend. In addition, these mission dioceses submit requests to the Dicastery for the Evangelization of Peoples for assistance, among other needs, for catechetical programs, seminaries, the work of Religious Communities, for communication and transportation needs, and the building of chapels, churches, orphanages, and schools. These needs are matched with the funds gathered each year. The world’s national Propagation of the Faith directors vote on these requests, matching the funds available with the greatest needs. These funds are then distributed, in their entirety, to mission dioceses throughout the world.

Our gifts go a LONG way in these mission dioceses. Special envelopes are available in the Church for our World Mission Sunday Collection. You can donate online by clicking the below.

Please keep the Church’s missionary efforts in your prayers so that the Gospel may continue to be heard even to the remotest parts of the earth!

2) GALA Save the Date - Saturday, November 2, 2024

Click on the image below to download a PDF copy of the Contributor Form.

Click on the image below to download a PDF copy of the Program Advertising Form.

3) Caregiver Survival Presentation

4) Men's Fellowship

5) Fall Fest this Friday

6) High School Youth Group

7) Celebrating Marriage with the Saints of Umbria with Deacon Dom and Teresa

8) Ascension's Bible and Catechism App

It's Here: The Bible & Catechism App!

The word of God and the complete teachings of the Catholic Church. Answers and commentary by Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins, and other experts. Video, audio, and textual commentary. Right on your phone.

9) Holy Hour on Thursdays

10) This Sunday's Readings: October 20, 2024 - the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

11) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

The Throne of Grace

In this Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The readings are:

First Reading – Isaiah 53:10-11

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

Second Reading – Hebrews 4:14-16

Alleluia – Mark 10:45

Gospel – Mark 10:35-45 or 10:42-45

12) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

What Real Power Looks Like

Friends, our Gospel this Sunday is taken from the tenth chapter of Mark, and it is high-octane spiritual business. Something pivotal is being laid out for us in this passage, and it has to do with power, suffering, and a willingness to go where Jesus goes.

13) Grow+Go

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 the button or image below to download a PDF copy of this Sunday's Grow+Go.

14) Giving to SJA:

I'm truly grateful for 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.

15) TALLer Tales

Traveling with Ms. Daisy (Part 5): This is a continuation of my travelogue about my journey with “Ms. Daisy” (aka my mom) on our Eastern Seaboard Journey on board the Viking Mars.

After leaving Halifax, our next destination was Boston. The forecast for Boston called for rain the entire time we were there. But that wasn’t going to stop us. My mom set her mind on visiting three churches in Boston: the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and Our Lady of Good Voyage.

Now, if you asked my sisters why they don’t like traveling with Mom and yours truly on our little journeys, it’s because we like visiting Churches. When someone asked one of them recently why they didn’t like joining us, they responded, “That’s ALL they DO is visit churches! If you’ve seen one Church, you’ve seen them all.” Well, not necessarily.

Our first stop was the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. As our Uber driver approached the Cathedral, I noticed a ton of activity there for a Saturday morning. When we finally entered the Cathedral, I immediately noticed Cardinal O’Malley was celebrating Mass. Curious about what was happening, I walked over to a young family tending to their little one in the back vestibule, and they told me it was a permanent diaconate ordination. We arrived just as they started the Eucharistic Prayer, so we were able to sit in the back and enjoy the rest of the Mass. The music was outstanding! We then waited for things to clear out before we wandered around the Cathedral, lit some candles, and said some prayers. I thought it was cool that our day started with an ordination mass! At Sainte Anne de Beaupre, we walked in on a funeral; so now we’ve attended a funeral and took part in an ordination Mass.

After leaving the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, we took another Uber ride to the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Known as “Boston’s Basilica,” the parish dates back to 1869. While the Cathedral originally ministered to Irish immigrant families (who still remain in the neighborhood), it now has many immigrants from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Haiti.

The Basilica is huge and beautiful. You couldn’t help but immediately notice the stacks of crutches on some of the pillars. I learned that after a replica icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was installed over the main altar in 1871, many cures were reported. As cures continued to take place, crutches, braces, and other devices were left behind as a testimony to the cures that were received through the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

When we arrived at the Basilica, I nudged my mom and said, “Look, now we’ve walked in on a baptism.” Sure enough, seven babies were being baptized. The young families from Nigeria were all dressed in their absolute finest! You would have thought we were at a black-tie event! So, we waited in the back of the Basilica until the baptisms were over before we wandered around this incredible Church. As we moved around the Basilica, I noticed quite a few people writing petitions on paper and then folding them for placement in a wicker basket at a side altar. I couldn’t help but think of how many prayers for healing have been requested at this beautiful Basilica since its founding in 1871.

We strolled around there for a bit, lit some candles, said our prayers, and then made a move to get another Uber to take us to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Voyage.

On the way to Our Lady of Good Voyage, my mom said to me, “Now that we’ve seen a funeral, an ordination, and some baptisms, wouldn’t it be cool if we saw a wedding!” Well, guess what? As we arrived at the steps of Our Lady of Good Voyage, there was a Rolls Royce Limousine parked in front of the Shrine, and many young people decked out for … yes … a wedding. When we arrived, only a few people were in the Shrine. My mom and I walked right through the ushers handing out programs and decided to sit in the last pew on the groom’s side. No one said a word to us, so we just stayed put. Slowly, the little Church filled up, and we became increasingly out of place. This WAS a BLACK-TIE event! I’m surprised no one approached us, especially since neither of us was dressed for the occasion! Eventually, we vacated our seats and stood in the back as the decked-out guests filled the pews. I’m sure we were the talk of the place! We waited until the bride walked down the aisle before we quietly exited the little Shrine.

So, our day was complete! We visited the three Churches and saw an ordination, a baptism, and a wedding! We couldn’t wait to text my sisters about our exciting day! I figured this news would certainly seal the deal that I would continue to be the one to accompany Mom on these voyages!

Next and final stop … New York!

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!

In Christ,

gmb@sjascs.org

16) Voiland's View

We live in an extremely “noisy” world. The noise is more than sound waves hammering our eardrums . . . the thumping bass beat coming from a passing car that rattles the windows in our house. Noise comes at us in many forms – physical, emotional, spiritual. But the clatter does not always come from the outside. Often, the disruptions come from within – bubbling up from our soul.

Wrestling with a noisy soul makes for a miserable life. We find ourselves constantly off our game. We are not able to truly be ourselves. Our inner turmoil is usually not obvious to others. It may not even be apparent to us. We get accustomed to being ceaselessly agitated. We think a state of persistent, underlying stress is somehow normal. It is not normal. And it is not good for us. If we humans could be more aware of, and sensitive to, the stresses we constantly carry around, it would help a lot.

It would be helpful, too, to have an awareness of the struggles that the person in the other car – that person we are screaming at – was going through. That lovely hand signal might not seem so appropriate if we knew the old guy who is GOING SO SLOW! in the fast lane is reeling from the cancer diagnosis the doctor just dumped on him. Yeah, sure, he shouldn’t be in that lane, puttering along – but an awareness of what was going on gives the situation a whole different feel. When we give somebody the benefit of the doubt, it might change the entire look and feel of what’s happening.

Everybody’s got a “situation” of some sort. It’s called life – and it’s not easy. “I’ve got a major test coming up; I just failed a test; my wife is pregnant, keeping my job is looking pretty shaky; I’m a little kid and I have to take this dumb medicine that makes me feel ‘weird’; I don’t think my marriage is going to survive; I don’t even know if there is a God; I’m desperately lonely; every joint in my body aches; I can’t do anything right; I’m scared of getting picked on; God will never forgive me for my sins; nobody wants to marry me; I think the world is going to implode; I don’t even know if I want to live anymore.” And the situations go on.

Literally everybody has a situation that shapes the way they live their lives. From youngest to oldest, we respond to life events as they come to us. To complicate things, we operate in an ever-changing environment. We continually adjust to stressful circumstances. We do all of this with little awareness of what is going on inside ourselves, and with even less awareness, or concern, about what is happening within others. This is troublesome because it makes it much more difficult for us to get along with each other.

We naturally get along better with each other when we know a little something about each other. Knowing a person’s name is a nice start. But a name just scratches the surface. Once we are able to see a little deeper, when we see that we are interacting with a person who struggles just like ourselves, we open up a bit. We listen better and are maybe a little more willing to cut the other person some slack. We can perceive that we are both, hopefully, trying to do the right thing. If we can identify at least a little piece of goodness in the other person with whom we interact, we might be able to produce some goodness together that we could not produce separately.

Trying to live together better with the people around us, especially the ones with whom we fundamentally disagree, does not mean that we will miraculously and suddenly start to agree with each other. Such a sudden change does not make sense. But any change toward agreement – even gradual, painstakingly-slow change – has to start with a willingness to see other people as real, live human beings, like ourselves, who have issues. They have noise to deal with just like us. To work together, we have to tone down the noise in our lives so that we can get to the stuff that matters. We have to be willing to bite off smaller chunks of life. Realistically, we cannot fix the whole world all at once because we are already buckling under a ton of ‘noise’ that saps our energy. In fact, the noise itself might be what we have to deal with first in order to produce some good fruit.

Bottom line: we need to quiet the noise in our lives enough to hear what others are saying. Much is said without words. Look at a person’s eyes; notice his or her posture. Listen to the tone of words spoken. Listen for pain, hurt, anger, desperation, loneliness, pleading. Much more is going on in a person than what a first glance can tell. It is nearly impossible to truly communicate with someone in an instant. True relationship is not a drive-by experience. It takes effort to establish a relationship that unites people. The unity that Jesus so desires for us, his brothers and sisters, is hard to attain in lives filled with noise. But if we would only stop for a minute and focus, we will at least be able to see what needs to be addressed. 

Otherwise, we are just talking in a tornado . . . and nobody is listening.

Peace,

Fr. Bob

rvoiland@sjascs.org

17) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

Did Jesus Really Warn Against Repetition in Prayer?

“In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:7 (New American Bible, Revised Edition)

Does Jesus warn us against repetitive prayers? Does praying the rosary contradict the way Jesus asked us to pray? Why is the rosary even designed that way?

Whether you pray the rosary everyday or have never prayed it before, Fr. Mike has some insights from Jesus and his Church regarding repetition in prayer that will change the way you look at prayers like the rosary.

18) Words on the Word: October 20, 2024 - Who's the Boss?

Most people of goodwill would agree there is a legitimate need for authority.

Imagine a school without a principal. A prison without a warden. A football league without a commissioner. A company without a boss. A movie set without a director. A courtroom without a judge. A country without a president, king, or governing body of some kind.

Chaos would quickly ensue, and, for any of those institutions or places, it would be almost impossible to get anything done, given the conflicting agendas of the people involved.

So, leaders – those with “power” – are important.

That being said, there has been much more attention given lately to how particular politicians, for example, rule or plan to rule. How they potentially could ignore or do away with individuals’ rights. How they wield their power.

There’s enough difference of opinion on these matters to potentially make the conversation quickly spiral out of control; there’s no indictment here of any person or group. 

It’s important for all of us, though, to remember some of the basic truths about power and human behavior. It’s as true for our inward reflection as it is for our ability to function in our jobs and communities.

And that is, finally, a reminder of Jesus’ admonition for how we treat others.

“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt,” Jesus says in today’s gospel passage from St. Mark. 

“But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

© 2024 Words on the Word

19) This WEEK on FORMED:

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.



20) 52 Stories: Good News from Spirit Juice Studios

Prepare to be Inspired

Spirit Juice Studios is blessed to work with countless Catholic organizations, dioceses, parishes, and schools. We get to help them tell their powerful stories about all the good stuff that is happening within the Church. Sign up for 52 Stories so we can share them with you! You’ll meet the unsung heroes of the Catholic Church, discover the stories of holy women and men around the world, and witness miraculous moments of God’s grace in everyday life.

In a world full of bad news, these stories will give you 52 reasons to believe that God is working through the Catholic faith to transform lives through His love and mercy. Sign up today!

Cathedral Towers

Consecrated in 1889, the Diocese of Providence’s Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul is a magnificent expression of the faith of the immigrant families who helped build it and of the continued witness of the Church in Rhode Island today. This video, created as part of an appeal for the Cathedral’s restoration after structural integrity issues were discovered in 2019, highlights the Cathedral’s beauty and spiritual heritage. 

21) 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.

22) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, October 21, 2024, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: Crescenzo Fazi

Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Weekday; Saint John Paul II, Pope (Green/White)

7:00 am: The deceased members of the Calisi Family who died in the month of October

Wednesday, October 23, 2024, Weekday; Saint John of Capistrano, Priest (Green/White)

7:00 am: Sr. Jane Maison, CSJ, & Lee Sung Lim

6:00 pm, Elaine Marie Morrow & Marek A. Hehir

Thursday, October 24, 2024, Weekday; Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop (Green/White) 

7:00 am: Richard & Virginia Robinette

Friday, October 25, 2024, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: Donald & Irene McMahon 

Saturday, October 26, 2024, Vigil for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

4:00 pm: Bonnie Batche, Laura Barkley, Mr. & Mrs. Victor Siegel, Bill Richards, Mary Ferguson, Karen Rygiel, Mary Steele, Norman Dolinski, Julian Ross, the deceased members of the Long, McManus and Plath Families, Manny Lamprides, Sophie & George Guidolin, Marie Therese Belloli and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, Rachel Allemon and Tom & Diana Ziolkowski 

6:00 pm: Kenneth Choike

Sunday, October 27, 2024, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

8:00 am: The Intentions of SJA Parishioners

10:00 am, Joseph Paluzzi Jr. 

12:00 pm Gene DiCresce, Nick DiCresce, Gregory Godard and a Special Intention for Rachel Allemon

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

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (October 21)

7:00 AM - Mass

Tuesday (October 22):

7:00 AM - Mass

Wednesday (October 23):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (October 24):

7:00 AM- Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for Marie Therese Belloli (Read Obituary HERE)

7:00 PM - Holy Hour



Friday (October 25):

7:00 AM - Mass

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

Saturday (October 26):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Eliana J. Gabrielson

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (October 27):

8:00 AM - Mass

10:00 AM - Mass

12:00 PM - Mass

Please note that all of our masses and events can be accessed through the ARCHIVE section of our Live stream page if you 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.

24) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin

Click on the image below

to download a copy of the bulletin

for October 2, 2024

25) 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.



26) Detroit Catholic