Dear Friends in Christ,
Here are a few updates from our parish for the week of October 24, 2021.
|
|
1) Respect Life Month Prayer to St. Joseph: |
|
As we celebrate Respect Life Month, we look to St. Joseph, the defender of life, to pray for us and to help us achieve a greater respect for all human life in our world. |
|
A Prayer to St. Joseph, Defender of Life
Dearest St. Joseph,
at the word of an angel,
you lovingly took Mary into your home.
As God’s humble servant, you guided
the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem,
welcomed Jesus as your own son
in the shelter of a manger,
and fled far from your homeland
for the safety of both Mother and Child.
We praise God that as their faithful protector,
you never hesitated to sacrifice
for those entrusted to you.
May your example inspire us also
to welcome, cherish, and safeguard
God’s most precious gift of life.
Help us to faithfully commit ourselves
to the service and defense of human life
—especially where it is vulnerable or threatened.
Obtain for us the grace
to do the will of God in all things.
Amen.
|
|
2) Respect Life Reflection |
|
Caring for a loved one at the end of their life brings about many emotions and questions. In this two-page flyer from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, some practical and beautiful suggestions for caring for a loved one at life's end are offered. It's all about love, support, and companionship as they journey from this world to being in the presence of the Lord.
Please download this flyer by clicking on the image below. Feel free to pass it along to family and friends.
|
|
3) A Biblical Walk through the Mass
Begins TUESDAY In Person and by Zoom
|
|
As we prepare for this awesome series on the Mass, I couldn't help but recall the beautiful video done by Spirit Juice Studios entitled, The Veil Removed. The quick video gives us a glimpse of what we would see if we could see what the angels and saints see every time mass is celebrated anywhere in the world.
If you haven't seen this video yet, please take a few moments to watch it now. It really is powerful.
|
|
5) Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament |
|
I often get questions about Adoration. Those questions can range from what exactly is adoration to questions about the various postures during adoration. We have a beautiful opportunity every Thursday in Church to participate in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with our Holy Hours that start at 7:00 PM. Adoration is a beautiful time to be still in the presence of the Lord. Sometimes while we are at Holy Hour, our time is silent. Other times it might have music for meditation and reflection.
In this short five-minute video with Fr. Josh Johnson from Ascension, Father Josh talks about what to do during adoration. This time with the Lord can do SO much to lift up our soul to Christ.
|
|
6) Coordinator OPENING - Center for Exceptional Needs |
|
The mission of the Center for Exceptional Needs at St. Joan of Arc is to enable persons with a variety of challenges to encounter Jesus Christ and develop a friendship with him in a supportive and caring environment. Through faith formation and Christian fellowship, students learn about the Word of God, our Catholic faith. They come together with loving cate to share faith, friendship, love for one another, and to appreciate all of God’s creation. This is a seasonal part-time position. (Oct-May.)
|
|
7) SJA's CSA Update as of October 17, 2021 |
|
I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2021. As of today, we have $180,249 in pledges and gifts toward our $217,002 goal ($167,970 has already been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). This amount represents gifts from 550 families (we have 3,277 families registered). We have thus achieved 83% of our goal!
Here is a breakdown by gift range:
$2,500+ (6)
$1,000+ (35)
$500+ (45)
$250+ (104)
$100+ (210)
$75+ (15)
$50+ (69)
$25+ (39)
$10+ (24)
$0+ (3)
As stated above, the easiest way to give is electronically by clicking on the button above. If you wish to give by check, feel free to contact the Parish Center and we will mail out an envelope and related material.
|
|
8) This Sunday's Readings - October 24, 2021 |
|
9) Jeff Cavins: Encountering the Word - Reflections on the Sunday Readings |
|
In this week’s Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9
Responsorial Psalm: 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:1-6
Gospel: Mark 10:46-52
|
|
10) Grow+Go for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time |
|
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 |
|
Another Sign the Pastor is getting OLD: Every day seems to present many opportunities to remind your pastor that he is getting old. Even young Father Andrew is starting to feel those dreaded aches and pains that age brings on (like when he tried to play soccer with the 5th graders during our School’s Red and White Day and hurt his knee … I told him afterward, “Wait until you hit the BIG 50!”). I laugh as I type this because I remember many funny conversations with Michaeline Hrabonz, our oldest parishioner before she died at the beautiful age of 104 in 2020. I remember talking to her at her 100th birthday party while she was dancing away to the sounds of her favorite polka. I suggested she should slow down a bit. She quickly responded, “Monsignor! It doesn’t matter at this point. I made it to 100. So if the Lord took me now while I’m dancing, that’s fine. I MADE IT!”
There were many times I would go up to her after the 4:00 PM mass, place both of my hands on her shoulders, and while looking at her square in the face, say, “Michaeline, I feel SOOOO OLD.” She would gently tap me on the face, smile, and say, “Monsignor. You’re a KID. You’re like half my age. I’M OLD.”
Every year for the Gala, I’m responsible for buying several items for the electronics’ table. I usually use Black Friday shopping days as opportunities to find some great deals for the Gala and the parish. I’m one of those rare people who likes going out on Black Friday morning to shop. However, when the Gala was moved to October this year and not knowing last November if our Gala would still go on as planned, I didn’t do my usual Gala shopping spree. So, I waited until the beginning of October to buy a few things. One of the items on my watch list was a Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet.
As the Gala was quickly approaching, I got a few “gentle reminders” from the Gala team wondering if I had purchased the big-ticket item yet. By the time I got to order it, it was Sunday evening of Gala week. When I got home that evening, I settled in my big comfy La-Z-Boy chair and started checking out my options for a Surface Pro at Best Buy. I scoured a few sites to see if I could find a better deal but settled on Best Buy because it was $400 off the regular price. I got everything in my cart, put in my credit card, and checked the delivery options. I was at peace because the delivery date was on Wednesday, well ahead of my deadline and in advance enough for me to find another option if something went wrong.
Wednesday evening came and went, and I remembered thinking something was odd because my Best Buy package didn’t arrive. On Thursday evening, I inquired if anyone saw my package, thinking that maybe it was delivered and someone brought it up to the Gala room. By Friday afternoon, I was concerned. The package was nowhere to be found. I finally went onto my Best Buy account. As soon as I got onto my account, I saw four items in my shopping cart. I was confused because I couldn’t imagine what would have been in my cart. I then opened the cart and found the Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet and all the accessories I had my eyes on. “That’s weird,” I thought to myself. “Did I accidentally put two of everything in my cart?” I then drilled down to my recent orders to get the tracking information I needed and saw no order for the Surface had been placed! I was even more confused. Then it dawned on me. I must have fallen asleep in my comfy La-Z-Boy chair before I even had the chance to hit the BUY button to complete the order. UGH! And, here I was blaming Best Buy! So close and yet so far. Yes, I’m old! NO. Wait a minute. It’s clearly the chair’s fault!
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 Congregation 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 directors of the Propagation of the Faith 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. A donation of $25 helps support a catechist for a MONTH in remote Latin America. A donation of $75 provides for the work of religious sisters caring for orphaned children in Africa. Much like us in the United States, these mission dioceses have also relied heavily on technology to keep their communities together during the COVID crisis. All of these efforts take money.
Our donations help approximately 1,200 schools by helping to educate children in some of the poorest parts of the world, they help some 9,000 religious sisters and brothers in formation programs and some 30,000 seminarians preparing for the priesthood! These are indeed impressive numbers and show how our donations go a long way!
Special envelopes were available in Church this weekend for our World Mission Sunday Collection. Please be generous in supporting the Pontifical Mission Society. This annual collection is the Church’s principal means for supporting missionary activity throughout the world. If you were not prepared to donate at Church this weekend, you can always bring your gift next weekend or drop it off at the Parish Center. You can donate online by going to mission.stjoan.church OR you can text to give by sending a text to 586-788-1334. Your text should be your gift, followed by the word “mission.” So, for example, if you wanted to give $20, text “20 mission” to 586-788-1334.
Please keep the missionary efforts of the Church in your prayers so that the Gospel may continue to be heard even to the remotest parts of the earth!
|
|
Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!
In Christ,
|
|
13) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc |
|
“I Believe… There’s A Crocodile on the Veranda…”: My mom was born and lived in West Africa and her childhood was filled with stories I often heard of her time there. One particular story I heard so often and would re-tell often. But somehow it got lost in translation. The story I knew was that a neighbor had woken up one day to find a crocodile on the veranda of their house. I thought it was pretty amazing—how can a crocodile climb to the second floor? But still, I would re-tell this amazing story. One day, after years of telling it like this, I happened to remind my mom of this story, and she looked at me like I was crazy. “The veranda??!” she said, “who said there was a crocodile on the veranda?!” “You did!” I protested. “I said on the porch! The crocodile was on the porch. How could a crocodile get onto a veranda?” Familiarity breeds contempt, they say, and maybe it’s not always deliberate, but when we’re heard something a million times over, there’s a danger that we stop listening to the words, even if we’re the ones saying them.
I thought, since I mentioned it last week, this might be a chance to take a little closer look at the Creed, which we each profess at mass every weekend. Are we really listening to what we are each telling each other that “I believe” or has it become a “zone-out” time before we get to sit down again? During the Eucharistic prayer, at every mass, we ask God to “look not upon our sins, but on the faith of your Church.” That kind of plea means little if “the faith of our Church” is not something we share because we don’t know what the Church teaches. How can we subscribe to something we don’t even know? And yet we say the words every Sunday! Today we live in a world where everyone wants to have their beliefs heard and people cherish their opinions and guard them so closely. But on Sundays, are we freely telling those in the pews what we believe without even thinking about what we’re saying? Like the trusty reminder apps on our smart phones, the Nicene Creed reminds us why we go to mass each week and try to live a Christ-like life once we leave the doors of the church. It’s a handy, summary of everything we believe in. If you want to deepen your understanding of the Catholic faith, there might be no more conveniently packaged set of teachings to begin with than to study the Nicene Creed. It’s a summary of the faith passed down through the ages and is a statement of Revelation, set-up in 3 parts, proclaiming our Trinitarian God to be Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons in one God. While fads come and go, this simple, profession of faith is still relevant today as it was nearly 1,700 years ago. Just as in Emperor Constantine’s time, we are still surrounded by people who say the Catholic teachings are far-fetched, disputable, or don’t make sense. In a world where it’s easy to idolize celebrities and athletes, we need the Nicene Creed to bring us back to the roots of our faith. So let's break it down line by line. What do we believe?:
"I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible."
We are proclaiming that we believe in one God, who is almighty—having absolute power over all—who is the creator of everything in existence, on heaven and earth and things that are visible to the eye and things that are not, such as angels.
"Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father."
Here, the Church is making clear the divinity of Jesus, that He was not made or created by the Father, but that He always existed “before all ages.” There was never a time when Jesus did not exist. It helps to understand this line further by defining certain words. Merriam-Webster defines begotten as: “to produce especially as an effect or outgrowth,” and consubstantial as: “of the same substance.” Jesus therefore, is of the same substance of God the Father, and both are one in the same. Christ was generated or brought forth from something that already existed; He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, but not created by God.
"Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man."
This is the core of our faith: Jesus became human and walked the same earth we do to save us from death. Unlike us, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was both fully divine and fully human. The Virgin Mary is also referenced to remind us of her role in our salvation.
"For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end."
As Jesus foretold, He suffered, died, and rose again three days later to give us the gift of eternal life. Forty days after His resurrection, He left the physical world and ascended into heaven. As believers we’re reminded that Jesus will come a second time to judge all the living and the dead, and those worthy will enjoy eternal peace in God’s eternal kingdom.
"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets."
In the final lines, we “confess” or “believe” that through our baptism we have been rid of original sin, and that we, along with all those who die, will one day enjoy unending eternal bliss with God.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and as the Creed states, should be adored and glorified, because the Holy Spirit is God. As Scripture shows us, there were instances when the prophets reveal that the Holy Spirit spoke through them. For instance, Isaiah says:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted…” (Isaiah 61:1).
"I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."
We are a “catholic” (universal) faith handed on by “apostolic succession,” that is, by the successors of Jesus’ Apostles. In the final lines, we “confess” that through our baptism we have been rid of original sin, and that we confirm our hope to one day enjoy unending bliss with God, along with all those who have gone before us.
|
|
You are in my prayers this week.
Fr. Andrew
|
|
14) Words on the Word: October 24, 2021 - Finding a Home!
Anyone who has ever been away from home for a period of time, unplanned, knows how disconcerting the experience can be.
Maybe it was due to an unexpected weather event. Or a loss of power. Or a family medical emergency of some kind. Regardless, the departure from a normal routine, and a separation from the normal “stuff” we use on a day-to-day basis can cause disruption.
Heck, even when we’ve been away on vacation – which is clearly something undertaken by choice – there is always a certain sense of relief in getting back into the normal flow. “It’s nice to go away,” people often say, “but it’s nice to get back home, too.”
So it is certainly with a certain sense of empathy that we read stories of foreign refugees who, in the most dramatic and difficult circumstances, have been forced from their homes and are attempting to find a new sense of normalcy.
The M-Live news portal a few weeks ago reported that “refugee resettlement agencies expect more Afghan refugees will come to Michigan during the next few months than in the last decade combined.”
That number, the story said, could be up to 1,300 people displaced by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
It’s a terribly difficult situation with no quick answer, to be sure. But those displaced people – and all of us – might take solace in knowing that God has been down roads like this before, and he’ll see them through.
“Behold I will bring them back from the land of the north,” we hear God say of his people Israel in today’s first reading from the prophet Jeremiah.
“I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng. They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them.
|
|
15) Ascension Presents with Father Mike Schmitz: |
|
The Danger of Complaining
St. Paul tells us, “Do everything without grumbling,” but even the best-intentioned Christians can fall into a toxic habit of constant complaining. It’s true that sometimes, sharing a complaint can help rectify an unjust situation or call attention to something that needs to change. But when you start fixating on the negative things around you and voicing your critiques or grievances about everything in your life, you imprison yourself in your own personal hell.
Today, Fr. Mike encourages us to ask for God’s grace to break free from the habit of complaining.
|
|
16) 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.
|
|
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.
|
|
18) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: |
|
This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (October 25):
7:00 AM - Mass
Tuesday (October 26):
7:00 AM - Mass
Wednesday (October 27):
7:00 AM - Mass
6:00 PM - Baptism of Kennedy Reagan Raymo
Thursday (October 28):
7:00 AM - Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour (Silent Holy Hour)
Friday (October 29):
7:00 AM - Mass
Saturday (October 30):
10:00 AM - Funeral for Mark Brys
1:00 PM - Wedding of Anna Pulcer and Brian Hoyt
2:45 PM - Baptism of Frederick Julian and Tucker Julian
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (October 31):
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 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.
|
|
19) SJA's Bulletin for October 24, 2021 |
|
Click on the image below
to download a copy of our
Bulletin for October 24, 2021
The 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
|
|
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.
|
|
Read the latest from the DETROIT CATHOLIC
Click on the image below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
