Week of October 27, 2024 | |
1) The Solemnity of All Saints - Friday, November 1, 2024 | |
While there are many beautiful feasts and solemnities in the church’s calendar, the celebration of all the saints is one of my favorites. The Solemnity of All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation.
Our Mass schedule for the Holy Day:
Thursday, October 31
7:00 p.m.
Friday, November 1
7:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
The Solemnity of All Saints celebrates all the saints, the known and unknown ones now in heaven. Through this great communion of saints, we help one another achieve sanctity. They, like us, were often ordinary people who answered God’s call to serve in some capacity. They had struggles. They had ups and downs. They doubted. They had dark nights of the soul. But they persevered in their commitment to Christ. They were sinners, like you and me, who had fallen but then had the courage, with the grace of God, to stand back up.
A few years ago, I received an email from my favorite icon store, Monastery Icons. The email wasn’t the typical sales email but contained an article entitled “7 Reasons Why the Saints are Important.” The article opened with these words: “In these challenging times, it’s wise to ‘get back to the basics’ and reflect on what a great gift we as Christians have been given in the examples and the living intercession of the saints. Let’s consider just seven of the many, many reasons why the saints are important in our lives.”
1: The Saints are REAL. Reflecting on the fact that the saints were real is an excellent place to start. The saints and their stories and words were not legends or some equivalent to superheroes or two-dimensional historical figures, however inspiring. They lived on earth and still live in the heavenly world. 2: The saints struggled with the very problems we do … and much worse. The saints had to deal with limitations on Christian worship and speech. As a result, the saints know what we are going through. They lived through similar circumstances and will respond to our calls for help. 3: The saints are our heavenly helpers. Throughout the church’s history, the faithful have called upon the saints to respond to our prayers, to bless, protect, heal, and sanctify us. As the saints themselves turned to saints to help them on their journey on earth, we should call upon the saints to help us on our earthly journey. 4: The message of the saints’ lives and teachings is timeless and timely. While we may never face a demanding emperor or torturer, the supernatural courage and heroic examples of the saints who had to face their own challenges should inspire us as we face the challenges and persecutions of our day. 5: The words and actions of the saints are a sure guide and authority on how we should live. With material on FORMED, YouTube, and other places on the web, it’s easy to learn about the saints, their challenges, and their heroic virtues. As such, search out this material, learn about the saints, and allow their words and examples to guide your earthly journey. 6: The saints are the best role models for sanctity. “If we make the remembrance of the saints our constant companion and study, we will find their example becoming the measure for our own behavior. You become what you contemplate….” 7: Make friends with the saints, and they will be with us and help us. “Christian tradition clearly shows us the way to open a window into heaven. If we place the icons and images of the saints in our home and church, honor and pray to them (especially on their feast days), and remember to always turn to them for guidance and help in every need, however great or small, we can experience for ourselves their blessed protection, healing, and intercession.”
Saints of God, PRAY FOR US!
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2) Dr. Edward Sri: All Saints Day: Remembering Ordinary People Who Loved Extraordinarily | |
As the Catholic Church gets ready to celebrate All Saints Day, Dr. Sri reminds us that this great solemnity is not just about remembering those great canonized saints, it’s also about recognizing all those unknown holy men and women who faithfully followed Jesus throughout the ages. Dr. Sri invites to reflect how God may be calling us to be saints and to love extraordinarily in our ordinary circumstances.
Snippet from the Show: On All Saints Day we remember all the holy women and men, both canonized and unknown, who loved God and others extraordinarily in their ordinary circumstances.
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3) 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. | |
5) High School Youth Group | |
6) Call for Helpers - Homebound Ministry | |
On Thursday, November 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the Church, we will celebrate our annual Memorial Mass. Through a moving presentation and the lighting of memorial candles, we will remember by name each of the people whose funeral was celebrated at SJA during the past year.
You also have an opportunity to submit the names of deceased relatives and friends you would like to have remembered at this Mass and throughout the month of November.
Please download the Memorial Mass form by clicking the button below, write down the names of those you wish to be remembered, and place the sheet in the basket found on the Altar of St. Joseph or bring it to the Parish Center. Extra copies can be found in Church and at the Parish Center.
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9) 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.
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The Ascension App Includes:
The full text of the Great Adventure Catholic Bible with color coding interwoven throughout so you can immediately recognize where you are in the story of salvation history.
The full text of the Catechism of the Catholic Church with The Foundations of Faith color-coding built in.
Every episode of Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz for easy access and cross-referencing with your reading plan and Scripture.
Every released episode of the Catechism in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz so you can easily stay on top of your daily readings.
Summaries, the exact wording of Fr. Mike’s daily prayers, and extra content for every single episode of Bible in a Year.
Over 1,000 commonly asked questions about the Bible with answers right in the text from experts like Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins, and others.
An interactive reading plan for both podcasts that tracks your progress.
Notes and bookmarks so you can quickly pick up where you left off and write down your reflections and prayers along the way.
…And we're just getting started. More to be announced soon!
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10) Holy Hour on Thursdays | |
11) This Sunday's Readings: October 27, 2024 - the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time | |
12) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins | |
“The Healing of Bartimaeus” | Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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
Alleluia: Cf. 2 Timothy 1:10
Gospel: Mark 10:46-52
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13) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon | |
Answering God's Call
Friends, all three readings for this Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time have a golden thread running through them, which is the idea of the call—of the primacy of God’s action in the life of salvation. Whenever we start thinking that this is our own ego project and that we are in command, we are ipso facto on the wrong path.
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Grow+Go, content is designed to help you understand what it means to be an evangelizing disciple of Christ. Using the Sunday Scriptures as the basis for reflection, Grow+Go offers insight into how we can all more fully GROW as disciples and then GO evangelize, fulfilling Christ's Great Commission to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19) The concept behind the weekly series is to make discipleship and evangelization simple, concrete, and relatable.
Click the button or image below to download a PDF copy of this Sunday's Grow+Go.
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15) 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.
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Traveling with Ms. Daisy (Part 6): 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.
Last week, I shared about our experience in Boston. One of the places that had come highly recommended to visit in Boston was Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Quincy Market. What a cool place. It was a Saturday, and even though it was raining outside, it was packed (with many college-aged kids out looking for venues to watch the college football games). Located in downtown Boston, steps away from the waterfront, it has over 80 businesses and food vendors. We got there around lunchtime, and with the rain and crowds, we were having difficulty navigating my mom’s walker/rollator through the crowds. But I have to give a shout-out to the college-aged kids we encountered. It must have been obvious we needed help because help was given at each step of the way. Seeing the college-aged kids willingly offer to help my mom up some steps or maneuver her walker/rollator when I was having difficulties was cool. They were so attentive, and I appreciated that fact.
Once we boarded the ship, it was time for dinner and the 30-hour journey to New York. At some point, my mom decided to book a helicopter ride over Manhattan. This was on her bucket list, and I was amazed she was able to book it. She was SO EXCITED about this. She knew she could handle the helicopter when she conquered the seaplane ride. Our reservation was set for around noon when we arrived in New York. However, I ran into a problem. I didn’t know we wouldn’t arrive in New York until 12:30 that day, which made me somewhat panic because I knew I had to change the reservation. I assumed we would arrive at 6:00 a.m. like we did at the other ports. The noon-ish arrival was to give us that picturesque arrival into New York with being able to see the Verrazano Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and the Manhattan Skyline. That made sense, but it messed up the helicopter ride. I tried making multiple calls during the voyage from Boston to New York to change our reservation, but we kept getting cut off. When we finally connected the morning of our arrival, I got a reservation for 3:30 that afternoon. All was good until mid morning when I got a call that their last ride would be at 1:00 p.m. as the air space was being closed down as President Biden was going to be in town for the UN Meeting. This was undoubtedly messing up all our plans.
While I was making all these calls, my mom kept wanting an update as it was happening. When we finally figured the helicopter ride wouldn’t happen that day, and given our final day was the next day, and they had no openings, the thought of accomplishing the helicopter ride was quickly vanishing. I wanted this to happen for my mom. She eventually gave in to the fact that it probably wouldn’t happen and I assured her that we would return to New York again to make it happen.
To understand my mom’s response, you have to understand that her standard line lately to us has been, “You have to understand, I’m in the checkout line of life! It probably will never happen if I don’t do it now.” When I told her we would come back to New York again, she said, “Mike, that’s NEVER going to happen. I’m old and could be dead soon. But that’s okay; we’ll look for a helicopter ride someplace else.” UGH!
But that didn’t stop me. I then started making a bunch of phone calls with a few helicopter tour companies to see if there was ANY way I could make this happen in the few hours we would have on the last day of our trip. Added to the complexity was that we had to be off the ship by 8:00 a.m. and would be dropped off in lower Manhattan by 10:00 a.m. to wander around until we had to take a bus to JFK at 12:30 p.m. for our eventual flight back to Detroit. Timing was everything. But WHERE we would be dropped off in Manhattan was crucial, too. When I saw we would be dropped off in Manhattan right at Wall Street, and the heliport was only a mile away, I called the tour operators to see if I could make this happen for my mom! I pleaded my case and told them the whole story. This one tour agent was so sympathetic, and she worked some absolute magic for us. She booked us for an 11:30 a.m. helicopter ride on that Tuesday. I was breathing a sigh of relief.
The voyage into the New York harbor was SPECTACULAR. I knew then why our arrival was timed so we could see the sites of New York and New Jersey as we pulled into the harbor. Sailing so close to the Statue of Liberty was such a phenomenal experience. The Manhattan skyline was so beautiful, too!
Now we had to prepare ourselves for all the security and commotion of a UN meeting and all those world leaders being in town (with all their motorcades and security details) while Ms. Daisy and her son were visiting this auspicious city! We could have used our own motorcade and security detail!
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Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!
In Christ,
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Warning!! I’m going to comment in this article on an issue related to the upcoming election. So, if you just can’t take it anymore, I seriously suggest that you skip reading this and find something else to read or do. Seriously. The whole reason I am writing this particular article is because I was trying to do just that: not think about the brain-eating election that is upon us – but the political machine managed to dump on me anyway. In fact, I was at the parish office trying to do some work. The usual background office noise was distracting me, so I stuck some earbuds in my ears and did a search on YouTube for “instrumental background music.” Everything was fine until I realized that part of what you get with YouTube content is something that I was trying desperately to escape – ADVERTISEMENTS! And not just any old advertisements, but political ads! Ahhhh!
But it didn’t end there. The message of the political ad, that felt like an ice pick sticking through my ear into the center of my mind, was insisting that I vote for someone who would ensure that victims of rape and incest have access to “medical options.” Yeah. Got it. I didn’t know rape and incest – or medical care – were on the ballot. Turns out, they’re not. But abortion most certainly is, in every possible sense. And that’s what this ad was actually about – protecting abortion. The intentional confusing of rape, incest, abortion, and medicine by political opportunists, who care nothing about the truth and only about power, is absolutely unconscionable. Their tactic is cunning and effective. Yes, the Devil is so slick at what he does! He can make bad look so good! He must be laughing himself silly every time he sees or hears one of those ads. Advertising’s coupling of abortion to rape and incest is custom made for what advertisers do: they induce us to run on pure emotion so that we will do what they want us to do. I fell for this exact pro-abortion argument hook-line-and-sinker when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I was “pro-life”. . . but there was no way any one of my sisters would have to carry some creep’s baby if they were raped! I can still feel the rage rise in me when I think of that to this day. But it was all rage. All emotion. No thinking involved. The concept of what abortion actually entails wasn’t even part of the equation. In fact, my thoughts and actions flowed directly from my emotions without concern for anything else. This is precisely how we are sucked into the ads that promote abortion as a solution to our problems. Indeed, it doesn’t even matter what the specific solution to our problems is. “I’m worried about ME!” Anything beyond our personal experience is irrelevant.
The tragedy of a rape resulting in a pregnancy is no different. If killing a rapist who caused a pregnancy would make pregnancy go away, we’d be all over that, just like we are with abortion. But the catastrophe that we find ourselves floundering in now is the inability to engage obvious truth. Like it or not, abortion is the fundamental issue of our time – an issue which we are not allowed to logically think about. We are not allowed to think about what abortion is: the destruction of a human life. In 2024-speak, abortion is “a solution, health care, a reproductive right, a woman’s choice, something to shout, a constitutional right in the ‘great’ State of Michigan.” To confuse matters further, for those who think that there might be something not-so-great about abortion, it is “just one issue among many” that could be part of public debate. As a matter of fact, for some folks with a globalist view, abortion is too much of a distraction from other life-threatening issues. They would prefer we just drop all of the abortion talk. For them, climate, health care, economic justice, violence, immigration, and political rule all outrank the violence of abortion. Sure, all of these earthly concerns merit discussion . But if they are ranked equally with the direct taking of life through abortion, addressing those worldly issues is an utter waste of time. If we cannot get the value of human life right, nothing else matters. If we have a constitutional right to kill a child in the womb, plenty of people won’t think much of pulling a gun on somebody who ticks them off in traffic. Aborting a child is like getting into an argument on the side of the freeway and pulling a gun on someone driving by – and killing her. Or, it is like being diagnosed with skin cancer and committing suicide because we can’t take the pressure. Abortion is an overreaction. It is a compounding of evil. Rape and incest are vile. There should be a steep price to pay for these violent crimes. But the criminal should pay – not an innocent human.
The crucial truth to face is one that will never go away: a child inside its mother is just as human as a child outside its mother. Those who choose to believe otherwise, should at least have the decency to let frightened, desperate women get accurate information about what is happening inside their pregnant bodies. Abortion always hurts a woman. It is a sin against her and her child. Truth must be told, not lies. The taking of innocent life cannot be justified by feelings of fear, anger, or selfishness. Our hearts need to soften so that a true end of abortion might come – that we might welcome mothers with problem pregnancies and help their children live.
On a completely different subject: We are looking to restart our Ministry to Homebound and Senior parishioners. First, we need to make a number of phone calls to find out who needs the help that we are able to offer. At the same time, we will be determining if we have accurate contact information for the sick and elderly. Would you be willing to help make phone calls to fellow parishioners? And, down the road, would you consider taking Holy Communion to our homebound parishioners? We can give you the details about what is involved if you call or email the Parish Center at 586-777-3670 or info@sjascs.org Thank you!
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18) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz | |
The Easy Way(s) to Pray the Rosary
Do you pray the rosary? If you do, you might find it difficult at times, or experience dryness in prayer. It’s important to persevere in this devotion—but how?
Fr. Mike has dealt with the same difficulties in prayer, and these are his top tips for keeping up with the holy rosary.
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19) Words on the Word: October 27, 2024 - Seeing is Believing | |
It’s easy and all too human to take for granted the blessings that surround us every day. The gift of life. The love of family and friends. The beauty of the world that surrounds us.
But we do. And so it’s helpful to step back, sometimes, and see things through different eyes.
The Detroit Free Press recently started a series of stories in which they’ll be exploring “the universal firsts in our lives.” A few weeks ago, they wrote about a Canton woman who is, for the first time, receiving chemotherapy to battle a recent breast cancer diagnosis.
The treatments began earlier this summer, the story said, and as that first date approached, the woman “noticed a change in her surroundings, though maybe it was a change in how she saw things. Everything she encountered seemed more vibrant. Outdoors, the birds seemed to sing sweeter, the air smelled fresher, the sun shone brighter.
“’I was noticing the bees pollinating. It was just stuff like that I would never pay attention to,’” the woman was quoted as saying. “’I wasn’t thinking about being sick. I was just thinking about how beautiful everything was.’”
It’s unfortunate it took a cancer diagnosis to affect the change, but, again, we know stories like this are common. And so the story of the blind man from Jericho is good for reflection.
Jesus said to the man, “’What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man replied to him, ‘Master, I want to see.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.’”
Regardless of our circumstances, in good times and in bad, it’s a great reminder that our most important duty is to keep God forever in our sights.
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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:
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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.
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21) 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!
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St Joseph: Our Spiritual Father
This powerful documentary, consisting of six stories, explores St. Joseph’s life and lasting influence. Through beautiful reenactments of St. Joseph’s life, footage of various artwork, and interviews with scholars and authors, this film presents Joseph of Nazareth in a way that will have a lasting influence on those who wish to know better the man who was the guardian of the Son of God.
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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.
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23) Mass Intentions for the Week: | |
Monday, October 28, 2024, Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles (Red)
7:00 am: Hugo Calisi
Tuesday, October 29, 2024, Weekday (Green)
7:00 am: Pam Smith
Wednesday, October 30, 2024, Weekday (Green)
7:00 am: Carlos Mallare
6:00 pm: Nick DiCresce
Thursday, October 31, 2024, Weekday; Vigil for All Saints Day (Green/White)
7:00 am: Sr. Marie Houle, O.P.
7:00 pm: Samson DeLeon
Friday, November 1, 2024, All Saints (White)
7:00 am: The living and deceased members of the Rogier and Detloff Families
12:00 pm: Richard Adamcik
7:00 pm: George Rupinski
Saturday, November 2, 2024, Vigil for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (White/Green)
4:00 pm: Antonio Calisi, Bianca Calisi, Aniello Mazzella, Antonietta Mazzella, Hugo Calisi, Sr. Silveria Conte, the living and deceased members of the Rogier & Detloff Families, Bonnie Batche, Beverly LaMountain, Roseann Coules, Arlene & Lawrence Szefler, Marie Ann Easley, Patrick Lamkin, Richard Sheldon, Gary Sheldon, Virginia T. Sawyer, Maria Hopkins, Fernando Hopkins, Kathy Barkora, Dolores Merecki, David Damm, and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, Anthony LaPorte, and Rachel Allemon and Prayerful Appreciation for the work of the Priests and Staff of St. Joan of Arc
6:00 pm: Deceased Bishops, Priests and Deacons of the Archdiocese of Detroit
Sunday, November 3, 2024, Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)
8:00 am: The Intentions of SJA Parishioners
10:00 am: Michele DeLeeuw
12:00 pm: Ron Lagodna, Pamela Smith, Richard Adamcik, the deceased members of the Bryk & Kidon Families, Marie Byrski, & Virginia T. Sawyer
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24) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: | |
This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (October 28)
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Ray Strussione (Read Obituary HERE)
Tuesday (October 29):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Roberta Ann McCandless (Read Obituary HERE)
Wednesday (October 30):
7:00 AM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Thursday (October 31):
7:00 AM- Mass
7:00 PM - Mass
Friday (November 1):
7:00 AM - Mass
12:00 PM - Mass
7:00 PM - Mass
Saturday (November 2):
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (November 3):
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.
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25) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin | |
Click on the image below
to download a copy of the bulletin
for October 27, 2024
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26) 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.
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Read the latest from the DETROIT CATHOLIC
Click on the image below.
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