1) Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life - Starts on Tuesday | | |
A Powerful Study
on the Life of Jesus Christ
by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Jeff Cavins, and Edward Sri
The marvelous treasures of the Catholic Faith—the Eucharist, Mary, the saints, and the Creed—are all centered on a single figure: Jesus Christ. Jesus is more than a historical or theological figure. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Lord, and our God. While many of us already know a lot about him, how well can we say we really know him? Filmed on location in the Holy Land, Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life is a new and fresh look at Jesus—who he is, what he is really like, what he taught, and what he did for our salvation. This encounter with Christ will inspire and empower you to center your entire life on him as you come to know and love him in an ever-deeper and more intimate way.
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This 10-week study begins Tuesday Nights from 7-8:30 pm
In person in the Sr. Carol Center and Online
beginning Oct. 7
| | Watch the Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life Trailer | | 2) Upcoming Retrouvaille Weekend | | |
What is Retrouvaille?
- The Retrouvaille Program is for Married Couples Facing Difficult Challenges in their Relationship
- A Marriage program that helps couples restore their marriage and rebuild a loving relationship.
- A Christian marriage program, Catholic in origin, where couples of all faiths or no faith background are encouraged to attend.
- Primarily a practical program to improve communication, build stronger marriages, and help couples reconnect.
- Presenters are not trained marriage counselors, but rather couples sharing their personal stories of marital struggles and the tools they used to rediscover their love.
| | 3) St. Vincent de Paul Clothing Drive | | 4) Catholic High School Information Night | | 5) High School Youth Group Meets on Wednesdays | | 6) SJA's 19th Annual School Gala: November 8, 2025 | | |
Ways You Can Support the Gala:
Attend the Event
- Tickets are $125/person and will go on sale soon
- Your ticket includes a plated dinner, open bar, DJ and dancing, and a front-row seat to our silent and live auctions ... and a chance to win from our Charger Corner Raffle
Buy Raffle Tickets
- $5,000 in prizes to four lucky winners!
- Raffle tickets will be on sale after all Masses beginning the weekend of October 11/12
- Tickets are $20/each or 6 for $100. Cash or check accepted (payable to St. Joan of Arc)
Donate Auction Donations
- Contact the School or Parish Center offices to donate auction items
- Give Back Boards in Church list items you can purchase
- Please note: We only accept new and wrapped items
Be a Sponsor or Advertise
- Promote your business through our various sponsorship and advertising opportunities
- Contact Emily Radatz for further information
Contact Information:
Pam Graskewicz (pgraskewicz@hotmail.com)
Kathy Kalich (kkalich@stjoan.net)
Emily Radatz (emilyaradatz@gmail.com
| | 7) Viral Matchmaking Posts Inspire New Catholic Dating App, 'Sacred Spark' | | |
From ChurchPop.com: When Emily Wilson-Hussem launched a simple matchmaking post on Instagram, she did not expect the overwhelming response she received.
“Over 6,500 entries came in in the first 48 hours, and I thought, ‘Oh my my my.’ There’s something here,” Emily said.
These posts grew into something beautiful. Emily’s matchmaking Instagram posts resulted in 12 sacramental marriages, 20 engagements, countless dates, and even a couple with a baby.
This viral social media response revealed a missing aspect of community in the Catholic Church. This inspired the Catholic speaker, author, and social media influencer, and her husband, Daniel Hussem, to create a new Catholic dating app called Sacred Spark (also named after the Sacred Heart of Jesus). The new app launches this October.
Read and Learn more HERE ...
| | 8) Why Series: Why Register as a Parishioner? | | Belonging to a parish is about much more than finding a place to attend Mass each Sunday. It’s about finding community, a place to plant spiritual roots, and to commit ourselves to being involved. Learn why belonging to your parish is so important in our current culture and choose to commit to your parish today! | | 9) Want to become Catholic? Want to be baptized? Do you need to be Confirmed? Learn More about the Catholic Church | | 10) 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!
| | 11) Holy Hour on Thursdays | | 12) This Sunday's Readings: October 5, 2025 - The Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time | | 13) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins | | |
The Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jeff Cavins reflects on the Gospel reading about the mustard seed, saying that having faith is about being faithful. The Sunday Readings are:
First Reading: Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14
Gospel: Luke 17:5-10
| | 14) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon | |
Trust in God’s Plan
Friends, this Sunday, I want to talk to you once again about faith. As I’ve said before, faith is the most misunderstood word in the religious vocabulary. And both the first reading and the Gospel today shed very interesting light on the nature of faith, which is not a kind of superstition—believing in any old nonsense—but rather an attitude of humble trust in the ways of the Lord.
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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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16) 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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Chasing the Unknown: A few weeks ago, I shared that we were in the process of upgrading all our network switches and wireless access points (WAPs) across campus. We were transitioning from our current Cisco system to Ubiquity. Not only was our equipment showing its age (despite being installed in 2019), but I also didn’t want to commit to another annual license for outdated equipment that was no longer handling data traffic effectively. That annual license costs $7,000.
With the help of the RMW Productions family team, we successfully installed the core firewall and about 90% of the WAPs just in time to be up and running before our license expired. Over the next few months, we’ll begin the process of replacing all the network switches on campus.
I intentionally left three of the WAPs online to see if they would actually be disabled on September 25, 2025, as all the warning emails had threatened. Well, they were right! Those three WAPs stopped working entirely. They still broadcasted our wireless network names and accepted client connections, but they were dead in the water when it came to internet access. One of the units was at my house, another was in Fr. Bob’s future house (which we’ve been working on), and the third was… somewhere. I had labeled it “GMB Garage,” but it wasn’t in my garage. It was driving me crazy trying to remember or figure out where I had put this other WAP.
Then I remembered using one of the WAPs during the Festival. I had placed it in a weatherproof cage to provide internet access to some of the festival and midway trailers. I searched the Associate’s House and its garage, hoping to find it, but it was nowhere to be found. I knew it was once active and online because it was feeding internet to the camera on the Church’s smokestack, which overlooks the parking lot between the Church and School. That camera had also gone dark. So, the WAP had to be somewhere… obviously! But figuring out where had now become a game I was determined to win.
On my phone, I have a Wi-Fi analyzer app (of course, I do), which not only shows the strength of a WAP’s signal but also displays its unique identifier, the MAC address. A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique hardware-assigned identifier for every networked device. It’s a 12-digit hexadecimal number that’s unique to that device. Knowing the MAC address from the Cisco portal, I figured I could walk around until I got close to the WAP and confirm its MAC address to make sure it was the missing one.
At first, I SLOWLY drove around campus, mostly near the Parish Center and Church, but I wasn’t getting any closer to solving the mystery. Frustrated, I went back home and parked my car. But I wasn’t ready to give up! I powered up the app again and started walking around. As I passed in front of the Parish Center, the signal strength suddenly shot up. Just as the signal spiked, I noticed a faint blue light in the office used by the St. Vincent DePaul Society on the second floor of the Parish Center. That faint blue light looked very familiar; it resembled the LED status light on a Cisco WAP. I was thrilled! Now I just needed to confirm it was my missing WAP.
Standing in front of the Parish Center, I opened the Cisco app, navigated to the GMB Garage WAP, and toggled the switch to blink the status light. Within seconds, the light started flashing. Mystery solved! I wanted to jump up and down, but I can’t do that anymore! And as a bonus, I also figured out why Kathy Kalich and Mary Pat Brennan in the Gala office (located across the hall from the SVDP office) had no internet … they were connected to the now-dead Cisco WAP. And I solved all of this on my own, without even having to climb any stairs! What a win!
The Consequences of Living a Busy, Hurried Life (Part 10 – The Finale): Since the end of July, I have been writing about the consequences of living a busy, hurried life. Today, I’d like to recap some of the main themes and bring this series to a close.
There’s no doubt that in today’s fast-paced world, the dangers of a hurried, busy life are all too real. Many of us are caught in an endless cycle of commitments, to-do lists, and societal pressures that leave little room for rest, reflection, or connection with God and others. This lifestyle, often celebrated as a badge of honor, comes at a significant cost. The solution is clear: we need to intentionally slow down and focus on what truly matters.
Slowing down is not only possible but essential. Jesus himself modeled a life of intentional rest and prayer. Despite the demands of his mission, he never rushed. He took time to pray, retreat, and connect with his Father. He invites us to do the same: “Come to me, all you who labor and find life burdensome, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).”
To begin, we must prioritize time with God. This means making prayer and Sunday celebrations of the Eucharist absolute non-negotiables. Set reminders to pray, even if it’s just for a few minutes each day. Create spaces for prayer, whether it’s a quiet corner at home, a church, or even a walk through nature. Remember, it’s not the quantity of time that matters but the quality.
We must also set boundaries to protect what’s most important. Limit overcommitment, say no to unnecessary activities, and schedule family time free from distractions. Engage in shared activities like praying, cooking, or simply being present with loved ones. These intentional choices help us focus on eternal impact rather than temporary busyness.
Finally, we need to embrace the gift of rest. We must keep the Sabbath holy by dedicating time to the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist, rest, and renewal. Use this day to nurture your relationships with God, family, and community. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, rest is not just a suggestion but a commandment that allows us to align our lives with God’s rhythm.
For those struggling with busyness, take heart. Slowing down is not about doing less but about doing what matters most. By focusing on eternal impact, we can find the peace, joy, and fulfillment that only God can provide. Choose the better part, as Mary did in the Gospel story when Jesus visited the home of Martha and Mary, and discover the lasting rewards of a life centered on Christ.
Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers.
In Christ,
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Try as we may, and as well-intentioned as we may be, our ability to evangelize (spread the Good News of Jesus) and help others on their spiritual journey is weighed down with obstacles. Among those obstacles is the struggle we have with our own personal imperfections. As we travel the path of Catholic faith, trying to be better each day, we should try to not be judgmental of others who are on their own journeys. We find ourselves in the middle of a moral balancing act – making adjustments to our own moral behavior while simultaneously working with others, whom we care about, to get their lives more in order. It is not easy!
A fair amount of difficulty in dealing with others arises from our natural stubbornness. Stubbornness is often tied to our ego. Then, stubbornness and ego together can lead us into a degree of laziness. A person who is heavily shackled by these unfavorable traits will not be very effective at drawing others to Jesus’ message of righteousness, forgiveness, and love. In fact, if our attempts to bring others closer to Christ come across as heavy-handed, we will likely drive people further away from him rather than attract them. It is worth thinking about the best way to balance our approach to others on behalf of Christ, in light of developing our own relationship with him.
Moral stubbornness can arise from having our own hard-fought struggles, learning the difference between right and wrong. Once we ‘get our head straight’ on some particular issue that has been troublesome for us, we understandably prize the moral progress that we have made – maybe at great personal expense. When we encounter a friend or loved one whom we know would probably benefit from our hard-earned moral experience, we naturally want them to share in the advice we have to offer. But they may not be ready for it. They may throw up a wall to our attempt to be compassionate and helpful. They may even bristle at us and snap back in a not-so-kind way. In stubbornness, would we fail to recognize that the ground in which we are trying to plant some “moral seeds” is not fertile enough right now? Or would we just plow harder and try to drill in more seeds, one way or another?
If our righteousness has become an ego trip, we might not be able to sense how best to plant what we have to offer. While what we want to share with someone else may be 100% correct – like a valuable moral lesson – how we share it may destroy our efforts. Sometimes we have to trickle out the help we have to give others at a rate far slower than we would like, or in a way that seems to take too much effort. This is where we could become complacent and lazy.
It takes a lot of effort to listen to and observe someone else long enough to know where they are truly coming from. We might observe extreme behavior in someone else and make a quick decision about what “the fix” should be. A friend or family member might be in an illicit relationship with someone else, or have a substance abuse problem, or be unable to hold a job, or get along with others, or might be abusing his or her own body. We see the glaring issue they face and have an instant solution for them. We might be right . . . but timing might not yet be right. Surely, their big problem needs repair, but does something else need to be repaired first? We see the symptom of someone’s moral disease and want to provide a remedy. But what about the underlying cause? Do we have the energy and patience to discover if there is something more we can reasonably offer? To do so is a big investment, and we may or may not have the capacity to help. Yet, we can help, if only by not pushing too hard, too fast, or maybe by directing someone to another person who does have what is needed to help.
What is tricky about helping others is that we are in an ongoing process of helping ourselves. We obviously must provide for our own personal well-being – and that includes our spiritual, moral life. We ourselves are never fixed at precisely the same point of moral development on any one day as compared to the next. Hopefully we get better as we go. But everyone else is developing along with us at the same time. So, in our moral journey together, we are not in lockstep with each other. We are all kind of bumbling along as best as we can. Some days are better than others. This calls us to make room for lots of flexibility with ourselves and with others.
Without room for flexible movement in our relationships with each other and with God, we will never have any peace. Although our lives may seem repetitive, day after day, we are constantly moving. Being human means being active. Even if we think we are stuck in one place, we are not. Truth is, if we are stuck in one place, we are effectively going backward. God created us to progress steadily through this life toward heaven. We are swimming through life like sharks. We keep moving to stay spiritually alive. Our movements should be calculated, as we go, to treat ourselves and others a little better each day.
St. Augustine says, “Our whole daily life is filled with rash judgments. . . . Neither our fear nor our hope is certain.” In other words, we never know exactly how everything is going to work out each day. That’s why we have to be always ready to make adjustments – for the better. May we strive to be nimble in our Faith.
Jesus, watch over us. Mary and Joseph, pray for us.
| | 19) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz | | |
Fr. Mike Schmitz Reacts to The Chosen
Fr. Mike Schmitz reacts to powerful scenes from The Chosen. Find out which moments brought him to tears, which ones he wrestled with, and hear his honest perspective on how the series portrays the life of Christ.
| | 20) Words on the Word: October 5, 2025 - EnemieWithin and Without | | |
Even the most optimistic people of goodwill would agree we live in troubled times.
The fatal shooting a few weeks ago of a well-known conservative activist, as troubling and horrendous as that was in itself, has also set off an aftermath of disheartening consequences.
A story in The New York Times reported that, as with other recent events, the tragic shooting has triggered bad actors on the international stage to leverage the confusion for their own purposes.
“Russia, China and Iron, especially, try to exploit events in the United States to push their own geopolitical agendas,” the Times reported. “While the narratives differ, and even contradict each other, they share a goal of undermining American democracy and its reputation globally.”
And then, of course, there’s our own infighting. A Detroit News columnist observed that “since (the incident) the putrid swamp of social media has sounded the depths of hatred in America and revealed it as immeasurable. We are a nation awash in hate.”
It’s all enough to make us lament, as the prophet Habakkuk does in today’s first reading:
“How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery?”
Good questions, to be sure. But with God’s help we can find a better path.
“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of love and self-control,” St. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading from 2 Timothy. “Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.”
In other words, keep the faith and continue to love.
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” Jesus says in today’s gospel from St. Luke, “you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
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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.
| | 22) 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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A Missionary Journey to London
In February 2023, Bishop Robert Barron visited London, where he visited key places of Catholic heritage in the city, including the cell where Saint Thomas More was kept as a prisoner. In this beautiful and captivating video, the trip’s highlights are revealed, together with Bishop Barron’s reflections and thoughts on More’s life and the role of the Catholic laity today.
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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.
| | 24) Mass Intentions for the Week: | | |
Monday, October 6, 2025, Weekday; Saint Bruno, Priest (Green/White)
7:00 am: Jeanne Gainer
Tuesday, October 7, 2025, Our Lady of the Rosary (White)
7:00 am: Mary and Frank Fleming
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Weekday (Green)
7:00 am: Special Intention for Fred & Lois Mecha on their 70th Wedding Anniversary
6:00 pm: Christa Sokolitz
Thursday, October 9, 2025, Weekday; Saint Denis, Bishop and Companions, Martyrs; Saint John Leonardi, Priest (Green/Red/White)
7:00 am: Mary J. Rademacher
Friday, October 10, 2025, Weekday (Green)
7:00 am: Cecelia Forinash
Saturday, October 11, 2025, Vigil for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)
4:00 pm: Bonnie Batche, Virginia Burgsinski, Joseph Thatcher, Dennis Lex, Patrick & Sharon Lamkin, Edda Lucido, Daavid Damm, Joel VandenBussche, Kurt Hiltz, a special Intention for the family of Tina Calisi, for the living and deceased members of the J. Champine Family, for the Thomas Family, for Sam Manalo, and for Sam Baur
6:00 pm: Elio Iodice
Sunday, October 12, 2025, Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)
8:00 am: The Intentions of SJA Parishioners
10:00 am: Janet Ternes
12:00 pm: Dennis Venuto, Kathleen Murphy, Joan Sahadi, and Special Intentions for Laurie Ruda, Mark Curcuru, and Sam Baur
| | 25) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: | | |
This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (October 6)
7:00 AM - Mass
Tuesday (October 7):
7:00 AM - Mass
Wednesday (October 8):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Joyce Wiekrukas (Read Obituary HERE)
6:00 PM - Mass
Thursday (October 9):
7:00 AM - Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour
Friday (October 10):
7:00 AM - Mass
Saturday (October 11):
10:00 AM - Funeral for Elizabeth Bradley (Read Obituary HERE)
12:30 PM - Rite of Reception for Aiden Arthur Andrew Hartman
1:30 PM - Baptism of Vivian Grace Klimek
2:30 PM - Baptism of Lillian F. Shark
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (October 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.
| | 26) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin | | |
Click on the image below
to download a copy of the bulletin
for October 5, 2025
| | 27) 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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Stay Connected with Our Catholic Faith — Sign Up for the Detroit Catholic Free E-Newsletter
Looking for a trusted source of Catholic news delivered straight to your inbox?
Detroit Catholic offers free daily or weekly email editions featuring insightful coverage of Catholic issues and events—locally, nationally, and globally.
I join Archbishop Edward Weisenburger in encouraging every parishioner to subscribe.
It’s quick and easy:
1. Visit: detroitcatholic.com/subscribe
2. Enter your email address and choose the daily and/or weekly edition.
That’s all it takes to start receiving this excellent—and completely free—source of Catholic news.
Stay informed. Stay inspired.
Msgr. Mike
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Read the latest from the DETROIT CATHOLIC
Click on the image below.
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