Week of September 1, 2024

1) Interested in becoming Catholic? Do you need to complete your sacraments of initiation? Join the next OCIA class!

2) Faith Formation Registration

3) Scriptural Foundations for Catholic Leadership

4) New Study Series: Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary

5) Walking with Purpose - Women's Bible Study Opportunities

6) CSA Update

If you have not yet given to this year's CSA, please do so soon. We still need to raise $9,894 to reach our goal.

You can give online by clicking on the link below, by calling in your pledge/gift, or by picking up a CSA packet in the Parish Center or in the Gathering Space of Church. Your gift is important and enables us, the Church in Detroit, to carry out Christ's ministry of mercy and love throughout southeast Michigan and beyond — works no one individual or parish could possibly do alone!

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

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

Get a $250 Discount Through Septemb

9) Ascension's Bible and Catechism App

10) Holy Hour on Thursdays

11) This Sunday's Readings: September 1, 2024 - the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

12) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

“Be Doers of the Word”

In this week’s Encountering the Word video, Jeff Cavins offers a reflection for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

First Reading: Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8

Responsorial Psalm: 15: 2-5

Second Reading: James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27

Alleluia: James 1: 18

Gospel: Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

13) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

The Goodness—and Dangers—of the Law



Friends, as Americans, we have a very ambiguous relationship to law. On the one hand, we are a nation of independently minded people; we don’t like the law imposing itself on us. At the same time—let’s face it—we are a hyper-litigious society. We see the same ambiguity about law—both its beauty and its shadow side—in our three readings today .

14) 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.

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.

16) TALLer Tales

A Guest in the House: The Polish people have an awesome proverb that I’ve often quoted during some of my homilies. The saying in Polish is “Gość w dom, Bóg w dom” which translates as “A guest in the house is God in the House.” I can attest to the fact from my journeys to Poland that the Polish people truly live this cherished proverb!

While I’ve tried to live that proverb to the best of my abilities, I now have to say this only applies to HUMAN guests!

A few Thursdays ago, it was another typical busy day at SJA with a flurry of activities. Sometime late in the afternoon, I walked over to my house. Usually, I don’t visit my house during the day unless I’ve forgotten something or forgotten to take my anti-inflammatory meds and vitamins, which I’m supposed to do first thing in the morning. While I was at the house (okay, it’s TMI, but it’s part of the story), I had to use the bathroom. I ran upstairs and used the bathroom there. While there, I heard this distinct noise of some fluttering upstairs. My first thought was that maybe a bird hit my window. It was quick, and I continued about “my business.” Then, the toilet seat broke, and I almost flew to the ground. When the commotion settled down, I heard the fluttering again, but it was even more distinct and louder. And I was convinced this wasn’t my Guardian Angel making a dramatic entrance to help me! My next thought was that I had bats in the house again, but given it was daytime, I started to question whether they were bats again. The fluttering this time was loud and prolonged. I decided to close the bathroom door; I figured I could only deal with one problem at a time. I just thought that whatever was in my house could wait a minute while I made sure I didn’t fall to the ground with a toilet seat that just broke and became unhinged.

When I finished things in the bathroom, I slowly opened my bathroom door and timidly started hunting around to see what guest was lurking in my house. Of course, I called Dina and told her to bring out the cavalry because I had something in my house and didn’t have time to deal with it myself. I then saw this huge bird sitting on my plush and comfortable fleece blanket I use in the wintertime; the blanket was behind my chair. The bird was just sitting there. I immediately noted two things: 1) it was big, and 2) it had a red marking on its head. I called Dina and told her the visitor was a huge bird. I then put people on the hunt for a net to capture my flying visitor. I called around to some staff, and eventually, John showed up with gloves and a large towel. When we got to my upstairs sitting room, the bird was now standing on a TV table my mom uses when she’s at my house. As soon as John saw the bird, he said, “Oh, that’s a woodpecker. Check out that beak. That could hurt.” So, he put on some gloves, and we approached my guest. The woodpecker didn’t move an inch. He must have been tired and scared because John was able to throw the towel over him and safely capture him. His eyes were closed at this point, and he didn’t flinch. We then went outside and released him. It took a few seconds, but he regained consciousness and flew off to a tree.

We then returned to my house and discovered all the places my unexpected visitor traversed. He was in my kitchen, near my front door, on my couch, on my stairs, on my blanket and a few other places. How did I know he was there? Well, he left multiple surprises for me in many locations throughout the house. I wasn’t going to toss the blanket because it’s a rare one that’s longer than I’m tall so it went into the washer a few times on my “Steam and Sanitize” cycle. But now I had to deal with the cleanup. Ultimately, we had to call Zeppelin Cleaning to come in and professionally clean and sanitize my coaches, chairs, and carpet where all the “surprises” were left.

After checking the whole house and the videos and testimony of people who were around, we determined that a group who had to do something in my house earlier that day propped my side door open for a bit. That’s the only explanation we could come up with for how that woodpecker got in my house.

I’m unsure whether the staff laughed more about the toilet seat adventure or the story about the woodpecker! I’m just glad it happened during the day rather than in the middle of the night! All I can say is that life at SJA is NEVER dull!

Prayer for Priestly Vocations: As you know, we’ve been praying a prayer for priestly vocations after the Prayers of the Faithful at Mass since the Archdiocese of Detroit began its Year of Prayer for Priestly Vocations on the Vigil of Pentecost in 2022. This initiative “technically” concluded on the Solemnity of Pentecost in 2023. This year of intense prayer for priestly vocations in the Archdiocese of Detroit was launched in response to a significant milestone in 2022. That year, we did not have any men ordained to the priesthood! It was a humbling reality requiring us to re-energize our vocation initiatives.

I remember a homily that Father Adam gave on vocations. He emphasized that he didn’t believe we had a crisis of vocations but rather a crisis of listening to the voice of God. His thoughts and points rang true in so many ways, not just on the topic of priestly vocations.

At SJA, I made a decision to continue reciting that prayer for priestly vocations even when most parishes stopped the practice when the Year of Prayer concluded in mid-2023. I wanted to keep the importance of praying for priestly vocations at the forefront of our minds.

Yet, all vocations in the Church need God’s help! There is a need to pray for an increase in vocations to the permanent diaconate, to the religious and consecrated life, to the vocation of marriage, the vocation of single life, and the vocation of all lay ministries. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that vocations are a divine calling to serve within the Church and in the world. According to the Catechism, “the universal call to holiness is closely linked to the call to each particular vocation (CCC: 825)”. Each vocation is a unique path to live out one’s faith in service to God and others, recognizing “the particular mission entrusted to them by God (CCC: 873)”

Beginning this weekend, we will move from praying that prayer for priestly vocations to a prayer for all of the Church’s vocations in the Prayers of the Faithful. It remains my hope and prayer that we will keep the intention of praying for vocations constantly on our hearts and minds … and not just at Mass. I pray that you will include this intention in your own prayers and in the prayers you say as a family! May we continue to seek God’s guidance and blessings in nurturing all of these precious vocations.

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers! Happy Labor Day Weekend!

In Christ,

gmb@sjascs.org

17) Voiland's View

In the auto industry and other manufacturing businesses, there is usually a department within the manufacturing structure called Reliability, or something to that effect. The people in this department measure how dependable the company’s product is. Consumers want to buy products that are going to perform as expected and to last for a good, long time. So, the reliability people test their company’s products to see that the products work as intended, and that they keep working as the days pass. We like to get our money’s worth out of stuff!

Religious faith carries a certain reliability factor of its own. We want to “get our money’s worth” out of our religion, just like everything else. Because we give to the Church in a variety of ways, we expect a return on our investment. One of the things we give is a portion of our material wealth. Every Catholic church has a regular collection of money to cover the bills. We all know the Church is not immune to the high cost of living in the world. Recognizing that running a church takes a lot of money, most of us pitch in. There are still other means of church support aside from helping to pay the air-conditioning and heating bill. We send financial aid to the missions. We donate gently-used clothing and household items for reuse. We drop a few dollars in an envelope for one of the many diverse needs of the local and global Church. 

But there is another level of giving that outshines worldly donations.

Our financial investment in the Catholic Church ultimately pales in comparison to the personal investment we offer on behalf of our Faith. Here, we are talking about putting our very souls on the line. We are sticking ourselves out there in a very vulnerable way. Not only are we trying to live according to the rules of our Catholic faith, we are also doing our best to promote the goodness of it to others. We would ideally like to see everyone in the Church.

With our own eternal well-being in mind, as well as that of others, we need some assurance that we are on the right track in the practice of our Faith. We need a reliability department! The only thing is, we cannot test religion the same we way we test an automobile engine, or set of windshield wipers, or a computer keyboard. Religion doesn’t respond to physical stress testing. Yet, we do have a way to know if it works. The way is called historical experience.

The age-old record of the Catholic Church is a particularly convincing indicator that we who practice the Faith are on the right track. 

As much as the adversaries of Catholicism like to focus on the flaws and failures of the Church, the fact that the Church even continues to exist today is remarkable evidence that we are indeed the Church founded by Christ – and that we are doing the work he wants done. Our mere survival was marveled at by people like St. John Chrysostom as early as the 4th century. He points out the near absurdity that twelve men like the Apostles would have been able to guide an institution like the Catholic Church. The Apostles were common, uneducated men: fishermen, a political operative, a tax collector, men of no wealth or notable social power. Yet, they began a universal Church, presently claiming over 1.3 billion members. The Apostles carried on this project under the direction of a charismatic Teacher who ended up crucified by the Roman authorities. Upon Jesus’ impending death, all of the Apostles except John, abandoned him.

St. John Chrysostom relates in his writings that only if Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead, and empowered these frail men, could they have been effective founders of Catholicism through Christ. Any other explanation would be irrational and absurd. Who in his right mind would preach, and ultimately be murdered, for trying to implement the wild dreams of a dead man who claimed to be the Son of God? Indeed, during Christ’s earlier ministry, Gamaliel, a Pharisee, prophetically told the Jewish leaders regarding Jesus and his followers: “I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5: 38-39). Yes, fighting against God.

No one has been, or will be, able to destroy the Church, because it comes from God through Christ. It is Christ himself who transformed a ragtag group of bumbling Apostles into a glorious union of brilliant religious leaders by the working of the Holy Spirit. That same Holy Spirit continues to work in the Church today. He works by making weak, broken human beings strong through our submission to him. St. Paul’s claim that “when I am weak, it is then that I am strong,” continues to be lived out in each of us today. Throughout the history of the Church, God has raised up unlikely men and women to bear fruit in seemingly dead circumstances. Just as the murder of God on the cross brought about the salvation of every man, woman, and child in human history, so is our weakness and suffering transformed, miraculously, into victory in Christ Jesus. For this to happen requires only that we get out of God’s way by simply being his children and doing what he commands us through Jesus.

Jesus has established a Church, our Catholic Church, that is reliable beyond imagination. 

But we cannot feel confident in our Faith by doing human testing on it. We can’t ‘kick the Church’s tires’. We must open our eyes to the ways God has revealed himself through the people and Sacramental life of the Church throughout time. To see clearly, we need to shield ourselves and our loved ones from the glittering distractions of the world that pull us from Jesus’ truth. Our Faith is rock-solid. Take time to look at the two-thousand years of extraordinary evidence.

Blessings in Christ,

Fr. Bob

rvoiland@sjascs.org

18) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

Coping With Major Losses: 4 Practical Tips from Fr. Mike

Have you ever faced a major loss, whether it’s a relationship, your status, or even your health?

In this video, we explore the 4 typical responses people have when dealing with significant loss. Fr. Mike introduces the “4 Rs: Restore, Replace, Redesign, Relinquish.”

He explains that while there is no right or wrong approach, understanding these responses can help you determine which one suits your situation best. Familiarizing yourself with the “4 Rs” will guide you through the process of dealing with loss and finding healing.

19) Words on the Word: September 1, 2024 - Do Something!

What to do, what to do?

It can sound like an urgent call to action, an emergency. But in the day-to-day patterns of our lives, it can also be a simple and all-to-common question: On which things, exactly, should we be spending our time?

The possibilities, to be sure, are seemingly endless. But the choices we make about the things we do can have a significant impact on our health. A website that collates important research reported a few weeks ago on a new study that found having a sense of purpose to our lives – or a lack thereof – can have an impact on cognitive well-being.

“Our findings indicate that personal growth and purpose in life may be more cognitively demanding than other components of wellbeing, and therefore may serve as more sensitive indicators of cognitive aging,” the researchers were quoted as saying.

In other words, things like feeling accepted and in control of our environment, and having a sense of autonomy, among other things, are important for psychological well-being, but growth and purpose seem to be even more important.

Which brings the focus back to the priorities and activities we choose to pursue. St. James has poignant advice for his readers in today’s second reading.

“Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls,” he writes. “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

And so the marching orders are clear: get out that and do something – something worthwhile and helpful to others, something that shows God’s love in their lives, manifested in you!

© 2024 Words on the Word

20) 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.



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!

A Reason For Hope: The Truth About Down Syndrome

Hosted by Life Issues Institute President Brad Mattes, this video highlights the beautiful, happy lives of those with Down syndrome. Over two-thirds of parents who face a prenatal diagnosis opt for abortion, as babies with disabilities are preyed upon by the abortion industry. These babies deserve legislation that will protect them. Shauna Amick joins us to share the story of her daughter, Sarah Hope, who has Down syndrome. Utah State Representative Karianne Lisonbee shares her experience enacting a Utah law to protect these lives. Attorney Amanda Stirone weighs in with a legal perspective and explains the importance of this legislation, and lobbyist Katie Shaw shares how she and others with Down syndrome should be respected just like anyone. The program will educate, motivate, and serve those touched by individuals with Down syndrome.

22) 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.

23) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, September 2, 2024, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: Elaine Henwick

Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (White)

7:00 am: Special Intentions for the Family of Tina Calisi

Wednesday, September 4, 2024, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: Eileen Tabbert 

6:00 pm: Stephen and Nancy Fattore

Thursday, September 5, 2024, Weekday (Green) 

7:00 am: Elizabeth Sunga

Friday, September 6, 2024, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: Violet Pare

Saturday, September 7, 2024, Vigil for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

4:00 pm: Bonnie Batche, Madeline Intravaia, Thomas Benoit, Dennis Lex, Marie Ann Easley, and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, Robert Varrasse, Tom & Diana Ziolkowski, Alison Reslow, Marco Julian Moro, and Prayerful Appreciation for the Priest and Staff of St. Joan of Arc

6:00 pm: Joseph & Florence Semany

Sunday, September 8, 2024, Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

8:00 am: The Intentions of SJA Parishioners

10:00 am: Carmella & Emilio Fazi

12:00 pm: Regina deLeon, Kenneth Choike, Louisa Sarra, Nicholas Rafaill, Diane Rozewski, Anthony Chrzanowski and Special Intentions for Alison Reslow and Marco Julian Moro

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

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (September 2)

7:00 AM - Mass

Tuesday (September 3):

7:00 AM - Mass

8:30 AM - School Mass

Wednesday (September 4):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (September 5):

7:00 AM- Mass

7:00 PM - Holy Hour



Friday (September 6):

7:00 AM - Mass

Saturday (September 7):

12:30 PM - Baptism of Tristan J. Gilstad

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (September 8):

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.

25) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin

Click on the image below

to download a copy of the bulletin

for September 1, 2024

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.



27) Detroit Catholic