Week of September 15, 2024

1) Donate to Crossroads TODAY

2) Scriptural Foundations for Catholic Leadership - STARTS Wednesday

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

4) Faith Formation Registration

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

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

7) SJA's Youth Group Meeting

8) CSA Update

If you have not yet given to this year's CSA, please do so soon. We still need to raise $8,199 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!

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

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

Get a $250 Discount Through Septemb

11) St. Anne Parish's (Fr. Adam's New Parish) Sausage Festival

12) Pregnancy Aid Detroit Gala

13) SVDP's 17th Annual Friends Walk

14) 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.

15) Holy Hour on Thursdays

16) This Sunday's Readings: September 15, 2024 - the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

17) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins

What does it mean to be Christian?"

In this week's Encountering the Word video for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jeff Cavins asks "What does it mean to be Christian?"

First Reading: Isaiah 50:5-9a

Responsorial Psalm: 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 

Second Reading: James 2: 14-18

Alleluia: Galatians 6:14 

Gospel: Mark 8:27-35 

18) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon

Faith Without Works Is Dead



Friends, “fools rush in where angels fear to tread”—and this week, I am going to go once more into the issue of faith and works, which has been dividing Western Christianity since the Reformation. Our second reading from the Letter of James is a key text on this issue, and its metaphor of healing—together with Paul’s forensic metaphor—orient us to the Catholic view of justification.

19) 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.

20) 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.

21) TALLer Tales

It’s ALL about the Hair: One thing I’ve learned from having all sisters is that you have to be VERY careful about how or when you say ANYTHING about their hair. Those basic lessons have helped me through life!

But let’s cut to the chase: if you’re a guy and saying anything, you’re in trouble; if you say nothing, you’re in trouble. I have learned that keeping your mouth shut is far easier than saying anything. Being silent is the easier option! 

I’ve also learned the hard way lately that I have to keep my facial expressions under control, too. Unfortunately, however, there are those times when I may have remained silent, but my facial expression or look got me in trouble. I’ve just accepted that it’s always a no-win situation for us men!

But why can women say whatever they want to other women about their hair, and they NEVER get in trouble? It’s just one of those mysteries of life! I can’t tell you how many times at larger family gatherings or even functions around the Parish Center or Parish, where I might overhear some ladies talking to each other about the hair or latest clothes they are wearing and thought to myself, “If I ever said that I would be dead and buried on the spot.”

At the end of the school year last June (and I have permission to write about this one), one of our more extremely introverted (NOT) school parents and Door Keeper Ministers at the Sunday 10 AM Mass, whose name “might” happen to be Patty, went a few weeks with different color hair streaks. Even as I type, I know I will get in trouble because I’m sure I’m not using the proper hair terminology here. What do I know?

My sister Jackie was very observant and got into a conversation with Patty one day about her ever-changing hair color those few weeks. Jackie started the discussion by asking, “I thought your hair was purple last week.” Patty responded, “It was.” With a tilt of her eyebrow and head in confusion, Jackie asked, “Now it’s blue?” Patty replied, “YES! And next week, it will be yellow.” To which Jackie replied, “WOW. That’s cool. I didn’t know they made mood-changing hair coloring. That’s pretty cool.” Of course, Patty burst out laughing and just shook her head. “NO, Jackie, they don’t make mood-changing hair coloring. I just keep changing it.”

Then Patty said to Jackie, “I’ve been waiting for your brother to say something about it.” Believe me, I was tempted MANY times to ask or say something, but my Guardian Angels were all SHOUTING in my ear each time, “SAY. NOTHING. And control those facial expressions.” Thankfully, I listened and did pretty well… THIS time!

Holy Hours on Thursdays: Not too long ago, I was conversing with one of our parishioners who recently started working for the Archdiocese. He was telling me about an prayer experience he recently had at the Seminary Chapel where they were singing all kinds of songs while the Blessed Sacrament was in a Monstrance on the Altar. He was somewhat overwhelmed by the experience and couldn’t wait to tell me about it. He was then amazed to learn that we do something similar at SJA EVERY Thursday night.

I’m always amazed at how many people share the same sentiments. They may be young adults, middle-aged or seniors who came across a Holy Hour or time for adoration at a parish event or retreat and are overwhelmed by the whole experience, only to find out that Holy Hours and time for adoration are very common in the life of the Church and a parish!

Our Holy Hours happen on Thursday evenings from 7:00 – 8:00 PM. Our new structure for Holy Hours is that the first 40 minutes are filled with Praise and Worship music. The last 20 minutes are silent, allowing people time to pray a rosary or read a few pages of whatever spiritual book they might be reading. The quiet and reflective prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, whether in song or silence, offers an intimate encounter with Jesus, fostering spiritual growth and transformation.

For many, Eucharistic Adoration is a life-changing experience. The quiet time spent in adoration allows people to disconnect from the busyness of daily life and connect deeply with God. This sacred time can lead to profound personal insights, spiritual healing, and renewed peace. Many who regularly attend adoration often speak about feeling a stronger connection to their faith and a greater sense of purpose in their lives.

In my Sunday email (both last weekend and this weekend), directly below the invitation to attend our Thursday Holy Hours, I posted a video by Father Mike Schmitz titled, “What Really Happens When we Adore Jesus” (if you don’t receive my Sunday Email Updates, you can get a web version of the email by clicking the link in the NEWS section on the home page of our Parish Website: stjoan.church). The video includes a quick clip from a formation program he helped with for children preparing for confession and first Eucharist. The clip Fr. Mike included in his video talked about Eucharistic Adoration and what happens during this sacred time. While it was meant for children, everyone can learn something from it! The clip is VERY moving and one that I plan to show at Mass soon to encourage more people to take the time to participate in Eucharist Adoration whether here at SJA on Thursdays at 7 PM or elsewhere. I encourage you to watch the video!

Eucharistic Adoration offers a unique opportunity for personal transformation and spiritual growth. By developing a habit of attending adoration, individuals can deepen their relationship with Jesus and experience the profound graces that flow from His Eucharistic presence. If you haven’t yet experienced Eucharistic Adoration, consider stopping by sometime on a Thursday at 7 PM. You don’t have to stay the whole hour. Just come for a few minutes and give it a try. You might find that it changes your life in ways you never imagined!

Traveling with Ms. Daisy: Well, folks, by the time you read this, I’ll be off on another adventure with my mom … a.k.a., Ms. Daisy. But this time, it’s not traveling with Daisy Lou; it’s on another cruise. We left on Thursday and flew to Montreal, where we boarded our ship. We spent the first two days touring Montreal and Quebec. From there, we will journey to Seguenay, Canada, and experience Canada’s famous fjord, traverse the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Gaspe Peninsula, then to Halifax, the Nova Scotia Coastline, and finally Boston and New York. We return on the 24th! It should be an incredible experience … and one filled with a “few” stories to tell!

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!

In Christ,

gmb@sjascs.org

22) Voiland's View

At one time or another, we have all had a song stuck in our head. No matter what we do, we just can’t shake it. It might be a song that we like, or it might be a song that we absolutely detest, but it won’t go away. It is not unheard of to wake from sleep with a line or phrase from a song playing in our mind. This phenomenon can be pleasant, exhausting, or seriously irritating. It can last for hours or drag on for days. For the most part, it is something in life that we just deal with.

What concerns me about this quirky aspect of being human is that it indicates a certain vulnerability in how our minds work. There is a lot going on inside us of which we are not aware. It’s as if we could have our minds hacked without knowing it. We are constantly thinking and doing, judging and making decisions, reacting or ignoring – often on autopilot. We are not truly zoned-in to what we are doing. A song playing in our heads demonstrates this. The tune has been playing inconspicuously in the background until we suddenly realize it is there: “Ahhhh! That song won’t go away! My gosh, let’s move on!” Our mind seems to be working along, doing its own thing, until we finally “wake up” and realize what we have been up to.

So, “Who cares? What’s the big deal?” If this is just a random observation about the complexity of human behavior, why should it matter? Well, it matters because the song came from somewhere in order for us to recall it. We didn’t create it out of thin air. We heard the tune and it stuck. So, it should make us think, what else do we hear and see that also sticks with us?

We see and hear things every day that sink in and make an impression upon us. Maybe more often than not, we are completely unaware of how visual and audible stimuli affect us. Going back to the song-in-our-head issue, music strongly affects our emotions. A song can make us happy or sad, peaceful or agitated, joyous or angry, aroused or sedate, aggressive or laid back. If a tune keeps looping in our head that agitates us, we will be continually agitated. If we desire to stay free of negative emotions, there is something to be said for avoiding the things that stimulate those emotions. In other words, it might be a good idea to stay clear of “thrash metal” rock concerts if you want to stay mellow.

Be it going to a concert, or gazing upon the lake at sunset, our activities affect us. In a sense, we consume things in many ways besides eating and drinking. We essentially “drink in” our surroundings. Conversations we have, driving in traffic, sitting in the classroom, assisting at Mass, putting in a day’s work, even sleeping through the night, are all experiences that form us as human beings. We are virtually marinating in our daily experiences – and these experiences can’t help but soak in.

Being profoundly affected as we are by our social environment, it benefits us to be careful about our exposure to it. In the same way that many of us are concerned about eating healthy foods, we should be committed to keeping our hearts and souls fed well, too. We do this by monitoring and controlling what enters through our eyes and ears. It’s not an easy task.

Visual and audible noise crashes in on us constantly. From the time we get up in the morning until we collapse in bed at night, the sights and sounds keep coming. Family members move and talk around us. TV screens light up. Phones ding, ring, and ping. Websites flash and jabber. Traffic snarls. Schoolrooms bustle. Workplaces hum. Sporting events erupt. Radios rock. And we are in the midst of it all, sorting out the good from the bad.

Many of these things to which we are exposed come at us involuntarily. Yet, we also have choices to make along the way. Often, we have the option to tune things out. We have the freedom to turn away from images that negatively affect us. We can walk away from toxic conversations. We have an ability to protect ourselves from the world’s assaults on our moral sensibilities.

But, beyond that, we make personal, conscious decisions about what we will listen to or watch. This is where the challenge to “stay clean” gets tough. There is plenty of music, imagery, and talk available that might be attractive to us, but not good for us. It is the kind of stuff that we don’t need playing in our heads – over, and over, and over again. These sights and sounds that tickle our eyes and ears are “guilty pleasures” that are rightfully called guilty. They are not good for us. They even change us – because they have the potential to stick with us long-term – like a song in our head that just won’t go away.

What we do want cycling through our minds are positive vibes. We need to reinforce in ourselves what is truly good – so that we can actually be good. This calls for some proactive attentiveness. If we work at fending off offensive sights and sounds, we will be setting ourselves up for lasting success. On the other hand, if we let profane images, conversation, and music into our headspace, we are aiming for trouble down the road. It’s easy to go with our culture’s decadent flow. But, sadly, the flow has become more like a tidal wave of moral oppression that can suck the life out of us. 

Better to morally shield ourselves with wise decision-making early in the game, rather than do damage control after sliding in worldliness. Better to have Handel’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ playing in our heads, than the soundtrack from a bad B-movie!

Blessings!

Fr. Bob

rvoiland@sjascs.org

23) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz

Hopeless?

Are you feeling hopeless or helpless?

Fr. Mike offers insights on how to combat despair. If you feel like you’ve tried everything, see no way out, or think nothing matters, Fr. Mike reminds you of the true meaning of hope. He explains that we can always rely on God’s presence. Choosing hope means choosing to act with courage, even if that victory is as simple as getting out of bed.

Finally, he reminds us that one of the best ways to fight despair is to bring that hopelessness to God in Confession.

You are loved, you are valued, and you are absolutely irreplaceable. Our team at Ascension is thinking of you and praying for you. If you’re going through a difficult time or struggling with your mental health, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Talk to someone you trust or seek support from a professional. You can also call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (available 24/7).

24) Words on the Word: September 15, 2024 - Faith in Action

If all we as Christians needed to do was bow to God with an occasional prayer, it would be relatively easy. But we know that’s not enough.

Simply put, our faith asks us not only to talk the talk, but to walk the walk, as well.

We’re asked to reach out to our family, friends, and neighbors. We’re asked to love others as we love ourselves.

The Detroit News reported a few weeks ago on a situation in Center Line in which a resident was facing legal proceedings for hoarding; the city manager called it “a pretty grave hoarding situation” in the story.

And while there were the usual, and understandable, complaints from neighbors about the situation, there also was an outpouring of love from members of the woman’s church and from the community. Volunteers helped clean up the situation, bagging trash and sorting items to be donated.

“Multitudes from our church showed up and just surrounded her with love and help and assistance,” the church’s pastor was quoted in the story as saying, “because that’s what we’re called to do – to be a blessing.”

Indeed, we are. We’re called to put our faith into action. Not just to say with our words that we love our neighbors, but to show it with our actions. 

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” St. James asks in today’s second reading. “Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?

“So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Our call to action, then, is to get to work!

© 2024 Words on the Word

25) 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.



26) 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 Hero on the Hudson

This episode of Everyday Heroes recounts the heroic actions of the Knight of Columbus and NY Waterway Captain Vincent Lombardi and his crew on the ferry Thomas Jefferson. In January 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing in the Hudson River. Captain Lombardi and his crew immediately moved to the downed airplane and, in a race against time, worked to rescue the passengers stranded on the aircraft’s wings.

27) 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.

28) Mass Intentions for the Week:

Monday, September 16, 2024, Saint Cornelius, Pope and Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr (Red)

7:00 am: Special Intention for Kevin & Barb Hendrick

Tuesday, September 17, 2024, Weekday, Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin & doctor of the Church (Green/White/White)

7:00 am: Deceased members of the Calisi Family who died in the month of September

Wednesday, September 18, 2024, Weekday (Green)

7:00 am: Mario & Ann Catalanotte

6:00 pm: Ken Darby

Thursday, September 19, 2024, Weekday, Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr (Green/Red)

7:00 am: Philip D’Agostino

Friday, September 20, 2024, Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest & Paul Chong Ha-sand & Companions, Martyrs (Red)

7:00 am: Pat Boehm

Saturday, September 21, 2024, Vigil for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

4:00 pm: Thomas Lucchese, Herbert Thelen, Martin Krall, Edward, Helen & Henry Blind, Bonnie Batche, Mr. & Mrs. Angelo Belloli, Roseann Coules, Joan Weber, Dr. Lori Karol, the deceased members of the VandenBoom Family, Thomas Benoit, Karen Rygiel, Mary Ann Easley, Nicholas Nehro, Mary Steele, Edward Rowady, Nancy Barkley and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family and Alison Reslow

6:00 pm: Mario & Ann Catalanotte

Sunday, September 22, 2024, Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

8:00 am: The Intentions of SJA Parishioners

10:00 am: Joseph Paluzzi Jr.

12:00 pm: Gerard Rogier, Leonard Mastay, Dennis Ackley, Mary & Frank Sesto, Madonna Calbone, Antoinette Calbone, Emily Kloenhamer, and Special Intentions for Ray Dinser and Alison Reslow

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

This week's LIVE Stream

Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:

Monday (September 16)

7:00 AM - Mass

10:00 AM - Funeral for William Rauch, Jr. (Read Obituary HERE)

5:30 PM - Baptism of Isla G. Kaczay

Tuesday (September 17):

7:00 AM - Mass

8:30 AM - School Mass

Wednesday (September 18):

7:00 AM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Thursday (September 19):

7:00 AM- Mass

7:00 PM - Holy Hour



Friday (September 20):

7:00 AM - Mass

Saturday (September 21):

4:00 PM - Mass

6:00 PM - Mass

Sunday (September 22):

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.

30) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin

Click on the image below

to download a copy of the bulletin

for September 15, 2024

31) 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.



32) Detroit Catholic