Week of September 4, 2022 |
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This weekend we welcomed Bishop Bhagyaiah, the Bishop of Guntur, India to our parish for our annual Mission Appeal. Bishop Bhagyaiah presided and preached at all of our masses as part of our participation in the Annual Missionary Cooperation Plan.
Here is a little write-up the Diocese provided for me in anticipation of this weekend:
"Thanks for helping our missions. Your help and support towards our missionary cause will directly benefit the education of the orphan children and the missions of our diocese. Please do consider helping us and praying for our missions.
About 80% of the people in our diocese live in poverty and distress. Most of them are socially discriminated against. They live in huts. They are all struggling to survive, earning less than three dollars per day. The children of these families are deprived of their basic needs. To help these children (below the age of 14 years) we are running 61 Orphanages. About 2,000 children are residing and studying in these orphanages. The majority of these children don’t have parents. Some of them have lost one of their parents. Your help and support will go towards helping these orphan children.
We are also providing to the poorest of the poor families of our diocese drinking water facilities through bore-wells and water purifying machines. We also need to provide toilets to a good number of these poor families. Since we perform a large number of adult Baptisms every year the problem of providing places of worship (churches) is ever-growing. The Diocese has to build chapels and churches in a good number of villages of our diocese. Since they have no churches in some of the mission stations, the priests of these parishes gather the people in different houses to celebrate the Eucharist. As you know it is not an easy thing.
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You can well understand that all these programs are costing us enormous amounts of money. We are now going through a very difficult period due to a lack of funds and we are really struggling to maintain our diocese. At this time as a mission diocese, we are in need of your generous love and support to continue the missionary work in our diocese.
Bishop Bhagyaiah is very worried about the lack of funds available that are used to help with different projects such as helping orphan children, people who do not have toilets and drinking water facilities in their houses, Catholics who do not have chapels and churches in their villages, etc. Providing food and education to the orphan children in our orphanages is a big challenge for us at this time and is our essential project.
If you are interested in helping to support the Diocese of Guntur, please make an electronic gift by clicking the link below or write a check to SJA with the memo field: Missions. Special envelopes will be available for this purpose.
If you already have an OSV online account, please remember to sign in first (top right corner) or you can give as a guest.
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2) Want to become Catholic? Are you an Adult who Wants to be Baptized? A New RCIA Group is forming soon! |
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How Do I Become Catholic? Watch the Video Below!
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4) Faith Formation Registration is OPEN |
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5) Faith Formation Help Needed |
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6) SJA School Gala SAVE THE DATE Info |
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Dear Friends in Christ,
This year’s Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) theme comes from the First Letter of Peter: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10). It’s a call for hospitality and service, and to “let love for one another be intense.”
The Catholic Services Appeal is an opportunity to celebrate the ways our Church in Detroit responds to the material and spiritual needs of individuals and families. Our parish alone could not meet these many needs. It is through the sharing of our gifts and our service that we, together, can be the Church Christ wants us to be.
Would you consider making a gift to this year’s CSA?
Your generosity makes it possible for more than 170 ministries, services, and programs to love intensely and to bring the indescribable joy found in Christ to our communities.
Our CSA goal this year is $211,447. Anything raised above the goal will return to the parish, while any shortfalls must be covered by the parish. Thus, your support is greatly needed and appreciated.
You may have already received a mailing from the Archdiocese of Detroit. If you did so, please make a contribution to the CSA as indicated in that mailing.
You can also easily give by visiting: sja.aodcsa.org or by clicking on the button below.
Also available at the Church exists, in the bins outside the Sr. Carol Center, and at the Parish Center are general CSA brochures and envelopes that can be used to make a contribution to the CSA.
Assuring you of my prayers, I remain,
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Msgr. Mike
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8) CSA Update as of September 4, 2022 |
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I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2022. As of today, we have $181,095 in pledges and gifts toward our $211,447 goal ($155,426 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount). This amount represents gifts from 557 families (we have 3,335 families registered). We have thus achieved 85% of our goal!
Here is a breakdown by gift range:
$2,500+ (8)
$1,000+ (35)
$500+ (40)
$250+ (96)
$100+ (205)
$75+ (8)
$50+ (79)
$25+ (60)
$10+ (23)
$0+ (3)
As stated above, the easiest way to give is electronically by clicking on the button above. If you wish to give by check, feel free to contact the Parish Center and we will mail out an envelope and related material.
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9) Ukraine Relief Efforts |
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If you are interested in supporting the Catholic Church's relief efforts for the people of Ukraine, please click here to donate through our OSV Online Giving Platform. |
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10) This Sunday's Readings - September 4, 2022, The Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time |
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11) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins |
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Jeff Cavins reflects on the readings for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
First Reading: Wisdom 9:13
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
Second Reading: Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
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12) Bishop Barron's Reflection for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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Friends, there are a lot of people today who might be intrigued by Jesus. They find him interesting, remember him as a spiritual teacher, or have warm feelings about him. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus is saying to his fair-weather fans—those who are following him because he’s fascinating and charismatic—that being his disciple is not a walk in the park; it is something of supreme spiritual and moral importance. |
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13) Grow+Go for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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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 on the button or image below to download a PDF copy of this Sunday's Grow+Go.
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14) Giving to SJA:
I'm truly grateful for all of your support of SJA during this pandemic. Your support means so much. The increase in electronic giving has been tremendous. Giving electronically, whether on a one-time or recurring basis is pretty simple. For more information on online giving, please click on the following button.
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15) This Week's Edition of TALLer Tales |
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It’s Not Me: A couple of weeks ago, my mom and a good friend of hers, Carolyn, decided they would drive down to Saint Clair Shores to see me, and then we would go out to lunch. They weren’t necessarily coming to see me but rather wanted me to drive them around in my mom’s new vehicle (more on that in another bulletin article). The goal was for us to drive along Lakeshore and end up at one of the waterfront restaurants along Nautical Mile. It was a beautiful summer day, so driving along Lakeshore and having lunch at a waterfront restaurant was the perfect thing to do.
After the tour along Lakeshore Drive, I looked at my watch and realized I didn’t have enough time to sit through a whole lunch. And knowing these two, it wouldn’t be your typical lunch because they love to talk. So I announced we would go back to SJA first so I could get my car and drive myself over to the restaurant; this way, I could join them for an iced tea and some appetizers before leaving to get back to the Parish Center for my next meeting.
Then the tour began. We first started at Watermark Grille. I figured the deck would have been full simply because it was such a spectacular day. But, even if the deck was full, we could still have a table inside with a lovely view of the canal. Either way, I would have been content. When we got inside, we were told there was a 35-minute wait and that they were only seating guests on the deck; they were not sitting anyone inside this particular day. So, we returned to our cars and headed over to Brownie’s. After winding our way down the long path to Brownie’s, things didn’t look right; there were no cars in the lot. Of course, they were closed. So I took our little caravan, made the small little loop in Brownie’s driveway, and then headed back toward Jefferson. Once at the stop sign, I pulled out my phone and tried to come up with something for lunch on the water. Unfortunately, I was coming up short. My all-time favorite dinner hangout is Detroit’s Finest Coney Island on Jefferson, but since time was running short, I decided to go to someplace closer to SJA. So, I took my little caravan over to Shore’s Inn.
When we arrived at Shore’s Inn, I found two open parking spots next to each other, so I headed immediately over to those spots. I parked, got out of my car, and proceeded to help my mom and Carolyn out of my mom’s car. As I shut the driver’s side door of my mom’s car, I heard an engine running. I thought to myself, “OH. Good. Heavens. Mom’s car is still running. How embarrassing.” I figured they were yapping away, and my mom simply forgot to turn off her engine. Then with eyes rolling, I said, “MOM!!! Your car is STILL running!” She stopped her conversation with Carolyn and said, “My car isn’t running! I turned it off.” I’m sure she rolled her eyes too! She then returned to her conversation with Carolyn as if I had never interrupted her. Because I still heard an engine running, I didn’t necessarily believe her. So I peeked inside on the dashboard, expecting to see things still lit up, but everything was off. Now I was stumped because I STILL heard an engine running; it was loud and distinct. After closing her driver’s side door, I gulped. “WHAT. A. NINCOMPOOP,” I thought to myself. At this point, I could have given myself a facepalm. It was MY car that was still running! As we walked past my car, I quickly opened my door and pushed the switch to turn off my engine. I did all this hoping no one would notice I was the fool who got out of his car without turning off the engine. I think I accomplished the task because my mom never said another word about it even after we got seated in the restaurant Poor mom; she was right … again! I can’t wait to see what she says when she finishes reading this article!
The Spiritual Consequences of Living a Hurried, Busy Life (Part TWO): Last week, I began sharing some quotes and insights from an excellent article by Frank Powell several years ago entitled, “7 Spiritual Consequences of Living a Hurried, Busy Life.” The article was spot on regarding what happens to us when we live such busy lives. You will not be too surprised by his list.
1) A hurried life destroys your relationship with God. It’s no secret that building a relationship with God requires stillness, attentiveness, and what I consider to be the key to all prayer: silence. “Jesus frequently removed himself from the world. He spent time alone in prayer and solitude. And in these moments, Jesus received the strength to fulfill his mission, the confidence to continue his mission, and the wisdom to discern the ways of God from the ways of the world. Unless you spend extended periods of time alone with God through prayer, solitude and Sabbath, the speed of the world will skew your understanding of God. Anxiety, unrest and discontentment will hover over your life like a dark storm cloud. As Psalm 46:10 says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’”
Yes, when you look at the life of Jesus, no matter how busy he was, he ALWAYS took time for prayer and to build his relationship with the Father. Not only did he take time regularly to pray, but he also went off by himself to pray during all the critical times and actions in his life. We see examples of this from the very start of his public ministry. Following his baptism by John, Jesus went off into the desert to fast and pray and thus prepare himself for the temptations that the Evil one would start throwing at him. When he heard of the death of John the Baptist, he “withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself (Matt. 14:13).” After feeding the thousands, he dismissed them, sent the apostles off by boat, and then went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Saint Mark tells us (Mark 1:35), “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.”
Yes, prayer was an essential part of Jesus’ daily life. We need to follow his example. No matter how busy we are, how much is on our plate, or how many people are looking for us or have expectations for us, we need time to be still and sit in the quiet presence of God … even if it means rising very early before dawn and before the busyness of the day. It’s in that quietness that GOD speaks to US! Do you take time to be still with God? Do you take time to be in the presence of God in silence? Do you let God talk to you?
Labor Day Mass: How did Labor Day Weekend already sneak up on us? But here it is! Regarding Labor Day itself, we will still have our usual 7 AM Mass on Monday. However, you also can attend Mass at St. Lucy Parish at 9 AM with other parishioners from our parish, St. Lucy, Our Lady Star of the Sea, St. Basil, and St. Veronica Parishes. Please join us as we pray that the labor we undertake “may bring progress in this life and by [God’s] favor, advance the spread of the Kingdom of Christ (Collect, Mass for the Sanctification of Human Labor).”
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Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers.
In Christ,
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16) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc |
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Waste Not, Want Not: In the waning days of summer, I’ve been determined to spend time outdoors to enjoy the sun and do something practical. I like to build and create and use my hands. Garbage day is a big temptation—I see people throwing out furniture and I don’t need furniture, but I see it and think, “That’s made of wood!” And with the price of lumber these days, free wood is a bonus and a potential project and an excuse to build something.
Recently, I joined a Facebook group called “Building with Pallets.” It’s amazing what people have built just using pallet wood, which is usually pretty much junk wood. There are examples of entire buildings made from either whole pallets or cut-up pallets, some beautiful furniture and even entire kitchens. Some of the projects maintain the rustic look of the wood, complete with old nails and nail holes, and others put the boards through a planer and stain them to make them look amazing.
So this got me thinking—I could do that! I’m not going to build a building and I don’t have the tools to build beautiful furniture, but just to make something rustic-looking with old pallets… I could do that. Vern was kind enough to find me two pallets. And I made a discovery right away…. Pallets are like snowflakes—no two are alike apparently!
The difficulty is in removing the boards without splitting them since it’s such cheap wood, often already split when they’re made. The second pallet came apart in about an hour (after a YouTube video taught me a helpful technique), but the first one was a doozy! I didn’t count, but I’m guessing it took more than 3 hours over the course of two days! The nails on this pallet were pounded through the boards and half of each nail was then bent 90 degrees—there was no way I was prying the boards apart. So I turned to my Dremmel and put on a circular saw blade and started cutting the nails so I could pull them straight out. The burn marks on the wood only add to the character. But after a few minutes, I looked at the end of the Dremmel tool and there was no blade. I have a quick-release fitting that makes it easy to attach the saw blade and remove it, but at some point, unknown to me, the blade had taken advantage of that feature all on its own and departed the tool at 35,000 rpm! So fast I never saw it come off. I scoured the lawn and driveway. I decided it was either embedded in the wall of the parish center or it had made it through the fence and was stuck in a tree somewhere around Hazel Park. Anyway if you live west of the Church and you find it in your house wall, I’m sorry!
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Pallets in pieces, I also now had an idea of what I was going to build, but not before the next deconstruction project—15 conference room chairs from the Parish Center that had been replaced. Again, I saw the chance for free wood! But salvaging this oak in a useable way was another 6 hours of labor! Building was for another day.
What I ended-up creating were some planter boxes for my backyard. The best thing about building with rough pallet wood is that it’s never going to be precise, unless you finish the wood. Going rustic gives you the wiggle-room that means nothing has to be straight, nothing needs to match, nail holes make it better, color means nothing, cracks are okay, stamping marks on the wood are a bonus, and you can just make it up as you go along. That’s my kind of building! I hold-up one piece of wood in one hand and another in my other hand, put them together and imagine what might work. Then after building that piece, I figure out how to get it to fit the next part.
After all the deconstruction, I now had a bunch of different length and width pallet boards and a couple of 2x4s, and about 60 straight pieces of oak chair arms and legs. And this was the end result:
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Happy with what I had, I knew I needed more, but that was for another day. I was going to put in four small trees. But I would need more pallet wood, and as I thought about how much taking those apart had hurt my hands, I was mulling over just buying a couple more planters.
On Friday we had some new lunch tables arrive at school, late in the afternoon, so those of us on staff who were around helped move them into the lower hall. And then I heard the words… “Fr Andrew will take that pallet.” Thanks Dina! I hung my head. I thought I was done, but they just keep appearing!
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I guess I’m committed to making more planters now. Then Emily texted me and asked if I would make more for the School Gala. I hung my head again.
I guess in light of today’s Gospel, people are trying to keep me out of trouble:
“Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’”
I was just trying to enjoy the remaining summer weather. And THIS ... THIS is why we need more summer!
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You are in my prayers this week.
Fr. Andrew
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17) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz |
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This One Thing Makes Christianity Different From Every Other Religion
Is Jesus who He says He is? How do we know he's not a liar or a lunatic?
Today, Fr. Mike shares a story from his own life about a time when he was taking a class on world religions and their belief systems and how a quote from C.S. Lewis changed everything for him about how he came to understand who Jesus truly is.
We'll be doing things a little bit differently on Wednesdays for the next few weeks while Fr. Mike and Ascension work on the Catechism in a Year podcast. If you'd like to learn more about the podcast (and help support our work!) check out http://ascensionpress.com/ciy
(Today's video is an excerpt from "Belonging: Baptism in the Family of God." To learn more about this amazing resource visit: https://tinyurl.com/2gscjojo)
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18) Words on the Word: September 4, 2022 - The Right Road
It’s one of the hazards, in a sense, of living so close to an international border.
One minute you’re traveling through downtown Detroit on I-75, and the next you find yourself on an exit ramp heading onto the Ambassador Bridge.
Next stop: Canada.
The sign at the exit warns motorists that there is no re-entry to the United States, a warning that can be somewhat panic inducing.
It’s such a disconcerting feeling that the Detroit Free Press did a story a few weeks ago, using as the starting point another journalist’s recent Twitter post relaying the discomfort around the entire experience. The story noted that hundreds of people then posted variations of the same mistake.
When all is said and done, alas, it does not cause an international incident.
“Once it is clear that outbound travel was not intended, and the vehicle is determined to be clear of contraband, motorists are escorted from the area and free to resume travel…,” a Customs official told the Free Press.
Nevertheless, the story is a great reminder of the importance of making a careful travel plan and paying close attention along the way. And that, to be sure, is a good metaphor for our approach to the spiritual life, as well.
“Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?” Jesus asks in today’s gospel passage from St. Luke. “Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’”
The lesson is clear: Plan for and pay attention to every detail on the journey of life, lest one find himself on the wrong road.
© 2022, Words on the Word
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19) The Bible in a Year Podcast by Father Mike Schmitz |
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If you’ve struggled to read the Bible, this podcast is for you.
Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz and featuring Jeff Cavins, guides Catholics through the Bible in 365 daily episodes.
Each 20-25 minute episode includes:
- two to three scripture readings
- a reflection from Fr. Mike Schmitz
- and guided prayer to help you hear God’s voice in his Word.
Unlike any other Bible podcast, Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast for Catholics follows a reading plan inspired by the Great Adventure Bible Timeline® learning system, a groundbreaking approach to understanding Salvation History developed by renowned Catholic Bible teacher Jeff Cavins.
Tune in and live your daily life through the lens of God’s word!
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20) FORMED Pick of the Week: |
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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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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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22) Mass Intentions for the Week: |
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Monday, September 5, 2022, Weekday
7:00 a.m., Mark Brys and Joseph & Florence Semany
Tuesday, September 6, 2022, Weekday
7:00 a.m., Violet Pare and a Special Intention for the Mordovanakis Family
Wednesday, September 7, 2022, Weekday
7:00 a.m., John and Mary Lee George
Thursday, September 8, 2022, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mar
7:00 a.m., Josephine Zogby
Friday, September 9, 2022, Saint Peter Claver, Priest
7:00 a.m., Barbara Michalik and Catherine Reeb
Saturday, September 10, 2022, Vigil of the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
4:00 p.m., Salvatore & Cindy Urso, Bonnie Batche, Gabriel Nehro, Souraya Nehro-Moses, the deceased members of the Gore Family, Frank Nagy, Richard M. Barno, Dee Allor, Doreen Oster, Charles Weidenbach, Robert Schick, Anne & Anthony Zynel, Joseph Coughlin, Sam Caruso, Mark Grosfield, Mary Ryntz, Edwin & Delphine Staniszewski, the deceased members of the Huvaere & Kerby Families, and Special Intentions for the Pacini Family, for the J. Champine Family, for the Thomas Family
6:00 p.m., Jesse F. Champine
Sunday, September 11, 2022, Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8:00 a.m., For the Intentions of Saint Joan of Arc Parishioners
10:00 a.m., Thomas & Gladys Langlois
12:00 p.m., Martha Gray, Louisa Sarra, Robert Barnwell and Sam Ciaramitaro
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23) This Week on St. Joan of Arc LIVE: |
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This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
Monday (September 5):
7:00 AM - Mass
Tuesday (September 6):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass
Wednesday (September 7):
7:00 AM - Mass
Thursday (September 8):
7:00 AM - Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour
Friday (September 9):
7:00 AM - Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Thomas Kniaz
Saturday (September 10):
10:00 AM - Funeral for Ruth Guarino
12:30 PM - Baptism of Stella A. Martz
1:30 PM - Baptism of Holden C. Chwalek
4:00 PM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (September 11):
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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24) SJA's Bulletin for Sunday, September 4, 2022 |
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Click on the image below
to download a copy of the bulletin
for September 4, 2022
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25) Weekly Bulletin Mailing List |
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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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