Week of September 24, 2023 | |
1) Walking with Purpose - Women's Bible Study | |
2) Medicare Presentations | |
3) Feast Day of St. Faustina Celebration | |
4) Faith Formation Registration | |
5) Center for Exceptional Children | |
6) St. Vincent De Paul Clothing Drive - October 7 & 8 | |
7) CSA Update as of September 24, 2023 | |
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I am grateful to those who have already contributed to CSA 2023. I am happy to report that we exceeded our goal. We currently have $217,527 in pledges and gifts toward our $208,946 goal ($176,604 has been paid thus far toward our total pledged amount).
This amount represents gifts from 586 families (we have 3,296 families registered, which gives us a 18% participation rate thus far). We have achieved 104% of our goal! THANK YOU!
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Here is a breakdown by gift range:
$2,500+ (13)
$1,000+ (35)
$500+ (45)
$250+ (98)
$100+ (248)
$75+ (8)
$50+ (70)
$25+ (47)
$10+ (19)
$1+ (3)
As stated above, the easiest way to give is electronically by clicking on the button below. If you wish to give by check, feel free to contact the Parish Center, and we will mail out an envelope and related material. Generic pledge cards can also be found on the bookcase of the Gathering Space.
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8) Interested in becoming Catholic? Do you need to complete your sacraments of initiation? Join the next OCIA class! | |
9) Wednesday Evening Confessions and Mass | |
Please remember that we will continue our Wednesday evening confessions and Mass.
Confessions will be heard from 5:00 until 5:45 PM in the Sr. Carol Center, and then Mass will be celebrated at 6:00 PM. For those who may be interested in knowing, the Wednesday evening Mass is in the daily mass format, that is, with no music. So, it is usually only about 30 minutes in length.
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10) Holy Hours on Thursdays | |
11) Ascension's Bible and Catechism App | |
It's Here: The Bible & Catechism App!
The word of God and the complete teachings of the Catholic Church. Answers and commentary by Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins, and other experts. Video, audio, and textual commentary. Right on your phone.
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The Ascension App Includes:
The full text of the Great Adventure Catholic Bible with color coding interwoven throughout so you can immediately recognize where you are in the story of salvation history.
The full text of the Catechism of the Catholic Church with The Foundations of Faith color-coding built in.
Every episode of Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz for easy access and cross-referencing with your reading plan and Scripture.
Every released episode of the Catechism in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz so you can easily stay on top of your daily readings.
Summaries, the exact wording of Fr. Mike’s daily prayers, and extra content for every single episode of Bible in a Year.
Over 1,000 commonly asked questions about the Bible with answers right in the text from experts like Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jeff Cavins, and others.
An interactive reading plan for both podcasts that tracks your progress.
Notes and bookmarks so you can quickly pick up where you left off and write down your reflections and prayers along the way.
…And we're just getting started. More to be announced soon!
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12) This Sunday's Readings: September 24, 2023, 2023 - The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time | |
13) Sunday Reflections by Jeff Cavins | |
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“Be Thankful for God's Generosity” + The Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In this week’s Encountering the Word video for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jeff Cavins reflects upon the parable of the laborers in the vineyard and discusses how God’s ways are not our ways. The readings are:
First Reading: Isaiah 55:6-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Second Reading: Philemon 1:20C-24, 27A
Alleluia: cf. Acts 16:14B
Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16A
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14) Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon | |
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How NOT to Think About Heaven
Friends, the parable at the heart of our Gospel today from Matthew 20 is one of those passages in the New Testament that really bothers people. It proves that this parable is not just conveying correct information about God; it is reaching into our souls and doing spiritual work, shining light upon a certain darkness in us that resists him. And in this case, the darkness is a false view of what heaven is all about.
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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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16) Giving to SJA:
I'm truly grateful for all of 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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17) This Week's Edition of TALLER Tales | |
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Cruisin’ with Mom (Part NINE): For the last several weeks, I have been sharing about my trip with my mom on board the Viking Octantis for a Great Lakes Cruise. Our journey began in Toronto, and from there, we traversed the Welland Canal Locks and made stops in Port Colborne, Point Pelee, Detroit, Alpena, Mackinac Island, and finally, Milwaukee.
As I write this part of Cruisin’ with Mom, I can’t help but recall my conversations with a few people about my recent travel logs! One person, for example, stopped me after mass last weekend and asked whether I ever found out what all those barrels were for that I wrote about. The dad said, “You mean you didn’t go and investigate? You left us hanging!” I laughed, shrugged, and said, “I had cookies in my hand … I was more interested in investigating how many chocolate chips were in each cookie than investigating a bunch of barrels!”
Then, I had another conversation with someone at Father Rich’s mom’s funeral. For the sake of this story, let’s say some call him “Morty,” “Big Daddy, or just Dave. He was laughing with me and concurring with other parishioners who said I’ve left some people hanging by not providing the ending to some of my stories from the cruise. Then he said, “Good heavens, you’ve already stretched this out over eight weeks; how many more weeks will it take? Why not just do it all in one column and call it a day so you wouldn’t have to keep repeating that first paragraph every weekend.” “Wow,” I thought, “He is rather observant and paying attention! I’m impressed.” I also laughed because I still have three more stops to write about, and this could go on for another few weeks! So sit back and relax, Morty!
Now, where was I? After getting those empty barrels on board, we finally got underway and began the journey up Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River toward our next stop in Alpena. My next exciting “stop” was passing by some friends’ home in Cottrellville Township on the St. Clair River.
Once we finally got underway and nudged our way into the St. Clair River channel, I kept calling our friends to get an ETA for when we would pass their house. Eventually, we determined we would pass their home around dinnertime. I kept looking for their deck but couldn’t see that far. I called one of my friends again and asked how in the world I would know what house I was looking for if I couldn’t see that far. Then John said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make it easy.” He then pushed his air horn, which I heard on my phone and from their deck. “Well, that was easy,” I said with a laugh.
It was time to settle in for dinner, grab some more cookies, and then head back to our room for the night as we continued our journey to Alpena.
We anchored outside of Alpena shortly after eating breakfast the following morning. We weren’t going on any excursions because I made arrangements ahead of time to meet a friend who lives in Alpena. The plan was to meet at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. He met us as planned, and we walked over to downtown Alpena. As we walked, we heard about the Catholic Church’s history in Alpena and his family’s history, too! What a quaint little town. We had a fabulous lunch at the Fresh Palate and then walked to an art gallery called “Art in the Loft.” My mom was in her glory walking through this little art gallery and shop. We then headed to “My Glass Wings Stained Glass Center,” owned by one of his friends. My mom had her eyes on items for the Gala throughout our journey, and she bought a couple of items for the Gala while we were at My Glass Wings.
After shopping, we grabbed some ice cream and entertained some people by showing them my mom’s fancy cart, and then we went to my friend’s house to get a tour of his home, garden, and some of his DIY projects. He then drove us back to the port as it was time to catch the last tender ride back to the ship at 5:00 p.m.
I was so grateful for his hospitality and all his time with us! Spending time in Alpena with someone who grew up there was a true bonus. It was another delightful stop on our Great Lakes Cruise!
Next stop: Mackinac Island!
The Funeral for Father Rich’s Mom: This past week, we celebrated the life and legacy of Sally Cabot, Father Rich’s mom! What a BEAUTIFUL two days in Manistee. What a celebration of life! I’m SO GRATEFUL for everyone who pulled together to pray for Father Rich and his sister Mary Lou and all those who helped make everything happen both in Manistee and here at SJA!
As Father Rich said when he started the funeral liturgy on Monday, the most challenging liturgy a priest ever has to celebrate is the funeral for his mom or dad! Father Rich did a phenomenal job! The rosary and scripture service the night before and the funeral liturgy on Monday morning were moving and filled with tons of love and support.
It was also so impressive to see all those who drove up to Manistee and those who gathered at SJA to watch the funeral in Church. There were about 100 or more people in Church, and I was told that people came dressed as if they were attending the funeral. And, with all of your prayers to every patron saint of technology, we pulled off all the streaming that needed to take place. AMEN! There were a few harrowing moments (which I will write about soon), but it all worked out extraordinarily well! As my mom said as we left Church, “THAT was a funeral liturgy fit for a true Queen.” It was indeed. Everything was absolutely beautiful.
While there were many touching moments, I wanted to write about one because it was unexpected. You need to know that Father Rich’s mom was actively involved at the local Manistee Catholic School. While they had some high schoolers present for the mass to form an honor guard, our funeral procession took a little detour to the school. All the schoolchildren were gathered outside in silence and with hands folded as the hearse and the funeral procession passed through the parking lot. You couldn’t help but be filled with tears seeing this final tribute from the schoolchildren. And as we continued our short journey to the cemetery, every car on the opposite side of the road stopped until the funeral hearse passed by. It was a beautiful final tribute to Father Rich’s mom.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon her!
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Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers!
In Christ,
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Click on the images below to watch the Scripture Service and/or Funeral for Father Rich's Mom:
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18) Gala 2023: Save the Date - October 21, 2023 | |
19) St. Vincent de Paul's 16th Annual Friends Walk | |
20) Ascension Presents: Father Mike Schmitz | |
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How Do I Know If I’ve Actually Encountered Jesus
How do you know you’ve had an encounter with God? Sometimes it’s hard to tell, especially if you were raised Catholic.
Today, Fr. Mike shares his own conversion story, and encourages us to think of the time or a season where you made the decision to devote your life to God. Because Jesus was there in that time, even if you didn’t realize it.
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21) Words on the Word: September 24, 2023 - On the Job!
Unless the job is lifeguard, nobody has ever mistaken work for a day at the beach. There’s a reason they call it work, after all.
Anyone who has ever worked for a living, and that means just about everyone at some point, has experienced obstacles, challenges, difficulties and even, at times, a lack of fairness.
That’s as true for custodians as it is for attorneys; as true for accountants as it is for professors; as true for those who work on highway construction as it is for professional entertainers.
A recent article in Rolling Stone magazine provided a behind-the-scenes look at the hardships faced by many employees at a well-known late-night talk show. The staffers discussed how unfair, condescending and belligerent the host of the show can be. Included in the story were details on some of the physical and emotional scars many current and former employees bear as a result.
The details, alas, are probably similar for any number of employees at any number of jobs.
It’s similar, in a way, to the perceived injustice faced by the laborers described by Jesus in today’s gospel parable from St. Matthew.
“’These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat,’” Jesus indicates they told their employer.
The boss’ response: “”My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go.
“’Thus the last will be first, and the first will be last.’”
The bottom line is clear. Sometimes there is a true lack of fairness in the workplace and sometimes it may only be perceived. The same is true for life overall.
But keep the faith that, when it comes to the things that really matter, God is the boss. And he is always fair.
© 2023, Words on the Word
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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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24) Mass Intentions for the Week: | |
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Monday, September 25, 2023, Weekday (Green)
7:00 a.m., A Special Intention for Sr. Beverly Petke
Tuesday, September 26, 2023, Weekday, Saint Cosmos and Damian, Martyrs (Green/Red)
7:00 a.m., Pierre Zaranek
Wednesday, September 27, 2023, Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest (White)
7:00 a.m., Catherine Graebert
6:00 p.m., Margaret Stanley
Thursday, September 28, 2023, Weekday, Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr; Saint Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Green/Red/Red)
7:00 a.m., Hugo Calisi
Friday, September 29, 2023, Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels (White)
7:00 a.m., Earl Pare’
Saturday, September 30, 2023, Vigil of the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)
4:00 p.m., Bonnie Batche, Joseph Gielniak, Colleen Hemmen, Carolyn Casper, Thomas Egan, Angelina Calbone, Sicilia Grego and Special Intentions for the J. Champine Family, the Thomas Family, for Pepe Sandoval, Alison Reslow, and Pam Haisenleder.
6:00 p.m., Guiseppina Ciccone
Sunday, October 1, 2023, Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)
8:00 a.m., For the Intentions for St. Joan of Arc Parishioners
10:00 a.m., Jacalyn Maul
12:00 p.m., Norman Fortunate, C. Pat Walters, Juliette Zaranek, Michael Ciaramitaro, Joan Hardy, Feliciana King, Joseph Squillace, Kevin Collins, Emmett Quaine and Special Intentions for Alison Reslow and Pam Haisenleder
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25) 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 25)
7:00 AM - Mass
Tuesday (September 26):
7:00 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass
10:00 AM - Funeral for Rita Semelsberger (Read Obituary HERE)
Wednesday (September 27):
7:00 AM - Mass
6:00 PM - Mass
Thursday (September 28):
7:00 AM- Mass
7:00 PM - Holy Hour
Friday (September 29):
7:00 AM - Mass
Saturday (September 30):
1:00 PM - Wedding of Gina Munson and Connor Stennett
2:30 PM - Baptism of Jackson A. Eschenburg
4:00 PM - Mass
5:00 PM - Medicare Presentation
6:00 PM - Mass
Sunday (October 1):
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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26) SJA's Latest Parish Bulletin | |
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Click on the image below
to download a copy of the bulletin
for September 24, 2023
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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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Read the latest from the DETROIT CATHOLIC
Click on the image below.
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