On Tuesday, September 29, our 6:30 evening Mass, will celebrate the feast of the Archangels. This is the day the Michaelite Congregation to which Fr. Tom and I belong, will begin its Centennial Year. This is a special day for the Michaelite Fathers (C.S.M.A.), as we celebrate our patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel. C.S.M.A. stands for the Congregation of St. Michael the Archangel. Say a prayer for us and the members of our community to be good followers of St. Michael and good priests according to God’s heart. Thank you for all your generous donations to the cause of our community, especially our seminary.
Two weeks ago, David Troiano, Ron Kotz, Dan Piepszowski, and Mark Fikany met to discuss how our Music Ministry can more engaging in our fall celebrations. Beginning Sunday, September 27, additional music will complement our services. Limited choir members will return to the 9:00 am Mass. At 4:00 pm and 11:00 am a cantor will accompany the organ/piano. We will also resume the Sunday 5:00 pm Mass on September 27.
Children’s Faith Formation: Classes will begin on October 4. If you have not registered your child or children, please do so today. I would like to order materials by tomorrow, September 21, so we have them here by our start date.
Have you considered that this time of challenge and uncertainty could possibly be the Church in Detroit’s finest hour? This is a time for our parishes and communities to do what we do best: rise up. In southeast Michigan, we are no strangers to challenges,and we, with the grace and love of God, have always been resilient, rising from the ashes and overcoming these trials.
It’s been two months since we returned to the church for services. I am happy to be able to sit in the pews again with other parishioners, but just like everywhere else I go these days, it is a little bit different…
During these days of COVID-19, we all must learn to “think outside of the box” to get the job done. In this case, two area soup kitchens are going to the carry out box to meet the needs of their guests.
On Monday, July 27, everyone in our parish database who has a valid email address or valid cell phone number will be imported to Evangelus, our new communication system. Evangelus will not replace other forms of communication. It is being added to help modernize communication, utilize technology and give you control over how you want to stay connected to the parish.
Faith Communities Census Weekend of Action begins on Friday, July 24, 2020. Shape the future! Fill out the 2020 Census. Over the next 10 years, data from the 2020 Census will inform the distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds each year that support education, health care, emergency services, housing and food assistance, and more.
Many of us go to the cemetery in the springtime to clean the graves of our loved ones and say a prayer. Some parishes participate in a custom known as Cemetery Sunday. It provides us an opportunity to come together on a designated date at the cemetery and pray collectively for those who have gone before us. This year, St. Clare will continue this tradition on Sunday, August 9 at 3 p.m., the Hour of Divine Mercy, at Resurrection Cemetery. Mark your calendar for this date and join us.
Thank you for your patience and generosity through these unusual times. The fiscal year budget for 2020/2021 reflects St. Clare’s uncertainty of our Community’s future in relation to government regulation and St. Clare’s best efforts to keep our parishioners and employees safe. The budget is driven by guidance from the Archdiocese of Detroit and estimates based on the second quarter of 2020.
The first week of July have significant holidays that commemorate the birth of two nations, USA and Canada. This week let us remember both countries in our prayers for peace and continued friendship; that Americans and Canadians strive to be the witness to Christ in their countries and the world. That they continue to work to influence their governments to act from a place that reflects Christian principles and attitudes, and that we pray and work for justice and peace in our countries and throughout the world. Join us for Mass on these days; Wednesday, July 1, at 8 am and a special celebration on Saturday, July 4, at 8 am.
We have now had four weeks of services and our parish offices have reopened with limited hours. As I mentioned at the onset of the openings, we would be reviewing our protocols and make adjustments to fit the needs of the parish. Initial requirements to limit our seating capacity at Mass to 25% has been increased to 50% seating. Our regular weekend Mass schedule can very easily accommodate this change and the needs of the parish. Therefore, starting with the July 4 weekend we will discontinue the Saturday 6 pm Mass. I want to express my gratitude to all ministers for their willingness to support this additional service. Established protocols regarding social distancing, cleaning and the wearing of facemasks in the church and parish offices remain in effect. We thank you for your compliance with these safety measures.
Our own Sacred Heart Major Seminary is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year. This event certainly calls to give thanks and to celebrate. So, the Seminary and Archdiocesan family invites everyone to join in on June 26, 2020 for the Archbishop’s Gala online! As usual, there will be: remarks from Archbishop Vigneron, the Rector will provide a State of the Seminary report, raffle tickets, and much more. The event is free of charge. Please visit archbishopsgala.com for more information.
BIG NEWS: Our summer small groups will begin this week on June 17. Please email faithformation@stclarem.org if you would like to be part of a small group for sharing. You will need access to the internet for the video and Zoom for the sharing. The program will be four Wednesdays; June 17 and 24 and July 1 and 8 beginning at 7:15 and ending about 8:30. For the summer we have placed our Adult Faith Formation activities on Wednesdays because Adoration and Evening Mass are on Thursdays.
One of the blessings that grew from the pandemic was the shared daily prayer. We rallied around the Lord and his Mother in prayer when we could not come together as a parish community. We prayed the Angelus and later Regina Coeli at noon, we prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily at the hour of mercy, and we prayed the Rosary in the evening. We meditated during Adorations, walked the Stations of the Cross. We celebrated Mass with the school every Wednesday and Sunday Masses every weekend. What a blessing it was to pray together. What a blessing it was to enter your home via livestream on Facebook and be with you during this difficult time, providing a sense of community, and mutual support. I am very grateful to each of you for your participation, prayers, care and support. It lifted me up, I hope it did the same for you. As we open our church for the liturgical celebrations, devotions and return to business, daily prayers of Angelus, Divine Mercy and Rosary will discontinue. Beginning on June 18 the Rosary will continue to be prayed temporally via Facebook once a week on Thursday evening at 8:30 pm. Everyone is invited to participate.
The season of Easter is over but the commission of evangelization continues on as we live out the Paschal Mystery (dying and rising). We return to Ordinary Time – although nothing is ordinary anymore. We see and experience the pandemic and its fallout; demonstrations and rioting in our cities stuns us; Pentecost Sunday the Archbishop’s announcement challenges us to go deeper in our understanding of the Church and its role in today’s society. In all of this we are invited to look for and see the big picture of the public life and ministry of Christ given to us by the evangelist rather than seeing only one aspect of His life (birth, suffering, death and resurrection). We will use the Gospel of Matthew to guide us, and we will follow.
Welcome to each of you! As we come together for the celebration of Mass this weekend, we rejoice and give thanks to God. It is our own Pentecost too – the doors are open, and we are mandated to go to proclaim the goodness of the Lord and give our hands and hearts to join the work of the Holy Spirit in renewing the face of the earth. This Pentecost even though it is joyful, at the same time, it is also challenging. This physical proclamation due to the pandemic calls for extra precaution.
Many blessings for this beautiful Easter Season. We need to continue to rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus despite the pandemic, social distancing and the closed churches. Remember the Resurrection celebrates that Jesus is alive and well and lives among us. Hopefully you are celebrating the “Domestic Church” which is the sacred place of your home with your family. Please make this time a holy time along with a great family encounter. Since May is in full bloom, I suggest that you and your family make a “May Altar” with a statue of Mary, perhaps some flowers, a cross, and a Bible. Take a picture so we can put them in the bulletin
Bonanza 2020 is sold out. No further tickets can be accepted. Please return all unsold tickets to the Parish office or destroy them. Thank you to all for the incredible support received during this trying time.
It is fitting that during this month of May – month of Mary, the mother of Jesus – that we celebrate our earthly mothers. With physical distancing it will be difficult to celebrate this day the “old fashioned way”. Perhaps, you can join our Facebook evening Rosary? How about as a family help me lead the prayer with others during one of the days of our novena? On this special day we remember our mothers. We thank them, we pray for them, we admire them, and we love them. Here is a wonderful poem in their honor: A Mother's Love - Your arms were always open when I needed a hug. Your Heart understood when I needed a friend. Your gentle eyes were stern when I needed a lesson. Your strength and love has guided me and given me wings to fly. Thank you, Mom.