Sacred Heart Chapel at Marygrove College Detroit

-A Year of Faith Journey- A pilgrimage to the Catholic worship spaces of Detroit

Sing to the Lord a new song

Sing to the Lord, praise his name

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High

Praise Him with trumpet sound

Praise Him with string and pipe

From the Psalms to the Acts of Apostles where Paul and Silas sing hymns of praise, the bible is filled with references to joyous song.
Acts of the Apostles
But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them

At Sacred Heart Chapel, the organ filled the worship space with layer upon layer of sound. It was music with no beginning or end, like the angels singing continuous praise around God's throne. Voices lifted praise towards heaven and mixed with sounds of the organ. It was a moment that plays out at Catholic churches the world over. And here in the Gothic style chapel it felt medieval, for a brief moment I closed my eyes and was transported to a soaring cathedral in old Europe. 

Catholicism is filled with song and music. The ancient church sang in times of happiness and in times of sorrow, just as we sing today and we bible mentions the angels singing praise to God.

Song is both heavenly and earthly and ties both places together. We join with the voices of Heaven and sing praise to God.

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My Year of Faith journey will continue!

Holy Family Church Detroit

"Increase our faith."-Luke

So often, like the apostles, we yearn for a deeper and stronger faith. Our world is full of violence, sadness, and loss that can erode faith. When a loved dies, when a child dies, and when war strips compassion from the earth we find reason to lose faith.

What will increase our faith? Perhaps a set of rules. Perhaps fasting or attending daily prayer service? Or certainly some sign from God, since surely it is God's responsibility to increase our faith.

Or is it our responsibility? And how do we measure faith? Maybe sometimes we need to lose faith in order to increase in faith.

On a rainy Sunday morning in downtown Detroit I pondered this homily message at Holy Family Church. All through the Latin Mass I struggled to keep up, always a few moments behind in the kneeling and standing. When it was time for the readings and homily I felt relief since it was back to English. 

Faith can be a struggle and the struggle is part of being Christian. We can follow all the rules, fast and pray and still struggle in faith. During the homily the priest explained that we must open ourselves to grace and open ourselves to God so that we may increase in faith.

And there lies the challenge.

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Saint Aloysius Detroit

Prayer Break.
During my Year of Faith journey I developed the habit of scheduling prayer breaks into my day. On my quest to visit the Catholic churches in Detroit I have come to know the locations and Mass times of churches near and far. So whether I am working or just running errands prayer breaks have become an important part of my day.

Some days I need of a prayer break because work doesn't want to stop. I relish the silence of  the church and then head back to work refreshed and calm. Prayer breaks give us perspective and a moment free from worry.

Some days I need a prayer break because I need to talk to a stranger. At Mass there is always the stranger ready to say "hello" or eager to chat for a minute or two. The gentleman standing outside who says a greeting as you enter. The parishioner eager to greet a new face and explain a bit of the church history. These interactions connect me to the world and I relish every one I have.

Some days I need a prayer break because I want to tell God "thank-you". Often, I take a prayer break just out of habit and find myself in the quiet of church suddenly thanking God for creation.

Take a prayer break. A prayer break doesn't have to be in a church. A quiet corner at work is perfect for a prayer break. Even taking that moment to say a silent prayer before eating lunch is a perfect prayer break. Taking a walk around the block can be a prayer break. I particularly like reciting the Glory Be as I walk.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.

I took a prayer break at St. Aloysius in downtown Detroit.  Their lunchtime Mass is something I really look forward to, especially when I have the time to walk along Washington Blvd. afterwards and reflect on the Graces of life. 

Our Lady of the Rosary - Detroit

 I have become used to seeing familiar faces on the church circuit in Detroit. There are many Christians that feel drawn to the sacred spaces of our faith. At Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary it was the priest that was the familiar face. He has been at three of the churches I visited and I know I will see him at others.

When we read about the priest shortage in a magazine or hear our pastor mention it during the homily we often just nod our heads and murmur that it's a real shame. Not until I kept meeting this priest at Mass did I realize that the shortage is real.

 We are all called to serve Jesus, though we are not all called to serve as priests.Christ called us to be active in our faith and Christ is very clear about this. Forgiving, helping, healing, housing, loving, listening; these are but a few of the actions that define us as Christians and these actions are how we serve Jesus and live the Kingdom.

It's up to us and God to decide just how we can best serve the church and serve the world. So ask God! Take a moment and pray. Take a moment and ask questions. Take a moment and listen. For the Holy Spirit will guide you.

St. James 125th Anniversary - San Francisco

During the Year of Faith Catholics have been called to find a deeper knowledge of our universal faith. We can do this in numerous ways including reading religious books, attending  daily Mass and by seeking the Holy Spirit in the world around us. These are all pretty straight forward ideas to help someone increase their understanding of what it means to be Christian. I prepared for the Year of Faith by ordering a slew of books about Catholicism and I did read them and soon placed them on a shelf next to other religious works in my book collection. And there the books stayed while I congratulated myself for participating in the Year of Faith.

Not long after reading all these books I developed a nagging feeling that the Year of Faith didn't end when I shut the cover of that final work of the many books I had recently pored over. My Year of Faith was only just beginning and these books served as the prelude.

It took a sermon about "living the faith" to make me wonder just how other Catholics are doing this. So I set out the following Sunday on a pilgrimage to discover how Detroit lives the Christian faith. During this pilgrimage I have been blessed not with answers but with something better. I have been blessed with time for reflection and meditation and the understanding of just how much the Holy Spirit dwells in each person within the walls of churches I visit.

On April 28th, 2013 I attended the 125th anniversary

Mass and celebration for St. James Catholic Church in San Francisco. This was my parish while living in San Francisco and in many ways it is still my parish. Saint James was there to welcome me after so many years spent away from the Church. St. James is where my faith was reborn and I was so happy to celebrate this anniversary with the parishioners past and present.

Like many churches, St. James was built by an immigrant community that was determined to build a house that glowed with the glory of God. After 125 years of serving the Mission district community in San Francisco it is an honor preserving and celebrating what those before us built and entrusted to us.

Saint Bartholomew - Saint Rita - Detroit

At this stop on my Year of Faith journey, I reflected on the importance of song in the Catholic worship service. During Mass we sing at both the beginning and the end of the service. We also sing during the procession of the gifts, we sing during communion and in many churches we sing the Psalms and the Lords Prayer. And why are we singing? Is it because song is so pleasing to God? or is it because our hearts are so filled with joy that all we can do is sing?

In our daily lives we all have songs that we just can't help but sing aloud to. We can't help but lift our voices when that favorite song plays on the radio while we are driving or in the shower. We sing because we are filled with great happiness. And it is no different when we are participating in Mass, we are singing because we are so very happy.

At Saint Bartholomew-Saint Rita we sang three hymns that I adore; O' Sons and Daughters, On Eagles Wings and Christ the Lord is Risen Today. Oh how I sang during that Saturday evening Mass. But the best was yet to come. At the end of Mass the priest acknowledged the birthday of a parishioner and we all joined together singing Happy Birthday- in Polish. (someone had to help me with the words, but it sure was fun)