St. John Paul II- Transfiguration Detroit

On Friday, I attended the celebration of the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua at Transfiguration church. 

St. Anthony Bread was handed out, songs were sung, a lesson on St. Anthony was given and we took time to write our requests on slips of paper that were brought before a shrine. 

And the homily from the Mass has stayed with me

"Never be afraid to ask for help."

Saint Patrick's - Detroit

Before Mass even started the parishoners of St. Patrick's came over one by one and greeted me. There was a feeling of being at a very gregarious family reunion and indeed once I thought about it that's exactly the right feeling. Mass (church) is a family reunion of sorts. We gather as members of the human family, as coheirs and members of the one body to offer up praise to The Lord, our God. Indeed, Mass often feels like a family reunion because we are one family. For over two thousand years we have called to one another as Brothers and Sisters in Christ. 

Being part of the family requires more than just showing up at the reunion and we must be ready to help. At St. Patrick's when the musician couldn't make it to Mass several parishoners stepped up to lead us in song. Other parishoners were ready to help set up th chairs for Mass. And afterwards, we all pitched in to put the chairs away. What a family! 

With great shock I learned that St. Patrick's faces closure. 

Sacred Heart - Detroit

The Year of Faith journey continues with a visit to Sacred Heart church in Detroit. 

Let your Yes mean Yes and your No mean No. 

As Christians we are called to live a life of sincerity. The homily this Sunday at Sacred Heart was based on the day's Gospel reading that provides us with the first step in living a truly sincere life. Like most teachings of The Lord the words are simple. And like most teachings of our Lord, the practice of the words is difficult. 

The Lord said:

Let your Yes mean Yes and your No mean No 

Perhaps sincerity starts with being honest in what we say and being honest in how we feel. What does Jesus's saying mean to you? 

 I'm thinking about taking these words with me on my upcoming Lenten journey. 

Saint Cunegunda - Detroit

The Year of Faith journey continues with a visit to Saint Cunegunda on Detroit's Westside.

I knew I was at a historically Polish parish when the Christmas songs being sung in what I thought was Latin were in fact being sung in Polish. Even as a Catholic, a command of Latin has never been one of my strengths. 

We were gathered to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. I was only half listening to the homily, I was distracted by the interior of the church, when the priest asked what we were doing to protect families. Oh great!, I thought to myself, a lecture on same sex marriage was in store. My ears perked up as I suspected I may have been the only LGBT Catholic in the church and thought all eyes would soon be upon me. 

Instead, the priest asked what are we doing to help the hungry family, the homeless family, the refugee family, the shattered family. What are we doing to help the human family. The Holy Family on a night in Bethlehem had no one to help them. Joseph and Mary wandered from inn to inn looking for a place to stay as she was in labor. The Family found no help and settled into a lowly stable to deliver our Savior into this world. 

We reflected on the uncertainty the Family must have felt that night alone in a stable. How many families in our world face uncertainty and hunger and war? and what are we doing to help?