Saints Peter and Paul West Side Detroit

A Year of Faith Journey to the Catholic worship sites of Detroit


Near the end of the homily the priest at Saints Peter and Paul began the first of his "Things we forgot about the Catholic faith" lessons. Using a copy of the Baltimore Catechism, an updated version he assured us, he began with the first of the Ten Commandments.  You Shall Worship the Lord Your God and Him Only Shall You Serve

So often, the priest instructed, we let the gods of our disposable culture come between us and loving God or come between us and loving our neighbor. The priest rattled off a familiar list of false gods; mindless consumption, the drive to buy more and more. Loss of value and worth for all we consume and discard. When was the last time you repaired something? Obsessions with gossip, celebrity or personal power. And then a jolt as the priest mentioned one final obstacle, one final false god. Are we too busy comparing ourselves to others, he asked.

Are we too busy comparing ourselves to others? Are we too concerned how others perceive us. Could this really prevent us from having a relationship with God? We paused to reflect on our own disruptions.

It has been many years since the catechism classes of my youth and a refresher course is certainly needed.  Perhaps I should mention these weekly lessons at Sts. Peter and Paul to my parish priest. Maybe we could organize a weeknight class for adult Catholics to learn anew what makes our faith so rich and beautiful. A Catholic should reflect on what we believe and why, for it will certainly bring us closer to God. The priest at Sts. Peter and Paul understands this and with a few minutes taken at the end of each homily to teach our faith he is strengthening that love.

When was the last time you read a book about Catholicism? Perhaps this is a good week to select one from your library or bookstore. A beautiful feature of our faith is the wealth of writing available to us. From the ancient Christians writers to those of the present, we are a religion that loves to write!

Suggestions

The Mass: The Glory, The Mystery, The Tradition

Consuming the Word: The New Testament and The Eucharist in the Early Church

The Bad Catholics Guide to Good Living

Fearing the Stigmata (very funny and touching)

The Bible

Confessions- Saint Augustine

Presentation - Our Lady of Victory Detroit

A Year of Faith Journey to the Catholic worship sites of Detroit

The homily, at Presentation-Our Lady of Victory, was about thanksgiving.

The Eucharist is a sacrifice, and yet the word means thanksgiving. Oh, I know I had learned about this in Catechism class and yet somehow I had forgotten it. I was startled when the priest asked some routine questions during the homily. How often, he asked, do we thank God? Is it only after receiving grace that we express gratitude? Shouldn't we, said father,  be thanking God before asking for favor?

Being a Christian is being thankful no matter the adversity because there is always something to be thankful for. Go ahead said father, write a list of what your thankful for, except never stop adding to the list.

After Mass I started my list. I constantly add to it, especially when I am sitting in a quiet church silently praying. I have found that thankfulness certainly is a different way at looking at the world.

Detroit Faith Journey is on Facebook

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.

 www.facebook.com/detroitfaithjourney

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.

On Facebook at
www.facebook.com/detroitfaithjourney

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 Queen of Heaven - Detroit

Our Lady Queen of Heaven is located on the East side of Detroit.

The windows of Catholic churches are works of sacred art that are meant to engage the viewer in a dialogue of salvation history. Our windows are rich with symbolism and rich with the narratives of the Old and New Testaments.

The window below startled me when I first saw it. During Mass I kept turning my head to glimpse it. And the more I looked at it, the more I wanted to ask those around me about its meaning. When Mass ended the church cleared out fast and I was left alone to contemplate the window in silence.

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.

Assumption Grotto-Detroit

My Year of Faith journey continued with an evening Latin Mass at Assumption Grotto on Detroit's East side. Did I mention that this was the Tridentine Mass? Attending (I am reluctant to use the word participate) the Tridentine Mass made me suddenly understand Vatican II.

In today's Catholic church the Body of Christ, the congregation, participates in Mass. We recite prayers aloud as one body, we lift our souls to God as one body, we interact with each other as one body. During the Tridentine Mass, one is merely an observer, watching the priest inaudibly say the prayers and consecrate the host. As an observer of Mass I realized how important it is to be a participant. The holy Mass is just too important to just watch and God really does call us to participate. The next time you attend Mass be sure to seek out your neighbors hand during the Lords Prayer and perhaps sing just a little bit louder because we are all in this together.