Faith Formation

Excerpts from the Archbishop’s and the Auxiliary Bishop’s letter to the Priests

Kathy Archdiocese, Faith Formation, From our Pastor

 “As you know our initial dispensation regarding Mass attendance is quickly coming to an end. In order to fashion a faith-filled response to the continuing crisis, cognizant of the legitimate concerns of the faithful to returning to a regular pattern of public worship, we would like to offer some general considerations as you teach about the centrality of the Church’s worship and our participation in it. We also want to communicate the importance of teaching about the need to keep holy the Lord’s Day.


“We have decided in the interest of the common good to extend the present dispensation for all through Christ the King Sunday. It seemed clear from the counsel received from our brothers that such a decision most aptly responded to the prevailing circumstances in our metropolitan area and in our parish communities. While this decision is a prudent and practical response to the present crisis, it is, nonetheless, a dramatic response and not lightly taken.”  

 “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the very center of our identity as priests; we were made for the Eucharist. It is the identity of our people too, deputed for the task of sharing in the mission of evangelization; they find in the Eucharist the source of their zeal and strength (UTG, Marker 3.4). Helping our people keep this saving action as the engine of their missionary activity and at the forefront of their imagination is an absolute necessity and an incomparable gift that we can share especially at times such as these.”

 “While we are prevented from gathering in person in varying measures, we must encourage the importance of making a spiritual communion and do so without also implying that it is an adequate substitute for our participation in the Holy Sacrifice as a gathered community of believers.”

“Keeping holy the Lord’s Day, something enshrined in the Decalogue and as divine law not dispensable, is the foundation of hope upon which we as a people build our lives.  While our Sundays are different presently, it may be part of the Lord’s plan to use this pandemic as just one more way to draw us back to Himself and remind us of that perennial truth that without Him we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5). A holy people keeping a holy day is our goal, and in fact was at the heart of the directive regarding sports on Sundays. While every parish community is similar and every parish community unique, each of us must, with the assistance of our staff and advisors, offer ways in which our families, temporarily unable to come together, can continue none-the-less to carve out time for communion with the Lord particularly on the Lord’s Day. This includes scripture, prayers and meditation, and time for communion with each other. Thank you in advance, dear brothers, for your many efforts in assisting our people in walking the path of holiness, in being and becoming a eucharistic people, a people who keep the Lord’s Day perpetually alive in their hearts.”


“While this time is a time of testing, we pray that God uses this present crisis to whet our appetites for himself, for his eucharistic presence, so that we treasure anew our communion with one another, and once again make the foundation of our lives burn anew with eucharistic amazement.”

Fraternally in Christ,

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

Archbishop of Detroit

Most Reverend Arturo Cepeda

Most Reverend Gerard Battersby

Most Reverend Donald Hanchon

Most Reverend Robert Fisher

Fun Run Update

After careful consideration with our committee and Fr. Socorro we have made the decision to postpone our 15th Annual Fun Run Walk and Cookout.  We thank our numerous donators, volunteers, walkers, and runners who have registered and sent generous donations. In the next week your checks/cash will be mailed to you. Please know you are deeply appreciated.

This is not the end of our Fun Run! We have set a Spring date of April 18, 2021 with hopes the Coronavirus  won’t be compromising so many of our family and friends. 

Until then, stay safe and stay  healthy!

See you at the finish line in 2021!

Bonnie & John Danic

Patty & Jim Soter

 Faith Formation News

Dear Families,

In the next few weeks you will be receiving an email or phone call regarding your child’s attendance this year. It is our hope to have the children in the classroom for their religious studies. We will maintain all the safety regulations set up by the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Our tentative start date is scheduled for Monday, October 5th. Your child’s tuition will be waived this year. The only cost will be $15 per child for books. If this a strain on your family budget, please let me know. Every child is welcome.

Feel free to call the office at 313-532-4394 x201 with any questions you may have.

Bonnie Danic

Vacation Bible School 2018-19

Kathy Faith Formation

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

He’s got the whole world in his hands!  That was the theme for this year’s Vacation Bible School at St. Valentine!  Mrs. Ricotta explained the theme beautifully to the children: God used His hands to create the world…He then used His hands to create our savior, Jesus Christ…Jesus then, with arms wide open on the cross, gave us life everlasting.  It’s now up to us to use our hands to spread God’s love, and to carry on the teachings of Jesus…we must help others!  We focused on helping others through the Corporal Works of Mercy. The Corporal Works of Mercy are based off of Jesus’ teachings as reflected in the Gospel of Matthew.  As a group, we were able to fulfill each part of the Works of Mercy…

Feed the hungry/Give drink to the thirsty:  Money was raised through bottle and can returns to purchase an Earth Gift Basket through the Heifer Organization. This humanitarian organization provides seeds, livestock, and instruction to help the hungry, the thirsty, and the less fortunate of the world. We also collected canned goods to donate to our parish food pantry.

Clothe the naked:  We collected clothing to donate to the St. Vincent DePaul charity.

Visit the sick:  Although we were not able to physically visit the sick of our parish, the children made spiritual bouquet cards for them…filling the cards with prayers to bless those who are sick with hope and healing.

Visit the imprisoned:  Although we were not able to physically visit the imprisoned, we did pray for them and for their families…that the Holy Spirit may guide them and bring them peace.

Bury the dead: With the money collected, we were able to make a donation to the church to dedicate a mass to the deceased of our parish.

Shelter the homeless:  With the money collected, we were able to make a donation to the Manna Soup Kitchen. Through their meals, they are able to provide a temporary shelter to those who are in need of a place to call home. We also donated money to the Redford Interfaith Organization. The money will help provide necessities to those in our faith community.

We also studied 5 countries:  reviewing their maps, their cultures, how they say “hello”, how they say “Jesus loves me”, and a saint or religious figure from that country.  Monday, we studied Israel and the life of Jesus. Tuesday, we studied Ireland and St. Patrick. Wednesday, we studied Italy and St. Benedict.  Thursday, we studied India and Mother Teresa. On Friday, we studied Argentina and Pope Francis. Each day’s crafts and snacks were reflective of that particular country’s culture. It was fascinating to learn that each country’s citizens are different, but that God loves us all the same. He loves us regardless of citizenship, language, or culture. We are all children of God…God and Jesus truly love each and every one of us!

Father Socorro taught us a valuable quote from Mother Teresa, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” That summed up this week’s VBS. Was it a perfect program without bumps along the way?…no.  But, was it created and fulfilled with great love…absolutely! Our heartfelt thanks to all of the amazing students, helpers, and parents who made this week possible!  We had 42 students…most of them were returning students, some who have been with us for these past six years.  We were blessed to have 23 helpers! A special thanks to Barb Pogoda, who organized and assisted with all of our craft projects, and to Leslie Benard, who organized and assisted with all of our snack needs. Thank you so much for sharing your time, your talents, and your treasures with our program!  Joan and I bid farewell to the VBS program, but we know that next year’s program will successfully carry on the faith and friendship that has been built these past six years!                        

God is great all the time…all the time, God is great!

In Faith and Friendship,

Amy Davis and Joan Ricotta

Thank You

We send our heartfelt thank you to Joan Ricotta and Amy Davis! These two women built our VBS program literally from scratch. Because of their dedication St. Valentine can definitely boast our VBS is a complete Catholic program. Without a doubt, they will be missed,  as they also retire from teaching Faith Formation.

We wish you both all the very best and know you have a special place in our hearts and the door is always open for you to return! May God continue to bless all that you do.

Fr. Kishore