Weekly message

Pallottine Mission Sunday

Kathy Weekly message

Every year we have done this since the Pallottines have served at St. Valentine – A Second Collection for the Pallottine Missions on Palm Sunday. This year too it’s on schedule.

 Next Sunday our Second Collection will go towards the Pallottine Missions. Whatever ways you can help us continue our work and missions back in India, we will be ever grateful. In the past years you have always been very generous and we thank you for that. Know for sure that your sacrifices will go a long way. If you are not able to help financially do not be disheartened, just offer a prayer for our works and mission and you will receive your blessings in return.

Back in India The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (ABVM), the Province we belong, is venturing into new mission areas and our formation houses are still growing with many seminarians at different stages of their formation. This April-May 2016, our Province will have 15 newly ordained priests. Who knows, in years to come, some of them may be sent to St. Valentine to serve.

 Pallottines are very blessed to have this opportunity to serve in this Archdiocese and especially here at St. Valentine Parish. Your prayers, words of encouragement and your support keep us getting stronger. Thank you once again for all the sacrifices you make for the good of the parish.

God Bless you.

Fr. Socorro

 An Invitation from Archbishop Vigneron

You will find a flyer in this week’s bulletin with Archbishop’s Message about “Unleash the Gospel” – It’s a reminder for us to continue our mission of evangelizing and how the Archdiocese is offering us so many opportunities to get involved and participate more fully in the greater mission of the Church. All of these initiatives are also leading us to pray for the success of the Synod 2016. The back of the flyer shows how the Archdiocese is helping us to “Unleash the Gospel.” In April, the 18, 19, 20th- 4 members of each parish and the Priest will be attending the “Amazing Parish Conference.” Within the parish itself we will be having “Parish Dialogue Gathering” the dates will be announced later – this is in preparation for the Synod—an opportunity for us to come forward and see what we as individuals, as a parish and as the Archdiocese can do “for our calling as Jesus’ disciples.” If you have not yet attended the “Come Encounter Christ” gatherings, take time to attend at least one. And then, before this Jubilee year gets over, find some time to enter through the Holy Door of Mercy at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral.

The more we push ourselves to be actively involved in our own parishes the more we will benefit and through us others. Pray for the Archbishop and for all the initiatives he is introducing for the good of the Archdiocese and for the good of the Church.

Archdiocese of Detroit – Year of Mercy

Kathy Weekly message

Throughout the jubilee year, Holy Doors will be opened including the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit and the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak. Faithful who make a pilgrimage and pass through a holy door receive a plenary indulgence. 

The Holy Door – 
The Door of Mercy is open to the public on the first Friday of every month 9:00am – 2:00pm and every Sunday afternoon 1:00 – 3:00 pm. Groups of 15 + may make an appointment for other times on the Cathedral.


What has to be done to gain an indulgence when visiting the Holy Door?

 1.  In order to be capable of gaining an indulgence one must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the completion of the prescribed works.

2.  To gain a plenary indulgence, in addition to excluding all attachment to sin,   even venial sin, it is necessary to fulfill the following three conditions:

A. Sacramental confession

B. Eucharistic Communion

C. Prayer for the intention of the Holy Father (one Our Father, one Hail Mary, or any other prayers)

A plenary indulgence can be acquired only once in the course of a day.

Doors leading to the Holy Door

   Some pilgrims to the Holy Door have requested the texts from the doors at the Cathedral leading to the Holy Door. These provide material for meditation during this Year of Mercy. They are attached at https://aod.app.box.com.

 From the Archdiocese of Detroit

 Paschal Candle: Thank You

 A sincere thanks to a parish member for writing a check of $350.00 to pay off the purchase of the Easter Candle. There were several others who came forward too, but we took the check that came first. I cannot thank you enough for being so willing and generous. For the other donors that were willing to give, as for now you, can hold on to your money, there will be many other opportunities in the future for certain things in the Church and we will surely bring it to your attention.

God Bless you all. 

Fr. Socorro

Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Kathy Weekly message

 In order to participate more fully in this Year of Mercy initiated by Pope Francis, a nine month novena will begin at Our Lady of Loretto on the first Tuesday of the month starting March 1, 2016 and ending on November 1, 2016.  The Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be recited at 3:00 p.m. in conjunction with Eucharistic Adoration that takes place at Our Lady of Loretto.

 Please use this opportunity to join your fellow parishioners in embracing the message of Divine Mercy and spending time before the Eucharist.

 The Chaplet of Divine Mercy was directed to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, by visions she received from Jesus Christ and recorded in her diary. The Divine Mercy chaplet is an intercessory prayer, and its intentions are threefold: to obtain mercy, to trust in Christ’s mercy and to show mercy to others.

 Paschal Candle Donation—A new initiative

 Preparations are now underway for the Paschal Triduum. The celebration of the Easter Vigil begins with the solemn lighting of the Paschal Candle, the symbol of Christ’s light in our world. This candle burns brightly during the Easter season and is used throughout the year for the sacrament of baptism and the celebration of funeral liturgies. This year, we are offering you the opportunity to donate funds toward the purchase of the Paschal candle. We have already chosen the Paschal Candle and the price is $350.00. Your donation will be a constant symbol of the light of Christ shining within the St. Valentine Parish community for the year to come. If you are interested please call the parish office and let us know. 

 

Lenten Prayer Service—March 9th at 6:30 pm

 A Lenten Penance Service will be held on Wednesday, March 9 at 6.30 pm at Our Lady of Loretto Church. You are invited to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation – a sign of God’s merciful and loving forgiveness.  Five priests will be available to hear confessions, including Fr. Henry and Fr. Socorro.  We encourage you to take this opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for Easter.

The Elect, Candidates along with their Sponsors who took part in the Rite of Election

Kathy Parish Activities, Weekly message

RCIA candidatesThe Elect, Candidates along with their Sponsors who took part in the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament  which was presided over by Bishop Arturo Cepeda

Elect: Christine Hainley-Peavley.

Candidates: Evan Peavley, Shawn Durrant, Barbara Lefevre, Susan Franz, Cassandra Barnes and Thomas Ryan Alexander.

Sponsors:  Joseph and Jennifer Hainley, Jim and Connie Moran, Lisa and Tom Alexander and Suzanne Mote.

 

 

Reintroducing the Sanctus Bells at Mass

 You are all familiar with Sanctus Bells. Though the bells are still heard in many parishes, many wonder about them. Some long to hear their joyful sounds; and some erroneously believe their use during the Mass is now prohibited.

 Since we are a people of senses, sounds are important in our worship, whether in the quiet of the moment, the singing of a congregation, or the sound of the organ. The sound of bells does add to the reverence and the solemnity of the Mass. Most importantly, they highlight in a sensible way the sacred action taking place on the altar. Therefore, we have a tradition that is not only practical but also beautiful.

 Sanctus bells have been rung as part of the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the mass for over 800 years. Most Sanctus bells are small handheld bells or assemblies of three or five bells that may be rung are directed in Chapter IV, paragraph 150 of the General Introduction of the Roman Missal:

 “A little before the consecration, when appropriate, a server rings the bell as a signal to the faithful. According to the local custom, the server also rings the bells as the priest shows the host and then the chalice.”

We have to also keep in mind that the rubrics leave to the discretion of the pastor whether bells should be used or not. Nevertheless, the use of bells at Mass is a longstanding tradition in the Catholic Church and no one should ever think that their use has been suppressed. Actually, the common practice in the basilicas of Rome is for the bell to be rung at each elevation and then in a prolonged way when the priest genuflects after the elevation of the chalice.

Although, at St. Valentine the practical use of the Sanctus Bells has been diminished over time, we are in the process to reintroduce the bells for the weekend masses, as it has been already reintroduced for weekday masses. It can still serve another purpose as an extra aid to call attention at the moment of the elevation especially for those who become out-of-focus and it is an effective catechetical tool for children and adults alike. Altar Servers have been recalled and trained on how to ring the bells during the elevation of the Host and Chalice. A long-standing custom should not just be swept away unless more is to be gained by dropping it than retaining it.

 As the 4th Sunday of Lent is called Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday, it’s a liturgically suitable day to reintroduce the bells at St. Valentine. Any quarries or concerns please don’t hesitate to write to me for further clarification at frhenry@stvalentineschool.com

Fr. Henry Rebello SAC

The Second Luminous Mystery—The Wedding Feast at Cana

Kathy Upcoming Event, Weekly message

canaThe miracle of this Sunday links with (and reminds us of) the past two weeks in our liturgy – the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord. In Cana, once again, Jesus is “revealed” – all three Sundays are epiphanies of the Lord. John depicts Mary as involved at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and at the end he places her at the foot of the cross. Mary is thus associated with the whole ministry of Jesus but her role is always seen in relation to her son. She teaches us that our lives should always be seen in relation to Jesus. Perhaps, on this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, we could ask ourselves are we, like Mary, involved in revealing Jesus to our world? Or do we find ourselves reserved, embarrassed and maybe even afraid to let others know that we are followers of Jesus?

 

If our faith is weak, or if we are afraid of sharing our faith with others, we should turn to Mary. Because of the miracle at the marriage feast at Cana, which Christ performed at his Mother’s request, his disciples learned to believe in him (cf. John 2:11). Our Mother is always interceding with her Son so that He may attend to our needs and show himself to us, so that we can cry out, “You are the Son of God.”

 

 

The Traveling Catholic Mass Mob

On February 7th, 2016, we have a wonderful opportunity to come together as one parish and celebrate our togetherness at the 12 noon Mass. Through Annamarie Barnes, the coordinator for the Traveling Catholic Mass Mob, we have this opportunity to welcome the Traveling Catholics Mass Mob to St. Valentine Parish. Let us not leave it to the traveling Catholics to fill up the pews; A full church would mark as making this Mass a special celebration. Pass on this information to your friends, relatives, former St. Valentine Parishioners, school alumni and invite people you know to attend.

 

As we have already announced, Rev. Bishop Donald Hanchon will be our Presider. So take it as a great opportunity to be a part of this Mob Mass. We all know that February 7th is Super Bowl Sunday, we can change the title and say February 7th is Super Val’s Sunday. We will need all the help we can get from all our Associations, Commissions, Committees, and all of you. So please be ready and willing to give us your helping hand. Look forward to more details in next week’s bulletin.

 

Blessings,

Fr. Socorro

School News

Dear St. Valentine Parishioners,

Each fall the students at St. Valentine School are given a series of standardized tests.  One of the tests is the Archdiocese of Detroit Religion test given to all students in the Archdiocese of Detroit in grades 3, 5, and 7.  While there is not a paper and pencil test that can measure a student’s faith, this Religion test is a measure of how much catechism knowledge students retain from their religion classes. We are very proud to report the following results.

St. Valentine Archdiocese of Detroit Religion Test Results 2015-2016

*Test results include ALL students, even those with special education needs.

6 students earned a perfect score of 100%

Building Average: 85.45% B

As always we are deeply grateful to St. Valentine Parish for continuing to support Catholic education to make daily immersion in our faith a possibility for the students in our community.

Many blessings,
Rachel Damuth
Principal