We are pleased that you chose St. Valentine to be the church where you worship this Christmas Day. If you are a visitor from another state, a guest of a parish member, or a longstanding parishioner—we welcome you to our faith community. On this special day we want to thank you for joining us.
Christmas Message
For four weeks of Advent, our hopeful voices sang, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”, and at last, at the glorious birth of our Lord and Savior, we joyfully proclaim, “Emmanuel, God is With Us! Luke’s Gospel says it beautifully “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people. For today in the city of David a Savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord.”(Lk.2:11) We have all been surrounded with the joy and light which the birth of Jesus brings into the world!
At this great time of joy and thanksgiving, I along with Fr. Henry would like to send our personal gratitude to each of you and your families for being a part of our faith-filled community here at St. Valentine. We would also like to Thank You for your loyal and generous cooperation during the year and for giving so freely of your time, talent and treasure. May the beauty, peace and joy of this most blessed season envelop you all with the infinite love of God, and the wonder of the birth of His only Son, our Savior and brother, Jesus.
May our loving God bless you and your loved ones with a joyful grace-filled Christmas, and May the gift of God’s love come alive in your heart this Christmas, and throughout the New Year 2017.
God Bless You All,
Fr. Socorro Fernandes, SAC
Fr. Henry Rebello, SAC & St. Valentine Staff
Dear St. Valentine Parishioners,
While preparing our hearts for the miracle of Christmas the St. Valentine School students have been learning that Jesus brings us Joy. We have learned together that being disciples of Jesus means:
J– Jesus first
O– others next
Y– Yourself last
For children remembering to think of others before yourself is a very hard task indeed! We are proud of the way our children treat each other daily, of the kind words they use with each other, and with the way they apologize for doing wrong to others, and forgive others when they have been wronged. We have focused together on Jesus as the reason for the season. Teachers have been able to use the JOY of Jesus to remind our students daily how important it is to love and care for others first. It is our prayer that each student holds dear the simple message of JOY. We are truly blessed to have a Catholic School where we can teach such faith filled lessons.
Thank you for your continued support of St. Valentine School. On behalf of our students, faculty, and staff, I wish you a blessed Christmas and a very happy New Year!
Many Blessings,
Mrs. Rachel Damuth
Principal
Synod 16 Update
I had the esteemed honor of attending the now famous Synod 16 as a member of St. Valentine’s Parish. The three days were packed with so much it is hard to give you an adequate summary without taking multiple pages. I encourage you to go to the Michigan Catholic on line, November 25th edition, or the Archdiocesan website: www.aod.org for well written and captivating video portrayals of this historical event.
Throughout the preparation period and at the Synod itself, many themes surfaced. We were to find ways that would “change the DNA of the Archdiocese,” to “Unleash the Gospel “ and to encourage all of us to “become joyful missionary disciples,” professing the saving Love of Christ to all in southeastern Michigan.
At our first gathering of the Synod, we soon felt in our souls that these were not mere slogans. More than 400 Catholics processed outside singing Come Holy Ghost, in public streets along Washington Boulevard. During the ensuing mass at the magnificent St Aloysius Church, the fervor, and the intensity of the congregation was impressive and palpable. Something very different was happening here. Certainly the Holy Spirit was upon us and remained with us as we spent three days praying, discerning, discussing, evaluating, and prioritizing goals that will allow us to actualize the message in those themes. It was equally inspiring to witness members in all 6 of the AOD counties share similar deliberations and conclusions despite our diversity.
A pastoral letter from Archbishop Vigneron will likely be given during Pentecost 2017. What do we do until then? Well, one thing for sure that we should not do, is be a passive observer in our pew. It is time to change our own DNA, NOW!! As one synod members aptly said, “The challenge for the individual is to be a faithful Catholic, a committed Catholic, to be something worth sharing.“ To paraphrase a famous quote: ask not what God can do for you, but what you can do for GOD.
Thank you to all who prayed for us during the Synod. We are asked to continue praying for the success of Synod 16 and, if I may add, pray for the rebirth of us, the individual, as the Holy Spirit continues to guide us.
There are personal pictures from the event on our church bulletin board in the main vestibule.
Warmest Regards, and wishing you all a Blessed Christmas,
Eileen MacDonell
Synod 16 Prayer:
God our Father, you have called us to be witnesses to Jesus and have sent us on a mission to lead all people to encounter him. Send you Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and enkindle our hearts, so that we may grow daily as your disciples. Empower us to face bravely the challenges of our time. Keep us close to you, together with Jesus your Son, Mary our Mother, and St. Anne our patroness as we engage in Synod 16 to Unleash the Gospel. Transform us into a band of joyful missionary disciples, who will bring the message of Jesus’ power and mercy to every person in Southeast Michigan. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Archdiocese of Detroit ( AOD)