Family of  Parishes

Kathy Archdiocese, From our Pastor

In the coming weeks I will share with you information on– Families of Parishes. Here are some frequently asked questions.

 What is a Family of Parishes?

Synod 16 called for a complete renewal of structures of our parishes to make them radically mission-oriented. Our goal is to make our parishes places where individuals and families can encounter Jesus anew, grow as disciples, and be equipped to be witnesses to the Risen Christ.

The current health and economic crises have accelerated the process of renewing the way our parishes are organized and structured. It is clear we need a new model for continuing on mission.

Over the next two years, all parishes of the Archdiocese of Detroit will join other parishes in new groupings called “Families of Parishes.” Families of Parishes are groups of parishes, generally three to six, sharing resources to advance the mission. This new model will allow the priests, deacons, and lay staff associated with each parish to better share their gifts and talents with the whole Family of Parishes.

While the move to Families of Parishes has been deemed necessary and appropriate by Archbishop Vigneron, the specifics about how best to achieve this directive have not been decided. A proposal has been drafted based on an initial assessment of our own circumstances, combined with what has been learned from other dioceses who have made similar structural changes. A phase of discernment and planning will take place from Pentecost through Advent of 2020, involving members of the presbyterate and laity committed to developing structures that serve our needs and advance our mission.

This is a significant change of the way our parishes are currently structured, but a necessary step in our missionary transformation. Just like the early Church and the missionary activity of the early apostles, the transition to this new structure will require docility to the Holy Spirit, a spirit of collaboration and innovation, and confidence in God who continues to lead us in our mission to unleash the Gospel in southeast Michigan.

 When will the Families of Parishes be announced? What is the timing for Families to be formally put in place?

The finalized list will be published in Advent of 2020. We anticipate a few changes to the groupings may be made after the list is published, as we begin the process and make any necessary adjustments.

We anticipate that there will be two waves of Families of Parishes. The first wave will begin preparation in January of 2021 and will launch in July of 2021. The second wave will begin preparation in January of 2022 and will launch in July of 2022. These waves will be announced at Advent of 2020. This timeline was designed to effectively address our needs while allowing for over a year of collaborative discernment before our first Families of Parishes officially come together.

More to follow in the coming weeks.

Right to Life Lifespan

Life Chain – Sunday, October 4, 2020

From 2:30 to 3:30 pm

This year members of our congregation will be joining thousands of other pro-life people who will line the sidewalks along routes in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties.

St. Valentine will be standing on Middlebelt Road North of 5 mile on the East side of the street.

We hope you can join us.

Rose  Pattenaude, Church Rep

 Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Loretto at 8:30 a.m.

The Parish Office will be open on Tuesday, September 8th at 8:30 a.m.

The Catholic Biblical School of Michigan

Bringing the Bible to LifeEver wonder about the Biblical roots of our faith? Or what the ancient wisdom of Scriptures has to say about living as a disciple in our world? Start a journey through the entire Bible, guided by expert live teachers with the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan’s new classes starting this September at St. Isidore in Macomb (Thu 7-9 pm), Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Beverly Hills (Tue 7-9 pm), Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak (Wed 1-3 pm) or and online (any day/time). Through donations, CBSM is accessible to all with 100% of requests for financial aid granted. Find out more with an on-site or virtual Open House Info Night or register for a class by Sept 14th. Visit cbsmich.org/join. Or, contact us at info@cbsmich.org or 586-438-3085.

 

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

In Loving Memory of Kathryn Potts, November 19, 1947—July 22, 2020

Kathy From our Pastor

     Beloved daughter of God, our Father, born into this life and cherished by Arthur and Lenore (Tillman) Pouget. Loving mother to Jeannine (Jim) McCarty. Beloved sister of Rev. Richard Pouget (deceased), Robert Pouget, John (Kay) Pouget, Denise Tietze, Barbara (David) Engler, Patricia Gonyeau, Andrea (Stephen) Roddy, Brian (Beverly) Pouget, Mary Pouget, Anita (William) Kennedy, and Jane Elizabeth Pouget (deceased). Loving aunt to Melissa, Emily, Claire, Anne, Cynthia, Amy, Matthew, Paul, Jacquelyn, Shawn, Fr. Patrick, Allison, Adam, Megan, April, Brendan, Kevin, Christopher, and Rachel. Cherished great-aunt to many nieces and nephews. She was blessed with “bonus” grandchildren Candice and Kenny, and great-grandchildren Shaelyn, Kendra, RaeLynn, and Colton.

     Kathryn was a woman of great faith who dedicated her life to the Catholic Church, both with her beautiful voice as a cantor and almost 30 years of bookkeeping. We are confident she was no stranger to Jesus when He welcomed her home.

 Kathryn was not only our bookkeeper, but also our friend and coworker. Kathryn was the type of woman who always took the time to stop and chat with you about your family as well as what was going on with her family. She joined our “team” in 2009 and became a permanent Tuesday fixture working many Tuesday’s to the wee hours of the morning. Her expertise and knowledge was appreciated by all. She assisted the parish and the school as well as all the staff members. Kathryn was well loved and will surely be missed by many at St. Val’s, as well as all the other parishes she assisted. Rest in peace dear Kathryn.

Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go and prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.