RCIA

Kathy Weekly message

RCIA “Right of Christian Initiation of Adults” is the process through which non-Catholics are given instruction to become Catholics. The process will begin this year on October 3rd and culminates with people receiving the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil. The process includes weekly instructional gatherings, two events at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, and several Sunday celebrations here at St. Valentine. 

 The instructional gatherings provide the participants with information regarding our Faith, including meaning of sacraments, the Holy Trinity, the Saints, the Holy Family, Catholic prayer and liturgy, the Church itself, and many other aspects of our Faith.

 RCIA is for adults who:

· Are interested in learning about the Catholic Faith

· Have never been baptized

· Have been baptized in another Christian faith and are interested in the Catholic Faith

· Are baptized Catholics who have not yet received the Sacraments of First Communion or Confirmation

· Are married to a Catholic and attend Mass and would like to take the next step to become a member of the Catholic Church

· Are Catholic but want to learn more about their Faith

    If you know of anyone interested in becoming Catholic, please invite them to contact the Parish Office at 313-532-4394, Deacon Ron, Fr. Kishore or Fr. Socorro. If you are interested yourself in learning more about our Faith, you are also invited to attend the RCIA sessions. 

 This year the sessions will be held weekly on Thursday evenings at St. Valentine beginning on October 3rd. 

See you all next Sunday at the picnic Mass and fun!

Fr. Kishore Battu SAC

Fr. Kishore’s Weekly Message

Kathy Weekly message

Possessions are necessary for life. Money and possessions are very much needed to continue our life. Money or possessions play an important role in our lives. We need money to feed a family, we need money to clothe and educate children. We need a lot of money to go to college. We need money to live a healthy life. Therefore, we need to work hard and plan our future and educate our children. But possessions can assume such an importance in one’s life that they become obsessions. When one is so consumed with the things that one could have, so much so, that one no longer hears the urgent call of God, then one has indeed got one’s priorities all mixed up.

 The Word of God on this 18th Sunday in Ordinary time invites us to “look for the things that are in heaven”. It’s an invitation to focus on God rather than material things of this world. It invites us to look at life beyond all these material things which pass away, because everything and everyone is “here today and gone tomorrow” because, life does not consist in having possessions and increasing possession. Rather the purpose of life is to become rich in God’s sight.

 The first reading, taken from Ecclesiastes, reminds us that the greedy achievement of goods and the selfish hoarding of them are useless because when the hoarder dies, he goes to eternity empty-handed, and his heir gains, and perhaps squanders, his riches.

 Today’s Gospel warns us against any sort of excessive attachment to riches and worldly pleasures. The rich man’s land yields a great harvest. He takes pleasure in accumulation. The language he speaks is ‘I’ and ‘my,’ highly insulated with selfishness and ego. It is said, “Desire is the root cause of all evil.” Beyond the rich man’s will and wish there is a plan of God which he did not discern, and this failure makes him a ‘fool’. We are called to lay up treasures for God, not for ourselves.

In our second reading St. Paul tells us that one who is raised with Christ will seek the things that are above and not the things on earth. If we are living for sensual pleasures, enjoying every occasion of luxury and passion, then we are not of the new creation and we have not yet died to our old self. On this Sunday let us pray that we may put to death what is earthly in ourselves and raise our hearts to God.

 God bless you. Have a great summer.

Fr. Kishore Battu SAC

Archbishop Vigneron statement regarding pro-life petitions preparing to circulate in Michigan

Mary From the Archbishop, Parish Activities

     The Department of Communications of the Archdiocese of Detroit shares Archbishop Vigneron’s comments on two citizen initiative petition drives set to take place in Michigan that would have an impact on pro-life policy in the state. The drive announced Wednesday, June 26 in Lansing, organized by Right to Life of Michigan, would prohibit dilation and evacuation abortion procedures, also known as “dismemberment abortion.” A second proposal seeks to prohibit abortion after cardiac activity is detected in the developing child. The Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) Board of Directors, with Archbishop Vigneron as its chair, is in full support of the dismemberment abortion petition drive, and has expressed reservations about the heartbeat petition. Archbishop Vigneron’s comments are as follows:

“The Catholic Church in Michigan lends her support to sound and reasonable public policies, especially those which protect the most innocent among us. I invite all people of goodwill, regardless of religious or political affiliation, to join the citizen initiative effort to prohibit the heinous dilation and evacuation abortion procedure that requires the dismemberment of a human child in the womb. While the proposal advanced by the “heartbeat” coalition shares the goal of ending abortion, it appears to raise the possibility of negatively impacting existing law in Michigan that protects all unborn human life, which only lies dormant due to the Roe v. Wade decision. As these petition drives move forward, I applaud those who continue to change hearts and minds by invoking the humanity, dignity and rights of the unborn child while at the same time being close to and offering unyielding support for women who may find themselves in a challenging or crisis pregnancy.”

 

We Need Help with Baptism Prep

If you have been looking for a small but rewarding way to get involved in a ministry at St. Valentine, there are immediate openings on our Baptism prep team. The time commitment is not huge, about two hours once a month in the evening. Classes are held the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the rectory meeting room. If you prefer, you could approach this as a team of two persons leading the meeting. Depending on how many people volunteer to conduct these classes, you might be required to only volunteer every third or fourth month. You do not need any theology classes or special training. You will be given all the information you need and will observe some classes before you start. Most important, is a welcoming, friendly attitude and an ability to talk with the families. Basically, you will be informing the parents what to expect the day of Baptism, i.e. where to sit, what do godparents do, when to come up to the baptismal font, how long the celebration of this sacrament takes, prayers used during baptism, etc. In addition, a big part of your job is making the families feel welcome and comfortable at St. Valentine, and offering congratulations and encouragement to new parents!

 

If this sounds interesting to you, please call the Parish Office at 313-532-4394.

 

Fr. Socorro