The Society of St. Pius X was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who was an outspoken opponent to the changes in the church as a result of Vatican II. Since 1975 this society has not been in full communion with the Holy See.  Over the years there have been repeated attempts by Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis to heal this rift and bring the members of the Society of St. Pius X back into union with the church.  To date these attempts have been unsuccessful and thus for the time beingthe Society of St. Pius X remains in canonical irregularity with the Roman Catholic Church.

 Please note….

The Society of St. Pius X has established a number of churches in Southeast Michigan. In their signage these churches identify themselves as Catholic Churches even though they are not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. In 2015, the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis announced that the faithful would be able to receive valid sacramental absolution from priests of the SSPX.  And in 2016, trusting in the good will of these priests to strive for the recovery of the full communion in the Catholic Church, extended this faculty until further notice.  ((Misericordia et Misera #12)    

The following is a listing of churches of the Society of St. Pius X in the Archdiocese of Detroit:

St. Joseph Catholic Church, Armada

  St. Anne’s Catholic Church, Livonia

The following churches, not part of the Society of St. Pius X, are also not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church:

    Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, Fraser

    St. Joseph Catholic Church, Wayne

    St. Dominic Chapel, Highland

    St. John XXIII Independent Catholic Church,  Wyandotte

Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church, Hamtramck

All Saints PNCC, Sterling Heights

Resurrection PNCC, Temperance

Our Savior PNCC, Dearborn Heights

St. Anthony Cathedral, Detroit

Latin Mass…Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite

 Out of concern for the faithful who were yearning to celebrate the Eucharist according to the older Rite…Tridentine Rite….Pope Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Letter, “Summorum Pontificum”, extended permission for the celebration of the Eucharist according this Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.  Catholics who wish to worship according this form should attend parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit in full communion with Rome who are offering this form.  A list of these parishes can be found on the Archdiocese of Detroit website…www.aodonline.org. 

Pray for unity……  All the faithful are encouraged to continue to pray that God will bring the Society of St. Pius X and all other churches into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church so that we may all be one.

Taken from the AOD Worship News

Stewardship Thoughts

Today, in St. John’s Gospel, Jesus ties His instructions on the Eucharist to the Book of Exodus. Christ proclaims to the crowd that their ancestors ate manna in the desert from God the Father, not Moses. Jesus professes in the Gospel that He is the “Bread of Life.” Those who accept His invitation and come to Him will never hunger or thirst, as they will be spiritually filled. In Ephesians, St. Paul instructs us that, through Christ, we will gain a fresh, spiritual way of thinking. As faithful stewards, we acknowledge Jesus’ true presence in the Eucharist as translated from the Greek meaning “thanksgiving.” We believe the Eucharist to be the true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Christ. We stand in awe and gratitude for this tremendous gift, which opens our hearts to holiness. Plan to attend a Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction service at your parish or a regional “Awaken” service to experience Christ’s peace and joy.

Women’s Retreat

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say Rejoice! Come rejoice and be refreshed in the Lord this October at our Women’s Retreat at St Paul of the Cross! What a wonderful theme to have this year! Registration is now open online. Our weekend dates are October 19-21. For further information contact Colleen Masserang at 734-754-0718 or call St Paul of the Cross Retreat Center at 313-535-9563 and ask for Cathy. 

Thank goodness our Tiger trip did not get rained out on Friday, July 20th, our bus came with the happiest driver ever, LA Williams, we filled the bus and then said our prayers thanks to Fr. Kishore, we started out with some stats questions on our way to Detroit. We had some pictures taken of the group and then entered the stadium, we did get floppy hats as the giveaway that day. Everyone had  to make a choice on the wonderful foods and beverages that were around the park. As game time grew closer we all met up in Section 215 and had a great time, for some of the group this was the first time they ever went on one of our Tiger trips, for some this was the first time they were in Comerica Park, we hope you all come back again, it was great to see families and friends that met up to come to the game. Unfortunately the Tigers lost 1-0 to the Red Sox, but in the end the fireworks were great and then we headed on back to the St. Valentine parking lot. It was a fun filled evening, hope you can join us next year!

Cecilia Gallagher

Thank you to all who completed our recent survey on the Sunday experience here at St. Valentine. Results from 359 surveys have been tabulated and are being reviewed. Beyond the basic survey, many thoughtful comments were contributed that are particularly helpful in understanding how well we  are meeting the needs of the parish. This input is valuable and needs to be carefully considered, especially in some cases where differing opinions were provided.

Most things received a great deal of positive reinforcement, while some things have room for improvement. This is true in each of the major categories in the survey – music, preaching, lay ministries and hospitality. For example, Deacon Lawrence and I took to heart your input regarding our preaching, noting the need for clarity, applicability and brevity in our homilies. As another example, we noted that, while most experience a feeling of welcome and hospitality, this is not true for all. The survey responses also suggest to us that it may be helpful to provide guidance and instruction regarding some issues related to Holy Mass. 

In the coming months, our leadership team and commissions will be prayerfully engaged in reviewing what you have shared and incorporating it into our parish’s prayer and practice. 

Again, thank you for sharing. 

Fr. Socorro and the Leadership Team 

From the Principal

Dearest St. Valentine Parishioners!

 Happy summer and greetings from St. Valentine School! Our Parent Teacher Club board is working together and planning throughout the summer with a renewed emphasis on finding ways to support exciting and innovative learning at St. Valentine in addition to offering the many fun community building events they have supported in the past. They are also planning for the Santa shop for December already! Please help us by saving those new or very gently used items to donate.  Our Parent Teacher Club will be getting information about what to do with those donations out this fall.

St. Valentine School is undertaking a new service project this year in participating with Cross Catholic Outreach “Box of Joy” collection program. As a part of this program our students will collect small items to fill a shoebox sized container with things that would make children in third world countries smile as they receive them. In addition St. Valentine School will be a collection drop off site for the area so that other churches and individuals have a place to bring the boxes they have filled. This will be a joint project of the school and faith formation children, the St. Valentine Honor Society students, and the Parent Teacher Club. We hope to be able to get the parish families involved as well so look for more information in the bulletin in early September. If you wanted to start collecting items now, you can go to www.crosscatholic.org/boxofjoy. 

The Teachers and I are all excited to be reading this summer (it is our favorite summer past time). We know that our students are reading, practicing math, and constantly learning from their summer experiences.  Learning never takes a vacation!

You can help our school this summer by continuing to collect Box Tops for Education. Those little 10 cent pieces have added up to support many school projects. Box Tops can be dropped off in the collection bin at the back of church at any time. 

We are looking forward to the 2018-2019 school year and still have room for more students. If you are interested in joining our school family, or know someone who may be interested, please call 313-533-7149. We have so much to offer at St. Valentine School and want to share our school with as many families as possible. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Mrs. Rachel Damuth
Principal

Today’s Scripture readings focus on God miraculously feeding the hungry. In the Second Book of Kings, the Lord uses the prophet Elisha as His instrument to supply nourishment for 100 men from 20 barley loaves. In St. John’s Gospel, the evangelist tells of a time near Passover, when Jesus multiplies a few loaves and fish to accommodate more than 5,000 followers. Both passages point toward Christ’s institution of the Eucharist at His Last Supper with His disciples. The Holy Eucharist is the “source and summit” of our faith. We become what we consume. For those who are able, frequent partaking of Christ in Holy Communion can bring a deeper relationship with Him. St. Paul reminds us that we have received a calling from the one Lord in one faith and one Baptism. In a spirit of evangelization, we respond to this invitation to discipleship by personalizing Jesus in our life and then sharing our Eucharistic joy with everyone we meet. Please read Archbishop Allen Vigneron’s pastoral letter, Unleash the Gospel, at unleashthegospel.org to learn more about evangelization in our Archdiocese.

Word For Little Ones

Looking for a Few Helpers

Our ministry, Word For Little Ones, held during the 12 noon Mass will begin the end of September. As mentioned last May, Bob Lepper and his daughter Hannah, our longtime catechists for Word For Little Ones have taken time off after helping out for 10+ years.  Leslie Benard, Sylvia Snigier and Abby Benard have agreed to continue this well loved ministry.

At this time we are hoping to recruit a few more volunteers. Our volunteers must be 18 years or older and willing to take 1 Sunday a month. We will train you and give you all the material you may need. Please take time to pray about being a volunteer and give me a call at 313-532-4394 x101.

Bonnie  Danic