Lent and Easter
Year of Prayer for Priestly Vocations

Check the Holy Week Schedule for this year's events.

Organ Recital, April 2
On Sunday, April 2 at 4:00 p.m. University of Michigan graduate students of the well-known organist and teacher James Kibbie will present a recital here at St. Joseph’s Church. Featured will be selections from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Clavierübung Part III, the so-called "Catechism Chorales." Bach was a deeply religious man and these chorale preludes are based on a range of German chorales, or hymns, that cover the range of Christian belief.
A critic for a nationwide publication described the organ at St. Joseph's as “…a versatile, eclectic instrument of impressive musical value…"
There is no admission charge; the public is welcome.

REGISTRATION
If you have been attending St. Joseph Parish but have not registered as a parishioner, please consider joining us! You can download a registration form here. Once you have completed it, please drop it into the collection basket at Mass, or send it to the address at the top of the sheet.

Don't forget Daily Mass!
Fr. Mark has reinstated daily Mass in our cluster. Mass is held Monday and Tuesday in Latin, and Wednesday in English at St. Joseph's at 12:10 p.m. Thursday noon Mass is at St. Josaphat's, and Fridays at Sweetest Heart of Mary, also at noon. Take the time for midday worship!

ADULT FAITH FORMATION
Adult faith formation is starting again in our cluster:
Time: Thursdays, 7:15 p.m., April 6 & 20, May 4, 2006.
Place: Parish hall at Sweetest Heart of Mary
Subject: The Gospel of Mark
Materials: Study guide to Ignatius Catholic Study Bible ($10.00)

We desperately need more advertisers for our church bulletin! At the present time we are down to one patron. We need 13 to pay for our printing. Suburban parishes are subsidizing the bulletins for St. Joseph & Sweetest Heart of Mary but will not continue to do so much longer. We will soon have a combined bulletin for our cluster. One unit of advertising 1 x 2 1/2 inches is $332.47 per year. A half unit 1/2 x 2 1/2 is $202.54. Please contact the parish office if you know of anyone who will advertise with us

WE STILL NEED USHERS!
Mike Singelyn is the interim captain of the ushers' club. Men and women who are able to usher at our regular Sunday Masses and the monthly German Mass are asked to call Mike at 313-885-5333 to volunteer their services.

Choral Mass schedule

Easter Vigil, Saturday, April 15
The Easter Vigil Mass setting will be Mozart's Missa in C, K.257, the "Credomesse."

Mercy of God Novena, April 23 at 3:15 pm.

May 7 & 21, 10:30 a.m.

Pentecost Sunday, June 4, 10:30 a.m.

The music schedule can change, so keep an eye on it for updates and more details.

New choir members -- trained or not -- are very welcome!

News: April 16, 2006
EASTER SUNDAY

Next Sunday, is Divine Mercy Sunday
In his homily at the pope’s funeral Mass on April 8 of last year, Cardinal Ratzinger concluded by describing John Paul II’s legacy of Divine Mercy:

“He interpreted for us the paschal mystery as a mystery of Divine Mercy. In his last book, he wrote: The limit imposed upon evil is ultimately Divine Mercy. In sacrificing himself for us all, Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, opening up a new dimension, a new order: the order of love… It is this suffering which burns and consumes evil with the flame of love and draws forth even from sin a great flowering of good. Impelled by this vision, the pope suffered and loved in communion with Christ, and that is why the message of his suffering and his silence proved so eloquent and so fruitful”.

After his election as pope, Cardinal Ratzinger included the following reference in his first address as Pope Benedict XVI:

“Beloved, this profound gratitude for a gift of the Divine Mercy prevails in my heart despite everything. And I consider it, in fact, as a special grace obtained for me by my venerable predecessor, John Paul II.”.

NO 10:30 A.M. MASS NEXT SUNDAY
Schedule for Divine Mercy Sunday
12:00 Noon, Mass followed by Exposition of
the Most Blessed Sacrament.
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Confessions
3:00 p.m. Benediction
3:15 p.m. Solemn Latin Mass
A Plenary Indulgence, the forgiveness of all temporal punishment for sin (Purgatory) may be gained on Divine Mercy Sunday by going to Confession and receiving Holy Communion. The penitent must have true sorrow for sin with a firm purpose of amendment by resolving not to sin again. Several priests will be available for confessions on Divine Mercy Sunday.

News: April 9, 2006
PALM SUNDAY

The Parish Council will NOT meet tomorrow night!
The correct date is April 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the Social Hall. The wrong date was given in the bulletin. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

Help is needed after the Divine Mercy Novena on Good Friday to prepare the altars for Easter; setting out the flowers and doing a light cleaning.

Tenebrae, which means darkness, is a devotion that dates from the seventh century A.D. and is characterized by the extinguishing of 14 candles, one-by-one, as the 14 Psalms of the daily office are sung. The service is concluded with the singing of Psalm 51, the Miserere. The 15th candle is called the Christ Candle. It is removed for a time and hidden behind the altar, symbolizing our Lord’s death and burial. Then a harsh noise is heard called the strepitus coming from the organ and from the congregation pounding their missals on the pews which signifies the earthquake at the moment of Our Lord’s death. The Christ Candle is then returned as an emblem of the risen Savior. See the Holy Week schedule.

This week's bulletin says that the term Good Friday was originally called "God Friday" in Old English, and that the term was later corrupted. According to dictionaries of etymology, this is not true. Good Friday comes from Middle English, not Old English. At that time, the word "good" was often used to mean "holy". So, "Good Friday" meant "Holy Friday". This sense of the word "good" is what people are using when they call the Bible "The Good Book". It means that the Bible was holy, not merely good as we understand that word today.

News: April 2, 2006
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Alms Giving
Our Saint Joseph chapter of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society is financed by donations to the Poor Box in the rear of the church by the statue of Saint Vincent de Paul. Quentin Clark, who ushers at the 10:30 Mass, has been active in our Saint Vincent de Paul Society for over 50 years. He and other volunteers from the parish have been working tirelessly in outreach to the poor of the neighborhood. Recently a poor family was able to buy an $800 car because of the combined generosity of our parishioners and those of other parishes. During the season of Lent we are reminded to express our Faith by prayer, fasting and alms giving. Alms giving is not confined to the season of Lent, and in addition to our donations to the Food Pantry, we must always be aware of needs such as the replacement of a refrigerator. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul has frequent donations of used appliances that are extremely important to poor families who could not otherwise afford to replace such an appliance. However, trucks don’t run on air and neither do the folks who work at the outlet stores. Our financial support is what makes it all happen.

Father McGivney wants you!
Father McGivney, who founded the Knights of Columbus had a vision, which endures in countries all over the world, of a fraternal order of men who grow together in their faith and sustain one another and their parish. His vision lives on here in our cluster in the Bishop Plagens Council of the Knights of Columbus. Membership dues are $40 annually and activities that support each parish in our cluster occur about 4 times a year. This month there will be the annual Tootsie Roll campaign that raises money nationwide for those who are mentally challenged. The Knights contribute nationally to such worthy causes as the relief of hurricane Katrina victims. We are always looking for more men to fill the ranks of this worthy organization. Application forms for membership can be found in the vestibule of our church and may be turned in to either Justin Karr who ushers at the 10:30 Mass or to Patrick Degens, our Bulletin editor. See either one for more information.

News: March 26, 2006
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

REST IN PEACE
Elsie Wagner, the mother of our organist, David Wagner, has passed away. May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in Jesus’ peace. Amen.

Please remember our monthly Bake Sale next Sunday.
We still need more folks to bake so that the burden of the Bake Sale is not always on the same 6 or 7 people. If more people bake, we might start to see a bigger variety of baked goods with great family recipes to tempt our parishioners. Our Bakes Sales have been very successful and as always we thank everyone who has supported our efforts both in baking and purchasing our baked goods. Keep up the good work.

Special Thanks
Our annual Saint Joseph Day Dinner was turned into a profitable fundraiser by the Bishop Plagens Council of the Knights of Columbus. The Council serves the three churches of our cluster, besides performing charitable works. The Council donated all of the food for the dinner and the cooking was done by the following Knights: Kevin Piotrowski from St. Josaphat, Mike Bukowski, Frank Granica, and Jerry Covatch from Sweetest Heart of Mary. Helpers were Jack Paulus and Tom Neal from Sweetest Heart of Mary. The Council has two major fundraising events that enable them to sponsor one dinner a year at each of the three churches in our cluster. The Christmas in July festival is held every summer at Sweetest Heart of Mary and includes a delicious meal. The twilight picnic for the Freedom Festival Fireworks is the second major fund raising activity for the Knights. There is an unobstructed view of the Freedom Festival Fireworks from the grounds of Sweetest Heart of Mary Church. The Knights grill sausages and hot dogs for that event. These two events enable the Knights to support our three parishes and also help sponsor seminarians preparing for the priesthood. The Bishop Plagens Council recently sent a $1,000 donation to a parish in Louisiana that was severely damaged by hurricane Katrina. We realized a profit of $1,386.00 on the Feast of St. Joseph thanks to these wonderful Knights and the volunteers from our own parish.

News: March 19, 2006
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

Organ Recital, April 2.
University of Michigan graduate students of the well known organist and teacher, James Kibbie, will present an organ recital here at St. Joseph Church on Sunday, April 2 at 4:00 p.m. Featured will be selections from J. S. Bach’s Clavierubung Part III, the so called “Catechism Chorales.” Bach was a deeply religious man and these chorale preludes are based on a range of German chorales, or hymns, that cover the range of Christian Belief. There can be no finer opportunity for musical reflection in Lenten time. There is no admission fee; come and bring you friends.

The food pantry that serves the poor of our cluster often empties out by mid week. The poor who come to us are allowed one bag of groceries per month and they must show a photo I.D. The rectory keeps track of the people receiving food and strictly adheres to the rules of one bag of groceries per month. Many of these people walk to the rectory in all kinds of weather to receive a monthly handout, and it is difficult to turn them away when we are out of food. If everyone in our cluster brought one food item per week to donate to our cluster pantry, we should be able to accommodate all those in need who come to us for help.

News: March 12, 2006
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

Last Chance for Tickets is Today!
Celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph.
Next Sunday, March 19th, we will celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph with our annual San Giuseppe Dinner in the Social Hall. Our Bishop Plagens Council of the Knights of Columbus will cook and donate all the food so that our dinner can be a fund raising project for the parish. Adults are $10. Children 12 and under are $5. We will need a few volunteers to help with serving and cleanup. Contact Patrick Degens if you can volunteer (586) 463-6178. The schedule for the day will include the closing prayers for the annual nine-day novena to Joseph. Seating in the hall is limited to 96 persons. Make your plans now. Come celebrate the feast of our parish Patron. Menu is Grilled Bratwurst, German potato salad, mixed vegetables, tossed salad, rolls and butter, and strudel for dessert. Beverages include coffee and milk. We will sell German beer and soft drinks.

Gertrude Preis would like to thank everyone who sent her a card while she recuperated from her fall and broken shoulder.

THE ST. JOSEPH CONFRATERNITY
The noonday Mass here every Wednesday is celebrated for the living and deceased members of the St. Joseph Confraternity. Enrollment for each year is on March 19th, the Feast of St. Joseph. The donation is $50 for each name submitted and this entitles the named individual to a one-year enrollment of 52 Masses. Names can be added throughout the year but would only be included in the Masses remaining for that year. It is important to enroll loved ones or your beloved deceased on or before March 19th so that they gain the spiritual benefit of all 52 Masses for the year. The Mass is the greatest of all prayers known to man; its merits are infinite. We hope that many will take advantage of this opportunity and not only submit names to be remembered in these Holy Masses, but also attend them on Wednesdays in our church.

A legend from Germany has it that all fish were terrified at the moment of the crucifixion, and dived deep in the water, except for the pike, who emerged to see. This explains why, even to this day, the pike’s head is distinctively marked with the scene of the crucifixion, complete with cross, nails and sword.

News: March 5, 2006
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

OUR SICK
Resa Cali is recuperating at home after undergoing major surgery. For those who would like to send a card, her address is 1926 Thornhill Place, Detroit 48207

DON’T MISS THIS ! ! !
On Sunday, March 19th, we will celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph with our annual San Giuseppe Dinner in the Social Hall. Adults tickets are $10. Children 12 and under, $5. We will need a few volunteers to help with serving and cleanup. Contact Patrick Degens if you can volunteer (586) 463- 6178. The schedule for the day will include the closing prayers for the annual nine-day novena to Joseph. This will take place after the dinner along with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Paul Ward will be the celebrant. Seating in the hall is limited to 96 persons. Make your plans now. Tickets go on sale today and again on March 12. Come celebrate the Feast of our parish Patron. Menu is Grilled Bratwurst, German potato salad, mixed vegetables, tossed salad, rolls & butter and strudel for dessert . Beverages include coffee and milk. We will sell German beer and soft drinks.

THE ST. JOSEPH CONFRATERNITY
The noonday Mass here every Wednesday is celebrated for the living and deceased members of the St. Joseph Confraternity. Enrollment for each year is on March 19th, the Feast of St. Joseph. The donation is $50 for each name submitted and this entitles the named individual to a one year enrollment of 52 Masses. Names can be added throughout the year but would only be included in the Masses remaining for that year. It is important to enroll loved ones or your beloved deceased on or before March 19th so that they gain the spiritual benefit of all 52 Masses for the year. The Mass is the greatest of all prayers known to man, its merits are infinite. We hope that many will take advantage of this opportunity and not only submit names to be remembered in these Holy Masses, but also attend them on Wednesdays in our church.

In the charity of your prayers, remember the sick

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