Important Days, Important Developments
A number of holy days and holidays are upon us, and each one signifies important developments for us. This Sunday, June 19, is a three-for-one!
Corpus Christi
Known popularly as “Corpus Christi” (Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ), this Sunday’s liturgical feast began in the medieval period, focused on the mystery of the presence of Christ among us in the Holy Eucharist. This year it also marks the beginning of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops. The first year will focus on priests and bishops, the second on parishes, and the third will see a National Eucharistic Congress. Here in Detroit, the Archdiocese has partnered with Hallow, the #1 Catholic prayer app (check it out!), to provide audio meditations, prayers and devotions, and a website entitled I Am Here with related local stories.
Juneteenth
June 19 is also the date of our new national holiday (transferred this year to Monday) celebrating the final end of slavery in the United States (see article from our Diversity and Inclusion Committee). But we know the deadly after-effects of slavery continue to plague our country. A young Jesuit in our Midwest Province originally from Haiti, Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ, has authored two recent books that may be of interest to you in this regard; they are unique in exploring racial justice and equity through the lens of Ignatian spirituality: The Spiritual Work of Racial Justice: A Month of Meditations with Ignatius of Loyola follows the structure of the Spiritual Exercises; his new book, The Crucible of Racism: Ignatian Spirituality and the Power of Hope, was just released.
Father’s Day
This Sunday is also Father’s Day! In our times when so many young men both in our cities and in rural areas feel hopeless, disenfranchised and disregarded, let us pray for fathers to receive all the graces they need to fulfill their critical role in the development of their sons and of all the other members of their families. Fathers are generative together with their partners, initiators of new life. That makes me think of the historical “fathers” of our parish, who also have an important day coming up…
Our Parish Feast Day
On Sunday, June 26, we celebrate our patron saints (from the Latin for “father”), Peter and Paul, and the founding of the parish. We pray to these great apostles of the Gospel to guide us in becoming bearers of the Good News and of the love of Jesus in our own times. We remember with gratitude the early women parishioners who established a strong tradition of social services to those in need. We’ll have a parish picnic after mass that Sunday on the beautiful lawn of BCBS just behind our parking lot. See details elsewhere in this eNews, and REGISTER HERE so we know how much pizza and drinks to order. One year from now in 2023 we’ll reach our 175th anniversary! – be on the watch for more information about that major milestone to be provided in the coming weeks.
July 1
Before the next issue of this eNews appears, the month of July will have begun, and with it our parish will join with Gesu parish to become a “Family of Parishes,” as I explained in the last issue (HERE, in case you missed it). I promised to provide a more thorough overview of that development, but this article is already too long! – so I will defer further explanation until the upcoming newsletters of July. Until then, Happy 4th of July… and 174th Anniversary, Father’s Day, Juneteenth, and Corpus Christi!!