Unleash the Gospel Magazine: Fall 2021

MARY, THE FIRST MISSIONARY DISCIPLE • FALL 2021 A MAGAZINE OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DETROIT

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FALL 2021 VOLUME 3: ISSUE 2 P U B L I S HER

The Most Rev. Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit EX E C U TI VE E DITO RS

Father Stephen Pullis Edmundo Reyes ED I TO R- I N - C HIE F

Christine Warner

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

M A N AGI N G E DITO R

Casey McCorry A RT D I R E C TO R

Paul Duda

A D V E RTI SING MANAG E R

Michelle St. Pierre I L LU S T R ATO RS

Diego Diaz Caitlin Hottinger Meg Prom Zach Stuef P HOTO GR A P HE RS

Paul Duda Matthew LaVere Melissa Moon James Silvestri Naomi Vrazo Valaurian Waller CO N T R I B UT ING W RIT E RS

Maggie Bickerstaff Joe Boggs Patty Breen Adele Pax Collins Dr. Robert Fastiggi Daniel Gallio Debbie Herbeck Peter Herbeck Father Boniface Hicks Father Matthew Hood Deacon Michael Houghton Dr. Daniel Keating Kate Lochner Father Brian Meldrum Dr. Timothy P. O’Malley Joe Pelletier

Elizabeth Martin Solsburg P R ES I D E NT AND C E O

Rachel Squibbs GR A P HI C DE SIG NE R

5 ABOUT THE COVER AND CONTRIBUTORS 7 A MESSAGE FROM THE ARCHBISHOP

46 CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD St. Louis de Montfort’s sweet and tender approach to discipleship

FE ATU R E S

50 PRAYER 101 To Jesus through Mary

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LIVING WITNESS A Marian lifeline

12 REAL TALK What does Mary’s spiritual motherhood mean to you?

16 MARY, THE FIRST MISSIONARY DISCIPLE The obedience of faith 20 MARY, THE FIRST MISSIONARY DISCIPLE The intimate bond of Mary and Jesus 24 MARY, THE FIRST MISSIONARY DISCIPLE Star of the New Evangelization

CU LTU R E 29 POETRY The messenger

EM A I L U S : utgmagazine@aod.org V I S I T U S O NL INE : unleashthegospel.org F O L LO W U S O N FAC E BO O K, INSTAGRAM T W I T TE R AND YO UT UBE : @utgdetroit

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P R AYE R

30 MOVIE REVIEW Now playing: Movie mothers 34 SACRED PL ACES A place of beauty and welcome 38 OUR HISTORY The Polish traditions that shape our missionary life

54 WISDOM FROM THE CHURCH St. Cyril of Alexandria on the Virgin Mary, Theotokos

D I S CI P LE S 56 FAMILY CHALLENGE Fall in love with the saints 60 GRO WING IN VIRTUE Monastic Virtues for us all 64 PURSUING HOLINESS A vocation to love and be loved

D E TR OI T 68 UNLEASHED QUESTIONNAIRE Ederique Goudia 70 PHOTO ESSAY Trinity Vicariate, Family of Parishes 1

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J OE BOG G S : The fourth sorrowful, Jesus’ carrying of the cross. This mystery helps me to think about whether I’m picking up the crosses in my own life or disregarding them.

And it’s comforting to think about how even though Simon of Cyrene participates in the carrying of the cross, Jesus is in front of him, leading the way to Golgotha. (Lk 23:26) D R . ROB ERT FA S TI G G I : The Annunciation because it celebrates Mary’s central role in salvation history and the great moment of the Incarnation. When the Virgin Mary said “yes” to become the Mother of the Incarnate Word, she spoke “in place of all human nature.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae III, q. 30, a. 1) The Annunciation highlights Mary as the new Eve who is “that ‘woman’ who is present in the central salvific event which marks the ‘fullness of time’; this event is realized in her and through her.” (St. John Paul II, apostolic letter, Mulieris Dignitatem 3)

MARY, THE FIRST MISSIONARY DISCIPLE FALL 2021 A MAGAZINE OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DETROIT

BY MEG PROM

THE COVER Mary became the first missionary disciple when she joyfully proclaimed the Good News of Christ’s coming to her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation.

There is much we can learn from her model of trust, surrender, discipleship and evangelization.

The cover design depicts Mary enfolding the city of Detroit in her loving arms, symbolizing her motherly protection and love. Her powerful intercession continues to guide us in our mission to unleash the Gospel in Southeast Michigan.

FATHER CHA RLES F OX: The fifth sorrowful mystery, the Crucifixion. Nothing inspires our hearts like love and triumph, and Christ’s crucifixion is nothing less than the greatest triumph of the greatest love. Nothing motivates our hearts like love and challenge, and from the cross Jesus shows us perfect love and calls out for us to love him in return. The cross of Jesus sets us free from sin and death, and makes possible for us eternal life with God in heaven.

D R . DA N K EATI NG : I am not sure I have a favorite mystery of the rosary, but the one that has spoken to me personally and deeply over many years is the mystery of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan (one of the luminous mysteries). Both for personal life and in theological study, this mystery has spoken to me profoundly.

J OE K I M: My current favorite mystery is the luminous mysteries.

KATE LOCHNER: The Agony in the Garden. To me, it’s Jesus’s most human moment and connects all the moments in my life when I’ve prayed, “please take this from me” to that moment in the garden.

R AK HI MCCORMI CK : My favorite mystery of the rosary is the Agony in the Garden because I find solace in the rawness of Christ’s movement through suffering, desire and surrender.

FATHER B RI A N MELD RU M: The fifth luminous mystery, the Institution of the Holy Eucharist. Jesus’s gift of himself to the Church on the night before he died is the mystery to which I seek to conform my life as a disciple and my vocation as a priest.

J OE P ELLETI ER: The fourth sorrowful mystery: the Carrying of the Cross. So much of the world wrestles with the “meaning of suffering.” As Catholics, we know that human suffering has been given purpose in the cross of Christ. Frequent meditation on the fourth sorrowful mystery helps me to remember that we can’t experience any suffering that God himself has not undertaken and transformed for our sake. It then becomes a matter of embracing my own cross, grafting it to the cross of Christ and following alongside him.

ELI S E U RENECK : I have a particular love of the Presentation of the Lord Jesus in the Temple. We all have a longing for God. Faith demands that we remain steadfast and patient as we look for him in our life’s circumstances and as we await the revelation of his plans for our lives. Ultimately, we hope and pray to see him face to face in heaven.

I draw strength from Simeon and Anna, whose great waiting must have been met with tremendous joy when they met the Child Jesus.

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“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

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DEAR JOYFUL

MISSIONARY DISCIPLE! “IT IS MARY’S PREROGATIVE TO BE THE MORNING STAR, WHICH HERALDS IN THE SUN. SHE DOES NOT SHINE FOR HERSELF, OR FROM HERSELF, BUT SHE IS THE REFLECTION OF HER AND OUR REDEEMER, AND SHE GLORIFIES HIM. WHEN SHE APPEARS IN THE DARKNESS, WE KNOW THAT HE IS CLOSE AT HAND. HE IS ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE FIRST AND THE LAST, THE BEGINNING AND THE END. BEHOLD HE COMES QUICKLY, AND HIS REWARD IS WITH HIM, TO RENDER TO EVERYONE ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS.” –ST. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN The faithful of the Archdiocese of Detroit are living a new Pentecost, praying together as the disciples did in the Upper Room for the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide our missionary conversion. Like the disciples, we are accompanied in prayer by Our Blessed Mother, the first missionary disciple of Jesus and our model of trust, surrender, discipleship and evangelization. Through her constant intercession, Mary joins her prayers with ours and inspires us

VALAURIAN WALLER, PHOTOGRAPHER

with a sure confidence that the Lord hears and will not fail to answer.

As we follow God’s call for us to share Christ throughout Southeast Michigan, we can look to Mary as our example and guide. Through her resounding fiat — her “yes” — to God’s plan for her, Mary shows us how to respond to and embrace God’s plan for us. She is also our model of evangelization, being the first person to proclaim the good news of Christ when she went

“in haste” to share his coming with her cousin Elizabeth. (Lk 1:35-40) She has continued through the ages to guide the Church’s mission through her powerful intercession, just as she prayed for and with the disciples in the Upper Room.

We dedicate this issue of Unleash the Gospel to Our Lady in loving gratitude for her intercession and care for us, her children. Let us ask for her continued prayers and always seek to follow her example of surrendering to God’s will and sharing Christ with the world. Let us call upon Our Mother’s intercession that the Lord may bring about an unprecedented harvest in the Archdiocese of Detroit Holy Mary, Morning Star, be always close to us, guiding us and showing us the way to your Son, Jesus Christ.

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LI VING WITNE SS

Gary Yee

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KATE LOCHNER, WRITER • MATTHEW LAVERE, PHOTOGRAPHER

GARY YEE KNOWS SOMETHING ABOUT FINDING GOD IN HIS OWN TIME. BORN TO A SECOND-GENERATION CHINESEAMERICAN FATHER AND FIRSTGENERATION CHINESE MOTHER, YEE’S FAMILY WASN’T RELIGIOUS, “BY ANY STRETCH,” HE EXPLAINS, BUT HIS PARENTS VALUED A STRONG WORK ETHIC AND LEANED ON THEIR OWN DEDICATION TO THE FAMILY BUSINESS AS A WAY TO SUCCESS.

KATE LOCHNER is a writer and mom. Most of her professional career has been spent in marketing and content creation. She loves exploring her home state of Michigan and currently resides in the Metro Detroit area with her husband and three kids.

Growing up in Farmington Hills, Yee’s parents saw good schooling as key to getting ahead in life, so they sent him to the local Catholic school St. Fabian for its strong academics.

Despite not being Catholic, there were notes from his Catholic education that struck him at a young age, “I distinctly remember going to Mass on Fridays, and that was something I appreciated because at the time I thought it was a way to just reset.”

Yee’s educational track would remain not only the basis upon which he would continue to explore and discover the Catholic faith, but would also later be responsible for finding his calling as a teacher. Much of this self-discovery took place at U of D Jesuit, where he attended middle school and high school. Even though Yee was not yet Catholic, while at U of D, the theological teaching he received as a student there served as a stepping stone to fully embracing the Catholic faith.

He recalls, “Learning about the faith, approaching it from an academic standpoint, I really appreciated reading the Bible passages, learning the stories and learning what the Catholic faith is all about.”

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Mainly inspired by his history and social studies professors, Yee “fell in love with history” and was enthusiastic about pursuing a career in education. Yee says, “I really felt that that was where I got a lot of my identity in terms of profession.”

He went on to Eastern Michigan University, initially wanting to be a history professor, and graduated in 2006 with a history degree. But after nearly completing his master’s, Yee realized he preferred to teach at the middle and high school level and began his path forward to his future title of principal.

“I took two things from my time at U of D Jesuit. First, it was their slogan, their motto, be a man for others. And that’s something that I’ve taken pretty close to heart even when I wasn’t Catholic.” This principle remained close to Yee’s heart as he taught at various schools throughout the years, but especially his first teaching job right outside of school at Vista Maria, a school for adjudicated girls who were in the system for varying reasons. Yee

describes that year as an eye-opening experience, “to see the conditions that they lived in, to see what they had to face, it was something I never thought about. I quickly realized what privilege I had and saw what other people experienced. It taught me to meet people where they’re at.”

At age 27, not long into his teaching career, Yee would face a life-altering experience that would forever change how he viewed whatever time he had left on earth. In February 2010, Yee went on a ski trip, a time for adventure and reprieve. But upon returning home, he fell critically ill. Yee had developed pneumonia, his kidneys stopped working and he was septic. Initially, Yee’s life was in imminent danger, and if he did survive, he was faced with a bleak prognosis of a 2 percent chance of gaining back full kidney function.

It was then, in his hospital bed, when he met Mary.

“I distinctly remember it; it was on my birthday. That night, I don’t know

what came over me, but I started to think about my life and started to pray.

I started to try to remember and pray the Hail Mary. I had to look it up since it had been a while, but I had my iPad, and I looked it up and began to pray.”

In between receiving doses of penicillin and approaching a surgery to remove fluid from his lungs, Yee was physically and mentally in and out of it.

Still, he mustered the internal strength to ask God and Mary, “Please let me get through this.” Finally, after nearly two weeks in the ICU, Yee’s status began to improve, and he could move into regular care. But he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He underwent dialysis for two months, and when he was released from the hospital in mid-April, he had an additional month of in-home nurse care.

Yee says, “I think being sick showed your time isn’t guaranteed here. I could have very well passed away at that point, or my life would have been drastically different in terms of kidney transplants or what have you.”

“I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER IT; IT WAS ON MY BIRTHDAY. THAT NIGHT, I DON’T KNO W WHAT CAME OVER ME, BUT I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT MY LIFE AND STARTED TO PRAY.”

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That summer, while he continued to recover at home under the close care of his aunt, Yee looked forward to his new routine and pursued the next step in his professional career. All Saints Catholic School in Canton was the final signpost on his map to baptism.

“Being able to teach at All Saints really helped in my faith journey in terms of solidifying being, I guess I call it ‘officially Catholic.’ I’ve always thought of myself as spiritual, trying to do the right thing, but this was what solidified my experiences in my faith journey.”

“When you’re desperate, you make those promises to God, and you say, please get me through this, and I will dedicate my life to doing good, to doing good for others, and that’s what I did.”

Later that year, Yee enrolled in the RCIA program. After years of getting to know the teachings of the church through his Catholic education, Yee prepared to enter fully into communion with Jesus Christ. “It felt like being at home,” Yee explains. “I knew I wanted to treat people well, I knew I wanted to be empathetic, but it gives you a framework in terms of yes this is what God is asking us to do, this is what Jesus is in terms of being an example of being kind, doing the right thing, being morally sound.”

He had found what he describes as his “North Star.”

Now, 10 years after his health crisis, Yee is four years into his principal role at Sacred Heart Elementary School in Dearborn. While he credits his full recovery to Mary, his devotion to her remains strong, “I see Mary as being a great example of how we can have challenges, we can have things that will test our faith, but in the end, we pray, we do the right thing, our faith will ultimately be rewarded in one way or another.” And he encourages those who find a devotion to Mary challenging to look at her story, her own obstacles and what she had to go through. “At a young age, she was told, ‘You’re going to be the mother of God.’ What a challenge.

What a test.” And it’s also in recalling Mary’s story that Yee can relate to the parents of his students at Sacred Heart.

“Being in the school system and hearing about what some parents go through with their children, whether they are misbehaving or they’re diagnosed with something I empathize with, and I can see how difficult that was and how difficult they have it. But then to relate it to Mary, to see her son who was killed.

I can’t imagine the anguish, the sadness she went through. But then for her to

ultimately be rewarded for her faith, that’s something that anyone can see and take from.”

Yee’s family and his close ties to his lifelong Catholic education planted the seeds he needed to remember those reverent words he spoke in the quiet of his hospital room. Those words “hail Mary full of grace” brought about a baptized Catholic and Marian devotee who now proudly lives out his faith every day in the halls of his elementary school. Full of grace, indeed.

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RE A L TA LK In 2008, on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, my wife and I were told to consecrate ourselves to the Blessed Mother. Since I had no idea what consecration to Mary meant, I asked her for its meaning in front of her statue at St. James Church when we arrived in Medjugorje. The answer came back in a clear voice: “Consecrate to my son!” Since I was studying to be a deacon at that time, I assumed that the Blessed Mother wanted me to make myself holy as a deacon. I said “yes” without reservation.

Years later, I realized that consecration to our Blessed Mother is the union with Jesus through Mary. In the words of St. Teresa of Kolkata, it is “to love (Jesus) with the perfect love of your (Mary’s) Immaculate Heart.” We can only love him like Mary in her perfect motherhood through the grace of God. As our advocate to her son and mediatrix to her spouse, the Holy Spirit, she will intercede for us for that grace. When we can make loving Jesus the only thing that matters in our lives, then we will be in union with him because “whoever loves (Jesus) … (Father and Jesus) will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (Jn 14:23) God be blessed for Mary, our Mother, who will always be my advocate and mediatrix of all graces.

-DEACON FRANCIS KING, ST. REGIS CATHOLIC CHURCH, BLOOMFIELD HILLS

W HAT D O ES M A RY ' S S P IR IT UAL Mary’s spiritual motherhood is a great gift to each of us.

We know from the many apparitions of Mary that she cares deeply for us, her children. Recall that at the foot of the cross, Jesus said to St.John: Behold your Mother, and to Mary: Behold your son. (Jn 19:26-27) Jesus himself gave Mary to us as our Mother and entrusted each one of us to her as her children.

I have known and counted on her maternal care and intercession each time I am invited to share in the cross of suffering, as she did on Calvary with Jesus. This has been with family, friends or persons in any need who we meet every day in our mission of evangelization. I have experienced her intercession, especially as our Mother of Mercy. When we call upon her under this title, she will always help us to receive mercy and to be merciful to others. She teaches us what spiritual motherhood means so that we can also serve as spiritual mothers to others.

-SISTER ESTHER MARY NICKEL, RELIGIOUS SISTERS OF MERCY

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During a quiet morning Mass, I am captured by a stained-glass portrait of our Blessed Mother Mary. With outstretched hands, she gazes upon the St. Mary Parish family gathered in Royal Oak on this rainy morning.

Mary is a spiritual mother to all of us. I notice her virtues in others and I aspire to grow in these as well. Mary's faith and heroic patience are felt through the rewarding but long days of being a mother of two young children. I see Mary's hopefulness in my own mother, who is undergoing cancer treatment for the third time. And I witness Mother Mary's ardent charity within the active and always growing St. Mary's Moms+Tots group.

The main part of our mission is to grow in faith through service to others. This is seen through our fellowship, contributions to Project Hope and our service to mothers in need. Mary's spiritual motherhood is truly felt in our parish community when the Hail Mary prayer is said in our group of 20 mothers and their 35+ babies and toddlers. What a joyful sound!

Mary’s outstretched hands remind me of the virtues she shares and the power of her spiritual motherhood.

-KATIE STEIN, ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC CHURCH, ROYAL OAK

MOT H ER H O OD M E A N TO YOU? It means we have a saint that we can ask for intercession with the type of motherly love that sustained me through my childhood. I think often of how important my natural mother was in supporting me, giving me advice and being firm at times when it was needed.

In my journey with Christ, I have felt that same supporting love, grace and patience helping me draw closer to the people of our Church, and ultimately God himself. I don't recall a specific intercession, but when I meditate on Mary and how she must have led her life here on earth, I gain the courage to reject the many awful worldly characterizations of women around the globe.

-ADRIAN BRADLEY, ST. AUGUSTINE AND ST. MONICA’S CATHOLIC CHURCH, DETROIT

VALAURIAN WALLER, PHOTOGRAPHER

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Thinking of Mary as the first missionary disciple is a perfect example of pure faith which is a shining light to all of us that believe but are always tested. Mary, from the very beginning, willingly gave herself to the Lord, knowing that she would be ridiculed, suffer and be scorned, and yet she never hesitated or stumbled from that pivotal point in her life and our faith history.

Even now as I reflect on her influence in my own life, I look to her as my Holy Mother; to guide and love me as I stumble and grow in my faith and journey towards being a Christian disciple. As a mother first, and then disciple, I daily look to her for guidance and support (often forgiveness) and as a shining example of how a genuine disciple should live. She is a constant reminder that when God calls, I do not question but give myself to him completely with our Holy Mother’s love, guidance and support. I pray that I have a portion of Mary’s strength so that when God calls, I do not hesitate to respond.

-JERRY MCELHONE, ST. FRANCES CABRINI CATHOLIC CHURCH, ALLEN PARK

Being a mother myself, I relate to Mary’s motherly love, but, at the same time, I venerate her because of her loftiness. I admire her love for Jesus and for others, her silence, her humility, her motherhood and her obedience to God as described in the Scriptures. I see Mary as a role model the way a child looks up to her mother.

Mary’s spiritual motherhood means that I can confide in her the same way I have confided in my mother my whole life but more so. It feels easy to talk to Mary in my prayers, especially about my struggles, my pain and my worries, for she knows the struggles of life and human suffering. It also feels easy to ask her to pray for me when I can’t or when I feel my faith is weak. The most beautiful aspect of Mary’s love is that she always, no exception, takes me to Jesus. It is as if she wipes my tears, cleaning my blurry eyes so I can see him.

I have experienced her intercession in many aspects in my life, but particularly in my family; it is a devotion to Mary that brought my husband and I together, and that has kept us together for 18 years.

Then, my children came, after asking Mary’s intercession in our visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Most recently, after my father passed away last year from COVID — he lived in Mexico and it was such an unexpected and quick death that affected me greatly — it was by Mary’s intercession that I have been able to get through it and see the hand of God. -GABRIELA SAKMAR, ST. ANASTASIA CATHOLIC CHURCH, TROY

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MARY, THE FIRST MISSIONARY DISCIPLE

DR. ROBE RT FAST I G G I has been teaching at Sacred Heart Major Seminary since 1999.

He currently holds the Bishop Kevin M. Chair of Dogmatic Theology and Christology. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married since 1984, and they have three adult children.

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DR. ROBERT FASTIGGI, WRITER • MEG PROM, ILLUSTRATOR

THE OBEDIENCE FAITH ‘THE CAUSE OF SALVATION FOR THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE’

THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL SPOKE OF MARY AS THE “MODEL OF VIRTUES,” AND “OUR MOTHER IN THE ORDER OF GRACE.” ( LUMEN GENTIUM , 65, 61) MARY IS BOTH OUR MODEL AND OUR MOTHER. AS “FULL OF GRACE” SHE PROVIDES A MODEL FOR ALL CHRISTIANS TO FOLLOW. (LK 1:28) SHE IS THE LIVING EXAMPLE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FULLY ALIVE IN GRACE. SHE IS OUR “MOTHER IN THE ORDER OF GRACE” BECAUSE IN A “SINGULAR WAY SHE COOPERATED BY HER OBEDIENCE, FAITH, HOPE AND BURNING CHARIT Y IN THE WORK OF THE SAVIOR IN GIVING BACK SUPERNATURAL LIFE TO SOULS.” ( LG , 61) AS OUR MOTHER, SHE CONTINUES TO INTERCEDE FOR US WITH BURNING CHARIT Y “TO BRING US THE GIFTS OF ETERNAL SALVATION.” ( LG , 62) AS OUR MOTHER, SHE ALSO TEACHES US BY HER EXAMPLE, AND, IN A SPECIAL WAY, SHE TEACHES US TO PLACE OUR TRUST IN GOD AND SURRENDER TO HIS HOLY WILL.

When the angel, Gabriel, announces to Mary that she will conceive a son in her womb who will be “the Son of the Most High,” she humbly asks: “How can this be since I do not know man?” (Lk 1:32, 1:34) Church fathers such as St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Augustine believed Mary’s question indicates a prior vow to remain a virgin. It seems that Mary was hoping that her vow of virginity would be honored and affirmed by Joseph in accordance with Numbers 30:6-8 and 13-16, which allowed a married woman to remain a virgin if her husband gave his consent. (Brant Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 2018, 115) Gabriel reveals to Mary that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you … for nothing will be impossible for God.” (Lk 1:35-37) Mary responds with complete trust and surrender: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” This response is Mary’s “fiat” — her great “yes” to God’s wish for her to be the Mother of the Redeemer. St. Thomas

Aquinas teaches that Mary gave her consent “in the place of all human nature.” (Summa theologiae III q. 30 a. 1) As the New Eve, Mary unties the knot of Eve’s disobedience. As St. Irenaeus says, she “being obedient, became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.” (Adversus Haereses III, 22, 4) Mary’s complete trust and surrender to God’s will is a sign of her humility. In her prayer, the Magnificat, she recognizes that “the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Lk 1:49) In Canto 33 of his Paradiso, Dante extols Mary as “humble and more exalted than any creature.” St. Louis de Montfort teaches that “Mary, being a mere creature fashioned by the hands of God is, compared to his infinite majesty, less than an atom, or rather is simply nothing since He alone can say: ‘I am who am.’” (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 14) God had no absolute need of Mary just as he had no absolute need to create the universe. St. Louis de Montfort, however, recognizes that God, according to his plan of

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“ MARY’S TRUST AND SUBMISSION TO GOD, THEREFORE, ARE PARTS OF GOD’S PLAN FOR SALVATION. MARY’S TRUST IS AN EXPRESSION OF HER COMPLETE FAITH IN GOD.”

salvation, “has decided to begin and accomplish his greatest works through the Blessed Virgin ever since he created her.” God chose to redeem the human race by becoming incarnate of the Virgin Mary. Mary’s trust and submission to God, therefore, are parts of God’s plan for salvation. Mary’s trust is an expression of her complete faith in God. St. John Paul II, in his 1987 encyclical, Redemptoris Mater, highlights Mary’s obedience of faith: Indeed, at the Annunciation Mary entrusted herself to God completely, with the “full submission of intellect and will,” manifesting “the obedience of faith” to him who spoke to her through his messenger. She responded, therefore, with all her human and feminine “I,” and this response of faith included both perfect cooperation with “the grace of God that precedes and assists” and perfect openness to the action of the Holy Spirit, who “constantly brings faith to completion by his gifts.” … Mary uttered this fiat in faith. In faith she entrusted herself to God without reserve and “devoted herself totally as the handmaid of the Lord to the person and work of her Son.” (13) Mary’s trust and surrender to God involve her cooperation with grace — a grace that preserved her from all stain of sin from the first instance of her conception. The Blessed Virgin Mary was in fact “predestined from eternity by that decree of divine providence which determined the Incarnation of the Word to be the Mother of God.” (LG, 61) Mary’s predestination and Immaculate

Conception, however, take nothing from her freedom. Her trust and submission to the will of God are not passive but active, for the Church sees her as “freely cooperating in the work of human salvation through faith and obedience.” (LG, 56) During the Visitation, Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, says to Mary: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Lk 1:45) Mary is blessed because she believed. She trusted in the Lord and surrendered herself to God’s will.

Mary’s trust and surrender to the divine will are an expression of her spousal love of God, exemplified by her virginity and her gift of self. Pope St. John Paul II describes it this way in Redemptoris Mater: It is significant that Mary, recognizing in the words of the divine messenger the will of the Most High and submitting to his power, says: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Lk. 1:38) … Mary accepted her election as Mother of the Son of God, guided by spousal love, the love which totally “consecrates” a human being to God. By virtue of this love, Mary wished to be always and in all things “given to God,” living in virginity. The words “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord” express the fact that from the outset she accepted and understood her own motherhood as a total gift of self, a gift of her person to the service of the saving plans of the Most High. And to the very end she lived her entire maternal sharing in the life of Jesus Christ, her Son, in a way that matched her vocation to virginity. (39)

Mary shows us that trust and submission to God are acts of love.

If we love God, we place our trust in his wisdom and providence, especially during times of uncertainty and difficulty. Mary’s earthly life was not without suffering. Vatican II teaches that Mary “faithfully persevered in her union with her son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, grieving exceedingly with her only begotten Son, uniting herself with a maternal heart with his sacrifice, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth. (LG, 58) Our trust and submission to the will of God are often tested during times of sadness, suffering or confusion. The Blessed Mother, though, is our Mother of Mercy, who comforts us during these times of difficulty. Pope Francis reminds us: [Mary] is both woman and mother: this is what is essential. From her, a woman, salvation came forth and thus there is no salvation without a woman. In her, God was united to us, and if we want to unite ourselves to him, we must take the same path: through Mary, woman and mother.

(Homily, Jan. 1, 2020) Pope Francis has also spoken of Mary as “the road that God travelled in order to reach us, and the road that we must travel in order to reach him.

Through Mary, we encounter God the way he wants us to: in tender love, in intimacy, in the flesh.” (Homily, Jan. 1, 2021) For Pope Francis, Mary is the road we must travel to reach God. Mary is our Mother who teaches us to trust in God’s love and surrender ourselves to his holy will.

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MARY, THE FIRST MISSIONARY DISCIPLE

THE INTIMATE BOND OF MARY AND JESUS Of the many treatises written on the spiritual life in the Catholic tradition, there is one I visit annually, usually around Advent: The Reed of God, by 20th century English writer and mystic Caryll Houselander.

In this work, Houselander examines the Virgin Mary as the model Christian disciple and missionary.

ELISE URENECK is a communications and public relations professional who writes from Boston.

She is a regular columnist for Catholic News Service and founder and principal of Credendi Communications. Her previous roles include associate director of the Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College and the executive director of The GIVEN Institute.

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The general idea is that Mary, in her purity and virginity, is capable of allowing the Word to work in and through her. “It is emptiness like the hollow in the reed,” writes Houselander, “the narrow riftless emptiness, which can have only one destiny; to receive the piper’s breath and to utter the song that is in his heart.”

Beautiful as her mediations are, there is one passage that always makes me laugh for its forthrightness about how some Catholics, myself included, can struggle with Marian devotion.

“When I was a small child someone for whom I had a great respect told me never to do anything that Our Lady would not do; for, she said, if I did the angels in heaven would blush,” Houselander writes. “But even if I faced a blank future shackled with respectability, it was still impossible to imagine Our Lady doing anything that I would do, for the very simple reason that I simply could not imagine her doing anything at all.”

As a cradle Catholic, I remember Mary in the same way, as a figure who was always around in images on our walls, in statues and stained-glass windows in our churches and imprinted on the many rosaries scattered on end tables and nightstands. She was close by, but not completely accessible, almost frozen in a downward, contemplative gaze. Emulating her felt like an impossible task, as did drawing close to her through prayer.

It wasn’t until I became a mother that I began to more seriously engage in a relationship with Mary. To be sure, it wasn’t the images of her holding the infant Jesus that did the trick — any mother of young children, especially those of boys, knows that they never sit as serenely in their mother’s arms as Jesus did for Mary.

ELISE URENECK, WRITER • MEG PROM, ILLUSTRATOR

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OCTOBER 16, 2021

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Instead, my deepening relationship with Mary was driven by something more primal, more biological in nature. I think it had to do with what medical anthropologist Dana Raphael calls “matrescence” — the physical, emotional and psychological transition to motherhood that a woman undergoes, and the accompanying re-orientation of her entire being in the world.

There is, undoubtedly, a kind of “hollowing out” of oneself that is attributed to virginity — a willingness to be sent where God asks and the forfeiting of natural goods for the sake of something greater. But motherhood, too, requires a hollowing out: first, the literal hollowing out of one’s womb to make space for another; but also the lifelong process of shedding one’s old self and putting on a new self for the sake of one's children. What is amazing is that in God’s design, children help their mothers — both biologically and spiritually — to continually conform themselves to the mission and vocation to which God has called them.

The emerging science of motherhood sheds light on the biological connections between mothers and children ranging from the neurological changes that take place in a mother’s brain to the interaction of their two bodies at the cellular level. And it has been these realities, studied and experienced firsthand in my own changing physiology and psychology, that have helped me to understand why it is that we Catholics draw close to Jesus through Mary, and what it means to consider her our own mother. Far from being a distant and impossible-to-emulate model of purity, contemplation, and prayer, Mary is deeply involved and invested in our protection, thriving and destiny.

In a 2019 essay in Church Life Journal, Dr. Kristin Collier, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, writes about the phenomenon of “microchimerism,” that is, “the presence of a small population of genetically distinct and separately derived cells within an individual.” Research reveals that fetal cells remain in a mother’s body throughout her life, long after pregnancy and childbirth. Far from simply floating around, these cells get to work by providing health benefits to the mother, including helping her to heal from a caesarean section and warding off breast cancer.

When I think about this reality in terms of Mary and Jesus, it drives home the intimacy they share as well as the idea that they work together in tandem. Mary is not only considered a tabernacle for the nine months that she carries Jesus; she is always carrying him in her body, even at the cellular level.

What’s even more fascinating about the science of microchimerism is that a special kind of healing by fetal cells takes place in mothers’ hearts.

In her new book, Mom Genes: Inside the New Science of Our Ancient Maternal Instinct,Abigail Tucker explores the latest research into this phenomenon, particularly the

MARY IS NOT ONLY CONSIDERED A TABERNACLE FOR THE NINE MONTHS THAT SHE CARRIES JESUS: SHE IS ALWAYS CARRYING HIM IN HER BODY, EVEN AT THE CELLULAR LEVEL.”

ability of fetal cells to help some mothers recover from an often-fatal condition called “peripartum cardiomyopathy,” which can strike just-delivered mothers. Researchers in New York City’s Mount Sinai laboratory are trying to unlock the mystery as to why 50 percent of mothers spontaneously recover from the condition. Their best guess is that the fetal cells from the baby rush to the mother’s heart, multiply and transform into cells that function like heart muscle cells.

What could be more helpful in understanding Mary’s role as mother and mediatrix than this? We believe that Mary and Jesus speak “heart to heart,” as Sts. Francis de Sales and John Henry Newman have characterized prayerful conversation. If this scientific theory of heart repair is true, we say with even greater confidence that Our Lady’s pierced heart is truly healed by her son’s saving act. And we can be assured that his Sacred Heart and her Immaculate Heart beat together as one, and they eternally heal and console one another in a mutual act of love.

As Catholics, we also say with confidence that Mary is our advocate, meaning that our prayers for her intercession have a real effect on her Son. This is often attributed to the idea that no child could ever refuse the requests of a mother he loved so much.

But there is also scientific evidence that a mother’s voice directly affects her child’s brain and behavior.

Maternal-fetal science has uncovered that as early as 16 weeks in utero, a developing baby can hear his mother’s voice and that the sound of her voice is largely responsible for his subsequent linguistic development. In addition to being able to distinguish her voice from among others, a child’s breathing, heart rate and the thickness of the auditory cortex in the brain are directly affected by the sound of his mother’s voice.

Given this evidence, how could we ever believe that Our Lord would hear his mother’s voice and fail to respond?

The Word is moved by the words of his mother. That dynamic has been written into his own incarnation.

When I was preparing for the birth of my firstborn son, I was focused in word, deed and prayer on how God would ask me to shape him into the man he was meant to be.

My focus was on his mission and how to help him discover it. But as I prepare to welcome my second son, this new maternal science has helped me to realize that it is my children who have materially changed me for good and will be at work over the course of my own lifetime helping me to better understand my own mission and vocation.

How generous that in God’s providence the mission of motherhood has built within it a mutual support system.

We know this in faith through the relationship we see between the Blessed Mother and her son; we are now just beginning to understand how grace builds on nature, thanks to the emerging science of motherhood.

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MARY, THE FIRST MISSIONARY DISCIPLE

FATHER CHAR LES F OX is the vice rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He is also a weekend associate pastor at St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Shelby Township and chaplain and a board member of St. Paul Evangelization Institute, headquartered in Warren.

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FATHER CHARLES FOX, WRITER • MEG PROM, ILLUSTRATOR

STAR OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

“ THE ALMIGHTY HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR ME, AND HOLY IS HIS NAME. HE HAS MERCY ON THOSE WHO FEAR HIM IN EVERY GENERATION. HE HAS SHOWN THE STRENGTH OF HIS ARM, HE HAS SCATTERED THE PROUD IN THEIR CONCEIT. HE HAS CAST DOWN THE MIGHTY FROM THEIR THRONES, AND HAS LIFTED UP THE LOWLY.” —LUKE 1:49-52, FROM THE MAGNIFICAT OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

It is no accident that the climax of The Lord of the Rings saga, the destruction of the one Ring of Power, takes place on March 25 of the Third Age of Middle-earth. J.R.R. Tolkien, a devout Catholic, deliberately chose this date for his story’s decisive victory, when his fictional world would be unleashed from the thrall of evil and the threat of destruction and enslavement.

The significance of March 25, of course, is that it is the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the day when the Archangel Gabriel offered God’s proposal to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she become the mother of his only-begotten Son. At the Annunciation, Mary said “yes” to the Lord, and “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

(Jn 1:14) March 25 is also traditionally understood to be the date of the Crucifixion. On these two most momentous days, this world was

unleashed from the power of Satan and sin, from the threat of final destruction and enslavement.

The victory over sin and Satan belongs to Christ. As the ancient hymn Laudes Regiæ proclaims, “Christus vincit! Christus regnat!

Christus imperat!” (“Christ conquers!

Christ reigns! Christ commands!”).

Yet the Blessed Virgin Mary in a unique way shares in and proclaims the victory of her Son. All Catholics are called to proclaim the victory of Christ, to unleash the Gospel in a world of people “who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.” (Lk 1:79) And we could have no better model of a missionary disciple than Our Blessed Mother.

Our Lady unleashed the saving truth of the Gospel in the most literal way imaginable. The Word of God was born from her womb, shared in her flesh. Blessed Mary is what tradition has called the Theotokos,

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which is Greek for “God-bearer.” She bore God’s Son, brought him forth into the world and proclaimed God’s glory in words prayed by the whole universal Church: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Lk 1:46-47) A question swiftly emerges: How can I imitate Mary in her motherhood? I can do many things to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but surely I cannot be his mother?

Fortunately, we have divine guidance to help us answer this question! We need to recall the time when Mary and other members of Jesus’ family wanted to speak with him while he was teaching the crowds in Matthew 12. Jesus used the opportunity to forge new family bonds with his disciples, saying, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mt 12:50) Christ’s emphasis on doing the will of God plunges us deep into the mystery of his mission and his mother’s share in that mission.

Mary’s last words in Scripture were an encouragement to obedience: “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2:5) Blessed Mary did not only call others to be obedient to God’s will.

She lived obedience with a pure and undivided heart. Mary spoke perhaps her best-known words at the Annunciation, welcoming God’s messenger and pledging herself to his plan for her life: “Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’” (Lk 1:38) Today, especially in those communities within the Church in which the New Evangelization

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is emphasized, a strong jargon has developed about what it means to be Catholic. We hear the call for “intentional disciples,” “dynamic Catholics,” “amazing parishes,” and so on. And these concepts contain much that is good. We do need to be, in the words of Pope St. John Paul II, “new in ardor” as we live and share our faith today.

But sometimes we can get ardor mixed up with aggressiveness or selfassertion, and so we should never forget that the first Christian act, the definitive act we see Our Lady perform at the Annunciation, is what we might call a passive act. Mary is available. Mary receives Gabriel’s message. Mary is passive before she becomes active. Mary is reactive when she expresses her great faith by speaking those words which made the whole Christian life possible because they welcome Christ into the world: “May it be done unto me according to your word.”

St. John Paul II called this receptivity a hallmark element of the “feminine genius.” It is the very opposite of aggression or even selfassertion. It is the very opposite of a sinful act. It is about being ever-ready to know and do God’s will, to bring Christ to a world that needs him. It is the way you act when you are “full of grace.” It is a model for every one of us who are disciples of Jesus.

Our Lord tells us in Luke’s Gospel that “out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (6:45) Only a heart as full of grace as Mary’s could say what she said. She was holy in an utterly unprecedented way, and so she could say “yes” to an utterly unprecedented proposal from God.

Yet each member of the Church has his own “yes” to say to God. And it would be natural to worry that since the hearts of sinners are not full of grace, saying “yes” is impossible. Or perhaps saying “yes” is manageable but living it out with persevering fidelity is not.

Sometimes, after a few years of marriage, religious consecration or priestly life, Christians can be tempted to doubt their “yes” — whether they really meant it, whether they were even capable of meaning it, whether they are capable of staying faithful.

Pope Benedict XVI has some words of consolation for those who are tempted to doubt or experiencing discouragement. In his book Dogma and Preaching, he writes: The mystery of the grace that takes place in Mary does not create a distance between us and her and make her unapproachable, turning her into an object of mere (and therefore empty, meaningless) wonder. On the contrary, she becomes a consoling sign of grace, for she proclaims the God whose light shone on the ignorant shepherds and whose mercy raised up the lowly in Israel and the world. She proclaims the God who is “greater than our hearts” (I Jn 3:20) and whose grace is stronger than all our weakness.

If John the Baptist represents the unsettling seriousness of the divine summons, Mary represents the hidden but profound joy that this summons brings.

Much could be written about what it means to offer one’s own “yes,” or

“fiat,” to God. Perhaps we ought to begin by affirming that each Christian is capable of saying this “yes” and living it faithfully, looking to Mary’s example and trusting in her help.

The Virgin Mary is often described in magisterial texts of recent years as the “Star of the New Evangelization.”

And although Mary is meek and lowly, we know that God has exalted her, raising her up to be queen of heaven and earth. Does this put her out of reach? The great preacher and apologist Monsignor Ronald Knox (1888-1957) in a 1954 sermon on the Assumption offers a beautiful reflection on the wondrous harmony of Mary’s relationships with God and us, her children: When the Son of God came to earth, he came to turn our hearts away from the earth, Godwards.

And as the traveler, shading his eyes while he contemplates some long vista of scenery, searches about for a human figure that will give him the scale of those distant surroundings, so we, with dazzled eyes looking Godwards, identify and welcome one purely human figure, close to his throne. One ship has rounded the headland, one destiny is achieved, one human perfection exists. And as we watch it, we see God clearer, see God greater, through this masterpiece of his dealings with mankind.

Blessed Mary is a model of evangelization in so many ways.

She is perfectly holy, “full of grace.”

Mary has a profoundly contemplative heart. We read in Luke 2:19 that she “kept all these things, reflecting

on them in her heart.” Mary knew the difference between two kinds of strength the heart can have: the false kind of strength that comes from hardening your heart and the true strength of a contemplative heart. A hardened heart shuts out the trials and suffering that inevitably come with loving deeply, while the contemplative heart loves God and others deeply and is able both to embrace the joys and to endure the trials that come with true love.

Contemplative hearts such as the Virgin Mary’s also open themselves to the greater realities of God and his presence and action in our lives.

While a hardened heart is afraid of mystery, of anything that isn’t immediate, obvious and easy, a contemplative heart embraces the mysteries of God, of human life and of the relationship of love we have with him.

We need to foster contemplative hearts within ourselves if we are to respond to God’s presence and action in our own lives. Only by cultivating contemplative hearts will we be prepared to share the Gospel.

We need to pledge ourselves to God’s will, his plan for our lives.

We need to pray deeply and often about the mysteries of our salvation in Christ. We need Mary’s humility, the kind of humility it takes to share Christ with the world around us and to allow ourselves to fade into the background. Think of all of the Madonna and Child paintings in Catholic churches throughout the world. They all testify to Mary’s resolve to show her son to the world.

We need to follow Christ even to Calvary, just as Mary did. “We

preach Christ crucified,” St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:23. We will preach effectively insofar as we have remained with Christ in his suffering and death.

We must go wherever God sends us, sharing Christ with everyone he calls us to evangelize. The Blessed Mother’s apparitions at Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima and elsewhere demonstrate Mary’s mission to share the good news of Christ’s victory over sin and death, a victory in which she fully shares in heaven. Our Lady of Guadalupe alone is responsible for millions of conversions to Christ and his church!

We must be devout as Mary was devout. This is an often-overlooked dimension of evangelization. Jesus, Mary and Joseph were devout Jews.

They faithfully worshipped in the Temple, at synagogue and in their home at Nazareth.

The Council Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught that the Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, the proclamation of the Gospel. Our devotion to the sacred liturgy and the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist testifies to our consecration as God’s people and it equips us for unleashing the Gospel.

In all of these things, we follow the Blessed Virgin Mary in glorifying God in all things, praising him for his goodness, power and mercy, and by announcing the greatest victory this world has ever known or will ever know, the victory over sin and death of her beloved son and Our Lord and brother.

Holy Mary, Star of the New Evangelization, pray for us!

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PO E TRY

There is some sentry at the rim of winter Fed with the speech the wind makes In the grand belfries of the sleepless timber.

He understands the lasting strife of tears, And the way the world is strung; He waits to warn all life with the tongue of March's bugle, Of the coming of the warrior sun.

When spring has garrisoned up her army of water, A million grasses leave their tents, and stand in rows To see their invincible brother.

Mending the winter's ruins with their laughter, The flowers go out to their undestructive wars.

Walk in the woods and be witnesses, You, the best of these poor children.

When Gabriel hit the bright shore of the world, Yours were the eyes saw some Star-sandalled stranger walk like lightning down the air, The morning the Mother of God Loved and dreaded the message of an angel.

THOMA S MERTON (1915-1968) was a writer and Trappist monk at Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, a Roman Catholic monastery in the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance.

He is the author of more than 70 books that include poetry, personal journals, collections of letters, social criticism and writings on peace, justice and ecumenism.

THOMAS MERTON, WRITER • ZACH STUEF, ILLUSTRATOR

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MOVIE REVIEW

N O W PL AYING:

WHEN I WAS FIRST ASSIGNED THE TASK OF SELECTING FILMS THAT HAVE MARIAN/MATERNAL THEMES AND EXCEPTIONAL MOTHER FIGURES, I assumed it would be relatively easy. But compiling this list proved to be much more difficult

“THE SOUND OF MUSIC,” 1965, ARGYLE ENTERPRISES, INC.

than I had thought. So a quick note to any aspiring filmmakers who might be reading this: there is a dearth of great films that highlight mothers and the joys and struggles of motherhood. This should be fixed.

The following six films were selected to represent a wide variety of maternal dynamics, struggles and triumphs.

As such, the list is made up of birth mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, foster mothers and, of course, Our Blessed Mother.

Each film presents unique situations and struggles, many of which may be vastly different from our own experiences. But that is good! My hope is that each story, laying bare before us the great sacrifices inherent to the vocation of motherhood, gives us a bit more appreciation for the mother figures that have shaped our own lives.

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1965 • Starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn • Directed by Robert Wise Maria von Trapp is perhaps the most iconic mother figure in the cinema canon, and with good reason. After being sent to serve as governess to Captain Georg von Trapp’s seven unruly children, Maria’s freespiritedness, patience and kindness soon endear her to the five girls and two boys who have lived under strict military discipline since the death of their mother. Maria’s penchant for song and maternal nurturing gradually transforms the entire house and, in time, melts the hard heart of Captain von Trapp. It is a classic worth revisiting, and often, not only for its grand scale, intoxicating music and thrilling escapades but for Julie Andrews’ beatific performance of a loving, Catholic mother.

Runtime: 2hr 55min Recommended ages: Kids and up

JOE PELLETIER is a video producer with the Archdiocese of Detroit and a perennial student of film and filmmaking.

“I REMEMBER MAMA,” 1948, RKO PICTURES

1948 • Starring Irene Dunne, Barbara Bel Geddes, Oscar Homolka • Directed by George Stevens

2019 • Starring Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin • Directed by Lulu Wang

The film is structured as a series of vignettes — recollections of Katrin, the eldest daughter of an immigrant Norwegian family who is now herself an older woman. Some memories are humorous and some are tragic, but at the heart of each story is her tireless and loving mother, Marta Hanson, played by Irene Dunne. A mother of four, Marta is thrifty, abounding in virtue and wholly committed to sacrificing all she can to make a better life for her children. In one of the more touching sequences, Marta, forbidden by hospital rules from seeing her post-operative young daughter, masquerades as a cleaning woman to gain access to her child’s hospital ward. While there, she sings her a sweet lullaby, becoming for a moment a great source of maternal comfort for not only her child but for all of the children in the room.

Runtime: 2hr 14min Recommended ages: Kids and up

Opening with the line “Based on a true lie,” The Farewell tells the story of a Chinese-American family who finds out the grandmother and matriarch of the family, Nai Nai, has inoperable cancer. Subscribing to a Chinese cultural belief that a family should bear the emotional burden of a terminal diagnosis in place of the terminally diagnosed, the family decides to not tell Nai Nai of her condition and they proceed to plan a large family gathering before she passes. But young granddaughter Billi, who was mostly raised in Western culture, finds accepting this cultural norm much more difficult than the rest of her family. The relationship between Billi and Nai Nai provides some of the most endearing moments in the film, moments made so much more incredibly poignant by Billi’s internal struggle with whether the grand deception is actually in the best interest of her beloved grandmother. **English | Mandarin with English subtitles Runtime: 1hr 40min Recommended ages: Teens and up

“THE FAREWELL,” 2019, RAY PRODUCTIONS

JOE PELLETIER, WRITER

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“IMITATION OF LIFE,” 1959, UNIVERSAL PICTURES “ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD,” 1994, DISNEY “THE SONG OF BERNADETTE,” 1943, 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

1959 • Starring Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, John Gavin • Directed by Douglas Sirk Lana Turner stars as Lora Meredith, a single white mother with Broadway aspirations, in one of the most highly regarded melodramas of the 1950s. Following a chance encounter with Juanita Moore’s Annie Johnson, a single black mother, the pair merge households to support each other and Annie becomes caretaker of Lora’s daughter, Susie, as Lora pursues her stage career. Despite the successes attained over the following 10 years, the two women struggle in their vocations: Lora’s pursuit of temporal achievement has caused a rift in her relationship with Susie, while Annie, as affectionate and loving as they come, sees her light-skinned daughter, Sarah Jane, fight to put off her African-American identity, compelled by the harsh discrimination she has faced her whole life. The film puts on full display the trials of motherhood in a culture rampant with racism, sexism and consumerism in the broad, searing strokes only the best melodramas can harness.

Runtime: 2hr 5min Recommended ages: Teens and up

1943 • Starring Jennifer Jones, Vincent Price, Lee J. Cobb • Directed by Henry King 1994 • Starring Danny Glover, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brenda Fricker • Directed by William Dear Brenda Fricker’s Maggie Nelson may be only a supporting character in this Disney classic, but in all respects, she is the genuine heart of the story. The head of a short-term foster home, Maggie has no children of her own but imparts upon the three young boys in her care all of the maternal love and compassion they so desire and of which they have been so deprived. The emphasis of the film lies on baseball fan Roger (portrayed by a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who holds out hope that one day, “when the Angels win the pennant,” his father will return for good and he’ll have a family again.

Roger’s hopes are frequently dashed but Maggie is always there to bear his suffering with him. Imbued with wisdom and not afraid to share her belief in angels, Maggie is one of the few foster moms highlighted in film and is a commendable representation of their selflessness and nurturing love for their foster children.

Runtime: 1hr 43min Recommended ages: Kids and up

This would not be much of a “good mothers” list without including a film portrayal of the Blessed Mother. Among the very best religious-themed films released in the Golden Age of Hollywood is 20th Century Fox’s The Song of Bernadette, in which Jennifer Jones shines as Bernadette Soubirous, the French peasant girl who receives several visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes. Bernadette’s claims are met with hostility and concern from both secular and church authorities and even from her own family, who are gravely troubled by the intense scrutiny that the family is under and by the circus of believers, skeptics and opportunists who have descended upon their small town because of their daughter. As the film transitions its focus from spiritual phenomena to the redemptive nature of suffering, Bernadette remains strengthened by the words of Our Lady: “I cannot promise you happiness in this world, but I can in the next.” It is this line that carries Bernadette through the many trials and sufferings she undergoes throughout the course of the film.

Among many things, the film reminds us that if we seek maternal love and compassion here on earth and have not found it, we can be assured of the love our heavenly mother is eager to give to us.

Runtime: 2hr 38min Recommended ages: Kids and up

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is transforming cathedral into an arts and cultural destination site — for everyone

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We walk across a sanctuary bathed in brilliant light pouring from immense stained-glass windows. Bart pulls back the velvet curtain.

What she reveals is a marvel: a lineup of 12 intricately carved, multihued statues of the TwelveApostles.

Each, astoundingly, is almost eight feet tall, like the angels; each is sculpted from a single trunk of a tree. They have been saved from oblivion by cathedral Rector Father J.J. Mech, who salvaged them from a closed parish he once pastored.

These statues, these giants of our faith, are hidden now — but not for long. They are a critical part of a Cathedral Master Plan to transform Blessed Sacrament Cathedral into an “apostolic center of arts and culture;” a regional destination site; and, just as ambitiously, a driver of neighborhood renewal.

DANIEL GALLIO writes from Ann Arbor, where he is a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

SPIRIT OF WELCOME The master plan is a product of many contributors, Father Mech explains. But the soul of the plan is the Spirit-inspired vision — and trust — of Archbishop Allen Vigneron.

“After the archbishop asked me to be cathedral rector in 2015, he kept using the term apostolic center: ‘I want you to make the cathedral an apostolic center.’

“Finally, I asked, ‘Could you define that term?’ His answer: ‘No, I don’t want to hinder your creativity.’”

Father Mech sought guidance from prayer and looked inside himself for insight. He loved art and architecture; in fact, he once sponsored an art show that drew 6,000 people to his parish. He had

DAN GALLIO, WRITER • VALAURIAN WALLER, PHOTOGRAPHER

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LEARN MORE •B egin your pilgrimage: cathedral.aod.org • S upport Journey with the Saints: detroitsaintwalk.net • S upport Lourdes Grotto: catholicfoundationmichigan.org/news

long admired Pope St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Artists,” in which the Holy Father explores the magnificent idea that “the proof of God is beauty.”

Father Mech found the most inspiration from Archbishop Vigneron’s pastoral letter “Unleash the Gospel.” Key concepts began to explode from its pages.

The archbishop calls for a “spirit of radical hospitality” to permeate a parish. He recommends providing “shallow entry points” to make it easier for the unchurched to discover a life-changing experience of Christ.

What does it mean to become an apostolic center? The answer became clear for Father Mech, pastoral associate Christine Broses and the entire cathedral staff.

Why not use art and cultural events as the primary shallow entry points? Why not become an apostolic center of arts and culture?

And what about a renewed spirit of welcome toward the surrounding neighbors? Why shouldn’t Blessed Sacrament Cathedral be a center of social activity and community renewal — as were the cathedrals of the Middle Ages — instead of that “big stone church across the street.”

The archbishop’s answer?

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“Go for it!” Father Mech recalls, laughing.

LOURDES GROTTO The cathedral’s stretched-to-thelimit team needed help to make the vision real. They invited a motivated group of people with different gifts to become part of an Archdiocesan Cathedral Council.

The council’s first job: commission a Cathedral Master Plan with specific projects, and then seek funding to make the projects happen.

Completed in April 2020, the plan’s initiatives include constructing a Lourdes Grotto to be a spiritual and community gathering place; renovating the campus to feature two parks and a garden walk; and, surprisingly, creating a dog park.

“It’s what our neighbors are most excited about,” Father Mech says.

“They really see the dog park as a way to build community.” The plan recommends converting an unused gymnasium into an event center with meeting spaces for local groups.

“Everyone is to feel welcome when they come here,” Broses expresses. “We want the cathedral to be the center of the area, the middle of the hub.”

TAILORED PILGRIMAGES While the exterior renovations address the social person, the interior renovations really touch the spirit.

A central element of the master plan is a “Journey with the Saints” pilgrimage outreach. A proposed museum-quality exhibit will match each apostle’s statue with a firstclass relic of the apostle. According to relics expert Father Carlos Martins, CC, the exhibit will be the only one like it, with so many relics so physically near for pilgrims to revere. A separate devotional area in the eucharistic chapel will display authenticated relics of more than 80 saints.

The cathedral staff is busy developing liturgical events and tailored pilgrimages centered on the artifacts. The nonprofit “Art for God’s Sake” is raising support for this outstanding program.

SHO W CASE OF ART On May 21, the Catholic Foundation of Michigan organized an event where a small group of attendees enjoyed a sneak preview of a Journey with the Saints pilgrimage, one with a Pentecost theme, on May 21. As attendees

entered the cathedral, a breathtaking “Upper Room” scene greeted them. The statues of the apostles were gloriously arrayed behind the sanctuary altar. After Mass and a presentation, pilgrims drifted through a candle-lit cathedral, quietly venerating the apostles’ relics.

“It’s hard to put into words the reverence I felt,” says Anthony Schena, who attended with wife Kristy. “The experience left me feeling incredible peace, but also strength.” Anthony calls the cathedral “a hidden gem that needs to be celebrated.”

Christina Shabo, an organizer of the event, was inspired by the cathedral’s “showcase of art, from the altar, the windows, the statues. It was a beautiful, prayerful experience.”

“Several of us were moved to tears as we offered our prayers to the saints,” recounts Angela Moloney, foundation CEO. “The cathedral and its pastoral team are gifts to us all.”

covered with a shroud onto her desk.

“I had a feeling you might want to see this,” he says.

Christine lifts the cover revealing a reliquary of brilliant silver. The luna holds no fleck of bone or strand of hair. Instead, it holds an intact bone of a finger, over two inches long.

Stunned silence, then Christine explains.

“It’s from the hand of Blessed Solanus Casey. We’ve had the relic since his body was exhumed for the beatification. It was a gift from the Capuchins; a great honor.”

Father plans to build a special reliquary to honor the precious object, joined by a relic of St Anne, patroness of the archdiocese. The cathedral team believes the relics of these two saints will draw new pilgrims to Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, helping to transform this “hub” of the archdiocese into a special place of spiritual and physical healing.

PRECIOUS GIFT

F ORETASTE OF HEAVEN

Christine Broses is explaining the concept of radical hospitality to me when Father Mech pops into her office. He places a large object

Blessed Sacrament Cathedral already has an active tour ministry.

As a National Register historic structure, students of architecture,

VALAURIAN WALLER (LEFT, MIDDLE) AND PAUL DUDA (RIGHT), PHOTOGRAPHERS

stained-glass enthusiasts and history buffs love to visit. Volunteer docents help visitors appreciate the cathedral’s treasures during an hourlong tour.

Highpoints include Life of Christ stained-glass windows, “mountains of stone” repeating architectural elements, a eucharistic monstrance gifted by Pope St. John Paul II and an entrance facade designed by renowned architectural sculptor Corrado Parducci.

“But it’s not just about the building,” Bart maintains. “Every tour we give we point out to visitors that Christ is in the beauty, in creation, in them.”

After a pilgrimage to Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, you will better understand the insight of Archbishop Vigneron: “The beauty of the cathedral is like a sacrament, a foretaste of what God has in store for us in heaven.”

And maybe, if the heavenly stars align on the day of your visit, Marian Bart might give you a peek behind that velvet curtain.

It’s not every day you get to stand face-to-face with giants among us.

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OUR HISTORY

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WRITTEN BY JOSEPH BOGGS WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE DETROIT CATHOLIC EDITORIAL TEAM

ST. AL BE RT US, S W E E T E ST HE A RT O F MARY AND ST. J O SAP HAT. MELISSA MOON, PHOTOGRAPHER

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ONLY A FEW HUNDRED POLISH FAMILIES CALLED DETROIT THEIR HOME BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. JUST A FEW DECADES LATER, THAT NUMBER HAD INCREASED TO 35,000.”

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Detroit’s Polish population grew rapidly during the economic boom that transformed the city in the late 19th century. Only a few hundred Polish families called Detroit their home before the Civil War. Just a few decades later, that number had increased to 35,000.

Many of these new immigrants took jobs as laborers in Detroit’s growing industrial landscape.

Though the Polish population had adapted well to American work life, there was one aspect of their identity they were unwilling to compromise on. To be Polish was to be Catholic. For much of the 19th century, Poland was fought over by Russia, Germany and Austria. One aspect of life that endured during these troubled years was their deep Catholic faith. The Polish people took immense pride in their homegrown, passionate priests and ornate, magnificent churches. Polish immigrants in Detroit wished to have their own parish, with a priest who spoke their language and understood their culture, and a church that resembled what they would find back home.

The first Polish immigrants in Detroit attended Mass at St. Joseph Parish, a predominantly German parish. But as their numbers continued to increase, they sought and were given permission to establish a new parish. In 1872,

JOE BOGGS, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist in Monroe, currently serves as the co-chair of the Evangelization & Catechesis Committee for the Monroe Vicariate. He has been married to his wife Bridget for six years and teaches history at a public high school in Perrysburg, Ohio.

on the corner of St. Aubin and Canfield, construction began for St. Albertus. During the church’s first decade, local newspaper reports indicate the Polish congregants engaged in parish festivals, concerts and family gatherings. Many of these traditions continue today, including the Sweetest Heart of Mary’s parish festival.

PIEROGIES, MUSIC AND DANCING Sweetest Heart of Mary’s Taste of the Pierogi Festival was in full swing this year after the coronavirus pandemic placed most parish festivals in the Archdiocese of Detroit on hold in 2020, and scaled back others.

Brian McClory, the organizer of Sweetest Heart of Mary Church’s Pierogi Festival in Detroit, said, “When we announced we’d be having the full festival this year, the reaction was tremendous. We have a dedicated Facebook page and had nearly 16,000 hits on the first day the flier went up. People are anxious to get back out and have some fun.”

The festival menu included a pierogi dinner, a Polish combination plate dinner, naleśniki (Polish fruit-filled crêpes), American-style hot dogs and hamburgers.

People gathered around tents with bands and a dance

floor. McClory said Sweetest Heart of Mary started planning for the Pierogi Festival in May, providing enough time for the parish to organize what is far and away the largest annual fundraiser for the parish. In a normal year, work on planning the Pierogi Festival begins in September and October the year before.

“I was comfortable with the team we have in place now, the volunteer staff and the vendors who do all of this,” McClory shared. “The festival is a big part of who we are. We (usually have) crowds of 5,000 to 6,000 people who come to our campus. This is us giving back to the community, fostering community with our hospitality and showing what Sweetest Heart of Mary is all about.” This parish festival preserves the Polish Catholic traditions and shares it with the broader community.

FILLING UP ON FAT TUESDAY Another beloved Polish tradition in Southeast Michigan is “Pączki Day,” which takes place on Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. People line up outside bakeries in Hamtramck in the wee hours of the morning to indulge in pączki. These deep-fried

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THE FESTIVAL IS A BIG PART OF WHO WE ARE. THIS IS US GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, FOSTERING COMMUNITY WITH OUR HOSPITALITY AND SHOWING WHAT SWEETEST HEART OF MARY IS ALL ABOUT. — BRIAN MCCLORY

pastries are sphere-shaped, stuffed with sweet fillings and often glazed. New Palace Bakery is one of Hamtramck's bakeries that specializes in Polish pastries. According to Suzy Ognanovich, one of the owners, the pastry is an age-old recipe that originated in Poland. Mothers and grandmothers, desperate to empty their pantries in anticipation of fasting in Lent, tossed together all their flour, butter, lard, sugar and jams, creating one final savory pleasure before 40 days of sacrifice began.

While “Pączki Day” has Catholic roots, it has become a beloved tradition for people of all faith backgrounds and walks of life. Ken Morgulac, a parishioner and catechism teacher at St. Mary Parish in St. Clair, has brought a different friend with him each year to accompany him as he waits in line to pick up pączki. “It can be evangelistic, especially if you talk about (faith),” Morgulac shared. “Honestly, that is kind of why I am doing it — it gives me a chance to talk about my faith with some other people.”

Others join in just for the fun. Ray Carlson stood in line for hours and has done so for 20 years. He waits in line on behalf of his wife of 51 years, with a list of pączki that she wants. “It is something that we do — we do it every year. It's about the family memories, so I stand in line and bring them home.” Carlson was accompanied by his nephew, Lance Granata.

“I am really just here for this experience and to meet people,” Granata said.

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AN ONGOING LEGACY The Taste of the Pierogi Festival and “Pączki Day” are just two of the many traditions that the Polish Catholic community has brought to the Catholic culture of the Archdiocese of Detroit and beyond.

Just 60 years ago, Polish Americans made up more than one-fifth of Detroit’s nearly 2 million residents.

Around that same time, urban renewal and relocation projects began to chip away at this and other communities, drastically changing the cultural and physical landscape on the city’s east side.

Today, the three Catholic churches on Canfield are in very different situations. St. Albertus, the first Polish Catholic church in Detroit, was closed in 1990 due to a rapid decline in parishioners during the second half of the 20th century. It is now operated by the Polish American Historic Site Association (PASHA). Mass is celebrated monthly and weddings and tours can be reserved.

Sweetest Heart of Mary and St. Josaphat merged in 2013 to form Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. Polish-born Father Greg Tokarski was assigned to lead the new parish. Father Tokarski admits that the first few years were difficult.

“Long-time parishioners of Sweetest Heart refused to attend Mass at St. Josaphat, and vice versa,” he recalled.

Carol Sniezyk, who has been a member of the parish for six decades, noted that during the first years of the merged parish, many referred to themselves as “St. Josaphat” or “Sweetest Heart” parishioners. In recent years, Carol has watched these same people share parish dinners and work together at festivals. As the old divisions began to fall away, Father Tokarski is proud that his parish now feels like “family.”

The earliest years of the three Polish churches on Canfield paved the way for a brighter future for the Church in Detroit through cherished traditions and a community unified by a shared history and ongoing legacy.

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CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD

ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT’S SWEET AND TENDER APPROACH TO DISCIPLESHIP

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FATHER BONIFACE HICKS, OSB, WRITER • DIEGO DIAZ, ILLUSTRATOR

“DURING THOSE DAYS MARY SET OUT AND TRAVELLED TO THE HILL COUNTRY IN HASTE TO A TOWN OF JUDAH, WHERE SHE ENTERED THE HOUSE OF ZECHARIAH AND GREETED ELIZABETH.” (LK 1:39-40) IMMEDIATELY AFTER GIVING HER TOTAL YES TO GOD THROUGH THE ARCHANGEL GABRIEL AND BECOMING THE MOST PERFECT DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST, MARY BECAME THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY BY BRINGING HIM TO HER COUSIN’S HOUSE AND MAKING MORE DISCIPLES IN ZECHARIAH, ELIZABETH AND JOHN THE BAPTIST. LIKEWISE, AT THE WEDDING FEAST OF CANA, SHE HELPED THE WEDDING COUPLE THROUGH HER INTERVENTION, “THEY HAVE NO WINE,” AND SHE HELPED THE SERVANTS THROUGH THE TIMELESS WISDOM OF HER INSTRUCTION: “DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.” (JN 2:3, 5) MARY’S MISSIONARY PRESENCE PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE UPPER ROOM ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST AFTER SHE DEMONSTRATED THE ULTIMATE FAITHFULNESS IN HER DISCIPLESHIP BY REMAINING AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS. (ACTS 1:14, JN 19:25-27)

The result of her missionary discipleship is apostolic fruitfulness.

The role that she played in the incarnation, bringing Jesus into the world, is the same role that she continues playing in forming divine life in his members. This is one of the great insights of St. Louis de Montfort: “As Mary is everywhere the fruitful Virgin, she produces in the depths of the soul where she dwells a purity of heart and body, a singleness of intention and purpose, and a fruitfulness in good works.” (Secret of Mary, 56) While we sometimes view Mary as an appendix to the real work of evangelization and the works of mercy, the reality is that she is always integrally involved in evangelization, discipleship and sanctification, i.e. the formation of Christ in souls who are baptized into his Body: “God the Holy Spirit, who does not produce any divine person, became fruitful through Mary whom he espoused.

It was with her, in her and of her that he produced his masterpiece, Godmade-man, and that he produces every day until the end of the world the members of the body of this adorable Head.” (True Devotion to Mary, 20) For this reason, St. Louis de Montfort recommends true devotion to Mary and even consecration to Mary for those who wish to grow rapidly in holiness: “Mary becomes all things for the soul that wishes to serve Jesus Christ. She enlightens his mind with her pure faith. She deepens his heart with her humility.

She enlarges and inflames his heart with her charity, makes it pure with

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her purity, makes it noble and great through her motherly care.” (Secret of Mary, 57) St. Louis de Montfort set out a process of consecration to facilitate such a docile, close, intentional alliance of the faithful with the Blessed Virgin Mary. His process consists of three weeks of preparation focusing on knowledge of self, knowledge of Mary and knowledge of Jesus respectively, preceded by a 12-day reflection on the passing nature of this world.

To say it simply, St. Louis de Montfort’s proposal of consecration to Mary fulfills the very purpose of evangelization, namely to receive the gift of adoption through the Holy Spirit. He explains that the one who is consecrated to Mary finds a new conception in her womb and is formed there into Christ her Son: Mary received from God a unique dominion over souls enabling her to nourish them and make them more and more godlike. St Augustine went so far as to say that even in this world all the elect are enclosed in the womb of Mary, and that their real birthday is when this good mother brings them forth to eternal life. Consequently, just as an infant draws all its nourishment from its mother, who gives according to its needs, so the elect draw their spiritual nourishment and all their strength from Mary.

(Secret of Mary, 14) Objectively speaking, this is the consequence of the sacrament of baptism. In baptism, we receive the spirit of adoption and we are made into sons and daughters of God: “you did not receive the spirit of slavery

to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, ’Abba! Father!’ it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Rom 8:15-16) Although this is the objective consequence of baptism, many of the baptized do not realize or live out this new reality. Marian consecration is our opportunity to personally embrace this new identity.

We intentionally choose to live in the womb of Mary, together with Jesus, and to be formed by her motherly care directly beneath her Immaculate Heart. As St. Louis de Montfort taught, it is a sweet and easy way to embrace discipleship. He explains that one can form an image in two different ways: by sculpting the material with a hammer and chisel, or by melting down the material and pouring it into a mold. Hammering and sculpting are difficult and accident-prone, but Mary is the perfect mold where the original masterpiece, the God-man Jesus Christ was formed, and where we can be formed into him as well.

St. Louis de Montfort was primarily a missionary, a lover of the cross and a follower of that Eternal Wisdom that is most perfectly found in the “folly” of the cross.

To read his works is to discover an uncompromising approach to discipleship that centers around a firm embrace of the cross. But he has become known for his tender and sweet approach to discipleship through Marian consecration which was instrumental in the discipleship of so many saints, including Pope St. John Paul II. We can conclude with this great pope’s hearty embrace of

the rosary. This is the devotion he offers us as a concrete means for placing ourselves into Mary’s care: The rosary mystically transports us to Mary's side as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us with the same care, until Christ is ‘fully formed’ in us (cf. Gal 4:19). … This is the luminous principle expressed by the Second Vatican Council which I have so powerfully experienced in my own life and have made the basis of my episcopal motto: Totus Tuus. The motto is of course inspired by the teaching of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort …” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 15)

FATHER BONIFACE HICKS, OSB has been a monk at St. Vincent Archabbey since 1998 and currently serves as the director of spiritual formation and the director of the Institute for Ministry Formation at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pa. Together with Father Thomas Acklin, OSB, he is the co-author of Spiritual Direction: A Guide for Sharing the Father’s Love and Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love, both published

by Emmaus Road Publications.

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OUGH R H T

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PR AYER 101

Our Lady on the River Chapel, Harsen’s Island.

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FATHER BRIAN MELDRUM, WRITER • PAUL DUDA, PHOTOGRAPHER

FATHE R B R I A N M ELDRU M was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2015 and served as the associate pastor at Our Lady of the Lakes Parish in Waterford. Before attending Sacred Heart Major Seminary, he was a music minister and theater director and member of St. Thecla Parish in Clinton Township. He is currently studying sacred Scripture at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

John the Evangelist portrays Mary in unique ways at the beginning and end of the Gospel. In Chapter Two, we are invited to the wedding feast at Cana, where Mary, after discovering that the wine had run out, approaches her son Jesus to intercede on behalf of the wedding party. In her final words recorded in the Gospel, the Mother of Jesus tells the servers the advice that continually echoes in the ears of every servant of Jesus: “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2:5) Near the end of the Gospel, we meet the Mother of Jesus at the foot of the cross, where Jesus entrusts her to future generations of Christians as our Mother. She becomes the model for all who unite their sufferings with Jesus’s sufferings: her Immaculate Heart breaks as Jesus’ Sacred Heart is pierced. From the beginning to the end of the Gospel, and throughout the lives of joyful, missionary disciples who have heard the proclamation of the Good News, Mary intercedes, gives comfort and brings us to her son Jesus.

Because of the inseparable relationship of love between Jesus and his mother, the Church recommends to the faithful the spiritual benefit of uniting ourselves closely with Mary. If God the Father entrusted his son to Mary to bring Jesus into the world through the Incarnation, so, too, will Jesus come to life in us when we entrust ourselves to Mary.

One way that disciples experience this mystery of union with Jesus through friendship with Mary is in the various forms of Marian consecration. To consecrate something or someone is to set it apart for a holy purpose. Being set apart through consecration is not about withdrawal or inaccessibility; rather, it is about nearness and union with God. We consecrate our lives to Jesus and seek to do God’s will by entrusting ourselves to Mary, who knows Jesus and what it means to do God’s will better than anyone.

The Church and the saints consider this act to be consecration to Jesus through Mary, but we sometimes refer to it as Marian consecration or Marian entrustment as a sort of shorthand.

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Many saints have written and reflected on the role of Mary in the lives of her son’s disciples, but the classic example of consecration to Jesus through Mary comes from St. Louis de Montfort (1673–1716). St. Louis encouraged people to spend 33 days in preparation before making an act of consecration. All the instructions and prayers for the consecration are found in his book True Devotion to Mary. The first 12 days are spent emptying oneself of the spirit of the world and praying for an outpouring of Jesus’s spirit — the Holy Spirit. Then, the following three weeks have their own particular intentions: first, to gain knowledge of self and sorrow for sin; second, to understand Mary’s role and the Holy Spirit’s gifts; finally, to know and understand Jesus. St. Louis’s model of consecration involves praying litanies (especially the Litany of Loreto and the Litany of the Holy Spirit) throughout the time of preparation. At the end of the 33 days, one makes a good confession, receives holy Communion and makes the act of consecration that St. Louis provides.

Pope St. John Paul II was deeply dedicated to Our Blessed Mother and fostered devotion to her through the recitation of the rosary. Whether the pope was praying the traditional joyful, sorrowful or glorious mysteries, or the modern luminous mysteries (which he gave as a gift to the Church), John Paul knew no better way to view Our Lord’s life than through the lens of Our Lady. The rosary beads become links in a chain that connects us through the heart of Our Lady to the heart of Our Lord. Pope St. John Paul II entrusted his entire life, priesthood and service in the Church to Our Lady with words that he borrowed from St. Louis de Montfort: Totus tuus, (totally yours).

Father Michael Gaitley, a priest with the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, builds upon St. Louis de Montfort’s model of 33 days of preparation in his outstanding book 33 Days to Morning Glory. Father Gaitley offers daily reflections and prayers for the experience of a do-it-yourself retreat. Ideally, the 33 days would be spent with others: family members, friends, co-workers, members of your family of parishes, school and pastoral staff and leadership teams. Throughout the 33 days, Father Gaitley provides the participants with four examples from the lives of the saints who entrusted themselves to Mary: Sts. Louis de Montfort, Maximilian Kolbe, Teresa of Calcutta and John Paul II. Father Gaitley’s writing is accessible and interesting, and his reflections and questions will lead to fruitful discussions and prayer times for the participants.

Marian consecration is a model for deeper union with Jesus because Mary is the model of a disciple who is perfectly consecrated to Jesus. But who is a model of Marian consecration? Why, St. Joseph, of course!

In marriage, when Joseph was consecrated to Mary, he was set apart by God for a holy purpose: to care for and provide for Our Lord and Our Lady. This was no small task. It required an immense amount of grace on God’s part and strength on Joseph’s part. As husband and father in the Holy Family, Joseph was as close as one could be to heaven on earth. In this year that is dedicated to St. Joseph, perhaps the best example of Marian consecration is this traditional prayer: All for Jesus, all through Mary, in imitation of good St. Joseph.

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WISD OM FR OM THE CHURCH

on the Virgin Mary, Theotokos

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ZACH STUEF, ILLUSTRATOR

(LITERALLY, “GOD-BEARER”) BECAME A POINT OF DISPUTE IN THE YEAR 429. IN THIS CONTROVERSY, WHICH LED TO THE THIRD ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS (IN 431), ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA EMERGED AS THE CHAMPION OF THE TITLE

THEOTOKOS, USUALLY RENDERED “MOTHER OF GOD.” CYRIL DEFENDED THIS TITLE, NOT BECAUSE MARY GAVE BIRTH TO CHRIST’S DIVINITY (SHE CLEARLY DID NOT), BUT BECAUSE SHE GAVE GENUINE HUMAN BIRTH TO THE ONE WHO IS GOD. FOR CYRIL, TO DENY THE TITLE THEOTOKOS TO MARY IS TANTAMOUNT TO REJECTING THE DOCTRINE OF THE INCARNATION, WHICH CONFESSES THAT THE ETERNAL WORD AND SON ASSUMED OUR HUMANITY AND GENUINELY BECAME A HUMAN BEING FOR OUR SALVATION. THE VIRGIN MARY, THEN, IS TRULY THE BEARER (THE MOTHER) OF GOD. THE FIRST SELECTION BELOW COMES FROM CYRIL’S

SECOND LETTER TO NESTORIUS, WHERE HE EXPLAINS WHAT THE TITLE THEOTOKOS MEANS FOR OUR FAITH. THE SECOND SELECTION, FOUND IN THE OFFICE OF READINGS, COMES FROM A HOMILY THAT CYRIL PREACHED IN THE CITY OF EPHESUS DURING THE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL. CYRIL SALUTES AND PRAISES THE VIRGIN, RECOUNTING ALL THE BLESSINGS IN CHRIST THAT HAVE COME THROUGH HER “YES” TO GOD’S CALL THAT SHE BECOME THE MOTHER OF GOD.

CO M M E N TARY BY D R . DA NI EL K EAT I NG Dr. Daniel Keating is an author and professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

“The Word ‘becoming flesh’ (Jn 1:14) means nothing else than that ‘he shared in flesh and blood like us’ (Heb 2:14), and made his very own a body which was ours, and that he came forth as man from a woman, although he did not cast aside the fact that he is God, born of the Father, but remained what he was even in the assumption of the flesh. Everywhere the exposition of the orthodox faith promotes this doctrine.

“We shall also find that the holy Fathers thought like this, and this is why they called the holy virgin ‘Mother of God’ [Theotokos]. This does not mean that the nature of the Word or his divinity took the beginning of its existence from the holy virgin, rather that he is said to have been born according to the flesh in so far as the Word was hypostatically united to that holy body which was born from her, endowed with a rational soul.

“Therefore, holy and incomprehensible Trinity, we salute you at whose summons we have come together to this church of Mary, the Mother of God [Theotokos].

“Mary, Mother of God [Theotokos], we salute you. Precious vessel, worthy of the whole world’s reverence, you are an evershining light, the crown of virginity, the symbol of orthodoxy, an indestructible temple, the place that held him whom no place can contain, mother and virgin. Because of you the holy gospels could say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

“We salute you, for in your holy womb he who is beyond all limitation was confined. Because of you the holy Trinity is glorified and adored; the cross is called precious and is venerated throughout the world; the heavens exult; the angels and archangels make merry; demons are put to flight; the devil that tempter is thrust down from heaven; the fallen race of man is taken up on high; all creatures possessed by the madness of idolatry have attained knowledge of the truth; believers receive holy baptism; the oil of gladness is poured out; the Church is established throughout the world; pagans are brought to repentance.

“What more is there to say? Because of you the light of the onlybegotten Son of God has shone upon those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death; prophets pronounced the word of God; the apostles preached salvation to the Gentiles; the dead are raised to life, and kings rule by the power of the holy Trinity.

“Who can put Mary’s high honor into words? She is both mother and virgin. I am overwhelmed by the wonder of this miracle.”

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FAMILY CHALLENGE

FA L L IN LOVE W IT H THE SAINT S

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RAKHI MCCORMICK, WRITER AND • VALAURIAN WALLER, PHOTOGRAPHER

AS A CONVERT TO CATHOLICISM, PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME TWO QUESTIONS.

RAKHI MCCORMICK is a wife and mother of three working in parish ministry in Metro Detroit and a small creative business featuring handlettered designs and digital illustrations.

She is a first generation Indian-American and a convert from Hinduism.

First, how is it that a girl who grew up Hindu came into the Catholic Church?

The (very) short answer is the Eucharist.

Jesus revealed himself to me in the Blessed Sacrament and it started a journey that will continue until my final breath. The second question I often get asked is: What do I love about the faith? While I am normally loath to choose favorites, I surprisingly have an answer. Aside from the Eucharist, it is beyond a doubt the communion of saints.

I love that we have a family of ancestors in the faith who have gone before us, who have lived “normal” human lives with extraordinary faith and shown heroic virtue even in the middle of some enormous messes. Having felt like a bit of a misfit through much of my life, I am drawn to the wideness of the communion of saints that honors each unique life lived in pursuit of Christ. That we honor these men and women with feasts and solemnities in our liturgical calendar demonstrates the importance their lives continue to play in our own.

As summer turns to autumn, we encounter some powerhouse saints (and those on the road to sainthood)! St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Andrew Kim and the Korean Martyrs, St. Padre Pio, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Jerome, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Francis of Assisi, Blessed Carlo Acutis, St. Teresa of Avila and Pope St. John Paul II are just some of the names we come across on the calendar as we head toward the Solemnity of All Saints in November. It is a great time to challenge your family to consider what the lives of these holy men and women can teach us about our own call to discipleship and holiness, and how you can live that out together. Here are a few of our favorites!

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FIND YOUR OWN CALCUTTA

ST. TERESA OF CALCUTTA: SEPT. 5

Faced with multitudes of people who wanted to go serve with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, Mother Teresa encouraged people to begin by looking instead to their own communities — to find their own Calcutta. Pope Francis refers to families as a “vital cell to transforming our world.” Take time to reflect on how your family is called to be a living witness of Christ’s love to those in need. What spiritual and corporal works of mercy pull on your heartstrings? Who in your community can your family help to know the love and mercy of God? GO DEEPER: Consider making a family commitment to support a local organization living out the works of mercy like the Catholic Charities Works of Mercy Center, the Pope Francis Center, Jail Outreach Ministry, Deo Gratias Ministry, Mary’s Mantle, Gianna House, Earthworks Garden, Capuchin Soup Kitchen and your own parish’s St. Vincent dePaul Society (who we celebrate on Sept. 26.)

SEEK GOD NOW

ST. ANDREW KIM & THE KOREAN MARTYRS: SEPT. 20 St. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn was the first Korean-born priest, but the Catholic faith had spread through Korea before any priest had arrived in the country. Don’t wait for someone else to come along before you grow in faith. Take charge of deepening your family’s relationship with Christ, and don’t be afraid to invite others into it.

GO DEEPER: Start a Bible study together (and consider inviting a neighbor). Pray over one another and for one another. Watch The Chosen as a family. Use 52 Sundays (52sundays.com) to grow together.

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BE WILDFLOWERS

ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX: OCT. 1 When people think of St. Therese, they often think of roses. And yet, it is the Little Flower who reminds us that “if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.” This is true among the saints as well. The beauty of our canon of saints lies in the tremendous diversity we find in their ranks — religious, priests, martyrs, children, married men and women, sinners who grew into heroic virtue, broken people who allowed God to work through them.

They all inspire and encourage us to discover the unique call in our lives and our family’s mission in the world. Take time to learn about saints from around the world and create a saint squad that fits your family.

GO DEEPER: Learn about a new saint each week using Jennifer Fulwiler’s online Saint Name Generator (saintsnamegenerator.com).

Read captivating stories from Saints Around the World by Meg HunterKilmer and Lindsey Sanders. Shine a light on the saints to discover more about them with the interactive Light of the Saints book by Corey Heimann and Tricia Dugat. Add a few saint peg dolls to the action figures and LEGOs lying around the house (they don’t hurt as much when stepped on either).

PRAISE GOD IN ALL THINGS ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI: OCT. 4

In his Canticle of the Sun, St. Francis writes a beautiful hymn of praise to God, the creator of all things. His words give life to the way our very being cries out with the glory of God. In a busy world, we can become preoccupied with the tasks at hand and lose our sense of wonder. Take time to sit in awe of God and the works of his hand. Connect with creation. Gaze at the stars. Watch the birds and squirrels at play. Plant bulbs for the spring. Take the family on a hike and enjoy the changing colors of the leaves. Discover the interconnectedness of all creation and our place in it.

GO DEEPER: Consider a family trip to the zoo, a nature center or an observatory to explore God’s creative imagination.

LET YOUR CHILDREN LEAD

BLESSED CARLO ACUTIS: OCT. 12 Blessed Carlo Acutis entered eternal life at the age of 15. In his short life, he befriended the poor and the bullied, served the homeless, created a website cataloging eucharistic miracles throughout the world and helped to inspire a traveling exhibit that we have likely seen in some of our own parishes! Help your kids embrace their personalities and interests to creatively use them for the glory of God. GO DEEPER: Let your kids plan a faith-enriching activity centered on one of their hobbies. Guide and encourage, but let them take the lead!

SUFFER WELL JOHN PAUL II: OCT. 22

There are many lessons from the life of Pope St. John Paul II, but his lasting witness is that of suffering well. The adage of “offer it up” comes to mind, but with great tenderness in his example. His life was one lived in solidarity with the suffering.

Challenge your family to unite their inconveniences and hardships in prayerful solidarity with those who suffer around the world.

GO DEEPER: Create a prayer board that focuses on a specific marginalized, persecuted or impoverished community around the world each week to center your prayer. Learn more about their hardships and offer intentional sacrifices for them.

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GROWING IN VIRTUE

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FATHER STEPHEN PULLIS, STL, WRITER • NAOMI VRAZO, PHOTOGRAPHER

C H A S T I T Y A N D O B ED I EN CE ARE AMONG THE VO W S MADE BY EACH PERSON WHO ENTERS PROFESSED RELIGIOUS LIFE. FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF THE CHURCH, MEN AND W OME N WHO WERE STRIVING F OR CHRISTIAN PERFECTION TOOK UP THE MANTLE OF COMMITTING THEIR LIVES AROUND THESE PROMISES WHICH, ALONG WITH THE VO W OF POVERT Y, ARE CALLED TH E “EVANGELICAL COUNSELS.” CHRIST IS T H E PERFECT EXAMPLE OF ALL THREE OF TH ES E VIRTUES. BUT WE ARE ALSO CALLED TO IMITATE THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, WH O ALSO LIVED THEM TO THE FULL. THOSE OF US WHO HAVE NOT ENTERED THE CARMELITES, FRANCISCANS OR OTHER RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES HAVE A RESPONSIBILIT Y TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE THREE AREAS OF PERFECTION A S WELL. THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH REMINDS US, “CHRIST PROPOS ES THE EVANGELICAL COUNSELS, IN THEIR GREAT VARIET Y, TO EVERY DISCIPLE.” (915) THEREF ORE, IF WE COUNT OURSELVES AMONG THOSE WHO SEEK TO F OLLO W JESUS, WE MUST TAKE UP THE TASK OF LIVING — IN OUR O WN WAY — THE CAL L TO CHRISTIAN PERFECTION WHICH THE S E VO W S BRING ABOUT. FATHER STEPHEN PULLIS, STL is the graduate director of pastoral formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He also co-hosts the “Encounter Grow Witness” podcast to equip and evangelize ministers on a mission to unleash the Gospel and create a joyful band of missionary disciples in the Archdiocese of Detroit and beyond.

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MOTHER MOST PURE, PRAY FOR US The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (also called the Litany of Loretto) includes many references to Mary’s chastity. We invoke her intercession under titles such as Mother most pure and Mother most chaste and we hear about her virginity in seven other titles the Church has ascribed to her. Mary holds a special place among the saints by her whole “gift of self ” to the mission announced to her by the angel Gabriel. She is unique among all women in history in that she is both virgin and mother.

The purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been heralded for all of Christianity being the exemplar of purity for both men and women. This reality is in no small part because every “beloved disciple” of Jesus was given to Mary as a son or daughter to receive her as a mother. This command to do so was among the final words of Jesus’ labored breathing from the cross. (Jn 19:26-27) Her purity is a symbol of her single-hearted devotion to God. Not even the strongest natural human desires could distract her from what God called her to do. This radical devotion to God creates in her a radical ability to be a coworker in the plan of Jesus to bring about the world’s salvation. It took nothing less than Mary’s perfect purity and perfect chastity to be the mother of Christ: Christ the head in the person of Jesus and Christ the body his Church.

Mary is not simply a saint of purity to be marveled at, but also an example for us to follow.

Two ways to do this are:

CUSTODY OF THE EYES There is no shortage of visual temptations to sin against purity. In our times, these temptations are found most often (and most intensely) in the digital realm. Pornography, sexually suggestive advertising and movies and series which contain nudity are among the greater offenders against purity in our world.

Practicing “custody of the eyes” is a somewhat old-fashioned term that reminds us that the images we bring into our minds through our eyes can affect us profoundly. We are called to protect our souls by avoiding these images.

If you do see an impure image, ask Mary, Mother of Purity to strike the image from your memory. This can be done with a short prayer such as “Mother Mary, help my mind and heart to belong wholly to Jesus.”

FAST Few things help us conquer sin more quickly than fasting. It is a powerful way to pray not only with our lips, but with our bodies too.

Fasting is meant to be a regular part of our Catholic life (Jesus did not teach his disciples what to do if they pray, fast and give alms but when they pray, fast and give alms [Mt 6:2-6]), therefore fasting should be among the habits of a joyful missionary disciple.

Make a commitment to fasting in one way at least once a week. This can be done in the traditional way of the Church — by abstaining from meat on Fridays — or in another way like not choosing your favorite entrée at a restaurant, going a day without social media or TV or letting another family member have their way instead of your own. Fasting denies our own will and strengthens us to fight the temptations against purity. If purity is not a challenge for us, we can offer the graces which come from our spiritual fasting for a loved one or a young person we know.

MARY, MOST HUMBLE Obedience is usually the hardest of the evangelical counsels but when it is done well, it brings about a spirit of humility. Humility is one of the most attractive spiritual qualities because it is so countercultural. Humility requires spiritual obedience. This is not simply an exercise in self-denial but rather a realization of the truth that Jesus is Lord. If we profess this truth of the Lordship of Jesus, it must be that he has dominion over our whole life and the only proper response to him is obedience.

Mary’s humility is demonstrated all throughout her life. We see her humility in understanding Jesus when he is found in the Temple, (Lk 2: 41-52)

when she is denied access to him during his public ministry, (Mt 12:46-50) and finally, at the cross when she faithfully and excruciatingly remains by Jesus’ side as he dies. (Jn 19:25-30) But the first and clearest expression of her humility in Scripture has echoed down the ages in her response to the angel’s testimony of God’s plan for her to be the Mother of God’s Son: “Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum” (Be it done to me according to your word).

Being joyful missionary disciples requires us to imitate Mary’s radical humility and obedience to God’s will. We can do this in these two ways:

DAILY PRAYER TO GIVE GOD PERMISSION Make a part of your daily prayer a commitment to belong wholly to God. This short prayer, when prayed fervently, can be incredibly powerful. Men and women were made into the greatest saints through this spiritual practice. St. Teresa resolved to never refuse God anything. St. Ignatius of Loyola has my favorite version of such a prayer in his Sucipe: Take Lord, and receive, all of my liberty, my memory, my intellect, and all my will — all that I have and possess. Thou gave it to me, to thee Lord I return it. All in thine, dispose of it according to your will. Give me thy love and thy grace for this is enough for me. Offer this prayer daily when you wake up; in a couple of weeks you will have it memorized and will see the impact it can have on your life.

GO TO CONFESSION MONTHLY It is tremendously humbling to have to admit my mistakes. It is even harder to have to do it again and again and again … and to have to do it when my mistakes and sins are so often the same ones again and again and again.

The sacrament of confession is a masterclass in humility. Bonus points: It also forgives your sins.

Do not be afraid of the call to holiness! These spiritual practices will help you to grow in the virtues of purity and humility and help you become the saint God has made you to be.

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PURSUING HOLINESS

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GINA AND RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTOGRAPHERS

THIS IS YOUR FIRST YEAR OF MARRIAGE, WHAT PRAYER OR SPIRITUAL PRACTICES ARE YOU AND YOUR WIFE IMPLEMENTING? My wife is a recent convert to the Catholic Church from nondenominational Christianity, so we’re spending a lot of time learning about Church history, the lives of saints and various theological topics. It’s been edifying to see the faith in a fresh way through her eyes. Right now, we’re building on the fundamentals: learning prayers, incorporating the liturgical calendar into our daily lives, going to Mass together — followed by coffee and grocery shopping. We’ve also really enjoyed praying the rosary together, as it is comforting for her and contemplative for me. We’ve done several novenas together and find ourselves constantly asking the saints for their intercession.

Sometimes, it’s hard to believe how open she is to all of this.

All of my previous relationships have unintentionally been with non-Catholics, and conversations about faith have been met with indifference or confrontation. Admittedly, I was secretly hoping for the other’s conversion in the past. This time around, I realized that you can’t force one’s relationship with God to grow in a certain way, just like you can’t force a tree to grow faster or slower. My wife was the one who first suggested we go to Mass together, and she was the one who decided to become Catholic. I deeply appreciate her curiosity and respect as she continues to affirm her faith.

HO W DO YOU APPROACH CONFLICT WITH YOUR WIFE?

JOE KIM is a graphic design teacher at a Catholic high school and the founder of PAL Campaign, a Catholic apparel, gifts and accessories shop (PALCampaign. com). He lives in Los Angeles with his wife.

The last fight we had was during our recent honeymoon to Hawaii. There was literally trouble in paradise. We just finished a gorgeous, hour-long hike that led to a waterfall and swimming hole. I wanted to jump into the pool and hang out longer, and she wanted to leave because it was a lot more crowded than we anticipated. Our differing opinions on how to spend that time, and our inability to communicate them clearly instead of expecting the other person to psychically know the intentions of the other, led to sarcastic comments, hurt feelings and an awkward and quiet hour-long hike back to our car. It’s crazy how something so small can cause beauty to turn.

In situations like these, I know that I need some time. She’s come to understand this as well, so we don’t always try to resolve things right away. Whether it’s a few hours or the day after, I eventually realize that we are on the same team, and that it doesn’t serve us or those around us to cultivate division on our “team.” After getting back to our hotel, we were able to share everything we were feeling without holding back, made necessary apologies, and learned a bit more about how we can continue to be better for each other.

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WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR BEST HABITS F OR W ORK/LIFE BAL ANCE? I am a recovering workaholic. I think that stems from a variety of things: being abandoned by my father at a young age, immigrating to the U.S. and trying to fit in and living within a society that highly values production and accumulation. All of this has led to coping mechanisms that favored hard work, achievement and perfection.

Growing up, I equated the absence of my father with the lie that I wasn't good enough for him to stay, and I worked with dogged determination to become someone that others would deem worthy enough to stay for. At one point in my life, I was juggling so many jobs and other commitments that I was only getting three to four hours of sleep a night. This was not selfless, it was selfish.

I needed to be needed, and this ego-driven need led to numerous burnouts, negative health effects, subpar work and ironically … viewing the value of others by what they do, what they have and how they can benefit me on my insatiable quest to prove that I’m worth it.

It took all of that to help me release my grip on the idea that I just wasn’t good enough. Slowly but surely, I began to believe that no amount of work or achievement could add to the masterpiece God had already created in me. I know this is an ongoing work, but seeing myself and others through this new value system has humbled me greatly. I know my limits, I rely on the help of others, and the occasional late nights and sacrifices are driven by love for others, not for myself.

In approaching balance between work and life now, I try not to prioritize my schedule, but to schedule my priorities.

There are a handful of practices and rituals that keep me operating at my best, and I work hard to prioritize them. Some of these include prayer, journaling, goal setting, exercise, making time for relationships and intentionally nonproductive play.

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WHAT W OULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO IS ANXIOUS TO FIGURE OUT THEIR VOCATION? While I feel unqualified to answer this question, the vocational trajectory of my own life has always been unbelievably providential and perfect in its timing.

Here are some insights I’ve gained along the way: • Our main vocation is to love and be loved. We don’t need a job title, state in life or zeroes in a bank account to do this well.

• Being honest with ourselves about what truly gives us life and energy is a good step in doing work that makes us fulfilled, and contributes to society at large.

• “Inspiration is good, but action is better.” No amount of journaling, prayer or indulgent self-discovery experiences will produce much fruit if they aren’t backed up by action.

Start small if you must, but start.

• Don’t worry so much about timing. Some figure out their vocation at 16, while others discover it at 40. If you work hard, nurture curiosity, are authentically yourself and become radically open to God’s will for your life, things will happen exactly when they need to.

• Our vocations should sanctify us, and improve the lives of others. We usually look for a career or vocational path based on how it can give us the life we want and desire.

But if we frame our search differently, asking how what we do can benefit others, I truly believe it will give us more satisfaction and creative energy.

WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO CHURCH TEACHINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND? I usually let life unfold the mystery. I don’t think that some questions are meant to be answered by an afternoon of research. They can only make sense through the living of life which is black, white and the many shades of gray in between.

A great talk or book may help us gain head knowledge on a particular teaching, but it may take a lifetime to understand it in our hearts.

God’s grace and mercy is something I believe works in this way. When I read about the outrageous generosity of God, it disrupts the perfect system of justice I've established for my relationship with him; when I'm good, I deserve love — when I'm not, I don't. Working in youth ministry and Catholic education for the past 15 years, I’ve sang, given talks and counseled others on the boundless mercy of Christ, but never truly accepted it for myself until recent events broke down my unbelief.

HO W DO YOU HANDLE JEALOUSY OF OTHER ARTISTS/MINISTERS? Several years ago, I was in a relationship that included every high and every low. This relationship became the vehicle for years of unspoken hurt and childhood issues to surface. Having someone who knew me deeply put such an intimate, real and rather ugly mirror of all my flaws for me to see, made me do and say things that I was not proud of. Our ability to hurt each other made me believe I was unworthy of love, and the years following that relationship were filled with choices that would confirm this belief.

But grace broke through in an unexpected way when I met my wife. I have never before experienced the kind of unconditional love that she shows me, and it helps me understand in a tangible way, the love and mercy of God. Despite their pain, my previous relationships have been some of my greatest teachers. I intend to never forget the lessons they’ve taught me as I live the sacrament of marriage with my wife.

This happens more often than I’d like, but like most emotions, I let myself feel it fully. Some thoughts that surface can include, but are not limited to: “They’re not even that good, why are they so successful?” or, “I will never be as good as them, I should just give up.” And this is a big one, “Why does God allow them to succeed and not me?” These thoughts are silly and embarrassing but honest.

After sitting with it for a while, some sobering and beneficial realizations usually surface. First, I need to remember that as a steward of the talents and gifts given to me, I am using them for the benefit of the world, rather than the benefit of my ego.

Jealousy is born when we assume that we cannot or do not have something that others can and do have. But this mindset of scarcity doesn’t align with a God that is abundant. One look at the diversity in nature points to a God that gets carried away with extravagant abundance. The art and the ministry that get birthed through me can be just as sacred and fruitful as the work that comes from others. If we are creating for the kingdom, wouldn’t we want thousands and thousands of incredible people, doing incredible things for God? Secondly, healthy jealousy and competition aren’t always bad things.

Seeing great work always inspires me, prevents laziness and motivates me to create at the highest levels.

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UNLEA SHE D Q UESTIONNA IR E

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A D U O

EDERIQUE GOUDIA HAS MORE THAN 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY AND IS THE CO-OWNER AND EXECUTIVE CHEF OF GABRIEL HALL, A NEW ORLEANS-STYLE RESTAURANT, BAR AND MUSIC VENUE IN WEST VILLAGE. SHE ALSO CO-FOUNDED IN THE BUSINESS OF FOOD, A FOOD SERVICE-BASED CONSULTING AGENCY THAT CREATES CURRICULA, FACILITATES WORKSHOPS AND CONSULTS FOR WOMEN- AND POC-OWNED OR -LED FOOD BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS. EDERIQUE’S COMMITMENT TO A MORE FAIR, SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE FOOD ECONOMY IS THE CORNERSTONE FOR CREATING TASTE THE DIASPORA, A CELEBRATION AND SHOWCASE OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA TO AMERICAN CUISINE HERE IN DETROIT. SHE ALSO SERVES AS PART OF THE DETROIT FOOD ACADEMY TEAM AS PROGRAM MANAGER, WHERE SHE TEACHES AND INTRODUCES DETROIT YOUTH TO THE CULINARY ARTS, BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. MOST RECENTLY, EDERIQUE WAS ONE OF 20 WOMEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP FOR 2020 AND WAS CHOSEN AS ONE OF 10 CHEFS NAMED AS PART OF THE INAUGURAL CLASS OF THE DETROIT FREE PRESS 2021 FOOD FIGHTERS FOR HER WORK IN AIDING THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE PANDEMIC. SHE IS A PARISHIONER AT ST. AUGUSTINE AND ST. MONICA’S.

WHO DO YOU ADMIRE?

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?

So many people! But basically those that are intentional about how they live their lives and how they treat others.

Baby-sitting.

IF YOU HAD UNLIMITED RESOURCES, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Bike riding.

Help people through food and through mental health resources.

WHAT DO YOU VALUE THE MOST IN YOUR FRIENDS?

WHAT IS YOUR BEST QUALITY?

I value that they continue to work on becoming their best selves.

Ensuring people feel heard and seen.

Michael Twitty.

Leaving a lucrative career to open a restaurant.

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR EARLIEST MEMORIES? Growing up in Louisiana, my grandparents lived right across the street.

My grandfather had three gardens and was always in the garden shucking peas or corn or picking strawberries. He dried and ground his own peppers, made his own wine and raised hogs so we would have fresh ham and pork chops; he would go fishing and shrimp hunting. So my earliest memories are of really living off of the land, helping him in the garden.

I didn’t go to a grocery store until I was 16, after he passed away, because we ate what we grew.

WHAT VIRTUE DO YOU MOST ADMIRE IN OTHERS? Empathy.

Yes. LOL.

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?

WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST HAPPINESS?

Hitting a Straight Lick with Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance by Zora Neale Hurston

Seeing people happy (especially if it’s because of my food! LOL).

Dying without leaving a lasting positive impact on those around me.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE? Inconsideration.

ZACH STEUF, ILLUSTRATOR

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR?

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE TAKEN?

WHAT WORDS DO YOU USE TOO MUCH?

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOBBY OR PASTIME?

WHAT TALENT OR SKILL DO YOU WISH YOU HAD? To whistle.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Valuing myself and understanding my own self-worth.

Anxiety around not being good enough.

Imposter syndrome.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE MOTTO OR MANTRA? “Risk is the tariff paid to leave the stores of predictable misery.” - Chef John Folse

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE YOUR LINE OF WORK? I hope and pray that everything that I do is impactful and intentional. I have a love for people. If I didn’t become a chef, I was going to become a psychologist. And, I love food. And so the work that I’m doing is a combination of both. I get to help people through food and that’s the reason why I do this.

HOW DOES YOUR FAITH IMPACT YOUR WORK? I’m hoping that it shows up in the work that I do and the food I create and the community I’m a part of and try to create. It definitely runs very deep within me. It’s the basis of everything that I do.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR PARISH? St. Augustine/St. Monica is a beautiful church. I love the people. Father Dan is amazing. He really preaches the word.

I was introduced to it through my business partner, and when I first moved to Detroit, I would drive half an hour to church every Sunday because they are such a strong community.

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PHOTO E SSAY

TRINIT Y VICARIATE COR P U S C HR IS T I PA RISH DETROIT

P R ES E N TAT ION — O U R L ADY OF V IC TO RY DETROIT

SS . PE T E R & PAUL (WESTSIDE ) DE TROIT

ST. JUAN DIE GO DETROIT

S T. M A RY’ S OF R E DF ORD DETROIT

S T. S C HOL A S T ICA DETROIT

T R I NI T Y VICARIATE FAMILY 1 I S A FA MILY OF SIX PARISH E S LO CATED IN DE TROIT. TH E FA MI LY ’ S MODE RATOR IS FATHE R JA I ME HI NOJ OS AND THE PAS TORS WHO SERVE THE FAMILY A RE FAT H ER PATRICK GON YEA U, FAT H ER, J AROSL AW PILUS , FAT HER ATHANASIUS F ORNW ALT A ND FATHE R J IM LO WE . TH I S FA M I LY A NS WERS THE SYN OD 1 6 CA LL F O R RADICALLY MISSIONO R I ENT ED PARISHE S BY BUILD I NG U NI T Y IN MULTICULTURAL CO M M U NITIES, E NCOUN TER I NG T H E MA RGINALIZED IN THE I R NEI GHBO RHOODS IN CHARIT Y AND EXPA ND I NG AN D ADAPTIN G T HE I R EVA NG ELI CAL PROGRAMS TO M AK E T H EI R CHURCHE S HOMES F OR EV ERYO NE TO E NCOUN TER CHRI S T. T HE SPI R IT OF PARISH REN E WAL I S ST R O NGLY E MBODIED IN THE H EA RT OF THIS FAMILY.

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Father Jim Lowe leads a prayer gathering, “Becoming the Fire,” at St. Scholastica on Friday, July 9, 2021.

JAMES SILVESTRI, PHOTOGRAPHER AND WRITER

S T. S C HOL A S T ICA , DETROI T

St. Scholastica Parish was established in 1928 as a child parish of St. Mary’s of Redford.

The parish vision is to be a beacon of God's love, guiding all into a life-changing encounter with Christ, and it does this by striving to provide continued Christian formation for adults, an excellent education for youth and a welcoming and compassionate space for those who are looking to renew or come back to their faith.

Parishioners join Father Jim Lowe for the night of praise and worship.

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ST. JU A N D I E G O , D ETR O IT

St. Juan Diego is made up of two separate locations in Detroit — the St. Christopher site and the St. Thomas Aquinas site.

Parish Family Moderator and Pastor Father Jaime Hinojos celebrates Sunday morning Mass at the St. Christopher site.

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S S . PE T E R & PAU L, DETROI T (W ESTSI DE)

In 1923, SS. Peter and Paul Parish was founded to serve the growing Polish community migrating to northwest Detroit for work in the River Rouge Plant. In 1957, a ground-breaking ceremony was held for the new and final church building for the parish. Today, SS. Peter & Paul Parish still serves the needs of its Polish community offering Mass and the other sacraments in Polish, while expanding its services to welcome the constantly evolving neighborhood.

Father Jaroslaw (Jerry) Pilus celebrates Sunday morning Mass.

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CO R P U S C H R I ST I PA R I SH , D ETR O IT

Corpus Christi Parish, located in northwest Detroit, is a vibrant, multicultural faith community known for its radical hospitality, Christian service, faith formation and evangelization.

Twenty years ago, the parish helped set up New Hope Housing and Community Development Corporation. Since then, New Hope has renovated 20 abandoned homes, built 20 homes and sold all of them to first time home buyers. New Hope has successfully assisted nearly 250 homeowners facing foreclosure.

Father Patrick Gonyeau celebrates Sunday morning Mass.

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P RE S E N TAT ION — OU R L ADY OF VICTORY, D E T R O I T

Our Lady of Victory Parish recently relocated within the St. Scholastica campus.

The parish community worships in the beautiful and prayerful setting of the chapel, behind the main sanctuary. An urban parish, its mission to “serve as stewards in the community.”

Sunday morning Mass is celebrated

by Father Terry Donahue within the St. Scholastica Church.

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S T. MARY’ S OF REDF ORD, DETROI T

St. Mary’s of Redford, located in Detroit, was founded in 1843 in what was then Redford, which was mostly farmland. In 1859, the small wooden church was burned to the ground. Later that year, the church was rebuilt entirely out of brick to protect it from any future flames. St. Mary’s school was founded in 1919 with 117 students enrolled. By 1930, the school was bursting at the seams with 1,100 students. In 1927, the new (and current) church was dedicated as St. Mary’s of Redford. Within the church are countless symbols of Mary. The parish holds her as Queen and trusts her to lead parishioners to Jesus, the king.

Masses are offered in English and Latin.

Parishioners enjoy an outdoor Carillon Concert on the grounds surrounding St. Mary’s Church.

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C AT H O L I C F U N E R A L & C E M E T E RY S E RV I C E S

"We witness to who our God is by the way we care for our dead."

-Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, Pastoral Note on Christian Burial, October 2018

JOIN US FOR OUR OUR OPEN HOUSE & TOURS WEEKEND Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19 • 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Holy Sepulchre, Our Lady of Hope, St. Joseph, Mt. Carmel Cemeteries Co mpli me ntar y Planni ng Gu i d es wi l l be a v a i l a bl e. Al l a re wel c o m e!

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