The Gospel reading this week is construed as being about stewardship…well, yes it is and no it isn’t.  The message of today’s Gospel is an old familiar one, “You can’t take it with you.” There is an old saying, “You can’t take it with you, except the things you gave away.” We all might be looking for the loopholes, but there aren’t any.  The last line of the reading makes me reflect on just what does “matter to God.”   We all have things of great value, emotionally, materially, historically. My life is full of little and large sacraments from people that have passed on that matter …I have many of my Dad’s tools and when using them, special memories of him flood my mind…pictures of my parents when they were young, before children…small memento’s of my grandparent’s that initially meant little and now mean the world to me. These and many others are what I consider my wealth. I know I cling to them as if they were of great monetary value, they mean much more than money to me. 

   The man in the parable today is quite self-satisfied; he is preparing himself for a life of easy living. Maybe his neighbors will think more highly of him, because of his bigger barn. But he’s lost contact with his own life and with God.  He has not been sharing and so he will take nothing with him. What seems to matter to him is himself and his “earthly” possessions.  Importantly, the parable does not say that he will not receive eternal life with God in heaven. The parable reminds us all that life is short and fragile and what matters to God has to do with God becoming bigger in our lives than our material possessions.

God Bless, Franz

I am happy to announce that we now have WiFi in the Davidson Center, the Church, and the Rectory.  This will aid in the DC and Church whenever we have guest speakers that need to access the web or if we’re doing presentations in-house for you. The Rectory has been wired for WiFi for some time now and comes in very handy whenever we have visiting priests or guests. We elected not to put WiFi in the Pastoral Center or Administrative Center as they are already completely wired for internet and it would not have made sense to do so. We’re still looking at the Social Hall and will reserve judgment on that for now. The cost per WiFi installation is right around $400.

The Archdiocese of Detroit has announced that the new standard for electronic Church Record Management will be software called “Parish Soft” and all parishes will be required to adopt this platform in the near future. Currently we use software called “CMS” or Church Management System and it has served us well. For our financials we use Quick Books. We have not yet been informed of what programs the Parish Soft will replace…whether it will be Church Record Management and/or Financials as well.  Several of us will be attending informational meetings in August and we’ll let you know more at that time.

Our conference room enlargement / modernization is coming along well. Sound system and the carpeting are scheduled for next week and that should pretty much finish it off. We also took the opportunity to arrange for new carpeting to be installed in the Church by the Baptismal Font. If you take a look at that area it shows a lot of wear and tear and it was just a matter of time until the carpet started to delaminate and disintegrate completely.

God bless, Franz

O.K., enough about money for now…I have been reassigned as the Deacon at St. Ronald in Clinton Township by Archbishop Vigneron for another 3 years, through June 2013.  It’s a nice division being the Deacon at St. Ronald and the Business Manager at St. Anastasia.  I really have the best of both worlds and I do mingle both ministries at both locations…my Diaconate impacts decisions I make at St. Anastasia and my Business Manager mind set impacts decisions I make at St. Ronald.  Our pastor over the last 10 years Father Jim Andres OFM Capuchin at St. Ronald was asked by his order to take over the administration of the Capuchin Retreat Center in Washington, MI as of July 1st…our new pastor at St. Ronald is Msgr George Miller, formerly Judicial Vicar of the Tribunal and Administrator of St. Jude.  We’re all excited and just a bit nervous at having a new pastor, but we’re confident in the direction God is taking us.  I do ask for your prayers for the Parishioners and staff at St. Ronald as well as for Msgr Miller as he undertakes his new ministry. 

May God Bless You All, Franz

The remodeling/enlargement of the conference room is going well and we are on schedule to have the room done by the end of July, ready for the Michigan Bible School classes starting mid-August.  This room will give us much needed flexibility in having large groups while still maintaining a nice intimate atmosphere. The room will also be available for Religious Ed, RCIA, or any other church sponsored group.  Most of the work is being done by Bill Scally and his crew and they deserve a lot of credit, they are doing an excellent job while saving us a lot of money.  Bill also had “his guys” distribute the mulch that is looking so good in the flower beds.  Our head Gardening Angel, Carol Corbin was able to get the mulch for free…a good word in my vocabulary.  Carol and her gardening crew (including Chris Elmes on the trees) do an outstanding job on the flower beds and we appreciate them all.  We are lucky to have such hard working and dedicated volunteers.

During our CSA launch, we played the Archbishops message on the movie screen during Mass.  I know that some of you were not able to attend that weekend and some probably tuned out the message as “just another request for money”.   I am following with a copy of the Archbishops message on the CSA and ask that you please prayerfully read it.  Archbishop Vigneron did not create the financial difficulties in the AOD; he inherited them as well as the challenges of funding ministers through the CSA campaign that is so vital to the most vulnerable of our area.  Maybe things are getting better out there, but they still seemed stalled in many areas that the CSA serves at this time of great need.

 DEAR FRIENDS IN CHRIST,
In my many years as a priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and now as the principal shepherd of our local Church, I have always been impressed with the collective generosity the faithful of the Archdiocese of Detroit show each year to the Catholic Services Appeal, even in the face of challenging economic times. Your continued support is vital because the CSA does so much to ensure the Archdiocese of Detroit is able to provide the many ministries, programs and services that help us fulfill the mission Christ gives His Church. This year’s CSA theme, Sharing Christ in and through the Church, is especially fitting since our Catholic faith gives us the sure and certain hope that God, in His loving kindness, is always there to strengthen us to do His will. We truly are God’s co-workers. Our theme applies to the very process of the CSA: through your generous gifts, we share the mission of Christ in the local Church by offering the valuable resources needed throughout the Archdiocese. One and all depend on the Church for guidance and support, whether it be our children in the early stages of lifelong faith formation through a parish religious education program, adults embracing the Catholic faith through RCIA, a young man discerning his life’s vocation, men and women deepening their faith through ever-expanding avenues of modern communication, or parishioners gaining understanding about Christian stewardship as a way of life. All of these ministries, and so many more, are made possible to countless people each year because of your generous gifts to the CSA.Please know how much your gift to the Catholic Services Appeal truly means in the life of our local Church. I encourage you to remember all of the gifts God has given you out of His infinite love and reflect prayerfully on your pledge to this year’s CSA. And when you make your contribution, please make it as a part of a greater and even more valuable gift: the gift of the prayers and penances you offer for Christ’s work to be done in our midst. Together, we can carry out our mission of Sharing Christ in and through the Church.
†The Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron Archbishop of Detroit

The parking lot will be closed and unavailable starting 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 4th through Tuesday morning, July 6th at 7 a.m. We are having much needed maintenance done on the parking lot that includes cleaning the surface and deep cleaning the cracks, filling the cracks with a rubberized water proof sealer with a high heat mechanism, re-striping the lot, and then putting two coats of waterproof sealer on the entire lot. The timing made sense as there is no 5 p.m. Mass on Sunday and the entire facility is closed on Monday, July 5th in observance of Independence Day. We’re able to hold off on major repairs on the parking lot for 3 to 4 years by doing this maintenance. We bid it out to three paving companies and awarded the work to the most cost effective based on the scope of work. We’ll also be adding a 4’ sidewalk behind the Davidson Center going to the maintenance garage; right now we have to haul equipment and some seasonal decorations across the grass…snow…rain…etc. The parking lot and sidewalk will cost us a total of $12,330.

Our CSA campaign seems to be running out of steam and we only received pledges this week of $4,800 from 14 parishioners and still have $60,000 to go to meet our assessment. The total number of parishioners that have pledges at this point is 557 against our parish population of 3,300 families and just over 9,000 registered parishioners… scares me.

Please prayerfully reflect on participating if you haven’t already. We informed you of two ministries that CSA supports in last week’s bulletin, here’s more.

Gifts to the CSA are making the certification of catechists in parishes and Catholic elementary schools more conducive to their already busy schedules. Online classes will be launched in time for Catechetical Sunday 2010. “People who ask to be a certified catechist will be able to get the information they need quickly and conveniently, but still have the quality of a good solid program,” says Dr. Margie Crooks, director of the Department of Evangelization, Catechesis and Schools. Her goal is for the majority of catechists to be certified within five years. Currently, parishes have an average of 28 catechists, of which only four are certified. Dr. Crooks attributes this to the fact that most catechists are volunteers who have children in religious education, and are already stretched thin time-wise. Online learning will allow them complete for them, she adds. The software includes a media component, allowing for the integration of videos into course content. “We’re using technology as an evangelization tool, to bring Christ to people,” says Sally McCuen, associate director of ministerial certification.

God bless,
Franz

 We promised to let you know about some of the ministries and charities supported by CSA, what follows are reports on two of them:  Most Holy Trinity Elementary School in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood is thriving – thanks in large part to a CSA-funded School Outreach Fund grant. “The CSA has really opened the door of Catholic education for many families who otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity,” says Kathleen McBride, principal. The school uses the grant – from the Archdiocese of Detroit through the Department of Evangelization, Catechesis and Schools – to pay teacher salaries and benefits. This has kept tuition affordable for its families, most of who live in the  surrounding neighborhood or in southwest Detroit. The result: Enrollment is rising, and the school’s standardized test scores are above average. “For us, the CSA is vital,” says Ms. McBride. “We wouldn’t be able to survive without its help.” For the 2009-10 school year, the school added a seventh grade, and plans to add an eighth grade for the 2010-11 school year. The student population at Most Holy Trinity is diverse, “We’re fortunate to have a mix and celebrate the cultural differences.” All attend religion classes and participate in the weekly liturgy.

Another ministry is for the deaf.  Each Sunday, deaf Catholics from across the Archdiocese of Detroit gather to “hear” the Word of God at the St. John’s Deaf Center. The Warren-based community provides nearly everything a parish does for its members – Mass, the sacraments, religious education, even retreats – only in sign language. “It’s unreasonable to expect every parish to have the expertise to minister to the deaf,” says Father Richard Yost, OSFS, director of deaf ministry for the Archdiocese. Gifts to the CSA provide funding for the St. John’s Deaf Center, which was founded in 1974. The Archdiocese has a long history of ministering to the spiritual needs of deaf Catholics, having appointed its first minister to the deaf community in 1917. “Our members have the right to ‘hear’ the Gospel proclaimed,” says Father Yost. “They are baptized members of the Catholic Church.” Since the community is varied, with hearing parents bringing deaf children to Mass, and deaf parents accompanied by hearing children, the St. John’s Deaf Center Mass is presented in the SimCom technique, which is when sign language and spoken word are used simultaneously. At the center, deaf community members take all of the roles in the Mass; so, for example, as the lector signs a reading, a hearing person “voices” it. (A completely non-verbal Mass is offered each Sunday at Our Lady of Loretto Church in Redford – Father JJ’s previous venue.) Father Yost points out that members can often be found lingering at the center until nearly 4 p.m. on Sundays. Many have coffee and donuts, others participate in committee meetings, and some stay and play cards. “The center provides a tremendous social focus for the community,” adds Father Yost.

God bless, Franz

I’ve always felt that Father’s Day got second billing behind Mother’s Day, but as I reflect on my upbringing, the “Father” role I fulfilled in the life of my kids, Joy and Eric, and now add the role of “FFIL….Favorite Father-in Law” for Jackie and Tony, my kid’s spouses, I’m not so sure about that second place ranking. 

My father was a carpenter and worked hard.  I still remember when he was my age (56) seeing him crawl around in rafters, on roofs, setting iron house beams, modernizing basements, building decks, etc….the whole slew of what building a house means.  House construction is not an easy way to make a living, but it was harder back then as many of the tools, building products, and adhesives had not been developed.  My dad typically worked 7 days a week in the summer months, always having a side job – garage, family room, or addition that he was building on the weekends.  When I was 12 years old, I informed my parents that I wanted to buy a car when I reached 16 (back then, you didn’t’ get a car from Mom and Dad as a graduation present, you earned it)…my dad’s reply was “great, you can start working with me pushing lumber this summer to earn money”…I would be 13.  I worked with my Dad that summer and then started working side jobs with him on weekends as I learned the construction trade.  I worked with him in the summers until I was 17 years old, but the weekend work lasted into my mid 20’s.

My dad taught me the satisfaction that comes from working hard and doing a job well.  He taught me that honesty is the best policy and that an honest day’s work was not the exception, but the expectation. He taught me that being a man was not a physical or biological occurrence; it was a title that you earned. He was pretty hard on me at first and it did cause some pretty heated discussions on the way home from the job at night; but I was his son and doing it well was not good enough, it had to be done better than anyone else.  In my early 20’s, I was able to build my own house…my Dad and I did pretty much everything on it and I was now old enough to see my Dad in a different light…as a man in his 60’s, still working everyday and building a house with his son on the weekends…he was never too tired to help me.  As I reflect back on the days working with him, he had taught me to work…it didn’t happen by osmosis…that work ethic has helped me in every job I ever had…and I thank him for that.

My Dad died in 1995 at the age of 75, much too young.  He had a very rare blood disease and was in the hospital from April of that year till the day he died on July 3^rd.  As he lay dying, I visited him everyday; he knew what the outcome would be and he faced it with courage…what else could I expect from my Dad….still teaching me as he was dying.  During our visits, we talked a lot about the days working together and I finally realized how much his son working with him meant.  As I left his room that Sunday night, I paused and went back …and told him I loved him….he told me he loved me back…he didn’t say those things very often…at 4:00am the next morning he slipped into a coma…my Mom, brother and I were with him at 7:04am when he took his last earthly breath and went home to God…I’m proud to bear his name…I’m proud to be his son and only hope that the legacy I leave my kids is as meaningful as what he left me.

God bless,
Franz

In this issue of the bulletin we have included the sign up procedure for the Kroger Community Rewards program, a program that has benefitted St. Anastasia to the tune of almost $2,000 this past fiscal year. As of April 30th, the previous program expired and you must sign up again for St. Anastasia to receive any benefits in the coming fiscal year. Please review the procedures and if you haven’t already done so, please sign up. [go to the word Stewardship on toward the top of the page and follow the drop down menu to Treasure; the second drop down to Kroger Community Rewards for step by step directions.]

We are in the process of remodeling one of our conference rooms to make it a friendly and efficient atmosphere for groups of 50 to 70 adults to hold meetings, seminars, or conferences. It will be equipped with an audio-visual system similar to the set up in the Davidson Center and will be home base starting in August of this year for the Catholic Bible School of Michigan (formerly Denver Bible School) which you’ve already heard some promo’s for. Most of the work is being done by our Maintenance Supervisor Bill Scally and his crew, but at some point we will need a professional plumber…and carpet man…any plumbers or carpet men out there moved by the spirit…please contact me.

We will be going out shortly for quotes for parking lot upgrade; there are areas that are cracked and that have deteriorated to the point of needing repair/replacement. Failure to do so will mean more costly repairs/replacement in the next couple of years. We need to remain proactive in performing preventative maintenance on this beautiful physical plant we have. We are starting to have some issues with water leaks in the roof and will be meeting with the contractor that installed the current roofing system to investigate remedies and also bring the question of the original warranty into the discussion…either way, we need to nip roof leaks in the bud as they only get worse. We’ll keep you informed of progress in both these areas as we move along.

God bless, Franz

Your Business Manager, ready to ride with the pentagon in the background.

My son Eric, his wife Jackie, my wife Arlene and I left for Washington, DC on Thursday afternoon. Our goal that day was to get as far as Strongsville, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and right around 180 miles away. We arrived there around 8:00 p.m. The next morning we headed for Washington, DC, 400 miles away. We pulled into Washington around 5:00 p.m.…we were staying with one of my son’s college roommates that is in the Navy. On Saturday we walked around town most of the afternoon, visited a flea market and in the evening visited the monuments, splendid in their night lighting.

 Sunday…ride day…was the thing memories are made of (actually this entire trip was!). They started staging bikes in the North Pentagon parking lot at 7:00 a.m., the ride was scheduled to leave at noon.  We got there about 8:30 a.m. and it took a good 20 minutes or so to get to the staging area in the lot.  We had a big blanket along with us and found a nice shady spot; the Christian Riders Association provided the crowd with free water, coffee and granola bars. We talked to several Vietnam veterans as they recounted how poorly they were treated upon their return compared to how the Desert Storm, Iraqi, and Afghanistan veterans were being received. There was no anger in their voices, but there was still a hurt there that was hard to miss. One veteran said that he was injured in Vietnam and was transported home while still in a wheelchair. He recounted being pushed through the airport in his Army uniform amid obscenities and one person even throwing a tomato at him. Never again…what a tragedy that period of time was for just about everyone that lived through it.

The ride “kicked off” at noon with a fly over at low level by a B-52; it was hot, temperatures in the low 90’s by this time.  The ride went all the way around the Mall, people all the way along the route, in some places 6 or 7 deep…holding up signs that said “Thank You” or “God Bless” or “We Love You”…it was  awesome and it was extremely emotional.  I’m  extremely proud to say that there were just over (an       estimate by event organizers and CSPAN) 400,000 bikes in the ride with the last bike leaving the Pentagon Parking lot at 4:00 p.m…. a full 4 hours….average 100,000 bikes per hour. 

On Monday morning we had one more stop to make…the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania. You stand on a ridge among monuments paid for, engraved, and placed by organizations (Boy Scouts, Motorcycle Clubs, Firefighter organizations, etc.) as you stare down about 100 yards away at a fenced in crater with an American flag in it. It’s fenced off to stop treasure and souvenir hunters from desecrating the crash site and making money off any artifacts found. There is one area that resembles an outdoor church with rows of benches. It has the names of all the passengers on the benches and the benches are positioned to be a replica of the inside of the plane showing where the passengers were seated.  It was a quiet, serene place. I left there with compassion, respect, and awe for the brave passengers….wondering if I could do what they did…and extreme anger at the individuals that attacked our country on 9-11.

I will never take for granted the sacrifices of our service men/women. I hope you all took some time on Memorial Day, and really every day, to say a little prayer for those who serve.

God bless America!  Franz

Our CSA / Parish Goal seems to have picked up some steam this last week as we saw a dramatic jump in the amount.  We would however like to point out that the pledged amount of $85,874.29 represents commitments from only 259     parishioners out of a population of just over 3,300 registered families and 9,000 + registered parishioners.  Just think what we could do if every family or every parishioner participated to some degree. We once again want to appeal to one and all to prayerfully consider your participation in the annual CSA fund drive. We ask that you not only keep in mind the Archdiocesan ministries supported, but that we enjoy a relatively low (7% as of 7/1/10) weekly assessment from the AOD against our weekly donations because of the monies brought in by the CSA. 

Our budget for FY 2010/11 was approved by the Stewardship Commission and has been sent off to the Archdiocesan Office of Budget and Finance. This marks the first time that we have been on-time with our budget and we’re mighty proud of that fact. I am a firm believer that you work to meet the deadline and that being late is not an option…guess it’s my German coming through. We’ll have more on the budget in future issues of the bulletin, but I can tell you the budget for next fiscal year (7/1/10 – 6/30/11) represents a 2.5% decrease over this year’s budget. Speaking of this year’s budget, we are close to making our numbers. If our weekly donations for Memorial Day weekend and the weekends in June average $23,000 we’ll just squeeze in. We will be in good shape and we will be able to make a $41,000 payment against our one remaining loan. 

 I wish you one and all a happy and blessed Memorial Day weekend, the official kick-off for summer.  I’d also like to ask for your prayers for my son Eric, his wife Jackie, my wife Arlene and I as we head out on our motorcycles on Thursday (5/27) afternoon for Washington DC and “Rolling Thunder” in support of all our fallen heroes, but specifically the MIA’s and POW’s from the Vietnam War. We’ll also be making a stop on the way home in Pennsylvania at the Flight 93 Memorial.  While it looks to be a great weather forecast for the weekend, let’s not forget the reason for the day.  Stop at some point and say a little prayer for our past and present men and women in the Armed Forces.

God bless, Franz