Would you like to play a part in the “Garden of Giving” here at St. Anastasia?  We are looking for a few people to help out this spring and summer to help weed and water the garden.  Since the garden is located in the courtyard it can only be accessed from inside the church during business hours. This is a great opportunity for teens to complete their service hours!  Please give me a call or email me if you are interested. Cheryl Goniwiecha 248-879-2597.

Donations are needed for the “Garden of Giving”.  We are in need of a few garden items to help make the garden a success:  a new hose, garden gloves, good-quality trowels, hand rakes, and new or used milk crates. Please drop off donations to the office, Attn: Kim. If you go past our courtyard you will see that lots of beautifying is happening there!  Many thanks to builder Blair Zagata and our garden donors for their stewardship!!

Volunteers are needed to pick up surplus produce from Irma’s Fruit and Vegetable stand on Dequindre Road starting late July through October after 7 p.m. on Sunday and Wednesday nights. The produce will be delivered back here to St. Anastasia. Boxes of produce can be quite heavy and a large vehicle would be preferable. Please give me a call or email me:  Cheryl Goniwiecha (248)879-2597.

PLANT SALE!!  PLANT SALE!!  We will be having a sale of tomato and pepper plant seedlings on Sunday, May 16 after all Masses. Please plan on supporting the “Garden of Giving” by purchasing a pepper or tomato plant. They will be $2 each or 2 for $3. These plants were hand-started by our Giving Garden committee, so that you can grow your own food at home to enjoy and to share.

We would like to encourage people to donate some of their personal garden bounty at St. Anastasia.  The best drop-off times are day or evening Sunday and Wednesday. Vegetables may be left on the wood chips near the Pastoral Center doors, under the roof. These donations will be then delivered to the Canticle Café food pantry. Questions and comments can be directed to Cheryl or to Kim Houseman.

If you are interested in participating as a service provider,  visit this page.  You will see a the form you can fill out and submit online; it’s called “Professional Services Information Submission.” Or, if you wish, you may pick up a form in the parish office – near the fax machine – and turn it in to my mailbox.

Those wishing to hire a parishioner will soon see, on the same website page, the listing of all our available professionals.  Caveat emptor, of course.

In his encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI urges us to remember that we all need to be concerned with doing and supporting each other’s decent work.  He says, “What is meant by the word “decent” in regard to work? It means work that expresses the essential dignity of every man and woman in the context of their particular society: work that is freely chosen, effectively associating workers, both men and women, with the development of their community; work that enables the worker to be respected and free from any form of discrimination; work that makes it possible for families to meet their needs and provide schooling for their children, without the children themselves being forced into labor; work that permits the workers to organize themselves freely, and to make their voices heard; work that leaves enough room for rediscovering one’s roots at a personal, familial and spiritual level; work that guarantees those who have retired a decent standard of living.”  Let us strive together to provide such decency within our St. Anastasia family.

We had started a discussion about the Rules of the Church – how they are not meant to be restrictions, but are, instead, guidelines given to us in one of two ways: either directly by our loving Creator (like the 10 Commandments), or by His apostles’ well-reasoned, long-considered, appropriate responses to God’s love for us.  As a metaphor, I drew for them the example of a father telling his beloved son not to run into the street.  This rule does not exist to impinge on the boy’s freedom and happiness, but to keep the boy safe, at peace, and above all close to his father so that they can continue to develop their relationship.  A boy who obeys this rule will enjoy the benefits, and a boy who doesn’t may suffer great harm or fear – whether the father swoops in to rescue him from being smooshed that day or not.  Thus, following the rules is the easiest way to a full, joyful relationship with the Father.

I then mentioned that all the Church’s teaching is meant to be like that, and that’s why we have rules against stealing, and lying, and euthanasia, and living together before getting married, and such.

They looked at me in disbelief.  Hands shot into the air.  ”But I thought you were SUPPOSED to live together first!” these well-catechized Catholics said.  (O, what did I get myself into?!?!)  I took a deep breath and explained that God’s purpose for the matrimonial act is twofold: union and procreation (both of which are Godly), and that sacramental marriage vows are His way of starting that process off on the best possible ground, so that His grace can be involved in each moment.

They were still surprised. “We know THAT,” the students said.  ”But we thought… at least… separate bedrooms!”

Oh.  Well, I explained the concepts of how true love makes us desire the union and procreation that God designed for our good, and the importance of steering clear of such temptation until marriage.  We also talked a bit about the necessity of avoiding scandal – living in such a way as to allow everyone to see clearly that we are children of God.  They learned something that night, for sure.  And so did I.

When I mentioned my lesson to Fr. J.J., he asked me to pass the revelation on to you. This generation is growing up in a time when ‘living together’ is almost naturally viewed as a necessary step in the process.  In fact, it’s worth noting that what they often see in society is a timeline that severely distorts the development of a relationship.  Rather than a (1) Slowly learn about each other (2)Commit to each other (3) Enjoy communion with each other plan, they are constantly being shown a (1) Enjoy physical pleasure (2) Learn about each other (Uh, what’s your name?) (3) Ditch each other at any sign of inconvenience schemata.  We adults can see that and easily dismiss it as trash.  Our kids are seeing it and interpreting it a bit differently; they know it’s not right, but they aren’t sure what is.  Today is a great day to tell them. If you can’t find the words yourself, hand them this article.  Please.  Before they run out into traffic.

Website Features - Our website has groovy new features you may want to see: (1) You can look for any event fliers by clicking on the purple “Event Flier” tab on the left side of the homepage. This feature is to help you easily see the details about special events. (2) You can subscribe to the website by entering your email address at the bottom left of the homepage. A subscription will get you a once-daily update in your email inbox if St. Anastasia posts anything new that day. I have tried it; it works well. We still encourage subscribers to visit the website to see if there are any changes within the pages themselves; posts and pages are two different things. (3) Please remember, when you visit, that the Search Button will help you navigate if you are not sure where to look. And, anytime you see something Underlined in Purple on the site, you can click on it to learn more; the Back Arrow on your browser is the best way to return to any page you’d like to revisit. Lastly but my favorite: If you’re looking for Christian Service stuff, it’s under Stewardship, of course!

Ministry Moments - One of the main goals of our Parish Pastoral Council is to “better tell the story of who we are.” So, last week we began a new feature in our bulletin: Ministry Moments. The content of this regular (2x/month?) article is the stories of our ministries – the generosity we have met, the love we have witnessed, the healing we have known. The end goal of this feature is twofold: (1) Increase readers’ awareness of the abundant love of God in our midst; and (2) Encourage and inspire the desire to become involved in sharing His love. I will need your participation! If you are involved in ministry here, please send in your stories. Keeping in mind that articles should be about 200 words, you can include: factual information about the purpose of your group, some kind of spiritual or emotional testimony which will touch readers’ hearts, anecdotes, thank-you notes, bible quotes, and/or personal reflections. Let’s remind each other how blessed we are – and how blessed we can be by serving. Please send this information to me by email (preferred) or through the parish office (mail or drop-off). Articles should ideally be typewritten in Arial font, 10 pt., using regular margins. Writers may remain anonymous, if they wish. Please be aware that some editing could occur.

I want St. Anastasia to sponsor a week-long “Unplug/Reconnect” program. The point of the week would be to encourage people in our community to turn off their electronic devices and look into each other’s eyes instead — to break away from immersing ourselves in the media’s version of reality so that we can celebrate the truth God plants in our own hearts.  To recognize that, as Pope Benedict XVI puts it, “Life only becomes real life when it receives its form from looking toward God.”

Everyone would be welcome.  We could have people sign pledges, wear T-shirts, and join in on communal activities. Perhaps each day could focus on a different way to connect with what’s truly important.  We could put on events each evening – perhaps a fun one, a service one, an educational one, a worship one, a feast one, or others. (Ooh – What’s your idea?) We could link up with other houses of worship, schools, the community center/library, and local businesses. Maybe the whole week could even earn money to support the Canticle Cafe – which is in serious financial distress – or some other cause.

This could be a week that can make a real difference, in thousands of ways.

We’ll need planners, callers, sponsors, printers, party-throwers, decorators, speakers, and more. We’ll need fund-finders, food-makers, cleaners, greeters, promoters, shoppers… and more. We’ll need you.

The first “Unplug/Reconnect” will probably take about a year to plan. Please call or email me to let me know how you can be involved.

Let’s enable our whole community to peel our eyes away from the fleeting charms of our flat screens long enough to experience the deep, real joy of following St. Paul’s timely advice: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

I’ll be waiting to hear from you. Really.

Marian Bart

248-689-8380 ext. 108

“But she’s so difficult!” I groan.  ”I know she loves You, and You love her. (Chuh! She talks about it all the time!) Isn’t that enough?  What do You need ME for?  I’d just be a third wheel. Besides, I need to get to work now.  At… um, Your church.”

“Love your NEIGHBOR!” He insists.

“Ok.  I admit.  I prayed on my knees for You to move us into the right neighborhood.  And here we are, smack in the middle of what is undeniably a community of saints.  So I know You gave me this neighbor on purpose. But, this fence between us – it’s a doozy, Lord.  She’s a former Baptist, mega-churchy, Scripture-quoting, Catholic-pitier. (Remember the time she was so shocked that Mother Teresa’s writing was consistent with the Bible??)  She’s been given, from her youth, a batch of misconceptions about Catholics; she’s even been told that I’m trying to buy my way into heaven with a checked-off “good deed” list. As if I think I could ever be good enough to earn it!  That one really gets me.  I can’t deal with that any more.  I’m busy.  Working. At. Church.”

“Love YOUR neighbor,” He persists .

“Dangit.”  I surrender.  ”Fine.  I know. She is mine: to love in my way, with all the gifts You have given me to use for Your glory.  Yes, that includes the gift of my daily-growing love of You and of the Church that Jesus founded.  But, Father, do You have some tips to get this conversation started?  Maybe we could make a list: A ‘What-Catholics-Really-Believe-About-Salvation’ cheat sheet!  Let’s see, I could say…

1.  Just like you, dear neighbor, The Catholic Church understands that God is all-loving and all-righteous.  We all appreciate that God, by His very definition, can not abide sin (non-love).  As the font and embodiment of justice, God also requires that a price must be paid for all of our non-loving choices, our sins.  So, supremely loving, he Himself pays the price by His very intentional incarnation, suffering, death, and resurrection.  That’s how we’re justified.

2.  There’s truth in the matter that, with its wonderfully broad expanse of time and territory, the Catholic Church has umbrella’d some very mistaken people – leaders, even – who have generated honorable protest.  But that doesn’t mean that the premise behind the protest was correct in the first place. Martin Luther, especially, protested what he thought was the Church’s stance on justification by faith.   He thought (as many still do!) that Catholics were trying to buy their way into heaven. What’s sad about that historical moment is that, as Peter Kreeft says, it “began when a Catholic monk [Luther] rediscovered a Catholic doctrine [justification by faith] in a Catholic book [Romans 1:17].”  And we quietly, somehow, have let that protest live out its own stubborn agenda even though it is based on a misunderstanding.  Even though Pope John Paul II shouted the truth from the rooftops in 1999 (co-signing, with the Lutheran World Federation, the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification), many people of all faiths still misunderstand our teaching on this fundamental precept. Please know, today.  We believe that we are saved – not by works, which even devils may do, or by mere belief in Christ’s actions, which even Satan could boast of – but by Grace.

3.   Where does that leave the Catholic belief on the importance of good works?  Well, probably right in line with yours, Christian neighbor.  You can easily quote John 3:16 to me; let’s look at the end of that very same chapter:  ”Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him” (John 3:36). Ah! The two go hand-in-hand: belief, and action.  Acceptance, and follow-through.  Knowing, and doing. Either one without the other is empty and meaningless.  Together, they create holiness.  That’s why I go to work, at my church, to promote good works.  You’re always welcome to join us there. I’ve got a few ministries in mind for you, actually….

“LOVE your neighbor,” God snickers.

Now, as much as I enjoy actually getting paid (thank you) for promoting good works, that answer started me a’stewing. So I’m gonna rant about it for a while and see if that helps me simmer down a bit. Because, first of all, that is Not the Major Difference. No; the Major Difference is a twofold matter of Authority and Sacrament.

Every soul has an inborn need for leadership. Unfortunately, many people find their leadership in some pretty peculiar places: TVs, malls, mirrors, addictions, labs, self-declared prophets, and elsewhere. Ideally, though, Catholics willingly place ourselves under the gentle, perfect leadership of the truest authority, the Author of Creation, who – in the person of Jesus Christ – deliberately handed the Church down “to Peter alone, as first of the apostles, [and it was then] destined to be transmitted to his successors…. A charge destined to be exercised without interruption by the sacred order of bishops….that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ” (CCC 862). We believe that the mission of the faltering-then-forgiven Peter and his papal successors is, as Christ prayed for in Luke 22:32, “to keep this faith from every lapse and to strengthen his brothers in it” (CCC 552). So: our faith and its continuous line of leadership come from the one genuine, holy, traceable source. That’s a Rock-solid foundation, and a fundamental point of variation from the practices of our Protestant brothers and sisters.

Catholics also participate in the Sacraments – visible signs of the invisible reality of God’s boundless love for us, prefigured in the Old Testament and fulfilled in Christ and His bride, the Church. The source and summit of these sacraments is the Eucharist. Practicing Catholics come to deeply know that the Eucharist is the living presence of Christ, eternally sacrificed and always available for our consumption – and accompanying transformation — if we are properly prepared for such an astonishing grace. We accept that we can not fully understand, but still fully believe Jesus when He exclaims (picture the fire in His eyes!), “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me” (John 6:55-57). Keep reading the passage: many followers turned forever away from the Lord when He said those words, but notice that He did not call them back to re-explain. He merely turned to the remaining ones to challenge them: You! Are you up to believing this? And who answered Him? Our first Pope. He said yes. With that humble authority as our guide, we choose to immerse ourselves in mysterious, sacramental Grace. That is the current major point of separation between the Lord’s flocks – a point which we pray will melt away as we all seek greater unity in Christ, and as we Catholics live lives and speak words which boldly declare to all that, yes, Catholics can dare to call themselves Christians.

Where does that leave the other apparent difference the website guy mentioned, the one about the relationship between good works and salvation? Stay tuned; I’ll write about how this is actually becoming a matter of unification next week!

-Marian Bart

Mary’s Mantle will be a Catholic residential home for expectant mothers that are in need of shelter and support. The home will serve women of all faiths that are at least 18 years old. Our hope is that by immersing them in an environment rich in love, compassion, faith, and positive role models they will grow in self confidence and self knowledge, and will work towards a better way of life for themselves and their babies. Our desire is to open the doors this spring.

Is there a need?

The idea for Mary’s Mantle came about through the tragedy of a local teenager who found herself homeless and pregnant last spring. Even though she was scared, she expressed a desire to have her baby. However, fear, uncertainty, a lack of readily available resources and pressure from her boyfriend led her to an abortion. I prayed hard the following weeks knowing in my heart that it was a life lost, not because this girl wanted to abort, but instead because she felt hopeless and alone. We as a faith community are called to offer the homeless -hope, the disadvantaged -love, and the desperate -the light of Christ. As we pray for an end to abortion, we must also pray for the end to the despair that often precedes the choice. We must, in a tangible way, represent hope, love, and the light of Christ to these women.

Is there a house?

We are in the process of purchasing or leasing a residential home with 4 bedrooms in the southeastern Michigan area. It was previously operated by Casa Vitae , a non-profit organization, as a home for pregnant women. The current owners, Peggy and Mike O’Dea are incredible witnesses to the faith, and leaders in the local pro-life movement. They have generously offered to help us raise money to purchase the house which has about $100,000 mortgage. We will lease it for a very modest monthly fee if the funds cannot be raised to purchase it. The home can comfortably house up to 4 expectant mothers at a time. The women will be supported, nurtured and loved by staff and volunteers, along with the houseparents who will be in residence. The women will be allowed to stay in residence for a year. Our staff will work diligently assisting them in achieving educational and vocational goals, teaching them parenting and daily living skills, and getting them connected with local resources for their physical and emotional needs, all while providing opportunities for a spiritual life. The desired outcome for all of our residents is to be self sufficient upon leaving Mary’s Mantle, and most importantly we pray that they grow in their personal relationship with the Lord. It is only in this relationship with the Lord, that true change is possible that will lead them down new and life giving paths.

Where does Mary’s Mantle stand legally?

Mary’s Mantle is registered with the State of Michigan as a Non-Profit. We have also applied and received our Solicitors License. Our application was mailed to the Federal Government in early December seeking 501 (c)(3) tax exempt status. We expect approval in early spring.

Who is helping?

A great many wonderful volunteers from St. Anastasia are helping including Dan Parker who is overseeing the renovations to the house. We also have seven Founding Board Members from many local Parishes..they include Fr. JJ Mech, Tom Murray and myself from St. Anastasia, Lynn Gura who is the Pro-Life Coordinator at Ss. Cyril and Methodius, John Hale from Divine Child in Dearborn, Tom Addis from Assumption Grotto, and Lynn Coburn from St. Irenaus and St. Andrews. We have also been tremendously blessed with support and guidance from Executive Directors / founders of other homes for pregnant women. Abigayle’s Ministry, Malta House, and Good Cousel Homes in New Jersey are solid faith based homes with proven track records and offer great examples for us to learn from. Truly, with the many committed individuals working together on this ministry, it is easy to see the hand of God at work.

How Can You Help?

If you are interested in assisting Mary’s Mantle in becoming a reality, please consider supporting one of the above mentioned fundraising events or send in a financial donation. Donations can be made payable to Mary’s Mantle to P.O. Box 115, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-0115.

On behalf of all those who are working diligently to bring Mary’s Mantle to fruition, we thank you for your prayers, your support and any and all assistance you can offer. Please call Faith@Work with any questions: (248) 250-9216.

- by Beth Collison

• Forgiveness Liturgies
• Prayer/Fasting Teams
• “Unplug and Reconnect” ecumenical family week
• Stephen Ministry (listening/counseling)
• No One Dies Alone Ministry
• Prison Ministry
• New St. Anastasia Prayer Booklet
• Ministry to New Parents
• Welcoming Ministry
• Orphan Ministry
• Revitalizing the Resurrection Home Mission (Appalachia)
• Help for Caregivers
• Employment Resources

I re-present all these ideas to you now as you make your New Year’s resolutions because I’m still collecting names. If you are interested in learning more about any of these ideas, or if you want to make a leap of faith and just flat-out sign up to help with a specific one, please give me a call or zap me an email. The Christian Service Commission will keep you on our treasured resource list. Please, keep this list in the place where you pray. Let me know which idea cries out to you. If the loudest idea is not yet written here, well, to God be the glory – let me know what He says! Thank you.

• Once a year, once a month, or every day
• As an introvert or extrovert
• On a pre-set schedule or on your own time
• Individually or on a team
• As a leader or a follower
• With children, teens, or adults
• Privately or in public
• At home, at the church, or in the community
• As a single, divorced, married, or widowed person
• Physically or spiritually

We welcome and guide all who would like to put their God-given talents to good use. Please visit the Stewardship section of our website for a full listing and description of our ministries. If you’d like to discuss the best way for you to get involved, please contact Marian Bart by calling 348-689-8380, ext. 108 or by E-Mail