A FUN TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!: Last weekend we celebrated our Annual Cluster Picnic on Belle Isle. It continues to grow! We had a larger attendance (including kids, dogs, and priests), we had an amazing liturgy, we had perfect weather, and people had a great time. One person said to me, “Picnics are not normally my thing, but this is great!” Thank you to all who participated, cooked, brought something, cleaned up, and added to the fun!
A FUN TIME WAS HAD BY ALL-AGAIN!: Speaking of Cluster Fun, we wrapped up our Cluster Vacation Bible School last week. 29 kids participated with a team of more than 30 teen and adult volunteers in “Expedition Norway.” We sang and danced our way every morning to this Norwegian destination and learned not only their unique ways, but we learned how God is Good through life’s changes, in difficult times, when we are scared and when life is good! The week ended with a program of singing, dancing, acting and a delicious meal. Thank you to all who helped make this happen. Your time, effort, and energy benefitted all who participated and will be positively felt for years to come.
MASS MOB JOINS OUR CLUSTER THIS WEEKEND!: We welcome the infamous “Mass Mob” to St. Moses the Black Parish this weekend. Welcome to all of our guests who are visiting our cluster! You may want to know a little about our community? We are actually a cluster/merger of several communities. Originally there were five parishes: St. Benedict, Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament parish, Church of the Madonna, St. Gregory, and Our Lady of the Rosary. A lot of changes have taken place over the last decade. Even though the Metropolitan Cathedral is the Mother Church and serves the entire Archdiocese, it does have its own active parish which has its own distinct parish boundaries. It was clustered (meaning it began to share one pastor) originally with Benedict, Gregory, and Madonna. Eventually, the latter three communities were merged (meaning the parishes were suppressed and the three communities combined at one site). The new parish created (at the former Madonna site) was given the patron of St. Moses the Black. He was an early saint who lived in the 300’s. He was an imposing figure, whose early life was filled with murder and theft, eventually became a Christian, monk, and saint. Although here at Moses, we struggle financially, we make up for it with our vibrant community and active Christian Service activities. We are known for our joy filled liturgies and welcoming spirit. O.L of the Rosary joined the cluster only a couple years ago. I became pastor last year. I invite all who are visiting to continue to check us out. While each parish is distinct, we are an active, welcoming, and loving group of folks who are happy to have you with us. I hope this is not your last visit and you feel at home here.
NEW STUFF AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL: There is a new artwork in the Cathedral! You will see a beautiful 12 foot wide sculpture to the left of the sanctuary. It is a depiction of our Lord Jesus (representing the Word made Flesh), the Blessed Mother (the piece was installed on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary), and St. Anne (the Patroness of our Archdiocese) and various symbols of our theology, Detroit, and Michigan. Archbishop Vigneron was influential in designing this beautiful work. He commissioned two copies; the other is for the new Chancery offices and shows how the Mother Church is linked to the work of the Curia. The artists are local, Sergei Mitrofanov and Michael Kapetan. Come and enjoy it. We will inform you of the blessing and dedication date.
SAVE THE DATE: Just a reminder that we get back into the rhythm of our parish life this September 8 with our Cluster Retreat Gathering. The plan is to begin with a meal at 6pm followed by a review of our last retreat, prayer, and planning for the next year. I want to STRONGLY encourage you to attend. As you may remember, because of the overwhelming success of the last retreat, we are planning to have three cluster gatherings this year (one at each parish). This first one takes place at the Cathedral. Please RSVP at (313) 865-6300 so we can get a food count.
God Bless,
Fr. J.J.