Stations of the Cross

Please join us weekly during Lent for the Stations of the Cross as we remember the Passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Feb. 24th – Led by The Joyful Women and Forever Young Seniors
March 3rd – Led by Christian Service and SVdP
March 10th – Led by The Knights of Columbus
March 17th – Led by Immaculate Heart of Mary Ministry
March 24th – Led by The Holy Name Fraternity
March 31st – Led by The St Mary, COOJ Choir

Stations will be at 7:00 pm in the Church, but don’t forget to join us from 6:00 to 6:45 for a free meal in the Social Hall each week.

Jesse Manibusan – Mission for the Nankin Family of Parishes

Join Jesse Manibusan, a renowned musician, composer and remarkable disciple of Jesus Christ, for a Mission sponsored by the Nankin Family of Parishes. All are welcome to attend.

This event of songs and stories will take place on April 16, 17 and 18, 2023 starting at 6:30 pm each night.

Location:
St. Mary, Cause of Our Joy
8200 North Wayne Rd,
Westland, Michigan 48185
734-425-4421
stmarycooj.org

Fee:
Free will offering.

The Nankin Family of Parishes are St. Mary, Cause of Our Joy (Westland), St. Mary, Wayne (Wayne), St. Thomas the Apostle (Garden City), Ss. Simon and Jude (Westland), and St. Richard (Westland). They are Catholic Parishes of the Archdiocese of Detroit. These Parishes cover Michigan cities of Wayne, Westland, Garden City, Inkster and parts of Livonia and Canton.

Bible Marathon

Back in 2019 Pope Francis declared thThird Sunday in Ordinary Time to be The Sunday of the Word of GodThis year this this event will fall on the weekend of Jan 21st and 22nd. In honor of this celebration, we are going to try something new; we are going to publicly read the New Testament in 24 hours!

Between Noon on Friday, Jan. 20th, 2023 to Noon on Saturday, Jan. 21st, 2023 we will be reading the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) the translation we read at Mass each week.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), who are the copyright holders of this translation, have granted us permission to live stream this Event on Facebook so people who don’t want to come out on a January night can still share in the event.

 Each hour a pair of people will take turns reading in the Church. We need people to both come and listen, and to actually read. We would like to invite everyone to come out or tune in online for this event. Even better, bring a friend. If you are so inclined, please sign up to read.

If you would like to sign up for a time to read, please go here: Signup Genius
If you want to watch online, please go here: Facebook Live

A Christmas Message from Fr. Shafique


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christmas is the celebration of the Christ Mass. Christmas is the day when we remember, with the celebration of the Mass, that God came as the Christ or the Messiah to be our savior. The celebration of Christmas reminds us that God is with us Emmanuel.

In the past two years we were faced with many spiritual and emotional challenges in our parish community as many experienced the loss of a loved one, the loss of work, the loss of family gatherings, the loss of inperson education or the loss of our communal celebration of the Mass. It has affected us all in different ways. As we grieve and look back, we are called to focus on the newborn Christ, the light of the world. He is here to enlighten us with his light and with his presence with us in the midst of uncertainty. He brings hope in our life. Let us pray that this joy and hope remains with us as we prepare to journey into New Year.

The backbone of our parish are those who volunteer and our staff members. We have a long list of those dedicated and committed members too numerous to mention. As your pastor, I treasure the gift of you and the dedication, sacrifices, and hard work you have shown to make this parish a beacon of Christ’s love and joy and I say THANK YOU. Once again, I ask you to remember your parish church at Christmas. Your continued financial support is sincerely appreciated.

Let us not forget that we are a “Mission Oriented Parish”. This time of the year is a perfect time for you to ask a family member or friend who has stopped attending Mass to come along with you. We are all asked to reach out to those who, for whatever reason, have chosen not to attend Mass or the sacraments.

Allow the light of Christ to penetrate deep into your hearts and souls so that rediscovering your faith, renewing your commitment to Him, you will truly have a blessed and Merry Christmas. May our Lord Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, bless you, your families and loved ones at this blessed time of hope and grace. Maranatha and Don’t be afraid I, together with Deacon Jim Hensel and the parish staff, wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Fr Shafique Masih

Nativity Sets for a Display Walk Wanted

A vulnerable and innocent baby in the midst of an animal stable is a captivating image. When the baby in the middle of the scene is considered by millions and millions of people to be the very embodiment of God, this image becomes more telling. Christmas time in the Christians life should be a time to remember, receive and proclaim what God has done through a little baby named Jesus.

This year St. Mary, Cause of Our Joy would like to continue this tradition of the displays of different crèche or nativity scenes in our social hall. We have a diverse membership here at St. Mary’s and would like to view any and all, especially if you have one from foreign countries.

We want to see as many as we can, including more whimsical ones that children can relate to. We would like to highlight the cultural diversity of each crèche on display, while honoring and celebrating the common theme that runs throughout the birth of Jesus. Fr. Shafique will bless every nativity set brought in. We will have the display on the weekend of January 7th & 8th. If you would like to participate or have questions, please call the Parish Office at 7344254421 to reserve a space in our social hall.

Thanksgiving Dinner

This Thanksgiving we will be working with Newburg United Methodist Church to bring Thanksgiving Dinner to people who would be by themselves on the holiday.

If you would like to help at the dinner, click HERE to sign up. They need people to cook serve and clean up.

If you, or someone you know, are interested in eating, the doors open at 12:45 PM, dinner will be at 2PM. Just contact NUMC to let them know you are coming. info@newburgumc.org 734.422.0149 Come early and catch the football game on the big screen!

Newburg United Methodist Church
36500 Ann Arbor Trail
Livonia, MI 48150
info@newburgumc.org
734.422.0149

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044fa5ae2da6ff2-newburg

Flood Relief in Pakistan

One week after our donations to Flood Relief in Pakistan, 100 families received flour, rice, oil and other food staples to support their families. They were also helped with emergency medical care.

Bishop Indrias Rehmat, the bishop of Faisalabad, Pakistan is pictured at the food distribution site, helping with the relief efforts.

Formed

We are excited to announce that St. Mary, Cause of Our Joy now has a subscription to FORMED from the Augustine Institute. As a parishioner, you now have access to a premier online platform filled with over 6,000 Catholic studies, movies, audio dramas, talks, e-books, and even cartoons for our children. To join for FREE:

  1. Go to https://signup.formed.org/
  2. Enter our parish’s zip code – 48185
  3. Enter your name and your email address

You can enjoy FORMED on your computer, tablet, smart-television, or smartphone. Either by going to their website, or downloading the FORMED app.

Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross – Fridays in Lent at 7:00 pm (In Church and Live Streamed

  • Friday, March 4 – 7:00 pm
  • Friday, March 11 – 7:00 pm
  • Friday, March 18 – 7:00 pm
  • Friday, March 25 – 7:00 pm
  • Friday, April 1 – 7:00 pm
  • Friday, April 8 – 7:00 pm – sponsored by our Faith Formation Classes
  • *Friday, April 15 – (Good Friday) – Noon – sponsored by our Youth Group*
  • Friday, April 22 – Stations of Light – 7:00 pm

Welcome our New Music Minister

Aidan Rickel is a teacher, composer, conductor, and instrumentalist currently enrolled at Wayne State University in the Masters of Music program. His musical education began on the piano twenty two years ago and it is still his primary instrument and first true love. Playing at many piano federation festivals, he received superior ratings for ten years. He is also an experienced organist, working freelance for social and religious services. He began studying the organ at age fourteen and was soon serving as a substitute organist for local parishes. While performing voluntarily at local senior care facilities he started to explore jazz and pop piano styles to entertain the residents, learning the value of a good Fake Book. Aidan graduated from Novi Highschool, he sang in their Concert Choral and performed in musical theater productions. He got his first position as Director of Music Ministries at eighteen serving at St. Peter and Pauls in downtown Detroit. He attended Wayne State University for his undergraduate studies receiving the Presidential Scholarship, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Singing for his Juries, he studied vocal performance privately as this was the primary instrument for his degree. He also sang in the choir under Dr. Duncan with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for a number of their productions. He will be taking up the baton as Artistic Director of the Novi Choralaires for his first season this year, where he will direct the winter and spring concerts for the community. He is leaving his role as Director of Music Ministries at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Howell where he has conducted two choirs and a worship group of instrumentalists and soloists. He leads a resurrection choir for funerals and plays weddings for the local community. For the last twelve years he has taught a private studio of piano and organ students. When not directing or instructing he is composing and arranging his own music while pursuing his M. M. in Composition. He writes in a variety of styles, from sacred to jazz, composing a “Gloria” for his B.A. Thesis Project. He is thankful to God for faithfully leading his life at every step, and for the opportunity to begin serving at St. Mary this advent season.