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January 31, 2008 (online only article)

Obituary: Mrs. Sophie Maida
Kristin Lukowski
Detroit - Family played an important role in the life of Sophie Maida, mother of Cardinal Adam Maida, so it was fitting that she was surrounded by family members when she died in the early afternoon of Jan. 30. Mrs. Maida, 99, died at her suburban Pittsburg home.

January 25, 2008

Instrument of praise: Local organists hail the organ as 'king of instruments,' encourage young musicians to take it up
Joe Kohn
Metro area - When Catholics file into churches for Mass on Sunday mornings, the first minister to invite them into prayer does so usually before the priest says a word to the congregation.

Weekend teaches leadership, teamwork
Kristin Lukowski
Bloomfield Hills - Through speakers, team activities and even dodgeball, seventh- and eighth-graders from all over metro Detroit learned aspects of becoming leaders and role models at Brother Rice's sixth-annual leadership conference last weekend.

Divine Mercy Center aims to promote healing, reconciliation
Robert Delaney
Eastpointe - Hemorrhaging profusely after child birth back in 1976, Catherine Lanni had been given just two hours to live by her doctor.

Agency takes aim at racism, poverty

Joe Kohn

Detroit - Catholic Charities USA unveiled a plan to spark a national conversation about racism and poverty following the annual archdiocesan Mass celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Monday.

Local Catholics gather to pray for healing, end to abortion
Kristin Lukowski
Metro Area - Those who attended the memorial Mass for the unborn at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament last week came to pray for the unborn, to show their respect for human life, and to find healing.

Dominican sisters envision all-girls high school in Novi
Joe Kohn
Detroit - In 2009, Novi might be the next city to have a brand new Catholic high school.

January 25, 2008 - Catholic Schools Supplement

Celebrating Catholic schools

Joe Kohn

Detroit - Parents, students and educators involved in Catholic schools know all year long that they're a part of something special. That's why many are grateful for the chance to celebrate all things pertaining to Catholic education during Catholic Schools Week, which this year takes place from Jan. 27 through Feb. 2.

OLMC's first lay principal took roundabout path
Joe Kohn
Wyandotte - If you asked a high school-aged Timothy Scanlon what his career path would look like, ending up as a high school principal would have seemed amusing.

Students learn about world religions up close and personal
Joe Kohn
Waterford Twp. - The sound of a bell reverberated through the air at St. Joseph Hall, heard by a roomful of 11th graders sitting on the carpeting. Their eyes were closed, and the slowly fading sound of the bell consumed their attention.

Academic Olympic competition showcases problem-solving; bridges new friendships
Kristin Lukowski
Richmond - Seven schools will come together at the end of the month not only to compete in math, religion, problem-solving and forensics, but to make friends and to have a good time, too.

De La Salle Collegiate at highest-ever enrollment
Robert Delaney
Warren - With enrollment at 873, an all-time high, De La Salle Collegiate High School could not squeeze in even one more student this term.

January 18, 2008

Catholics, others join in prayer to promote the protection of life

Joe Kohn

Metro Area — Each year at this time, those who mourn the affects of abortion gather together to pray, show solidarity, and rededicate themselves to building a culture of life.

Keeping the dream alive: Award honoree works to involve others in his parish
Robert Delaney
Detroit — The story behind Frank Kubik's nomination as one of the Keep the Dream Alive honorees for 2008 shows what can happen when a parishioner is invited to get involved.

Tigers MVP Ordoñez funds scholarship
Robert Delaney
Detroit — To the cheers of hundreds of kids involved in Little League baseball, Detroit Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordoñez announced last Sunday a new scholarship to help young people from southwest Detroit go to college.

Merged Warren parishes focus on outreach
Kristin Lukowski
Warren — The all-you-can-eat Friday night fish fries, a Catholic tradition in Warren, live on.

January 11, 2008

'I baptize you ...' Young deacon has the honor of bringing his twins into the Church
Kristin Lukowski
Dearborn - Deacon Scott LaForest experienced a rare privilege last month - bringing his own children into the Church.

Macomb parishes join effort to protect life
Kristin Lukowski
Detroit - A local state representative holds the swing vote on a proposed bill that could pave the way for embryonic stem cell research and embryo trafficking, and Catholics in his jurisdiction were urged to contact him about the issue.

Parish members to Walk to Jerusalem by Easter
Robert Delaney
Detroit - Parishioners of a four-parish cluster in Detroit and Highland Park are attempting to Walk to Jerusalem by Easter.

CTND viewers hit by Comcast channel changes
Robert Delaney
Detroit - A planned change in channel allocation for CTND – the cable TV service of the Archdiocese of Detroit – will require many Comcast subscribers to upgrade their service package to maintain access to Catholic programming.

Bishop Cooney undergoes quadruple bypass
Robert Delaney
Detroit – Bishop Patrick R. Cooney of Gaylord was recovering Monday in a northern Michigan hospital after quadruple bypass surgery over the weekend.

Faith Formation Article: You can't walk away from caring for creation
Sr. Janet Schaeffler
One day when my great-nephew Tyler and his mom and dad were driving through an area in which a new subdivision was being built, all the trees were being cut down. Six-year-old Tyler said, "Don't they know they're destroying the homes of the birds and all the little animals?"

St. John Neumann plans building expansion in 2008
Joe Kohn
Canton Twp. - To better accommodate a heavy schedule of ministries, St. John Neumann Parish this year plans to undertake a $2 million building expansion project.

January 11, 2008 - Vocations Supplement

Joyfully working for 'new laborers for the harvest' through vocations
Fr. Timothy Birney
It is with great joy that I begin my ministry within the Archdiocese of Detroit as the new director of vocations.

Preparing missionaries at SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary
Msgr. Charles Kosanke
The missionary nature of the Catholic Church has been evident in the United States for most of the country's history.

Parishes work for vocations with prayer, religious orders fair and a traveling chalice
Kristin Lukowski
Metro area — We all have a vocation — a calling by God for what we are supposed to do with our lives. Some parishes are working to ensure that their community knows that fostering vocations is everyone's job.

A day in the life of a seminarian at Sacred Heart Major Seminary: 'I am discerning now how I can best serve the Lord as a priest'
Michael Wilkes
Detroit – There are as many roads leading to the priesthood as there are men studying to be priests.

Amid study and prayer, there's time for fun at the seminary
Kristin Lukowski
Detroit — Yes, the reason seminarians attend Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, is to discern their calling to the vocation of the priesthood through prayer, study and spiritual growth.

January 4, 2008

Looking Back at the top stories of 2007
The Michigan Catholic

Remembering those who inspired us in 2007
The Michigan Catholic
Throughout 2007 we met many who inspire others by just doing what it is they do - day after day and year after year.

Prayer Theme - Bridging generations: Our missionary origins
Adam Cardinal Maida
I intend to devote my monthly column in The Michigan Catholic to various aspects of our history and heritage.

Expression of faith: Muslims volunteer at St. Leo Soup Kitchen
Robert Delaney
Detroit - Dafer Fadel, a 24-year-old Muslim from Yemen, says he sees nothing unusual about helping out at St. Leo Soup Kitchen.

Cristo Rey High school on track for fall opening
Joe Kohn
Detroit - Six months after announcing the launch of a new Catholic high school in Detroit, Cristo Rey High School president Earl Robinson, Ph.D., says everything's on target for the school's fall 2008 opening.

Sisters hope to preserve Chaldean culture by books
Kristin Lukowski
West Bloomfield Twp. - Margaret Shamoun and Melody Arabo saw Chaldeans losing the ability to speak their language.

Fr. Duffey was a people person, champion of the poor and elderly
Joe Kohn
Detroit - Fr. Thomas Duffey saw the best in everybody as he humbly strove to bring Christ's love to the poor and the elderly, those who knew him said last week.

Fr. Pettit was dedicated, prayerful, and fun-loving
Joe Kohn
Detroit - Fr. William Pettit was known by many in the local Church as a prayerful man with a good sense of humor who was always willing to serve.

Sr. Schutz remembered for urban ministry
Joe Kohn
Detroit - Through years as a lay minister and decades as a vowed religious, Sr. Mary Margaret Schutz, HVM, opened up many lives to the knowledge of Christ's love and was known for her focus on the black community.