Concluding Blog Post
For all Tridentine Community members who visit this page, I hope you will be able to relive the happy memories of our time at St. Josaphat and in other places where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered in the Extraordinary Form.
For those who visit this blog regularly, I want to thank you for your interest and your support throughout the past 8 years that this blog has been up.
For those who will find this blog by chance, welcome. I hope you will find in this blog a wonderful historical record of the early days of the Tridentine Mass in Detroit after the liturgical reforms of Vatican II. I also hope you will benefit from the various pieces of religious information offered here.
For those who visit this page because of devotion to St. Philomena, I hope you will take this beloved saint as a friend and as a spiritual sister in Heaven. If you already have devotion to her, I hope that you will continue in your devotion to her. Those who wish may join in a private monthly novena from the 3rd-11th of each month. The prayer may be found on her page. Those accustomed the the previous Friday devotion which was posted here may continue or switch to this new devotional practice.
For those who have found this page for any other reason, I hope God will bless you and that whatever brought you here will do some good for you.
With the establishment of St. Joseph Oratory and the departure of the regular Sunday Mass in the Extraordinary Form at St. Josaphat, I feel that time has come for me to close this blog.
This will be my last blog post here.
The blog will continue to remain online and if need be I will update any schedule information for the sake of those who may find this page by accident.
For more information on Mother of Divine Mercy Parish please visit: http://www.motherofdivinemercy.org
To learn about the newly established St. Joseph Oratory please visit: http://www.institute-christ-king.org/detroit/
Again, I want to note this blog is independent of Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. All current official information may be found on the official website or on the parish Facebook page.
With all that said, again I want to thank all of you who have come to this blog and those who may still come in the future.
May God bless you all.
Mass of Thanksgiving of newly ordained Fr. Tim Ferguson – June 21, 2015
Well, it has been a while since this blog has been updated.
I hope with this new post to once more take up blogging for Mother of Divine Mercy – St. Josaphat’s Tridentine Community.
Please note that Fr. Tim will be the celebrant of tomorrow’s 7:00 PM Monday Night Low Mass.
Photo Post: The Ordination of Fr. Joseph Tuskiewicz
The promise of obedience
Litany of Saints
Laying on of hands
Anointing of hands
Photos taken by: Edgar Din
External Solemnity of St. Josaphat this Sunday
We will celebrate the External Solemnity of St. Josaphat this Sunday at the 9:30 AM Tridentine Mass. Veneration of the Relic of St. Josaphat will take place after the Mass.
We will not be able to raise the painting of St. Josaphat above the altar this year due to some technical problems that came about after the High Altar’s re-painting.
Feast of Saint Philomena 2013 Photos
This year’s celebration of St. Philomena was observed on Sunday, August 11. Our celebrant was Fr. John Bustamante from Assumption Grotto Church in Detroit, MI.
Fr. Bustamante blesses the faithful with a relic of the saint. 
Relic Veneration
I would like mention that the Archconfraternity of St. Philomena has started a worldwide petition drive to have St. Philomena’s feast re-instated in the Liturgical Calendar.
A copy of this petition may be found here for you print and sign: http://www.philomenafamily.org/PETITION.pdf
More information on this campaign and other St. Philomena related news may be found at this link: http://home.catholicweb.com/philomenafamilyusa/index.cfm/news
Pontifical Baptism in the Extraordinary Form Photos
The following photos are from our recent Pontifical Baptism in the Extraordinary Form. The celebrant was Bishop Francis Reiss, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit. This is the first time that a bishop has celebrated Baptism according to the Old Rite since the liturgical reforms.
For the first part of the Baptism, the Bishop is vested in purple. This is the portion where Exorcisms are performed and various other rites and prayers before the actual Baptism.
The bishop changes from the purple vestments into the white or gold vestments for the Baptism of the child.
New Parish Name
As of July 1, the newly merged parish will be called Mary, Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. The Tridentine Mass schedule will remain the same and will continue to be held at St. Josaphat Church.
Extraordinary Form Confirmations 2013
On Pentecost Sunday we celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation. The celebrant for the Confirmations was Bishop Francis Reiss.
We had 16 Confirmandi comprised of young people from St. Josaphat Church and Holy Family Church in Columbus, OH.
Diaconate Ordination of Joe Tuskiewicz
Congratulations to our newly ordained Deacon Joe Tuskiewicz. Deacon Joe is a member of St. Josaphat Parish and a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Brief introduction to Deacon Joe Tuskiewicz
Joe recently retired from a career as a globe-trotting advertising executive and will be attending the “second-career vocation” Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, near Boston.
Joe is active on numerous fronts on the local Catholic scene: He is one of the lead altar servers for the Extraordinary Form Masses at St. Josaphat, Assumption-Windsor, St. Joseph, and St. Albertus; a lector for the Saturday afternoon Mass at Old St. Mary’s in Detroit; and a catechism instructor and occasional altar server at Ss. Cyril & Methodius Church in Sterling Heights. Joe has also taught catechism at other parishes in metro Detroit through the years and has mentored numerous individuals.
Joe’s quiet dedication to his faith has been an inspiration to those around him. His strong prayer life and attention to detail in his tasks leave us no doubt that he will make an excellent priest.
Excerpt taken from: Tridentine Community News, July 18, 2010
PHOTOS FROM THE DIACONATE ORDINATIONS
The following photos were taken at the Diaconate ordinations which took place at Sacred Heart Seminary.
Deacon Joe and Fr. Roman
THE DAY AFTER ORDINATION
On Sunday, April 14, Deacon Joe was present at both the 9:30 AM and 12 Noon Masses at St. Josaphat. Later on in the day at Assumption Church in Windsor, deacon assisted for the first time as deacon of a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form. We will have a Solemn High Mass at St. Josaphat for Deacon Joe sometime in May. Please stay tuned for details.
The following photo is from the 9:30 AM Mass.
From our January Devotions to St. Philomena
The following photos are from our January devotions to St. Philomena.
More devotions are scheduled for May and August. Please keep checking for updates.
Merry Christmas!
Prayer in Honor of the Infant Jesus
I adore Thee, O Word Incarnate, true Son of God from all eternity, and true Son of Mary ever Virgin in the fullness of time. When I adore thy divine Person, and the Humanity united to thy Divinity, I venerate the poor manger which welcomed Thee when an Infant, and which was truly the throne of thy love. I prostrate myself before it with the simplicity of the shepherds, with the faith of Joseph, with the love of Mary. I bow down in veneration of this precious memorial of our salvation with the same spirit of mortification, poverty and humility with which Thou, though the Lord of heaven and earth, didst choose for thyself a manger wherein to lay thy tender infant limbs. And Thou, O Lord, who in thine Infancy didst deign to lay thyself in this manger, vouchsafe also to pour into my heart a drop of that joy to which the sight of thy lovely Childhood, and the miracles which accompanied thy Birth, gave rise. Byt hat holy Birth, I now implore Thee to grant to all the world peace and goodwill, and in the name of the whole human race I render thanks and honour to God the Father, and to God the Holy Spirit, Who with Thee live and reign one God world without end. Amen.
Feast of St. Josaphat 2012
These photos were taken during this year’s feast of St. Josaphat. Please note that the high altar and sanctuary are being repainted and so the Mass was held at the side altar.
Photos are courtesy of Dean T. Wiśniewski.
An announcement from Fr. Darrell Roman
A Letter from Fr. Roman taken from the OCtober 21, 2012 edition of We the People of God.
Dear Parish Cluster Family,
Last month, I told you about a group of young men who have come to live at Sweetest Heart rectory for the purpose of discerning God’s calling. To our advantage, they bring with them the special training and skills of former seminarians. Since the old liturgy was the focus of the priestly formation they had received from their former community, I have asked these men to assist me by overseeing some aspects of the administration and Christian mission of the Tridentine community at St. Josaphat’s. If you are already involved in the activities that follow, or would like to become involved, please take the time to introduce yourself to the men and give them your contact information. Sign-up sheets may be found at the back of St. Josaphat’s Church.
Fr. Darrell
Info on the Young Men working with our Parish
Michael Connaughton: Catechism and Altarboy Training
Michael spent six years with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) completing everything up to the point of making perpetual promises. He has received first clerical Tonsure and the four minor ordinations of Porter, Lector, Exorcist and Acolyte. While with the Fraternity, his assignments spanned from inner-city Sacramento to rural Kansas, from Washington State to Normandy, France. His final assignment was in Detroit, the place of his birth, on loan to the Archdiocese as an aid to Bishop Reiss and as an assistant to the Chancellor. Michael is a certified catechist with over a decade of teaching experience. I have asked him to offer a Confirmation class for children who wish to be confirmed in the extraordinary form at St. Josaphat’s this coming Spring, and eventually to develop a catechism program for the young families of the Tridentine community. I am also placing Michael in charge of all server training relating to the Tridentine liturgy.
Daniel Egan: Sacristan Training and Ladies’ Altar Society
Daniel completed the Fraternity’s novitiate and philosophical studies. He has received first clerical Tonsure and was appointed sacristan for Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary for two years. He also served as one of the Fraternity’s catechists. Like Michael, Daniel is from the Detroit area. I have asked Daniel to establish and direct a Lady’s Altar Society, whose members will care for the sacred linens, vestments and sanctuary of St. Josaphat’s Church. Men are welcome to be trained as sacristans that will help with the setup of Mass. I have asked Daniel to run the sacristy at St. Josaphat’s according to the strictures required by
Travis Ricketts: Legion of Mary & Neighborhood Evangelization
Michael Travis completed the novitiate and one year of philosophical studies with the Fraternity in addition to a year spent at the Pontifical College Josephinum. He has received first clerical Tonsure. Though not from Detroit, Travis has lived in the inner-city most of his adult life. He has been a member of the Legion of Mary for several years and has extensive experience going door-to-door in urban neighborhoods of a similar demographic to our own. I have asked Travis to establish a Legion of Mary praesidium for St. Josaphat’s that will direct a vigorous and systematic evangelical outreach to the homes in the immediate vicinity. He will be responsible for training door-to -door missionaries according to the guidelines of Legion of Mary. If you might be interested in helping with our missionary effort, either going door-to-door or by supporting the missionaries with special prayers for success, please see Travis.
Please keep Fr. Roman and these men in your prayers.
St. Philomena Devotions at St. Josaphat
The following pictures are from our St. Philomena devotions at St. Josaphat that took place on August 19, 2012. The celebrant for the Mass and devotions was our parochial administrator, Fr. Roman. We have been holding devotions to St. Philomena since August of 2005.
More from the Pontifical Low Mass with Bishop Reiss
More pictures to come. Please keep checking the blog.
Exsultate Iusti in Domino 