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Creators divided over trademarking Catholic phrases

In July 2022, Elizabeth, a Catholic creator in the Midwest, noticed something that struck her as odd: The Little Catholic, a larger Catholic business specializing in selling jewelry and accessories began to post a trademark symbol next to jewelry items depicting the “Holy Family Hearts”—namely, the combined images of the Sacred Heart, Immaculate Heart, and Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph. The phrase itself had a trademark symbol, something that Elizabeth found unusual in the Catholic creators’ community. Elizabeth originally noticed the symbol in an Instagram post from the business advertising a “Holy Family Hearts” necklace. She and other Catholic creators began to comment on the public post with questions about the trademark and what it meant.

For 139 years, Vista Maria breaks cycle of abuse, trauma and neglect for young girls

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — In 1883, five Sisters of the Good Shepherd made their way into the city of Detroit to establish a home in Ward Mansion on Fort Street for young women and girls who had fallen on desperate times. Armed with the mission set out by their foundress, Sr. Mary Euphrasia, over the next several decades, the sisters housed hundreds of young women and girls in what they named Good Shepherd House. The sisters outgrew their facilities and prayed a novena asking God to help them find a new, bigger home for their girls. In an answer to their prayers, the Ford family generously stepped in to provide a solution — 50 acres of land in Dearborn Heights. The sisters purchased the land for one dollar and, in 1942, opened their new facilities, complete with residence halls, schools, a powerhouse and an auditorium. They maintained open land, trees and the river that runs on the property, and they named it Vista Maria.

Ukraine and the Sacrifices of Women in Wartime

In the month since Russia invaded the sovereign country of Ukraine, the world has watched in horror as Ukrainian cities have been destroyed, civilians have been caught in the crossfire, and millions have been displaced. As of March 27, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that there have been 1,119 civilians killed, including men, women and children, although they believe the actual number to be much higher. This number does not include military casualties. To date, more than 3.7 million Ukrainians have fled to surrounding countries as refugees, the sixth-largest refugee outflow over the past 60 years. Most Ukrainian men ages 18 to 60 have been banned from leaving the country.

Finding faith in trauma: Oxford student sees God's promise shine through darkness

OXFORD — At 12:50 p.m., Nov. 30, 2021, LeeAnn Johnson was walking to her biochemistry class at Oxford High School. It was a normal school day, except Johnson, who was always early for her classes, was running late. The oldest of five children, Johnson is an impossibly responsible and mature 17-year-old. A senior captain of the Wildcats' varsity lacrosse team, she also runs cross-country, manages the school's wrestling team and serves in student leadership. She's active in her faith, regularly participating in the J-Walkers youth group at her parish, St. Joseph in Lake Orion, where group leader Kathy Galbraith says Johnson is the type of person one can always rely on — so much so, in fact, it's often easy to forget she's just a teenager. Running late was out of character.

Kim Kardashian’s Worst Advice for Women and Where #GirlBoss Culture Falls Short

Last week, in an interview with Variety, Kim Kardashian said “I have the best advice for women in business: Get your f—ing ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.” The interview, meant to promote the Kardashian-Jenner family’s new Hulu show, The Kardashians, was done alongside her sisters and mom, and like with most Kardashian news, you have probably heard about it whether you wanted to or not. This comment left Kardashian in a mire of disgust and eye rolls, as women ac

Sleeping in the Rub' al-Khali Desert | Saatva

Growing up in Michigan, it was beyond my very active imagination that at 20, I would find myself halfway across the world, sleeping out in the open in the Rub’ al-Khali desert. My freshman year of college led me down a different path than I had envisioned after I found myself in an honors seminar course on the Islamic Middle East. It wasn’t my first choice—that was a seminar on national security—and little did I know at the time, but the experience would steer me toward a deep love affair with

What My Italian Family Taught Me About Community That Our World Could Use More of Right Now

When my grandmother died, I was forced to rethink how I could keep our traditions alive. In December my grandmother died after a long battle with Alzheimer's. I'm a fourth-generation Italian, and my grandmother was the epicenter of our world. At her funeral, I pondered how our family would fare without its matriarch; I began to fear that without her, we might lose the togetherness that is so central to an Italian family's lifeblood. I was overcome by an urgency to hold onto the lessons she and

I’ll Never Wear a Hijab, But I Love the Reasons Why These Women Do

Growing up, I always valued modesty. My parents raised me to respect myself, and how I dress is certainly a big part of that. But in my mind, to be covered was something people did for others, especially for men. I’ve often been self-conscious about how people view my appearance, but I have slowly grown to remind myself that my brain and my heart are what they should care about. And part of my inspiration for that came from the most unlikely place—my Muslim friends who wear the hijab. The word

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Catholics join Detroiters celebrating 60th anniversary of King's 'I Have a Dream' speech

Sixty years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech for the first time in the Motor City, Detroiters congregated together again to recreate the freedom walk to honor King’s legacy and acknowledge that his work is still not complete. While King’s speech has become synonymous with his March on Washington, which took place in August 1963, he first delivered the speech in Detroit on June 23, 1963. At the time, 125,000 Detroiters marched down Woodward Avenue, including many Catholics. As Detroiters marched down Woodward again June 24, King’s voice rang out from a solitary megaphone held up by a bystander, a reminder of the historic demonstration 60 years ago.

Creators divided over trademarking Catholic phrases

In July 2022, Elizabeth, a Catholic creator in the Midwest, noticed something that struck her as odd: The Little Catholic, a larger Catholic business specializing in selling jewelry and accessories began to post a trademark symbol next to jewelry items depicting the “Holy Family Hearts”—namely, the combined images of the Sacred Heart, Immaculate Heart, and Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph. The phrase itself had a trademark symbol, something that Elizabeth found unusual in the Catholic creators’ community. Elizabeth originally noticed the symbol in an Instagram post from the business advertising a “Holy Family Hearts” necklace. She and other Catholic creators began to comment on the public post with questions about the trademark and what it meant.

Racial justice starts with important conversations in the Church, local couple says

Monday, June 19, marks Juneteenth — the newest federal holiday and a day commonly viewed as the true end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger reached Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln had signed two years earlier. Since President Joe Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021, more attention and focus have been drawn to the historic milestone, and in the Archdiocese of Detroit, 2023 will mark the third annual Juneteenth celebration with a special Mass at 6 p.m. this evening at Gesu Parish in Detroit. For Catholics, the day is an opportunity for the Church to reflect upon the steps that have been taken — and those that still need to be taken — to fully eradicate the sin of racism, and move toward healing as the united body of Christ.

Local artist unveils mural honoring Pope St. John Paul II at St. Clare of Montefalco

are of Montefalco Catholic School celebrated the ninth anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s canonization with the unveiling of a mural of the late pope made by local artist Curtis Lewis titled “Saint.” “Today, we are here to honor a man who has become a saint,” Lewis told the gathered schoolchildren April 27. “You know they say that the greatest legacy that a man can leave behind to the world is an honorable name worth remembering. St. Pope John Paul II, his name is definitely worth remembering.”

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hen he grows up, St. Charles Borromeo parishioner and third grader Teddy Howell wants to be a podcaster and a priest. At 9 years old, he already has achieved one of those goals with the recent launch of his podcast: “Kid’s Bible In A Year with Teddy.” In each 10-minute episode, released Sundays and Wednesdays, Teddy leads his listeners in prayer and through a series of Bible verses. Teddy has been given permission by Ascension Press to use the Catholic Bible Chronicles as his reference. If Teddy's podcast sounds familiar, that's because it's inspired by Fr. Mike Schmitz’s chart-topping podcast, "The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)."

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When Jim Vella retired from the Ford Motor Company in 2019 after 31 years with the Detroit automaker, he knew he wasn't done helping people. Vella's job as president of the Ford Motor Company Fund and community services called him to positively impact communities all over the world, but that calling didn't begin and end with Ford — God was calling him to help people, too. And he knew he wanted to stay true to his Catholic faith. In 2020, Vella launched the Vella Group, a nonprofit strategic philanthropic company based in Detroit’s Eastern Market. He moved back into the city, just a short bike ride away from his offices, and made it his goal to give back his gifts, talents and means to the city where he was raised.

Harbaugh, former NBA star McCormick talk faith, family and sports at Shrine

The pews at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica were packed March 15 as people gathered to hear three well-known figures talk about faith, family and sports. Part of Shrine's "Live at the Basilica" monthly speaker series, which brings in prominent Catholics to give talks on different aspects of faith, University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh, former NBA player Tim McCormick and Fr. John Riccardo, a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit and founder of ACTS XXIX, spoke at length about how God has worked in their lives.

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