The Lennon Center relies on our community of supporters like you to help fund our everyday expenses, keep the lights on and the doors open for our clients. It is through your assistance that we are able to lift up, encourage, and embrace the women who are in need.

Please call the office at 313-277-5637 if you would like to purchase your tickets with cash or check. Advance ticket sales only through 10/2/2026.

Alexis Konja is the Development Director at the Lennon Center in Dearborn Heights.

The Marriage Gap gives you a practical framework for building, or rebuilding, the intimacy, joy, and fulfillment your marriage was made for.

Built on four complementary needs, both his and hers, this raw, real, wholly original marriage book features eight candid conversations between husband and wife Devin and Kim Schadt about what men and women truly want and why. To broaden their own experiences and perspectives, Devin and Kim interviewed a range of Catholic couples from diverse backgrounds across the United States and wove their voices into every discussion.

Devin Schadt is the executive director of the Fathers of St. Joseph, an apostolate that labors for the restoration, redemption, and revitalization of fatherhood by helping men live St. Joseph’s spirituality. Devin is the author of over twenty books, including The Rule: Counsels and Directives for Fathers and Husbands and co-hosts The Catholic Gentleman, and posts on The Way of a Man blog. Learn more at fathersofstjoseph.org.

You can donate by calling 734-930-4014 or by clicking this link! Thank you!

Ania Bieciuk is the Associate Director for Polonia Affairs at the Polish Institute of Culture & Research at Orchard Lake

Polish Institute of Culture & Research Presents World Premiere Opera Concert Honoring St. John Paul II on the 39th Anniversary of His Historic Visit to Michigan

DETROIT, MI — September 2026 — The Polish Institute of Culture & Research at Orchard Lake (PICROL) will present a special World Premiere Opera Concert honoring St. John Paul II on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at Sweetest Heart of Mary Church in Detroit.

The concert commemorates the 39th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to Michigan, September 18–19, 1987, celebrating his enduring spiritual, cultural, and historical connection to Detroit and the Polish-American community.

The evening will feature internationally acclaimed Polish soprano Dominika Zamara, whose career has taken her to stages throughout Europe and the United States. The program will also spotlight the music of three European composers, Maestro Antonio Bellandi, Maestro Tiziano Bedetti, and Maestro Wiesław Rentowski, including works composed in tribute to St. John Paul II and presented in world premiere.

For Detroit and its Polish-American community, the anniversary carries particular significance. John Paul II’s September 1987 visit was a historic moment for a region profoundly shaped by generations of Polish immigrants and their descendants. Nearly four decades later, this concert recalls not only the presence of a Polish pope in Michigan, but also the faith, heritage, and institutions through which Polish identity has flourished in Detroit and across the state.

The setting for the commemoration is itself an important part of that story. Sweetest Heart of Mary Church, located at 4440 Russell Street in Detroit, is one of the city’s magnificent historic churches and a lasting monument to Detroit’s Polish Catholic heritage. Founded by Polish immigrants in the late 19th century, the parish and its landmark church stand as witnesses to the faith, sacrifice, and determination of the Polish families who helped build Detroit. Its soaring Gothic interior provides a particularly meaningful setting for sacred music honoring St. John Paul II.

Continuing a Polish-American Legacy

The concert is presented by the Polish Institute of Culture & Research at Orchard Lake, an institution dedicated to preserving, studying, and sharing Polish and Polish-American history, culture, and heritage. Located on the historic Orchard Lake Schools campus, the Institute carries forward a legacy deeply intertwined with the history of Polonia in Michigan and throughout the United States.

Through its archives, exhibitions, cultural programming, scholarship, lectures, concerts, and community partnerships, PICROL works to preserve the accomplishments of earlier generations while ensuring that Polish culture remains a living inheritance for generations to come.

Bringing this commemoration to one of Detroit’s historic Polish churches reflects that mission, connecting the history preserved at Orchard Lake with the communities, churches, and people who created it.

Event Information

World Premiere Opera Concert Honoring St. John Paul IISaturday, September 19, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.Sweetest Heart of Mary Church4440 Russell StreetDetroit, Michigan

Admission is free. Reservations are requested at www.picrol.org.

The concert is presented in commemoration of the 39th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s visit to Michigan, September 18–19, 1987.

You can donate by calling 734-930-4014 or by clicking this link! Thank you!

Fr. Chris Nahra serves as Associate Pastor at St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church in Clinton Township.

You can donate by calling 877-288-1077 or by clicking this link! Thank you!

Dr. Mary Healy is the keynote speaker for Ann Arbor’s 40 Days for Life Kickoff Rally and Sunday, September 20th.

Dr. Mary Healy is dean of the School of Theology and Adam Cardinal Maida Chair in Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. She is a bestselling author and international speaker and is a general editor of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Her books include Healing, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, The Gospel of Mark, and Genesis. She serves on the Pontifical Biblical Commission and is a member of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Her website is here.

You can donate by calling 877-288-1077 or by clicking this link! Thank you!

Professor Michael King holds 2 advanced degrees, a BS in psychoanalytic psychology and master degree in theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He’s worked in ministry in several areas including Director of Parish Faith Formation and Evangelization and was Northeast Regional Coordinator of Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Detroit. He is a certified Master Catechist, has been a teacher/mentor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He is also Director of Parish Evangelization at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Grosse Pointe Woods. He’s involved with the Reviv3 app.

You can donate by calling 877-288-1077 or by clicking this link! Thank you!

Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, is the Provincial Superior of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception located in the United States, England, and Argentina. He wrote and produced the popular “Divine Mercy 101” DVD and the “Explaining the Faith” YouTube series. He is the author of the bestselling books After Suicide: There’s Hope for Them and for You and Understanding Divine Mercy, as well as his newest release, Understanding the Sacraments: God’s Grace Guaranteed. He is host of the EWTN show Living Divine Mercy, which airs on Thursdays, 10:00 p.m. EST. From 2014-2024, he served as the Director of the Association of Marian Helpers.

You can donate by calling 877-288-1077 or by clicking this link! Thank you!

John Hale is the President of Corporate Travel. John is a graduate of The University of Michigan and The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and served as Judicial Clerk to the Michigan Supreme Court before practicing law with Bodman LLP and the Ford Motor Company. John began his career with Corporate Travel in 2000.

Kim Kerwin joins Vanessa Denha Garmo live from the Chaldean Community Foundation - West Bloomfield.

You can donate by calling 877-288-1077 or by clicking this link! Thank you!

Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) West and the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce are located on 2075 Walnut Lake Road in West Bloomfield, MI.

CCF West builds on the Foundation’s legacy of service, offering vital resources while preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Chaldean people through cultural programs, language preservation, and storytelling. By sharing our traditions, art and history with the broader public, we foster understanding, appreciation, and unity across cultures.

Kim Kerwin is a theology teacher and Director of Religious Formation at St. Fabian Catholic School in Farmington Hills. She has taught kindergarten, grades 5-8, and worked with high school youth ministry. She received the St. Katherine Drexel Amazing Catholic Educator award for her dedication to Catholic education and witness of the faith. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Eastern Michigan University and a Master’s Degree in School Leadership from Madonna University.

Mary Romaya joins Vanessa Denha Garmo live from the Chaldean Community Foundation - West Bloomfield.

You can donate by calling 877-288-1077 or by clicking this link! Thank you!

Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) West and the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce are located on 2075 Walnut Lake Road in West Bloomfield, MI.

CCF West builds on the Foundation’s legacy of service, offering vital resources while preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Chaldean people through cultural programs, language preservation, and storytelling. By sharing our traditions, art and history with the broader public, we foster understanding, appreciation, and unity across cultures.

Mary Romaya is a retired teacher and Executive Director of the Chaldean Cultural Center. Born in Detroit to Chaldean parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Telkeppe, Iraq. She graduated from the University of Detroit with a B.A. degree with a major in History and received an M.A. Degree in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University. Mary worked for 45 years as a professional educator with Warren Woods Public Schools leaving the district in January 2011.