Fr. J.J. Mech was the youngest in a large family and is now an uncle and great-uncle many times over. He is very family-oriented and wrote his thesis on family. Fr. J.J. was ordained 30 years ago. He has served in large suburban and smaller inner-city parishes and has loved being pastor. He has been the rector of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament since 2015. While he is a Spartan at heart and even attended MSU, Fr. J.J. received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Sacred Heart Major Seminary and now serves as a Trustee on their Board. He has a passion for art and architecture.

Despite devastation, ‘hope is still there’ in Gaza, Cardinal Pizzaballa tells Detroiters

Father Alex Kratz, OFM, is a Franciscan friar living at St. Benedict the Black Friary (on the grounds of Ss. Peter & Paul Parish [Westside] in the Archdiocese of Detroit).

Fr. Alex served for almost 4 years as Associate Pastor at St. Michael’s in Southfield. He has served on the Archdiocesan Evangelization Team from 2006-2009 and 2012-2014.

As the Spiritual Director of Terra Sancta Ministries, he oversees St. Joseph Chapel and the Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Pontiac where the ministry is headquartered. Father assists St. Colette Parish in Livonia on weekends. Fr. Alex enjoys reading about history and spirituality, and watching World Cup soccer and Notre Dame football.

“Australia is right to ban minors under age 16 from having social media which have been detrimental to youth. This ban should be an incentive for social media and other online platforms and services to be proactive in implementing safer-by design-technologies and default parental management tools before rushing to market with products that are potentially dangerous for children and teens,” said Donna Rice Hughes, President and CEO, Enough Is Enough.

Kathy Hatem is the senior communications advisor for the national nonprofit organization Enough Is Enough. As a parent to three teenagers, she leverages her passion for child safety and advocacy to raise awareness about the dangers of child predators, sex trafficking, cyberbullying and more, educating parents, corporations and the government about the online threats faced by children and adolescents.

She wrote for Fox News: Even the future king discovers smartphones are a royal pain for kids and parents

“While the special needs community has physical, speech and occupational therapy options, fitness options were virtually nonexistent. But now, Team GUTS™ is training all athletes who want to learn to be better. By establishing Team GUTS™, a tax-exempt non-profit, Paul and Todd are making a major impact on the lives of thousands with special needs children.”

“Since their youth, Paul and Todd Turner have always shared a passion for sports and, as adults, working with children. In fact, the two brothers have been involved in youth sports, especially baseball, for most of their life. Put simply, the brothers have always gotten a great deal of satisfaction helping kids grow in self-confidence and self-esteem.”

The Chaldean Language Workshop, founded by OU Graduate Student Stephen Hannawi, currently meets twice a week on campus and invites participants to come learn about the Chaldean alphabet, grammar, and pronunciation in an engaging and academic setting.“I founded the CLW to preserve and revive one of the world’s oldest and most influential languages — the Chaldean language — which once served as the language of Babylonian science and later became the language of the Word of God in early Christianity,” said Hannawi, who is pursuing a master’s degree in artificial intelligence at OU.

Stephen Hannawi, whose interests include law, technology and linguistics, began reading and writing Chaldean at 8 years old, a foundation that deeply influenced his lifelong commitment to cultural and linguistic preservation. He was inspired to create the CLW while attending Cooley Law School.

Oakland University News: OU graduate student establishes Chaldean Language Workshop

Joyce Campbell is the French language teacher at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills. She is known for her innovative programs - including courses on French theater, opera, art and architecture, poetry and literature - and is an advocate for technology in language education and was instrumental in the installation of two language labs at Mercy. Of particular note is a program she introduced, Passport to France: An Immersion Experience. She has affiliations with the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages, the Oakland World Language Advisory Council, the Michigan World Language Association and more.

Dr. John Radziłowski is the Director of the Polish Institute of Culture and Research in Orchard Lake. He is a historian, professor, and author of numerous books and articles on the history of Poland and of Polish Americans. He is a professor of history at the University of Alaska Southeast where he has been since 2007. In 2008, he was awarded the Miecislaus Haiman Award for “sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans” by the Polish American Historical Association.

Radzilowski Named New Director of Polish Institute of Culture & Research

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and during this Jubilee Year of HOPE, the Christ Medicus Foundation (CMF) announced that all seven Catholic dioceses in Michigan have joined HOPE, a whole-person wellness program designed to transform employee wellbeing by connecting them with Christ’s healing love.

The establishment of the HOPE Program provides Catholic dioceses and private employers around the country with a Christ-centered whole-person health and wellness program for employers that serves the health, wellness, and healing needs of their employees.

HOPE is a new offering from CMF that represents a paradigm shift in Catholic workplace health and wellness, recognizing that true health extends beyond physical symptoms to encompass the emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions.

Louis Brown has served as Executive Director of Christ Medicus since 2019. He leads their overall efforts to advance medical conscience and religious freedom rights and to reclaim health care for the culture of life by offering pro-life health and wellness programs to individuals, families, and Catholic employers nationwide.

An attorney for over 15 years, Louis received his law degree from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. and began his career in private law practice at a Midwest law firm. He later became a Congressional staffer on Capitol Hill where he served as legislative counsel for a U.S. Congressman which included serving as the Congressman’s advisor on federal health care law and policy.

Vanessa looks at this column from the Catholic News Agency on this, the Feast of Our Lady Of Loreto: Did angels really carry the Holy House of Mary to Loreto, Italy?