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Epiphany -June 18, 2022

‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,/ whose hope is the Lord’ Jer 17:7

It’s AOD Saturday! Fr. Craig Giera talks about Archbishop Vigneron’s Pastoral Note on a Year of Prayer for Priestly Vocations. Fr. John Kopson talks about the unique way parishioners support priests. Listen to the interview then the podcast at Detroit Catholic. Leah Butalid shares what the AOD is going in response the National Eucharistic Revival. It’s called I AM HERE campaign.

Fr. Craig Giera

 Director, Office of Priestly Vocation, AOD

Before becoming a priest, I lived my life as an artist. I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Wayne State University with a double concentration in painting and sculpture. After working for a number of years in an art gallery, while also exhibiting and selling my artwork, I retreated into the silence of my apartment turned studio.  There I focused on a new body of work in order to apply to graduate school. In the paint and solitude, I heard God call me to a new way of life.

I studied at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and received my Bachelor of Philosophy and Master of Divinity, while also acquiring the S.T.B. Pontifical Degree.  I was ordained a Catholic Priest on May 22nd, 2010, very fittingly on the feast day of St. Rita, patron saint of hopeless causes.  I served as parochial vicar at Guardian Angels Parish in Clawson, St. Fabian and St. Coleman Parishes in Farmington Hills, and as Pastor at St. Ephrem Parish in Sterling Heights.  While at St. Ephrem I received my Doctor of Ministry in Leadership from Duke University.  I am now Director of Priestly Vocations for the Archdiocese of Detroit.

I love being a priest and I especially love preaching, praying Mass, hearing Confessions, and helping men discern a call to the priesthood.  I still make art and hope that others will be drawn to God the same way I was through creativity and beauty.  I also play many stringed instruments and jam out with a priest friend in one of our rectories.

https://www.unleashthegospel.org/pastoral-notes/forming-men-of-the-hearts/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=215256747&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_wp7HwLmx7k7aMD8nvuVhE-nPzIluT9iP33Gz31_6U1DtBQUQ74Q5N1-J6n-KcD8FR8KJD4hip1zWPwxEUkINB0pNjgg&utm_content=215256747&utm_source=hs_email


Fr. John Kopson

Fr. John Kopson is a priest from the Archdiocese of Detroit who serves as Administrator of St. Anne Parish and School, in Warren, MI (https://parish.st-anne.net). 

He graduated from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 2014 and was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2014.  In addition to several parish assignments, Fr. John has served as a Police Chaplain and regularly gives retreats and talks.

Recently, Archbishop Allen Vigneron appointed Fr. John moderator of The Central Macomb Vicariate Family 3 composed of: St. Anne Parish, Warren; St. Faustina Parish, Warren; Our Lady of Grace (Vietnamese) Parish, Warren; St. Louise de Marillac Parish, Warren; St. Mark Parish, Warren; St. Mary, Our Lady Queen of Families Parish, Warren. 

https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/detroit-stories-episode-33-air-support-for-priests-podcast


Leah Butalid

 

Leah Butalid serves as a Content Coordinator in the Communications Department at the Archdiocese of Detroit. She is new to the Detroit area, having previously worked in communications roles at Life Teen in Phoenix, Arizona and most recently at her home parish in Orange County, California. She and her husband Gerardo have been enjoying the transition to Detroit’s four seasons, the community life of their new parish, St. Aloysius, and taking their dog, Newman to new places throughout the city.   

https://www.iamhere.org/

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