St William Parish

Important Updates from the Pastor:

April 3, 2020

Palm Sunday:  Palm Sunday Mass will be livestreamed at 10:30 AM.  Palms will be blessed this day, but will not be available until after the social distancing restriction are lifted, and we are once again able to gather as a community.

Holy Thursday:  We will be livestreaming the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday at 7:30 PM.  This Mass commemorates the institution of the Eucharist, and I think it’s among the most touching and intimate celebrations of Mass in the Liturgical Year.  However, this year it is restrained, because there can be no “Washing of the Feet”, nor procession with the Blessed Sacrament through the church, nor time of adoration afterwards at the Altar of Repose.  (I’m going to miss these beautiful elements.) 

Good Friday:  We are going to be livestreaming the Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday at 1:30 PM.  Once again, the absence of a worshipping community will diminish the solemnity, but with the addition of some graphics to help focus the viewers, I think it’s still going to be very moving.  The Church has authorized a special petition regarding the coronavirus pandemic to be included in the Solemn Intercessions that are part of the Liturgy of Good Friday.

Fast and Abstinence:  Remember too, that on Good Friday, all Catholics ages18 through 59 are expected to fast.  Fasting and praying does help us to enter into the moment, even under the current difficult situation.  Note also that he Church encourages us (but does not oblige us) to continue the Good Friday Fast as best we can until Easter.  Also, abstinence from meat is expected of all Catholics ages 14 and older on Good Friday.  (Senior citizens are not excused from abstaining from meat.  I mention this just in case there are still some who are confused about this point.)

Holy Saturday:  There will be Blessing of Easter Food on Holy Saturday, from Noon until 1 PM.  This will take place in the main parking lot so people will not have to leave their cars.  Deacon Bob has volunteered to be there and bless individual baskets as people drive up to the East Tower Entrance. 

Holy Saturday:  We will NOT be livestreaming the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday.  (However, we will provide a link to the livestream that will be coming from Blessed Sacrament Cathedral at 9:00 PM.)  I know this will be a heartache not only for me, but for many who have been looking forward to that most special celebration of Easter.  But we would not even be able to gather for the Blessing of New Fire.  And without a congregation, the sharing of the light from the Paschal Candle and the singing of the Easter Proclamation would be diminished, nor could we renew our baptismal promises together.  But most disappointing is that we cannot welcome new members on that sacred night.  Those to be baptized, and those who were to be received into the Church, will have to wait until a later time, but our prayers are with them. 

Easter Sunday:  We WILL be livestreaming Mass on Easter Sunday at 10:30 AM. 

Confessions:  I have been (and still am) feeling very conflicted about the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the much larger number of people that want to confess as part of their preparation to celebrate the Holy Days.  I have been hearing private confessions on the Saturdays of Lent, sometimes for hours at a time, taking precautions to minimize the potential spread of disease both for myself and those waiting to confess.  But even after strategizing at length about how we might be able to do the same for larger crowds, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that it is probably not possible.  Once we can safely gather again, I expect to invite a number of priest to join me in providing a communal celebration of Penance with individual confessions available afterwards.  Meanwhile, I present to you a communication from the Archdiocese about the Sacrament:

“Where the individual faithful find themselves in the painful impossibility of receiving sacramental absolution, it should be remembered that perfect contrition, coming from the love of God, beloved above all things, expressed by a sincere request for forgiveness (that which the penitent is at present able to express) and accompanied by votum confessionis, that is, by the firm resolution to have recourse, as soon as possible, to sacramental confession, obtains forgiveness of sins, even mortal ones” (Note from Apostolic Penitentiary; see CCC, 1452.).

“The conditions for perfect contrition are:

1. Love of God
2. Sincere desire for forgiveness
3. An ardent commitment to receive the sacrament of reconciliation when available.”

I can only hope that being deprived of these Holy Day celebrations, as well as regular Sunday Mass and of receiving Holy Communion, will awaken a deep longing for these gifts in the hearts of many, many people. 

March 29, 2020 Coronavirus (COVID-19) update from the Archdiocese of Detroit:

During the Medical Emergency declared by the Governor, the Archbishop has suspended all public Masses, Faith Formation courses, and all other parish events until April 30th. 

The Church building will open for private prayer during the day.  The parish Business Office is now closed per the Stay Home-Stay Safe Executive Order. 

Please pray for all those affected by the spread of the COVID-19 virus. 

Prayer resources, mass streaming schedules, and continually updated information is available on the AOD website at www.aod.org/emergencyresponse/.

3/24/20:  FISH FRY HAS BEEN CANCELED.

For the safety of our guests and all volunteers, the remaining fish fry dates have been canceled as of today.

Through Faith Direct you can make all of your contributions to St. William Parish via automatic payment from your checking account or credit card – just as you may do now with your mortgage, household bills, and other monthly payments. This is a great way to simplify your giving – and it’s the most cost-effective, environmentally-friendly way for us to receive your gifts.

Click here or on the logo above to enroll or to make a one-time gift now!

You may also enroll by TEXTING  (248)621-8822 and type the amount you would like to give in the message box.   

Faith Direct also has a convenient app that can be added to your phone for free from your app store.

Archbishop Vigneron's roadmap for the future of the Archdiocese of Detroit

Download his letter here

Unleash the Gospel Resources can be found by clicking here. You will be re-directed to the Archdiocese of Detroit.

     I hope that by browsing this site you will begin to appreciate the dynamism 
     of our parish community!
     It’s always a challenge to keep our Website updated, because our parish continues to
     evolve. We have many, many active organizations, and I suspect that there's
     something here for everybody, whether you have a special interest in school, religious
     education, youth, adult education, Christian Service opportunities and outreach, or
     social activities. First and foremost, of course, is prayer and worship.

   The parish is located in the heart of Walled Lake, near Pontiac Trail and Maple (15 Mile). Our parish boundaries incorporate approximately 45 square miles, including all of Walled Lake and Wixom-and parts of West Bloomfield, Commerce, and Novi. The parish is comprised of some 1900 registered families.

New members consistently report how welcomed they feel as they join our community. Contact the parish office for registration information. The office phone number is (248) 624-1421. Periodically there are opportunities to register new parishioners after Mass. 

        God bless you!
          In Jesus,
          Rev. Michael G. Savickas Pastor

Submit prayer requests here:

[email protected]

FORMED is finally here! What is FORMED? It’s the Catholic “NETFLIX” and more, and we’re making it FREE to all parishioners!

Follow these steps to access tons of online Catholic programs, movies, books, and audiobooks:

• First, visit www.formed.org with a web browser
• Click on Register (lower right of page)
• Enter the Parish Access Code: KNWDRK (Case sensitive)
• Enter your email and create a password (you need this to login later)
• Go to PROGRAMS and watch Episode 1 to experience FORMED
• Explore!