Ann Arbor — “The right earlobe, right thumb and right big toe,” answered Sr. Peter Joseph.

The crowded cheered as host Jeff Foxworthy affirmed her answer to the question of what parts of the body God instructed Moses to anoint.

Sr. Peter Joseph, along with Sr. Mary Suso and Sr. Evangeline — from the Ann Arbor community of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist — competed in the cable TV show “The American Bible Challenge.”

The Game Show Network’s most successful show to date, now in its second season, has three teams of three participate in games and trivia to win money for charity.

“It’s a great show,” Sr. Peter Joseph said in an interview. While she hopes it encourages people to read the Bible, “at the very least they’re learning something from the questions, and it’s a very positive game show, which is something exciting nowadays.”

Sr. Maria Suso explained, “It’s lighthearted, and through it people realize the things they don’t know about the Bible. There’s so much beauty and humor in the details of the text.”

The three sisters made it to the finale of the show May 23 but were bested there by the Wagner Warriors, a team of three brothers from Oklahoma.

Still, the sisters won a total of $55,000 for their charity, $10,000 of which they received by being voted the show’s fan favorite. The money won will go into a fund to provide for the medical expenses of the aging sisters in their religious community. As one of the youngest and fast-growing communities in the country, the elder Dominican sisters are especially busy with facilitating the entrance of these newcomers, so these three were excited to be able to provide for them for a change.

“They aren’t focused on themselves,” said Sr. Maria Suso. “They’re busy with fundraising and building new housing; the older sisters are really pouring themselves out for us.”

The three competing sisters are representative of a community where the average age is 28; all are young and relatively new to the community. Sisters Evangeline and Peter Joseph are novices, and Sr. Maria Suso is a temporary professed member. In several more years the sisters will be able to take final vows.

The team of three assembled after their mother superior learned about the show.

“Mother Mary Assumpta asked any Bible experts to come forward,” said Sr. Maria Suso. Though she wasn’t originally thrilled about the possibility of the publicity and limelight, she felt obligated by her vow of obedience to let Mother Mary Assumpta know of her prowess.

Out of those who were biblically knowledgeable, three were chosen.

For Sr. Maria Suso, the call to her vocation began with regular prayer and reading of the Bible. “At age 14 I was very unhappy though I had a good life; through some conversations I realized it was a spiritual problem. I fell in love with God through reading the Scriptures.”

“It was really fun,” commented Sr. Peter Joseph of their experience on the show and on it being taped in Hollywood before a studio audience. “I don’t think anyone in there had seen a religious sister before, especially not one in real habit.”

Denise A. Stearns | Special to the Michigan Catholic

Lake Orion — Zoe was raised by an atheist father and a non-religious mother. Consequently, she had no faith tradition, no spiritual life whatsoever.

“Trusting my atheist father’s word that this is all there is to life, at 18, I ventured from our home in Franklin, Mich., to the sensual paradise of Hawaii,” Zoe said. “I wanted nothing more than a life of leisure in the sun … it was the thing to do among my post-high school friends. We lived the excitement of the new, sexual freedoms of the 60s and felt we were on the forefront of changing times. I joined the ranks of those who were in the thick of the Woodstock generation — singing and dancing barefoot through fields of flowers.”

Zoe was having casual sex with her boyfriend, Tim, whom she described as a “Navy brat” whose father was stationed at Pearl Harbor.

“Tim supported us by dealing drugs,” Zoe said. “My days had no structure — I picked up the occasional temp job working phones for an answering service, scooping ice cream in a café, or baby-sitting on base. I lived for the moment. Not surprisingly, my birth control practice was inconsistent and I became pregnant.”

The answer: abortion

One of Zoe’s friends had recently found herself facing the same dilemma. “I knew a girl who had recently had an abortion. Tim brought me her brochures about the process,” she said.

In 1971, not only was abortion was already legal in Hawaii, but it was fully funded by the state.

“I remember the social worker offering me the adoption option, discouraging the abortion. But in my mind abortion made perfect sense. Since there was no God, no nothing, why go to the trouble of dealing with a baby? That was my amoral world,” Zoe said.

Tim took Zoe to the hospital for the procedure, where the staff was courteous and professional. “The nurse got me in the stirrups. They gave me a general anesthetic. When I woke up, Tim was there and the baby was gone. Problem solved, or so I thought,” she said.

But Zoe’s Hawaiian paradise experience quickly deteriorated after that.

“Without realizing why, my joys turned to sadness, my heart turned cold, and my closest relationship turned distant and angry,” she said. “My free-love life in paradise had become a living hell. Yet at the time, I did not see a connection between my abortion and my misery.”

Tim’s mother, an evangelical Southern Baptist, noticed the change in Zoe. She was accustomed to telling her son to change his ways and repent. “Every time my boyfriend took me to visit the family, all his mother talked about was Jesus. I tried to avoid her by staying in the car, but then she would come to the car and tell me how much Jesus loved me. She invited me to church events, gave me a myriad of Christian literature, and generally made a pest of herself,” Zoe explained. “In an effort to appease her, I agreed to read ‘Mere Christianity’ by C. S. Lewis.”

Touched by God

Zoe didn’t know that reading the book would change her life or that it would become the basis for a philosophical epiphany, a massive conversion. “The book talks about truth. It goes over basic facts about Jesus’ divinity, His love for humanity,” Zoe said. “I was so self-centered at the time, that if it had been left to me, the meaning would have passed me unnoticed. The Holy Spirit must have been at work, overtime, to break through my blindness.”

Without warning, Zoe’s worldview was completely overturned. God touched her through Lewis’ treatise, bringing about her conversion to Christ.

“One day as I walked through my house into my bedroom the thought suddenly occurred to me, ‘What if it is really true? What if all this about God and Jesus is the truth?’” she thought. “With that question, I felt like the ceiling of my room lifted and I was engulfed in a down-pouring of God’s loving presence. And in that moment the thing that came to me was the thought of my long-ago-buried abortion.

“Simultaneously I saw an image of what I believed I deserved: myself in the muddy waters of a rain-soaked highway and run over by an 18-wheeler. Instead, I experienced the unfathomable presence of God’s love. I found myself on my knees. When I arose, I was a new person. The Creator God Who made me surrounded me with His love. I was in a new, close relationship with Him and I wanted nothing more than to be with Him always.”

Finding the Creator

Following this incredible gift, Zoe’s life changed. She returned home and began to seek the God “Whose loving presence I knew,” by exploring various Christian denominations. She joined the interdenominational Charismatic Renewal in Ann Arbor. It wasn’t until she attended the Easter Vigil Mass at Christ the King Catholic Church that she recognized the Christian God Who had introduced Himself to her in Hawaii.

She recognized His presence on the altar during the consecration and knew Him as “the same loving, Creator God that surrounded me with His love that day in Hawaii. From that moment I saw the mystery of God’s hand in my life, His call for me to be Catholic, and I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” she said.

Zoe enrolled in RCIA and joined the Church the following Easter. She learned about the many “riches and treasures of the Catholic Church, through homilies and reading, but primarily from the catechesis offered on WDEO Catholic radio, 990 AM.”

As Zoe studied the Church, she heard about social programs for post-abortive women, and eventually attended Rachel’s Vineyard nearly 40 years after her abortion.

“It is very difficult, but still important even now to open that part of ourselves and revisit the sorrow of the abortion while being surrounded by the love of Christ,” she said. “I take that memory from the shelf of my soul and go over it lovingly while being held in the mystical arms of Christ. I bring it to God. I let His light and love shine on it and help me heal while His arms hold me in His truth and love. It is the only way to face the true grief of the abortion.”

Helping others to heal

A year has passed since Zoe attended her Rachel’s Vineyard weekend. This summer she will begin leading a support group for the post-abortive women who seek to continue what began on their Rachel’s Vineyard weekend. Zoe has a master’s degree in infant mental health as well as a master’s in fine arts. Her artwork is sought by prominent collectors throughout the Midwest. Though she remains single, she became a parent and the head of her biracial family when she adopted two high-risk, African-American infants.

Denise Ann Stearns is a freelance writer/graphic artist living in Lake Orion. Her company, LIFESTAR SERVICES, provides publication support and print management services to pro-life organizations. Email her at deestearns@att.net.

Project Rachel
healing Mass

A post-abortion healing Mass sponsored by Project Rachel, another post-abortion healing ministry in the Archdiocese of Detroit, will be held at 11 a.m. June 23 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 9844 Woodward, Detroit. Msgr. Michael LeFevre will be the celebrant, and all are welcome to attend.

Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries

Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries is an organization offering weekend retreats for women who have had abortions as well as others who have been wounded or hurt by abortion. Women, men, couples, grandparents and former abortion providers are welcome. The Rachel’s Vineyard program provides an opportunity for women to examine their experience with abortion and identify ways that the loss caused by abortion has impacted them in the past and present.

Rachel’s Vineyard is a ministry of Priests for Life and has a broadly Roman Catholic ethos with a Catholic Mass celebrated as an integral part of the retreat, but the organization offers non-denominational retreats for non-Catholics. Rachel’s Vineyard offers 196 retreat sites in 41 countries and is available in 19 languages.

Visit the website at www.rachelsvineyard.org or call the 24/7 phone help line at 1-877-HOPE-4-ME.

Upcoming Rachel’s Vineyard weekends

Ann Arbor area

June 14-16

Beth Bauer: (734) 369-3470

lpbbauer@yahoo.com

Metro Detroit area

Sept. 6-8

Chris Elwart: (248) 494-6363

info@detroitrachelsvineyard.org

www.detroitrachelsvineyard.org

Grand Rapids area

Oct. 25-27

Maggie Walsh: (616) 340-1824 or (800) 800-8284

mwalsh@ccwestmi.org

Manistique (Upper Peninsula) area

June 21-23

Lori Hardwick: (906) 644-2771

mgcbox38@centurylink.net

Saginaw area

Aug. 16-18

Sandy Buza: (989) 797-6652 or (800) 453-2081 ext. 652

sbuza@dioceseofsaginaw.org

Traverse City area

Lynette Knapp: (231) 941-6550

lynette_knapp@yahoo.com

Pam Mills: (231) 590-5099

pammillsrvnorth@aol.com

www.rachelsvineyardnorthtc.com

Joe Balistreri, director of music for the Archdiocese of Detroit (on the piano), leads a rehearsal for ‘Six in the Spirit’ at St. Timothy Church in Trenton. Members of six downriver parishes make up the group, which holds Taize prayers and participates at liturgies and in concerts throughout the year.

Detroit ­– A passion to enhance the liturgy through sacred song often leads parishioners to share their talents with their parish choirs. Several years ago, a desire to collaborate and the motivation to enhance their skills led dozens of choir members to form the ‘Six in Spirit’ Southern Downriver Catholic Choir, now performing throughout metro Detroit.

“Parish staffs in our area started meeting monthly when the first phase of the Together In Faith pastoral planning process began years ago”, said Kevin Ryan, Director of Music and Liturgy at Sacred Heart Parish, Grosse Ile, and co-director of the Six in Spirit Choir. “Our parishes are pretty strong individually, including in sacred music and song, but we thought we could do even better by forming a combined choir,” he explained. “The music directors from the six parishes in our planning group started bringing their choirs together for special occasions, and we then formed the Southern Downriver Catholic Choir which now has several performances throughout the year an annual workshop.”

Each parish has about 20 members in their choirs and approximately 80 voices participate in the larger Six in the Spirit performances.

The music directors at the Six in the Spirit parishes meet monthly to discuss collaborations in education and worship, music planning, rehearsals, and events for the Choir. They also hold several  Taize prayer services annually and bring the entire Choir to each of the parishes for a weekend Mass so all six congregations can witness the fruits of this liturgical endeavor.

“Most of our music is liturgical and the choir sounds absolutely professional,” he continued. “We strive to balance the traditional, like Gregorian chant, Mozart, and Latin selections with a variety of contemporary music. It’s a varied repertoire that everyone likes.” The Choir meets weekly for Sunday afternoon rehearsals.

“It’s really a wonderful story,” said Joseph Balistreri, Director of Music for the Archdiocese of Detroit. “This kind of inter-parish cooperation is just the sort of thing we want to achieve through Together in Faith,” he said. “The collaboration on this scale and to this extent is unique, and I hope it catches on.”

The second annual Southern Downriver Catholic Choir Workshop is set for the evenings of August 27-29 at St. Timothy Parish in Trenton, offering the area’s Catholic choral community an opportunity to explore their talents and prepare for a new year of liturgical singing. During the course of three evenings, the combined choirs will work under the direction of guest clinicians and local music directors to hone their craft while enjoying music making as part of a large ensemble. The Six in Spirit Choir will also perform at the annual St. Cecilia Sing in November.

‘Six in the Spirit’

The six-parish choir includes members of:

• Our Lady of the Woods, Woodhaven

• Sacred Heart, Grosse Ile Grosse Ile

• St. Cyprian, Riverview

• St. Joseph, Trenton

• St. Pius X, Southgate

• St. Timothy, Trenton

Anthony and John Ahee hold the Bob Seger-autographed guitar that will be among the prizes awarded at Capuchin Souper Summer Celebration XXXII June 29 at Comerica Park.

Grosse Pointe Woods — Rock bands and disc jockeys will be providing music in various venues around Comerica Park on Saturday, June 29, as the Ahee family continues its support for the Capuchin Soup Kitchen with the 32nd annual Souper Summer Celebration.

Admission to the event is free-of-charge, but restricted to those 21 and older. Even self-parking is free, though valet parking is also available. Refreshments can be purchased from regular stadium vendors. Money is raised by selling tickets to win one of the $30,000 in jewelry items being donated by the Ahee family.

Top prize this year is a $10,000 ladies Rolex Datejust wristwatch. Other prizes include fine jewelry and timepieces from Roberto Coin, IWC, Mikimoto, Ivanka Trump, David Yurman and Ippolita.

Plus, there will be a drawing for a Bob Seger-autographed electric guitar.

With a theme of “Rock of Ages,” the event will feature rock ‘n’ roll music and imagery of decades past.

“We’ve got a Rod Stewart tribute band’s that’s pretty cool, and other great bands from the United States and Canada,” said Anthony Ahee, 29, who is working with other grandchildren of Edmund T. Ahee to put on this year’s event.

The Souper Summer Celebration has grown into an evening of music and fun that attracts thousands of people, mostly in their mid-20s to younger 30s, and which has raised a cumulative $5.5 million for the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.

The Ahee family is covering all costs, as well as donating the prizes to be raffled off, so every dollar raised through the sale of raffle tickets goes directly to the soup kitchen for current operating expenses or to an endowment formed to provide an investment fund for future soup kitchen operations.

Anthony Ahee and others of his generation began running the annual fundraiser — one of the largest free fundraisers held in the United States each year — about eight years ago, taking over from his uncle, John Ahee.

John Ahee, 48, says he grew up hearing his father, Edmund T. Ahee, praise the work of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen for its work in feeding Detroit’s hungry. After his father’s death in 1999, he helped his mother, Bettejean, still active today at 84, carry on his charitable work.

The elder Ahee, founder of the prestigious Grosse Pointe Woods jewelry store that bears his name, grew up on Detroit’s lower east side during the Great Depression.

“My dad used to say to us kids, ‘None of you know what it’s like to not know where your next meal is coming from,’” John Ahee recalled.

The first Souper Summer Celebration was held at the Roostertail riverfront banquet facility, then moved to the Hillcrest Country Club in Mount Clemens, eventually taking over Comerica Park in downtown Detroit for one evening a year.

“My dad saw holding a fundraiser for the soup kitchen as not only a way of giving back, in thankfulness for his success, but also as a way to raise awareness about the soup kitchen and the needs it tries to address.”

Today, the two locations of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen serve thousands of people daily, and its food distribution program distributes hundreds of thousands of pounds of food, as well as tens of thousands of articles of clothing and hundreds of pieces of furniture every year.

Both John and Anthony Ahee are members of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Grosse Pointe Woods.

For more information about the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, go to CSKDetroit.org.

Robert Delaney, recently retired as a staff reporter for The Michigan Catholic, is a freelance reporter from Hamtramck.

Soup kitchen benefit

What: “Rock of Ages” — the 32nd annual Capuchin Souper Summer Celebration

When: Saturday, June 29, 7:30 p.m. until past midnight

Where: Comerica Park

Details: Free admission (must be 21 or older); refreshments available from stadium vendors; $30,000 in jewelry plus Bob Seger-autographed electric guitar to be raffled off.

Dress: Dressy springtime attire suggested

Can’t make it, but want to help? Call John Ahee at (313) 886-4600.

Grosse Pointe Woods — “I’m one of Fr. Solanus’ miracles,” John Ahee says of the remarkable healing he believes he received through the intercession of Ven. Solanus Casey, the famous Capuchin friar.

Ahee, 48, was diagnosed on his 32nd birthday with a malignant brain tumor. His father, jewelry store founder Edmund T. Ahee, “began calling in favors” when it came to getting him the best medical attention and asking for divine assistance.

The senior Ahee had long been a supporter of the work of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and admirer of Ven. Solanus Casey (1870-1957), to whose intercession many people attribute astonishing cures.

And Fr. Casey was indirectly responsible for the soup kitchen: He used to send so many people to see the Capuchins’ cook for something to eat that the friars eventually decided to find a more systematic way of feeding hungry people on Detroit’s lower east side.

Among those praying for a healing for John Ahee was Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, Detroit’s archbishop emeritus. “Cardinal Szoka told my dad, ‘Ed, I’ve prayed on this, and something tells me John shouldn’t start his chemotherapy,’” Ahee recalled.

“Then, the day I was scheduled to start, the doctor we had consulted from Duke University Medical School called to say, ‘John, I’ve studied your charts thoroughly, and whatever you do, don’t start the chemo,’” he continued.

The doctor explained there was a “blood barrier” that would have prevented the chemotherapy from doing any good, while it would have so weakened his system that he would not be able to bear the massive dosages of radiation needed.

Acting on that advice, Ahee went with a combination of megadose radiation and intense prayer. That the radiation worked there can be no doubt — 17 years of good MRIs attest to that — but Ahee believes the prayer also worked.

He is one of only three long-term survivors in the world — along with a man in Australia and a woman in the U.S. — of the kind of tumor he had.

Ahee acknowledges that only the Vatican can authoritatively declare whether  a miracle occurred, and the amount of medical intervention that took place makes it unlikely his case could ever be affirmed as the miracle needed to get Ven. Solanus beatified (declared blessed).

Nevertheless, Ahee knows what he thinks about it: “There’s no question in my mind,” he says.