Pastor's Column for March 2, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

         I want to clarify something for those joining me (in two weeks now!) for our Italy pilgrimage. We will be having a Zoom meeting this Tuesday, March 4th at 6:30pm. Eddie sent everyone the link through email. You can remain in the comfort of your home for this meeting. Feel free to ask him any and all questions you may have concerning the trip. And be sure to thank him for such an excellent spiritual leader (only if you truly believe that…but I’ll be taking notes). Then we have another optional in person meeting next Sunday, March 9th in the Parish Center at 6:30pm. This will just be a chance to see who else you will be traveling with and to again share any tips with others who may be joining us for the first time. I’ll be giving you your name tag which will be worn throughout the trip. I’ll have some light refreshments available as well. I ask all the parishioners to pray for us that this trip will be safe, enjoyable, and spiritual. 

This Tuesday is a day known as “Fat Tuesday” as the day after, March 5th, is Ash Wednesday— a day of fast and abstinence (a definition of these is available in this bulletin). So what do Catholics do the day before they need to fast & abstain from meat? We eat. A lot. Especially meat. It’s the Catholic way. So enjoy a really hardy meal on Shrove Tuesday, or even several meals. We will need our strength for the fasting and penance we will be doing during Lent. 

Our Ash Wednesday schedule will remain the same as in the past. You can join us for Mass at 8:30am with the school children or at 7pm. We will also have a Word Service with the distribution of ashes at 12 Noon. This will be a shorter service without Mass for the sake of those who are on their lunch break but want to receive ashes as a sign of their Lenten repentance. 

Of course on Friday this week we will have our first Fish Fry which is always a great treat. So prepare to join us for a wonderful but inexpensive meal (we are very competitive with our prices!) and invite others to join you. Of course we will have carry-out as well. Personally I’m looking forward to the first of two lobster tail dinners which will follow on March 14th (right before I leave for our trip…I don’t remember lobster tail fish fry’s in Italy). But I look forward to seeing you on Friday. And please don’t forget to join us for our Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 7pm. They will be lead by a parishioner when I am away the following two Fridays.

Finally I invite you this weekend to take home a little black book which contains Lenten reflections for each day of the holy season. We also have another little book (literally called “The Little Book on the Eucharist”) for you to take home as well this weekend. It’s orange and contains 30 short reflections on the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The introduction says that you can pray it every day for 30 days for even once a week for 30 weeks. Like all the Little Books, it has a variety of stories, quotes, information and thoughts to inspire your prayer time. 

I’ve never been a LEGO® user, but I found two LEGO sets that I thought the children of our school and Faith Formation might enjoy. One is called “Father Leopold Celebrates Mass” and includes an altar with hosts and chalice and cruets, along with a pulpit and tabernacle and presider’s chair. The other one is called “Father John Hears Confessions” and includes a confessional with both a screen and face to face option. It even has powered lights. The best part though is the penitent (a boy or a girl) has a reversible face to show “both the sorrow of sin and the joy of forgiveness.” I hope this is what Jesus meant when he said we must become like children.

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for February 23, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

         Sorry that my column last week consisted of just information about Catholic Charities (as important as that is), but I had been ill with a cough for a couple of days & so wanted to get some rest to get rid of it as soon as possible, and that actually worked. I’ve caught another bug this week as I hear many have, but should feel well again by the time you read this. I’d rather get all this illness out of the way so that I’m well for our pilgrimage to Italy next month. We’re only 3 weeks away now so it’s good to look forward to that experience, especially as we’ll be visiting a few places I’ve never been to before, like the place where St. Padre Pio lived & the Amalfie Coast & other places south of Rome. I’m also hoping for some warmer weather which we had there a couple of years ago…it was sunny and in the 70’s and just a great place to get away from all the cold & snow we’ve had here in Cleveland this winter. I would like to invite all those who will be joining me to meet in the Parish Center on Sunday, March 9th at 6:30pm. We will have a FaceTime meeting with Eddie Abufarha so you can ask him any questions you may have but also so that we can offer travel reminders to each other as well. I’ll remind you of this that weekend as well. 

Through I was ill at the time, our Principal and Vice Principal and Business Manager attended a meeting last week with other pastors and school leadership. It was a Keeping the Faith initiative that involves encouraging parishes with Catholic Schools to work together in whatever ways they can in support of their common goal to provide an opportunity for children to receive a great education in a Catholic setting. I understand the meeting went very well and we are on board & in support of this initiative. Being able to visit the children in the school to spend a bit of time with them is one of my great joys here at St. Leo’s. We have a wonderful diverse community of children who remind me of the energy and joy of being young, something I had a very long time ago but still love to see in others. I continue to be grateful to Mr. Jones, Ms. Branner and the entire school staff for all they do in and for our school. 

I believe I mentioned that we are working on a revised website. It will go live on Monday, March 3rd. It will still contain the information you have found helpful online but will be more compact and streamlined. The most important information that people seek from our online presence will be upfront & center, like making an appointment, reading our bulletin, reading the latest news & events and the opportunity for online giving. And of course the ability to watch our livestream Masses. We have hundreds of people using our website every week and of course the young people use this tool especially to learn of Mass and confession times. But we want it to be customized to the information you are looking for so please don’t hesitate to let me or Nina Capone, our Office Manager, what you think is missing or needed. 

I also want to let you know about an important document that you can also now find on our website called “A Flourishing Apostolic Church”…a Pastoral Letter from Bishop Edward C. Malesic. An important role of the diocesan bishop is to communicate with the clergy and faithful of his diocese and our bishop is taking this seriously as a way to express his vision for the future of our parishes. So please take some time to read through this when you have a few minutes here and there. We will have discussion questions made available and opportunities for you to come together in a small group to discuss it with others if you are interested in that. And I would always be interested in hearing your thoughts about it or answering questions you may have. 

 Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for February 16, 2025

Pastor's Column for February 9, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

         I’d like to start with an update on Deacon Pat, and I’d like to do so by quoting part of an update that his wife Joan will give to the members of the Diaconate on February 22nd, which will be his 72nd birthday: “It’s amazing how in a heartbeat your world and life can be turned upside down and forever changed. On November 8, 2024 that’s what happened to Pat and I as he suffered his first stroke. Since then he has had two subsequent strokes, each one worse than the previous. The second one came on December 14th which left his right eye permanently shut and the left eye with blurred vision. We learned that his strokes are the result of a genetic blood clotting disorder. Each day presents a new set of problems and challenges. I have gone from seeing Pat as a strong man who opened jars that I can’t, to being weak and unable to see, walk or speak. He’s confused much of the time, often unable to express himself. His speech is often difficult to understand. But his demeanor is calm and peaceful! His sense of humor is intact. One day when I walked into his room to visit him he was dressed in clothes that weren’t his. I told him that and without skipping a beat he said, ‘They are now! I’m wearing them!’ 

To that I would add that along with Joan, it’s still hard for me to believe that all this has happened, and so suddenly. I miss talking to my friend and I miss our Deacon assisting at Mass. I am proud of Joan not only for taking such good care of Pat and adjusting her life according to the new circumstances, but also for carrying on with her work and ministry here at St. Leo’s. Let us continue to pray for Deacon Pat, for Joan and for their 4 children. 

John and Jeanne Sabol have changed the display in the vestibule of the church and made it into a tribute to Fr. Ned Weist, former pastor of St. Leo’s, who recently passed away. Doris Neylon, Father’s very good friend, contributed a number of the photos they were able to use. We thank her and the Sabol’s for honoring him in this way.

I recently trained a number of school students to be altar servers. You may not see many of them since they do not come to church here at St. Leo’s so they mostly serve at our weekly 8th grader Masses on Friday, at school Masses and at funerals when school is in session. But I’m happy to see so many of them interested in this ministry. 

The school children had a bulletin board contest. Each classroom was responsible for designing a board based on the life of a saint…but here’s the twist…the saints were all of black and Hispanic descent. Too often we fail to point out the great diversity in the communion of saints, not just in terms of their age, life’s work, marital status, etc., but even of their race. These included such holy men and women as St. Augustine and his mother St. Monica who were from Africa, St. Martin de Porres and St. Thea Bowman, St. Kizito, Venerable Pierre Toussaint and St. Charles Lwanga. The school and rectory staff will be voting on the best board.

We also had the 8th graders over to the rectory for a pizza party. They wanted to know how much rent I paid. When I told them that “food & board” are included as part of my salary, I think we had some interest in priestly vocations! God will accept any means of motivation as he usually deals with that after they have been hooked. As I have said from the beginning, it’s a great blessing for our parish to (still) have a school where we offer a great education in the atmosphere of faith. I trust it will be used by God to do great things for the future Church and world. 

 Fr. James P Schmitz

Pastor's Column for February 2, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

       Today we are celebrating a special feast that is called the Presentation of the Lord. It is always celebrated on February 2nd so this year the 2nd falls on a Sunday. It is celebrated on this particular day because it occurs 40 days after the birth of Jesus  (40 is a very biblical number: the Israelites were in the desert for 40 years, Jesus was in the desert for 40 days, the Ascension was 40 days after Easter, etc.). It commemorates the Jewish Law when the first-born son was to be taken to the Temple in order to be presented to God in thanksgiving. This, Mary & Joseph did as faithful Jews. When Jesus was presented in the Temple, an elderly man by the name of Simeon (whose wife was Anna) recognized that this child was the promised Messiah. He spoke to the parents of Jesus and his words have become part of our night prayer known as the “Nunc Dimittis” which means “Now let depart” or “Simeon’s Canticle” or the “Song of Simeon” based on what he said: “Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.” So Simeon was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. Therefore he tells the Lord that he (the Lord) can now let him go (die) in peace because his eyes have seen the Messiah who is a light to the world.

Here’s the fun part of our celebration today: we begin Mass as everyone holds a lit candle (representing of course Jesus as the light of the world seen by Simeon) and the priest blesses the candles that are used in church throughout the year: the vigil candles in front of our statues, the vigil lamp by our tabernacle, the candles on our altar of sacrifice (the main altar) and the altar of repose (the tabernacle altar), and the candles that the people hold during services like today’s and the Easter Vigil. Hence this day is also known as “Candlemas” Day since the blessing and procession of candles takes place at the beginning of Mass. The observance of this feast dates back to the 6th century in Rome. So more on the meaning of this feast for us today in my homily.

This is a Sunday of blessings…not only of candles, but of throats. February 3rd is the feast of St. Blasé when we bless throats as we ask for his prayers (he was known to have saved a boy from choking on a fish bone). Normally Deacon Pat and I would administer this blessing individually but since he is sadly not here today I will offer a general blessing at the end of Mass. Here is the prayer that I will offer: “Through the intercession of St. Blasé, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the name of the + Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

And there’s one more blessing I’ll offer today…on the new stained glass windows that you saw were installed last weekend. St. Cecilia, the patroness of music, hovers over the musicians on the wall to the left of the Holy Family, and then the window of the Nativity or Birth of Christ, flanked by two smaller windows, adorns the large wall behind where the choir members sit. This window will remind us that the first Mass celebrated in this “new” church was on December 24, 1969. It will remind us too that the Incarnation is to be remembered and celebrated throughout the year, not just on December 25th. My gratitude to all who donated to these windows donations that were given without any special request attached to them. 

 Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for January 26, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

         Last Saturday (the 18th), I had a funeral service at Yurch Funeral Home for Miroslava Pinjuh, who was known simply as “Myra” by her loved ones. I had the opportunity to meet with her daughter Stella along with Stella’s husband Eric to learn more about Myra who was a wonderful woman of faith and a great mother. Myra, originally from Yugoslavia, and her daughter lived in Rome for about 10 years, close by the Vatican, then both of them came to the United States when Stella was about 10 years old. Myra was the owner of two restaurants, the Adria and the Croatian club, and also went back to school and became a craftswoman for Crescent Metal Products. She loved her family and was compassionate and accepting of everybody. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Though I was not able to celebrate Mass last Wednesday due to a scheduled routine medical procedure (which needed to be rescheduled after all), January 22nd is the Annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. On this day, we pray for the victims of abortion and for those who have had abortions, and that our nation’s leaders might be cognizant of the needs of the unborn, establishing laws to protect them. It is a day to remember that our Catholic faith boldly and tirelessly professes, as it has for 20 centuries, that all of life is sacred, from conception to natural death. We will never cease to profess this truth, regardless of opinions on the matter, for we believe this to be the truth that has come to us from God. Let us keep praying that we might reach out in compassion to all women who find themselves faced with this decision and support them with love and truth and action in caring for them and their unborn children.

This is Catholic Schools Week and once again I must say how fortunate we are here at St. Leo’s, to have a parochial school which has served the community, even those not of the Catholic faith, since our parish was founded over 75 years ago. We have a Principal, Mr. Lorenzo Jones, who, along with Ms. DeAndre Branner, our Assistant Principal, who work tirelessly for the good of our students. They both have done an excellent job at bringing together a team of teachers and staff who work closely together in establishing a strong, disciplined, and caring community. Let us continue to pray for them and for the passing on of our Catholic values and morals to the diverse children who have been entrusted to our care. 

As I get older, it becomes more difficult for me to write hand-written notes to thank people for their kindness to me at Christmas so the last few years I have tried to let people know of my appreciation when I see them in church. I’m always behind in doing this, in part due to the many people I need and want to thank, along with the fact that I only have a few minutes of time to talk to people before Mass, especially as I’ve been having many more people coming to confession before all of the Masses (a wonderful thing to experience!). So please do not take my tardiness as a sign of a lack of appreciation as I thank God for all of you and for each of you as you have given me so much support over the years. If by chance I miss thanking you in person, please know how deeply grateful I am to you for your kindness. This Saturday, February 1st, will be the 11th anniversary of my installation as Pastor. May my 12th year here be as joyful as the last 11 years have been. 

 James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for January 19, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

         On Friday, January 10th, I celebrated a funeral Mass for Dana Farago. She was married to Leonard (deceased) for 48 years and had 3 children to whom we extend our sympathies: Kathy, Tim & Patrick. Dana had 3 grandsons and 2 great-granddaughters. Dana had a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary which was expressed by her daily praying of the rosary. She was also a teacher at St. Monica for 30 years and taught 1st graders for all 30 years! She enjoyed children and must have been a great blessing to them. She was also a golf player and played for 70 years, which I find incredible. She had other hobbies too like playing cards and gardening but most of all she enjoyed Thanksgiving with her family. We thank God for the example of her Catholic faith and pray that she may find her reward now in God’s kingdom.

As you know, I am available for confessions both on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning (and any time by request). On social media, someone posted a picture of a sign they saw in Ireland where there was only one priest available for confessions. The sign read, “Confession today will be until exactly 5:30PM (emphasis theirs). There is only one priest available for confessions today. Make your confession direct and to the point and confess only your sins and offenses (emphasis theirs). No need to explain why you did it. Thank you very much.” This made me chuckle, first because I like how direct the Irish are, and secondly because they apparently have the same thoughts we American priests have too! I know that sometimes people want to give some background information regarding their sins but some can turn into very long stories, excuses, justifications or just plain novels. Such information is not necessary. If the priest needs more information from you, he will ask you for it. But we are there to forgive sins and encourage anyone who would like to have a longer conversation to feel free to make an appointment with us. We just try to keep the line moving for the sake of those who are waiting. 

Not infrequently we have adults inquire into receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation for themselves. For a variety of reasons, some have never received it. I know that for a time many here at St. Leo’s were not confirmed because they moved the time for confirmation from elementary school to high school. Whatever the reason, I would invite you to let me know if you are not confirmed but would like to receive this Sacrament. For one, it completes the triple sacraments of Initiation into the Church and of course bestows the unique grace and presence of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live out our baptism. It would be a very easy process as I would meet collectively with those who are not confirmed and then we can give options for receiving this sacrament in the near future. So please reach out to me & let me know if you are interested.

You may have heard that this year of 2025 is a Jubilee Year for us in the Catholic Church. It is a holy year that began on Christmas Eve 2024 and ends on Epiphany next year in 2026. The theme of the Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope.” It is a time of celebration, forgiveness and reconciliation and happens every 25 years. Our last Jubilee Year was in the year 2000 which had the theme of the Father’s Mercy. They are biblical and so a great time for us to seek spiritual renewal and a stronger connection to our faith. The Holy Doors at St. Peter’s Basilica and the other 3 major basilicas are opened and remain open for the duration of the Jubilee Year. Millions of pilgrims (including several of us from St. Leo’s) will travel to Rome to walk through these Holy Doors and may receive a plenary indulgence. There is a Jubilee mobile app you can download for free. You’ll see the logo & prayer for the Jubilee every week in this bulletin.

 Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for January 12, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

         I’m sad to tell you, if you have not already heard, that Father Ned Weist died this past week on Monday afternoon. Father Dan Schlegel (pastor of St. Raphael in Bay Village) and Father Jim Winnings (Parochial Vicar at St. Raphael) were visiting him when he died and so prayed the last rites for him. Father Dan has been friends with Father Ned since they both ministered here together at St. Leo’s. Father Weist has been helping out with Mass at St. Raphael for some time during his retirement and so his wake and funeral will take place there where all the parishioners know him. The wake and funeral will take place during this week in which I am writing this and so it will have already taken place by the time you read this. I have a funeral here on Friday, January 10th when Father Ned’s funeral is taking place so unfortunately I won’t be able to present for his but I will be attending the wake and Vespers service for him on Thursday. We still have a large stone with Father’s name on it over by the side entrance of our school and it has been there since he left here for his assignment at Our Lady Help of Christians in Litchfield. I’m glad that we have something here that will remind us to pray for him whenever we see it. Please keep Father Weist in your prayers. May he receive his reward after a lifetime of loving and gentle service to the Church.

While Deacon Pat’s health has not worsened since his time in the hospital, I’m also sad to report that his condition has not improved either. He is alert and able to communicate but his answers to questions are usually very short and sometimes incorrect. He does not initiate conversation but seems to be aware of his condition and is cooperative. His wife Joan is currently looking into other living conditions for him but needs to wait on availability. Deacon Pat will need some more therapy but does not show real signs of improvement. The muscle in his right eyelid will not work in keeping that eye open but he is reading well with his left eye, though his sight is somewhat blurry. He looks good and appears very content but it’s difficult to see him not being the more talkative or outgoing person that we know him to be. At this point, we must just accept that his future health and recovery is unknown to us and we must take it day by day or week by week. I really miss talking and laughing with him and having him at my side during Mass. And of course I feel especially concerned about Joan who carries the burden not only of caring for all of his needs but in finding a suitable place for him to live as she sees how his recovery is coming along. Plus of course she carries the burden of living without him at her side and of doing all that he did in the household. So please keep both of them in your prayers and let’s support Joan as well as we continue to pray in hope for Deacon Pat.

I’m very grateful to David Eller, a longtime parishioner along with his wife Denise, who took wonderful pictures in the church during our Christmas Eve Mass last year (last month!). He also put together a nice slideshow and you can view both on our website (leothegreat.org). We hope to have him take more pictures of parish events during the year that we’ll publish on our website so thanks to him for that gift to our parish.

I’m hearing lately of a number of people who are looking for affordable housing but I understand that prices have risen dramatically in recent months. If you are aware of more affordable homes either for sale or for rent in the area, please let me know so I can direct people to check them out. And let us all pray that everyone may find a suitable place to live as we remember how even Jesus said that he had no place to lay his head. 

 Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for January 5, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

Now that Christmas is behind us (though not really as Christ is always being born among us), I again want to thank all those who played a role in our liturgies during these last few days and even now as our Christmas celebration continues all the way through January 12th. Many people commented on how beautiful the church looks so we’re grateful for the time & energy put into that. I’m also grateful for the music which helped lift our minds & hearts to God. It’s especially good to hear the handbells being played. As always, thanks to the Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, the Ushers, the Altar Servers, the Mass Coordinators & Sacristans (am I missing anyone?) for their ministry throughout the year.

This weekend we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany and so our “missing” figures of the manger scene have once again returned. This feast has several meanings for us but I don’t want to get ahead of myself so I’ll let you think about that for a moment as you read this.

Last week I let you know that we’re including a QR code in our bulletin which will allow parishioners or visitors especially to make a donation to the parish very easily. You just scan it with your smartphone and it will open to a site which makes contributing very easy.

Well again we have another, but different QR code which will open up a letter written by Bishop Edward Malesic to all the people of our Diocese of Cleveland. It was issued on December 15th (and honestly, I have not had the chance to read it yet, but I will have done so by the time you read this column). The bishop’s goal is that every member of the diocese will embrace its message. If you don’t do smartphones, don’t worry…a copy of this letter will be included in the January/ February mailing of the Northeast Ohio Catholic Magazine which every Catholic receives free of charge at their home. This letter, titled, “A Flourishing, Apostolic Church” is also on the diocesan website and can be downloaded as a PDF, along with a glossary and a discussion guide. (Both are available in both English and Spanish). The Bishop also recorded a video message regarding the letter that you can view on our website (along with links to the letter itself). This letter focuses on three key areas of church life: worship, evangelization and service. These are at the heart of every parish ministry and are the primary reasons why a parish exists. I will be speaking more about this in my homilies and will write more about it here once I have prayerfully digested it myself. I look forward to sharing it with you and always welcome you to ask me questions about it or to just share your thoughts about the Bishop’s vision for the future of our local church here in Cleveland.

We welcome our school students back this week and I ask the Lord to bless each of you as we enter into this new Jubilee year of 2025 (more on the meaning of that to come soon too!).

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for December 29, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

         I am writing this in the wee hours of Christmas Eve morning and realizing it will be my last Pastor’s Column…for 2024. It’s been a great year for me and I hope the same is true for you. If you had told me when I was a child that I would still be alive in the year 2025 (I was born in 1960), I don’t think I could have imagined that. If I were able to, I’d probably have pictured myself riding around in a flying car or spaceship (much like the one in the Jetson’s cartoons that I know many of you would remember!). But technology has certainly come a long way. We could not have imagined at that time that we would be carrying a small, thin device in our pockets (or purses) that would allow us to make phone calls, search for any kind of information, watch videos, and do a host of so many other things, even carry the entire bible with us! But here we are. Anyway, this is just my long way of wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy 2025!

Once again I must acknowledge the people responsible for decorating the church so beautifully for this Christmas season. We are so blessed not only to have a beautiful church but people who make it even more beautiful during these important feasts of the year.

Before I go on I want to congratulate Angelina Morales and Robert Hamill who were wedded this weekend. They were smart to marry when the church is already decorated so as to save money on flowers! But I know they wanted a “Christmas wedding” and it’s a great time of year to begin a new life together so we wish them well and hope they live a long, fruitful life.

But sadly I must also express our sympathy to those who have lost a loved one recently, especially the family of Julie Jelar and Sharon Trifiro. May they rest with the Prince of Peace.

You’ll notice that we have placed a “QR code” in our weekly bulletin. This will allow you or any visitor to our church to scan the code with your phone’s camera and be taken to a website where you can securely make a donation. If you know what this means, then no further explanation is necessary. If you don’t, then know further explanation will be provided as it means you probably don’t like this technology I mentioned earlier! We will also provide a QR code that will take you to our website where you can view the bulletin online, watch our live-stream of Mass, and of course so much more. 

I need to mention two people for whom I continue to request your prayers, especially as we bring this year of 2024 to a close because for them, it has not been a year they would want to remember. First, I went to visit Father Ned Weist along with a parishioner who has remained in close touch with him over the years. Fr. Ned is the last surviving former pastor of St. Leo’s, but has been suffering from cancer in recent weeks. I gave him a card which thanked him for his ministry of service to the people of St. Leo’s for over 10 years and which pledged to him the spiritual bouquet of many Masses and prayers that we have been offering for him. He honestly looked very good and continues to retain his gentle, humorous and deeply sincere disposition. His faith inspires me. As we all live day by day according to the Lord’s command, we continue to commend him to the Lord.

I also want to say how much I missed Deacon Pat sitting next to me during our Christmas Masses. And I just miss being with him during the week. He continues to have therapy but it’s going to be a longer road to recovery than what was thought. Please continue to pray for his healing & to offer support to his wife Joan. They both contribute so much to our parish and to me personally. May 2025 be a much better and healthier year for them.

 Fr. James P. Schmitz