Our condolences are offered to the family of Maryruth Jackson whose Mass of Christian Burial was last Saturday. It so happened that we celebrated her birth into God's kingdom on what would have been her 99th Birthday here on earth. She was a woman of faith and though she had not been able to be a part of St. Leo's for many years since she lived at Marymount, she expressed a desire to have her funeral Mass here because this parish had meant so much to her. We are always happy to oblige such requests so may she rest in peace.
This past Monday I celebrated a funeral service for a parishioner who frequently brought a smile to my face. His name was Ken Keipert, and he would send Father Vesely & I a card from time to time to wish us a happy holiday. After I had been here for about 6 months, I received a silver piece of styrofoam shaped into the letter "B". Ken said that was my grade for my first 6 months here! (He said I would have received an "A" if I had put one of our statues in a different place). I wrote him a note & told him I was quite satisfied with the "B" though it was easier for me to get an "A" in the Doctorate program than it was for me to get one from him! Ken frequently bought flowers for us to display in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary statue, and the flowers that are currently by the statue of St. Leo were purchased by Ken when we recently celebrated St. Leo's feast day. Ken was a faithful participant at the 4pm Mass on Saturday & always a man of gentleness & kindness. I'm praying that the Lord will give him an "A" for his life of faith.
We were able to purchase an addition to our riding mower which picks up & mulches the leaves on our property & then collects them into trash containers. Our maintenance crew had just finished going over the entire property the day before the first snow fell so that was good timing. If you're a fan of the Game of Thrones, all I need to say is, "Winter is coming."
As they say in social media these days, I want to give a "shout out" to two parishioners who have been very involved with the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity organization. Bruce Esson was recognized as an outstanding volunteer in 2014 & Ron Kollar in 2015. They have donated countless hours of work & have aided other volunteers with their construction knowledge to provide affordable housing for families in Cleveland. Congratulations to them for a great example of living faith.