Dear Parishioners,
Last weekend I celebrated 3 funerals for men whose faith I really admired. The first was Ronald Ruff, 75, a man who was faithfully at the 4pm Mass each Saturday afternoon. Ron sat on the end of the pew by the stained glass window which depicts the scene of the Visitation of Mary with her cousin Elizabeth. I don’t know if the decision to sit there was intentional but it was certainly symbolic as Ron had a devotion to the Blessed Mother, whose image, you may say, hovered over him during Mass. Ron also came to confession frequently and I admired him for his belief in God’s mercy. Ron lost a daughter through a car accident a few years ago & struggled with that grief that only a parent who loses a child can know. I pray he may be reunited with her in God’s kingdom.
Tim Peak was a young man (59) who had struggled with colon cancer for 10 years. He faced it with courage and perseverance and faith. I visited him one week before he died and anointed him and gave him his last Holy Communion (Viaticum). He spoke to me about his faith, and told me that he assured his loved ones that he was going to be OK because he trusted he would be with the Lord. He was last able to come to Mass on Easter Sunday, again, a grace that he was able to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord in anticipation of his own hope of rising to new life after his struggle with cancer. We extend our sympathy to his siblings, his girlfriend and to his mother who continues to depend upon our prayers and our support.
Larry Robilotta was a delightful man who, along with his wife Joyce, would attend Mass weekly. Larry and Joyce were married for 73 years and were parishioners of St. Leo’s for 71 years…since the very beginning. Larry was an usher but also was involved in so many ways over the years here in his parish. He always had a smile on his face and such a pleasant demeanor. I admired how he and his wife cared so deeply for each other, and how they cared for their 3 children, one of whom spoke beautifully at his funeral Mass. Larry was a man who gave of himself to his wife, his children & to his parish family. May he find peace in God’s kingdom and may his wife Joyce know that we will pray for her and support her in her loss.
We have one more person whom I have invited to speak to you briefly after Communion this weekend. His name is Luke Brown and we have been advertising his Sacred Heart Counseling service in our bulletin for some time now. Luke is a devout Catholic who offers therapy with the perspective of faith. He and other counselors are now using space here at St. Leo’s on the 2nd floor of our Parish Center where we have a couple of private offices. This was the space we were formerly using for our Preschool children, who are now in classrooms in the school building. I told Luke that we would like to support his important service and so we are partnering with Sacred Heart Counseling by providing them space on our campus for their services but also by our financial support to parishioners who see them. This means we can help reduce the cost for parishioners who desire therapy but who struggle to find the financial resources to take advantage of that opportunity for healing. I fully support this important work and want to confidentially assist parishioners who would like to take advantage of this ministry. Please feel free to ask Luke or myself any questions you may have about how this can benefit you or a member of your family. Monday we will have our Memorial Day Mass outside at the Shrine (weather-permitting) at 9am.
I wish our school children a safe & fun summer as they begin vacation on Friday.
Fr. James P. Schmitz