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