Pastor's Blog for February 24, 2019

With my gratitude to Deacon Pat & Joan for writing last weekend’s column for me, I am happy to say that I made it through surgery and am on the way to recovery. Though I have not spoken to the surgeon yet, he told my sister after the 2 1⁄2 hour procedure that everyone went as planned and that he did not see any other signs of cancer. My follow-up appointment with him will be on Tuesday, March 5th, when he will give me the results of the pathol- ogy reports. I remain so very grateful for all your prayers, cards and words of support. I can assure you that they brought me comfort and encouragement as I faced all the unknowns of this medical situation. I was in the hospital for two days following the surgery and was off my feet for almost a week. While I’m able to walk now, I do so slowly and carefully as I’m still trying to regain my strength and let the soreness heal. One of the most difficult parts of my recovery was trying to keep Abby (the cat) from leaping onto my lap or chest where she likes to curl up & sleep. As I hold my hands out to protect myself from her potential pounce, she stares at me as if to say, “What’s up with you?” A card I received from her (you didn’t know that cats can send cards?) put it pretty honestly. It said “Welcome back...but you’re in my chair.” I also had to be careful with Michaela as she too loves to take that leap of faith into my lap after she (or I) have been away for a while. But we’re all together again & taking it one day at a time.

I’m grateful that Fr. O’Grady was willing to double up on his weekend help and that you were able to meet Fr. Klein whom I spent a year & a half with when we were both assigned to St. Bernadette in Westlake. He’s enjoying retirement now and promising me that it’s worth the wait (though a very long wait yet for me). I’m also thankful that Deacon Pat has been generous in assisting these visiting priests and know that he lead you through the Catholic Charities Annual Pledge last weekend. Every year we have always been able to meet the pledge goal that the Diocese gives to us (based upon our parishioner count) because you have recognized the many needs in our own Diocese that call out for our compassion and generosity. I will join you in committing to this worthy cause and thank you for your response.

I look forward to seeing you next weekend as I expect to return to work. I want to be able to welcome Bishop Perez back to our parish (he was last here on September 1st as we celebrated the 70th Anniversary of our Parish). The Bishop will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confir- mation for our 8th grade students at next Saturday’s 4pm Mass (March 2nd). I am looking forward to celebrating this special occasion with our young people and in their name welcome Bishop Perez as he confers on them the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor's Blog for February 10, 2019

Our Parish Council met recently and I reminded them that we are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the building of our church. If you recall from our 70th Anniversary of the Parish last year, Mass was first celebrated at Benjamin Franklin School, starting on October 17, 1948. Then the following year some men of the parish began building the first church on the parish property at what is now the entrance of the church off of Broadview. It took just a few weeks to build as it was a very simple wooden structure. Then a couple years later, a new church was built made of bricks and the first Mass in that church was celebrated on December 24, 1950. This is the church which was at the south end of the school building and which later was moved to the north end of the school building where it is now & was made into Lux Hall, our current gym. Many of you have told me how you were married in that church or had children baptized and receive their First Holy Communion there. Finally, the first Mass in the church we now use was celebrated exactly 19 years later on December 24th, 1969. At the northeast corner of the church you will see the cornerstone which says “St. Leo the Great 1969.”

At this meeting with Parish Council in late January, we discussed how we might celebrate the 50th anniversary of our beautiful church. The church has seen several renovations over the years. The sanctuary floor which had green carpeting was replaced with the beautiful marble floor we have now. A daily Mass chapel was added in the right wing. Stained glass windows were installed in the nave, on the back wall of the sanctuary, in chapel areas of the church, as well as on the doors by the back vestibule. The tabernacle has moved from the center of the sanctuary to the chapel area and now is on the right side of the sanctuary. The pulpit and altar were changed, and a few months ago we re-stained the wood in the sanctuary to match the wood in the rest of the church. Church buildings, like the Church community, is always changing.

So in next week’s bulletin I’ll suggest some modest renova- tions which we discussed as a way of celebrating our 50th Anni- versary of worshiping in this church. I would appreciate your feedback as the goal is to make this a better space for you to pray and for us to celebrate the sacraments together.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the cards and promises of your prayers for my surgery on Monday. The weekday Mass people have offered a novena (9 days of prayers) for me to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients. I have received a St. Peregrine medal to carry with me, blessed oil, and holy water from the springs at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in France. These small symbols of our faith keep us united in prayer with each other and with our companions, the saints. But may I ask that we all turn those prayers around now and offer them for those whose cancer is much more serious than mine? These are the people I have been praying for and my health concerns are rather small compared to theirs. I know who they are so pray with me for them who are in much greater need of God’s help than myself. That would be my grateful request to you.

Pastor's Blog for February 3, 2019

Remember back in November that I announced in the bulletin that we would have throat blessings after all the Masses? Somehow I was thinking we were celebrating the feast of St. Blaise on November 3rd, but everybody knows it’s February 3rd, this Sunday. I was having some kind of time warp in my brain. But I’m better now & know that this weekend really is the feast of St. Blaise, so Deacon Pat & I will start blessing throats during the closing song. Here’s the prayer we say: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other evil, in the name of the†Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

The JourneySong music books in the pews were pur- chased over 15 years ago. Though hardbound and sturdy, they prevent us from singing songs that have been written since that time. So we have ordered annual paperbound books called “Breaking Bread” hymnals that are in use in many parishes. They also include the Mass prayers & read- ings which may allow us to eliminate the Mass cards that are in the pews. I am hoping to keep the JourneySong books in the pews along with the Breaking Bread hymnals but I’m not sure if both books will fit. Let me know what you think of the new song books when they arrive & are put into the pews.

I was asked by one of our school teachers to show the “Reconciliation Rooms” to the 2nd graders who are prepar- ing to make their first confession. Most of us know these rooms as the “confessional” but I used to think of them as the torture chambers when I was a kid. At that time, in the 1960’s, there was no “face to face” option. The confessionals were typically very dark and small and you knelt before the screen waiting nervously for the priest to open that screen door. How times have changed. It’s not scary anymore. I’ll say more when the Diocese has our annual “Evening of Confession” next month.

I will be visiting with friends & my sister down south this week and I’m glad I’ll have a chance to thaw out after our below zero temperatures this past week. I was visiting a nun friend of mine who is having cancer surgery this Wednesday (please say a prayer for her!) & she reminded me that the date of my surgery, February 11th, is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, a title for Mary who appeared to St. Berna- dette in Lourdes, France. Millions of people have made a pilgrimage there seeking healing of their illnesses, so I couldn’t think of a better day for me to seek healing than on this feast day. So we pray, Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for all the sick.