Pastor's Column for May 2, 2021

Dear Parishioners,

Last Saturday I celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Charles Huetter, the brother of parishioner Louise Tupper. Charles was a devout Catholic who attended Mass and other parish events like Stations of the Cross and Parish Missions at his parish in Dallas, Texas. So we extend our sympathies to his sister Louise who is a longtime and faithful member of St. Leo’s. May he and all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

I have been meeting with the teachers of our parish school as we sign their contracts for next year. I am very grateful to all of them for the courage they had in facing the many challenges of COVID during this past school year. I wanted to especially thank Diane Buccier who will be retiring at the end of this year. “Mrs. B”, as she is fondly known in the school, has taught here at St. Leo’s for 33 years. She told me how much she has enjoyed being here those many years and it is not uncommon for alumni to tell us how much they have appreciated her as well. She wrote me to say that “I will always be proud to tell everyone that I was a teacher at St. Leo’s.” And we will be proud to say that she taught so many so well over so many years. Godspeed and don’t be a stranger, Mrs. B.

Right after the repairs were made to busted pipes in the rectory and the heat was turned back on in the church, we had a couple of 80° days. Never fails.

Of course we have been blessed to see the beauty of the Easter flowers in the church these past few weeks and I want to thank a parishioner named Joe Soflkancs who comes faithfully to water those flowers in the church. He carefully moves the flowers out of their arrangement so as to water them, removes the dead leaves & flower petals & then puts everything back in place. We have so many people at St. Leo’s who work “behind the scenes” and I’m ashamed to say that I fail to thank them on behalf of us all for the good work they do so quietly but with such dedication. I think of the people who clean the linens we use at Mass, the St. Vincent de Paul people who pack & distribute food to our neighbors, our lectors and altar servers (we have great young people, even in high school, who continue to serve at Mass & I am so grateful for them) and the Mass coordinators who setup for each Mass on the weekend & on weekdays as well. I am also mindful of our ushers & Eucharistic Ministers whose ministries I’ve missed during these COVID months & whom I hope can resume their roles soon. To these and to those I have failed to mention yet again, thank you!

My cousin, Fr. Dan Schlegel, turned 60 this past week (April 29th). It’s funny to see old pictures of him from his younger days at St. Leo’s as you can see how much he has aged unlike myself even though we are now the same age. Well, maybe I have put on a few pounds & have lost my youthful energy and have more grey hair, but...now that I think of it, I guess I’ve aged quite a bit myself. Well, happy birthday, Father Dan...may you grow older as gracefully as I have.

Pastor's Column for April 25, 2021

On Saturday, April 17th, I had a funeral service for Suzanne Kravec, a parishioner who died back in January of this year, but whose funeral was scheduled later due to COVID restrictions at that time. She was 64 years old. We extend our sympathies to her husband Frank of 46 years and to her siblings. May she and all who believed in the resurrection of the Lord, rest in Christ’s peace. 

It was 20 years ago today that my mom died. As I think of her daily, it becomes more & more difficult to comprehend that she has been gone for so long. She was diagnosed with colon cancer on July 1, 1999 and while the news that the cancer was extensive and terminal, we were grateful that she lived for nearly 2 more years. Many people have shared with me stories of certain “signs” they believe they have received from God, indicating that somehow his hand is at work during the most difficult events of our lives. For us, the sign was given concerning the date that she died. My mom had worked as the parish secretary at the parish where we all attended elementary school & attended Mass every Sunday, which was St. Mark in West Park. She died around 4am on April 25th, which is the feast of St. Mark, and that year, was also Secretary’s Day. As St. John Paul II said, for those with faith, there are no coincidences with God. So that is our sign. I have a large statue of St. Mark which had been stored away at a cemetery but which I was invited to take as I had attended St. Mark School. Also on the bottom of my chalice, there are the symbols of the 4 evangelists or gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. St. Mark is represented by a winged lion as this symbol comes from St. Mark's description of John the Baptist's voice "crying out in the wilderness." His voice is said to have sounded like that of a roaring lion. After my mom died, I took the diamond from her wedding ring & had it placed directly under the symbol for St. Mark on my chalice. When cleaning the chalice after Communion, I always swipe the diamond a couple times with the purificator (the cloth used in cleaning a chalice) as my way of saying hello to my mom. She used to attend daily Mass at St. Mark before she began the day’s work there as the secretary and had also been a Eucharistic Minister. I could go on & on with stories about my mom (& I’ll share one with you in the homily if you are attending Mass on Sunday the 25th) but suffice it to say that I continue to remain so grateful for all my mom did for us 5 children and so thankful that such a devout Catholic woman had great influence on my vocation as a priest. On the day I moved in to St. Leo’s, I stopped at her grave (& mine) at Holy Cross Cemetery & asked for her prayers. I believe she has offered many of them if my happiness at St. Leo’s is any indication. 

One more personal note today...my stepmother, married almost 15 years now to my dad, was in the hospital with double pneumonia & they discovered she also had a couple of heart attacks. At 101, we are grateful that she continues to be such a great companion for our dad who is nearly 94. Ironically, she was baptized at St. Mark (in her late 80’s!) so may he pray for her too as she recovers from her recent illness. 

Pastor's Column for April 18, 2021

Walter Pasela has been a parishioner at St. Leo’s for some time and I saw an article about him which said that he just turned 100 years old and so his family & friends celebrated his birthday with a 100 car parade! He is a veteran from WWII & a member of the American Legion. So this is just a shout-out to Walter to wish him a belated happy birthday & to let him know we’re still hearing about him & keeping him in our prayers.

Thanks to all those who made our Easter liturgies so festive with the beautiful flower arrangements in the church & with the uplifting music throughout Holy Week. We are all grateful that so many use their gifts for the good of the parish and the glory of God. 

I’m having a hard time this week coming up with new material for this column so I thought I’d share some levity with you since the Easter Time of the year calls us to be joyful in the new life God offers to us. So with that, I’ll include here some “Paraprosdokians” which are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence is unexpected. Winston Churchill loved them. So here are some examples for you...

1. Where there’s a will, I want to be in it.

2. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

3. If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.

4. War does not determine who is is right, only who is left. 

5. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. 

6. They begin the evening news with “Good Evening,” then proceed to tell you why it isn’t. 

7. To steal ideas from someone is plagiarism. To steal from many is called research.

8. In filling in an application, where it says, “In case of emergency, notify:” I put “Doctor.”

9. I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

10. A clear conscience is a sign of a bad memory.

11. I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not so sure. 

12. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.

13. I’m supposed to respect my elders but it’s getting harder and harder for me to find one now. 

14. I’m not arguing with you. I’m explaining why you are wrong.

And here’s one from a child...

A pastor was giving a children’s sermon on priest’s clothing and asked: “Why do you think I wear this collar?” One kid answered: “Because it kills ticks & fleas up to 30 days?”

Pastor's Column for April 11, 2021

Again it was a great joy for me to see so many people join us for our Easter Masses last weekend. I saw many faces (minus their nose & mouth) which I had not seen for several months or for over a year. To those who have begun the process of returning, welcome back. To those who are still waiting for vaccinations or just for when you feel it will be the right time to return, we will wait patiently for you. But to all, know that it is always a joy for us to know you are praying with us, whether you are with us “live” or via live-streaming. 

On April 2nd we celebrated a Funeral Service (as Good Friday is the only day of the year when Mass is not permitted) for Victor Barcelona. Victor was married to his wife Maxima for 55 years. They came to the United States from the Philippines with 4 children in tow because they wanted the freedom to practice their faith. They had 5 children, all of whom attended our parish school and then went on to Catholic High Schools. Their children gave them 10 grandchildren, some of whom have been baptized here at St. Leo’s. Victor attended bible study and spoke often of the saints and prayed the rosary. His faith was so evident in his life. May he who was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, now be surrounded by the saints he often spoke of as his heavenly family. 

At Mass Easter weekend, we prayed for a young girl by the name of Genesis Mossage who passed away on April 1st (Holy Thursday). Genesis was a student at our parish school. In December of 2017, she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma which is a type of cancer that occurs most often in infants & young children. Genesis went through chemo and treatments and our school students supported her in many ways. GiGi, as she liked to be called, will be waked this Sunday and we continue to keep her and her family in our prayers. The parish school made a donation to her family through GoFundMe and we pray that God may provide for all of their needs.

Also on April 1st, Sister Patricia Raelene passed away and this past Friday we celebrated her Funeral Mass at St. John Vianney in Mentor where she was raised & where her parents were buried from. I was assigned to St. John Vianney during the years when Sister transitioned from being a Little Sister of the Poor to becoming a Sister of the Holy Spirit in Garfield Heights. I anointed her back in 1994 when she had a brain tumor and gratefully she lived for many years after that. I was honored to preach the homily at her funeral Mass where I was able to share my own experience of her giftedness and holiness. Sister loved Christmas & still had Christmas decorations up in the Villa where she lived at Jennings. There was even a Christmas tree set up in her bedroom where her hospice bed was placed. If you recall, it snowed quite a bit on April 1st and she is probably the cause of that as she loved the snow. There is only one remaining Sister of the Holy Spirit now and so the Order will come to an end at her passing. May God reward these Sisters for all the good they did and for the good that continues to be done through others because of them.