Pastor's Column for May 30, 2021

Diane Buccier was a longtime parishioner of St. Leo’s & we celebrated her life with a Funeral Mass on May 20th. She is survived by her husband Ralph of 52 years and by her children: Mike, Joe, Dan, Karen & Pam, as well as her brother Glen. Diane led an active life of faith and it was important for her to have her children receive a Catholic education so she and Ralph sacrificed so that they could all attend our parish school here at St. Leo’s. I had the opportunity to talk with Diane and to anoint her before her surgery and I was inspired by the love of her family & of her faith. We pray that she may join with her son Kenneth who died many years ago and with all the saints in their praise of God.

I want to share with you the details of the Bishop’s letter concerning our liturgical practices beginning with the feast of Corpus Christi, June 5th & 6th. First, a final reminder that “the Catholic Bishops of Ohio have announced the lifting of the dispensation to attend Sunday Mass & Holy Days of Obligation except for those who are ill, have significant health risk factors or care for someone who is immune-compromised or ill, as well as those who have significant fear or anxiety of contracting the coronavirus in a large group of persons.” So we welcome back to Mass most of those who have stayed away as a result of the pandemic.
As of next weekend, Face masks will no longer be required but are strongly suggested for those who have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine or are otherwise vulnerable. Please show respect to those who for personal reasons, choose to continue to wear face masks and practice social distancing. But social distancing will not be required and the use of all pews and seating areas will be permitted. Holy water will be returned to the fonts, including the baptismal font. We will begin to have liturgical processions again at the beginning & end of Mass & at the offertory and I will be happy to shake hands again with those who are comfortable with that, Though we will also begin exchanging the sign of peace again as well, it is recommended that peace be exchanged without physical contact between persons who are not of the same household or family. We will welcome back our liturgical ministers including ushers, cantors, choir members & Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. Hymnals will be ordered and made available to you again in the pews and singing is once again permitted (& encouraged!). The only restriction still in place will be communion from the cup as this remains suspended until further notice. Of course we will continue to clean and sanitize the church to the best of our ability and hand sanitizers will be provided at the church entrances. We do ask that those who are not feeling well stay home as live streaming of all Masses will continue (both weekend and weekday Masses). Visiting to the homebound by clergy and parishioners is permitted though we encourage all to use good hygiene and to refrain from visiting when not feeling well. So let us be grateful that we can return to our pre-pandemic celebrations but continue to pray for a complete end to the coronavirus and to pray for all those who died from it & those who lost loved ones or whose employment has been adversely impacted by the pandemic. Again, a great big thank you for your wonderful cooperation during these last 15 months.

Our 9am Memorial Day Mass will take place outside by our Marian shrine, weather permitting. While we will have some benches available, we encourage you to bring a chair with you if you are able.

Pastor's Column for May 23, 2021

I had a funeral service for Lewis Morrow who died at the age of 86. He had been living in another state for many years as he was mentally challenged but his nephews wanted to be sure to give him a proper Catholic burial through St. Leo as the family had been connected with our parish for many years. May he rest in the peace and joy of God’s kingdom where we will be made whole in body, mind and spirit. 

I also had a funeral service for Dorothy Kish whom I had anointed at her home where she had been taken care of by her two daughters and by Hospice. May she too experience the fullness of the resurrection which we have celebrated during this Easter season.

Congratulations to Lilly Ring who will be making her First Communion during the 8am Mass this Sunday. May the Lord remain with her as she grows in wisdom, age & grace. 

Congratulations too to our eighth graders who will be graduating this week. It is a joy for our teachers to watch them mature over the years through the education and formation they receive in our parish school. And again a special thanks to our Principal and teachers and school staff who faced such a challenging year with courage and dedication. We look forward to a new school year where we expect to return to normal after this pandemic. 

As I write this on Tuesday, May 18th, we have not heard yet from the Bishop regarding the lifting of COVID restrictions for the parish. Of course I will share that news with you as soon as I hear something. As of the first weekend in June, the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass will be lifted so again, we welcome back to Mass those who have been away due to the pandemic. Of course those who are seriously ill and/or homebound continue to be dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass but we hope that they will continue to take advantage of our live-streaming of the Mass which will permanently remain available for both weekend and weekday Masses and will continue to be an option for funerals and weddings. Many thanks again to our camerawoman, Joan Berigan, who does a great job directing the camera toward the altar, the pulpit, the chair, and so on during Mass. She does it while in the pews using her iPhone and has become quite proficient in this ministry! 

My stepmother Mildred has been back & forth between the hospital & a nursing facility since she developed pneumonia a few weeks ago. The pneumonia is now gone but she has been diagnosed with stage 4 congestive heart failure which continues to make it difficult for her to breathe unless she is just sitting up in a chair. My dad (Bill) also has congestive heart failure but does well managing it at his assisted living apartment in Strongsville, though he too continues to find it increasingly difficult to walk and to breathe while walking. Prayers for both of them are very much appreciated. 

Today the Easter Season comes to an end with the Feast of Pentecost. The paschal candle which has been lit at the pulpit since Easter will be returned to the baptismal font. But while we enter back into the “Ordinary Time” of the church year, we still have two more feasts to celebrate in the next two weekends: that of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Body & Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi). May these celebrations find us rejoicing in the faith we have received. 

Pastor's Column for May 16, 2021

We express our sympathy to Christine Squires, the wife of Robert whose funeral Mass was celebrated here last Saturday. To her & to their children Richie & Sandy, we pledge our prayers & support during this time. I also had the funeral of a brother & sister of Bob here at St. Leo’s, and Deacon Pat presided at the funeral of another brother when I was ill. Bob, like his siblings, was a man of faith who was always willing to help others in imitation of Jesus whom Peter said, “went about doing good.” The siblings would pray the rosary together several times a year as they prayed for their deceased family members. May that powerful prayer used for others now come to his assistance so that Mary may welcome him to God’s kingdom. 

This past week we also celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Frank Wade, husband of Anne for 64 years. They have 7 children and 10 grandchildren. Frank’s obituary included a long list of his accomplishments in life, especially as a coach for young people and as a successful businessman who also sat as a member of the Board at a bank and at Jennings. His strong mind for business was a gift he received and which he used so well. But he was also a dedicated family man and took a keen interest in the lives of his children and grandchildren. Frank was also a man of strong faith which was expressed in what he did as a coach and as an organizer of youth sports. We thank God for his example and pray for his heavenly reward.

As more & more people become vaccinated and return to Mass, we continue to ask how we can resume some of the activities & ministries put on hold because of the Coronavirus. For one, I would like to let the Eucharistic Ministers know who brought Holy Communion to the sick & homebound, that they can resume this important ministry if the people they visit are vaccinated and feel comfortable with someone bringing them the Eucharist. You can place your pyx on the tabernacle altar before Mass which we will fill after Holy Communion. 

I would also like to resume our enjoyment of coffee & donuts which we have fasted from for too long due to the pandemic. But instead of gathering in the enclosed space of the vestibule, perhaps we can use the space outside to meet with fellow parishioners. I’d like to begin celebrating civil holiday Masses outside by our shrine. I don’t know why I haven’t done that until now, but there is a stone altar there and some benches, though we’d like to ask you to bring your own chair if you are able & allow those who can’t carry one to use the benches that are there. So we will begin with the Memorial Day Mass that will be celebrated at 9am on Monday, May 31st. This will be weather-permitting of course. I’ll remind you of that in a couple of weeks but pray for warmer and dryer weather than what we’ve had so far during this month of May.

Due to First Communions and Mother’s Day, we haven’t had the opportunity yet to recognize May as the month we set aside to remember the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is a veil on her statue but we’ll offer a prayer to ask for her motherly intercession. 

With the rain (& snow!) we had last week, we had another pond form outside my office window, but this time a couple of ducks came to take advantage of it! But’s it’s almost gone now & so are they. I’m still here though until I fly south in July. 

Pastor's Column for May 9, 2021

Last Saturday I celebrated a funeral Mass for Dorothy Forister who died one year ago on May 1, 2020. Since we could not hold a funeral at that time due to COVID, we celebrated Mass on the one year anniversary of her death. Dorothy had a great smile which invited you into a conversation with her. She had been a member of St. Leo’s since 1956 when she was married to her first husband, with whom she had two children who attended our parish school. She remarried after his death and moved to Brunswick but returned to St. Leo’s in 2014. Dorothy was a faithful member of the parish who attended Mass regularly and lived her faith. May she now enjoy the music and dance in heaven as she did here on earth.

Last Saturday we celebrated the First Communion of our 3rd graders and this weekend we will do so for the 2nd graders (the 3rd graders missed this important event last year due to COVID). We congratulate these children and hope to see them weekly as they share with us in the Lord’s Supper. I would encourage you to look at the pictures that are displayed in our church vestibule of First Communions that have been celebrated in the history of the parish, as well as enjoy the other pictures on display there. Thanks to John & Jeanne Sabol for updating these historical pictures during the year. 

Deacon Pat & Joan Berigan & I wish all of the women of our parish a very Happy Mother’s Day. Whether our mom’s are living or deceased, we remember the great gift of life they were willing to give us. May they all come to share in the eternal life God promises to us, especially during this Easter season.

As I looked out my office window last week, I saw a very large pond of water created by the rain we had. I wondered if this were a sign from God that he desired for me to build a swimming pool in that spot. Perhaps not but I do believe that God would have us all take good care of this parish property that is ours to use for his greater honor & glory. To that end, we will continue to make some small landscaping improvements this summer and we hope to get some new signage that will help direct people to the proper buildings, but these can be very expensive so we’re still looking into our options. After several years of doing work on the parking lots, we are finally at a point where they are in very good condition except for a few small holes that are created every year during the winter months. We are also looking at starting a process of replacing the very aging and energy inefficient windows in the gym & school buildings, starting with those in the cafeteria. So we continue to try to practice good stewardship and hope that you enjoy the beautiful flowers that are now hanging around the church.

Now that the winter is finally put to rest for a few more months, the heat in the church will be shut off and the air conditioning turned on for when we will be in need of it, but hopefully we can go for a few weeks just enjoying the nice spring weather before we jump into summer.