Pastor's Column

     Congratulations to Rachel Lewandowski & Adam Dugas who are being wedded this Saturday. May they have a long and fruitful life together and be witnesses to the Divine Love in the world. 

    Friday, July 3rd, is the official 4th of July holiday. So our holiday Mass will be on Friday morning at 9:00 instead of on Saturday. May we give thanks to the Lord for the freedoms that we enjoy due to the sacrifice of many. 

    Michaela is having some minor surgery this week. Like many Shi Tzu’s, her eyes tear up, leaving a brown stain on the white hair under her eyes. If it were just a cosmetic problem, I would be OK with that, though being of the female persuasion, she naturally wants to look her best when she puts her face on in the morning. But there are these tiny hairs under her eyelids that rub against her eyes every time she blinks and eventually that irritation can cause vision problems, let alone be uncomfortable for her. So they freeze those hairs away & hopefully the problem is fixed. But as many pet owners know, the cost of any surgery or pet care in general is quite high. I’m willing to pay it of course as that’s my responsibility as a parent, but I’ll have to make a few sacrifices. Perhaps I won’t eat at Honeyhut for 25 years. Or maybe I’ll go to Akron for vacation instead of Florida. Or maybe I’ll sell the cat. No, I couldn’t do that—I would never get enough money for her anyway since she’s pre-owned. I’ll figure it out, but if you see her looking like a pirate with patches over her eyes, you’ll know why. 

    The maintenance crew has been hard at work spreading 50 yards of mulch around the property. It is donated to us by a parishioner and we’re very grateful for his generosity. Several people have been planting flowers and it makes a big difference. Thanks to everyone who helps keep our property looking good. 

    We’re doing a lot of work over the summer cleaning and reorganizing areas in the school. Sister Erin Zubal, the new principal, has already been working very hard the last couple of months as she prepares to lead our school into a future full of growth and opportunities. If you or someone you know has children of school age (including preschool), be sure to ask for a tour of our school buildings or contact Sister Erin to learn more about what makes St. Leo the Great unique. It’s going to be an exciting year. But let’s try to enjoy the summer months first. 

Homily...the Power of Touch

When my sister gave birth to triplets 24 years ago, they all stayed in the hospital for several weeks since there were only between 2-3 pounds. But their mother was there every day, just touching the babies, which the nurses said they needed as much as the medical care they were being given. 

Jesus knew the importance of touch in his ministry. He touched the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, and in today's gospel, the hand of the little girl who was sick. Even when people touched Jesus, like the woman in the gospel suffering from a hemorrhage, they got well. 

In every sacrament, we touch people: in baptism we make the sign of the cross on the forehead, as we do with oil in Confirmation. People touch the body of Christ in their hands or on their tongues in Holy Communion. In reconciliation, the priest puts his hand on the head of the penitent or at least extends his hands over them. In the anointing of the sick, we anoint the head and hands with oil. In marriage, a couple holds hands during their vows. In Holy Orders, the bishop lays hands on the heads of those being ordained. The act of touching is important in healing & in the whole spiritual life. Let the Body of Christ touch your body so that you may be made whole.

Pastor's Column

     This past Tuesday was the funeral Mass for Mike Duda, husband of Sandy (44 years) and father of Jeff, Jamey, Joel & Stacy. Despite his struggle with cancer, Mike was able to be here for the First Communion of one of his grandchildren just last month. May he now share in the eternal Eucharist of heaven.

    On June 8th we had the funeral Mass for Paul Genda. Paul’s wife Hedwig had died last year, and I remember asking him at that time how long he had been married to her. His response was “68 years and 9 months.” It seems he had been counting the days, but in a good way. He was born in Europe during the days of Hitler and was able to come to the United States with his wife and their first-born child. May he and Hedwig be reunited again in God’s kingdom.

    Remember when I announced a couple months ago that Catholic Charities had lost many pledges this year due to the very bad weather we had in February when we had our annual Appeal? (If you don’t remember, just humor me & say you do). Well we had an additional 41 pledges or offerings made. My guess is that put us on par with what we were able to pledge as a parish the previous year. I don’t have numbers yet, but I do remember the parish reaching the goal the Diocese set for us. So thank you all for your pledges to help the most vulnerable in our Cleveland area. 

    Last weekend I asked God’s blessings on Joe & Virginia Soflkancs as they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. May God watch over them and all those celebrating anniversaries especially at this time of the year. 

    Due to the large number of requests we receive, we have begun to rent out the Parish Community Center. Parish, School and Preschool events always take first priority, but the space has been a wonderful place for parties such as baptism, graduation, first Communion, etc. It can also be used for a luncheon after a funeral. Pictures of the space and a form for reserving it can be found on our website or you can call the rectory office and ask to speak to Mina Rolando, the Coordinator. The money raised from the rental will allow us to keep the building updated in both maintenance and appearance. 

    Father Vesely & I have been making several trips to Honeyhut this summer. Somehow whatever he eats ends up putting weight on me, not him! I always get one scoop, he always gets two. And I’m the one working, he’s the one who’s retired. Shouldn’t I being burning off more calories than him? Oh the injustices of life. These two Fathers wish all of our fathers a Happy Father’s Day.

Homily...The Ship

The ship was an ancient symbol in Christianity found in all sorts of places…it was found on the tombstones of Christians, in books, on stained glass windows, on the walls of churches. It was an image representing the Church. The storm in this story likewise symbolized the troubles faced by the Church throughout human history: the challenge of disbelief by people in the world outside of the Church, the worldliness of society, the persecution of the Church (like w/ martyrdom), even the scandals that have hurt the Church from within. 

And yet we find that Jesus is asleep & at first that may suggest that we feel that the Lord seems to be unaware of our situation, indifferent to our fear & to the threats facing the Church, asleep at the helm. But the early Church really understood the sleep of Jesus as symbolizing the fact that even during a terrible storm, Jesus is able to be peaceful & serene, even to the pointing of sleeping, because he trusts completely in God who protects us from the storms of history.

When I was growing up in the 1960’s, the Church seemed to be one of the strongest & influential institutions in the world. But over the years it seems to have weakened both in numbers & in influence, tossed about by conflicts within the Church & by the troublesome life of society outside the Church. In this kind of culture, it’s easy for us to be terrified by what we see & hear; it’s easy to wonder why God is asleep while the Church seems to be abandoned by people who are too easily guided by the demoralizing society around us. What faith it takes to believe that Christ is still at the helm of the ship.

Pastor's Column

     About a month ago, a “Special Edition” of our News & Views Newsletter was mailed out (it’s also available on our website) in which I wrote a “State of the Parish” article. I ended the article by asking that we, as a parish, begin to discuss our Mass schedule since we have fewer people in the pews and only one full-time priest, but the same number of Masses as we did when we had more people & more priests. I was very gratified by the response. Many people agreed that it’s time we took a look at the present Mass schedule, even though it’s difficult when our schedules or routines need to change. Some asked that we keep the (*fill in the blank) Mass because that’s the one they attend! But they also said, “We’ll make do with whatever is best for the parish.” And that is a commendable response. So here’s an update on this situation. Shortly after I wrote the article, I asked Father Joe Pednikar, a part-time chaplain at Jennings Hall (about 7 minutes away), if he would be able to help us on the weekend (except for the 10am Mass as he has Mass at Jennings at 9:30). And he graciously agreed to help us. So this past weekend I asked him if this is a commitment he can make long-term, for example for the rest of this year & perhaps next year. He responded by saying he is very willing to make that commitment but would let me know as much as possible in advance if and when he can no longer help us. So after discussing this unexpected turn with the Parish Council, I decided that we would keep the Mass schedule as it presently is for as long as we can. I’m glad that we have begun to discuss the issue though & feel that you would be in support of a change when that becomes necessary in the future.

    Interestingly, Father Bill Bouhall, the pastor of St. Thomas More, discussed this very same issue for their parish in last weekend’s bulletin. The priest who was assigned there started on disability and so will no longer be able to be at the parish so they are trying a summer schedule where there will be only 2 Masses on Sunday. Father Bill notes that their Mass attendance is down & that with fewer people in the pews, that takes away from the vibrancy of the liturgies (exactly what I said…how clever of him to agree with me!). He mentions too that all the parishes around the area are experiencing the same situation. So thank you for your understanding and willingness to discuss this issue. Gratefully we seem to have been given some more time before a change becomes necessary but I appreciate your support as we look to the future.

Homily...Chinese Bamboo Trees

There are 4 Latin words that are written in stone over the doors of the old high school seminary chapel: “Spes Messis in Semine” which means “The Hope of the Harvest is in the Seed.” It means is that the Church would harvest good priests through the seed or seminary that prepares men for the priesthood (the Latin word for seed is “semine” which is where we get the word “seminary”). That latin phrase really applies to all of life: the potential for a fruitful life starts w/ the seed that is planted.

Jesus speaks about a mustard seed, a very tiny seed that grows into a very large shrub. But there is also another kind of seed that comes from China & it grows into the Chinese Bamboo Tree. It’s really unique because you plant this seed in the ground but during the first year, you won’t see it grow more than an inch above ground. n fact, over the course of 4 years the farmer takes care to water, fertilize & care for this little seed. But finally, in the 5th year after this seed was planted, does it sprouts…but then it grows up to 80 feet in just 6 weeks! It was discovered that during those first 4-5 years, it was growing underground, developing an elaborate root system that would be strong enough to support its growth & to give it a firm foundation.

Jesus knows how frustrating it can be for us to keep hoping & working toward something that just isn’t happening for us; we get discouraged; we seem to be doing all the right things but nothing happens. But the Lord is just building the foundation for us. Remember the farmer, Jesus says: “he goes to bed & gets up everyday while the seed sprouts & grows w/out his knowing how it happens” Be patient. Trust. The Lord is at work. We walk by faith, not by sight. There really is a harvest in the seed.

Homily...the Sacrifice of the Mass

In the years following the Second Vatican Council in 1965, there has been a great emphasis on the eucharist as a sacred meal. But I’m not sure that Catholics born after that time have heard about the sacrificial nature of the Mass. In fact, it was (and still is) properly called the “Sacrifice of the Mass.” Today’s scripture on this feast of “Corpus Christi” or the Body and Blood of Christ, speak to this understanding of the Eucharist.

The Temple was at the heart of Jewish worship, from about 1000 BC. The sacrifice of grain or animals was offered here day & night as a sign of thanksgiving, communion & reparation. This “atonement” sacrifice (at-one-ment) is described in the first reading: blood of the lamb or bull was placed in bowls and the other half placed on the altar. The people were sprinkled with it. It was a sign of their “communion” with God. 

Jesus is the new lamb of sacrifice whose blood was offered on the altar of the cross for the sake of our eternal redemption. We drink his blood so that we may be in Communion with him. This is what we do at Mass. We offer the Sacrifice of the Mass for thanksgiving, reparation & communion with the divine.

Pastor's Column

     Last Sunday, one of our former pastors, Fr. Ned Weist, was willing to celebrate the Noon Mass as requested by Rich & Shirley Ferraro who were celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary (congratulations to them!). But when approaching the presider’s chair, he tripped & hit his head. 911 was called & they took him to Metro to make sure he was OK as I finished the Mass. Gratefully, he called Monday morning to let us know he had no serious injury. I thought it was a good time to let people know at that Mass that a few weeks ago I had ordered railings to be installed in the sanctuary area. Of course at the time I was thinking mostly of Father Vesely & some of our liturgical ministers who could also use the assistance of railings. One will be installed by the tabernacle & one by the pulpit. They are being donated by two parishioners & I’m grateful for their generous offer. Hopefully they will be installed soon. Since we give visiting priests a stipend for their help, I told Fr. Weist he was getting only half of his stipend for half of the Mass he said! But then I found out it was an anniversary for him too—his 46th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood! So I gave him the other half too. May God bless him and all the priests who pray with us.

    This past week I celebrated a Mass of Christian Burial for Allison Steadley. May she and all those who have gone before us, rest in the peace of God’s kingdom. On our website, we keep a list of those whose funerals have been celebrated here during the past year (and in 2014), with a link to their online obituary. We also have there information on Catholic Funerals and a funeral liturgy planning form, along with suggested readings and songs for funerals. 

    We congratulate all the 8th graders from our parish school who graduated this Saturday after the 4pm Mass. Out of the 27 graduates, 24 are going on to a Catholic high school. We are proud of them and of what we are able to offer our school students. You’ll soon find pictures of them from the graduation ceremony on our website. The last day of school for the rest of our students was this past Friday so it’s going to be quiet around here for the next 3 months. But we wish all of our students a safe & enjoyable summer. I bring Michaela over to the school to visit but she usually ends up in the kindergarten room where she steals the stuffed animals from the toy box! Apparently our school has failed to teach her one of the 10 commandments: Thou shalt not steal.