Pastor's Column, July 2, 2017

Last Saturday we offered a Memorial Mass for Paul Potosky, a parishioner who would help us during our Parish Festivals. We extend our sympathy to his family and pray that he may find eternal rest.

This Tuesday is July 4th and so the rectory office will be closed but the church will be open for 9am Mass that morning. Please join us as we give thanks to God for our national blessings and pray for our national needs.

A parishioner suggested I look into the possibility of getting cushions for the pews that are reserved for the hand- icapped. I did find that putting a pew-long cushion was very easy to do as it just rests on the seat of the pew. However it was also suggested that some people may not find it helpful as it prevents them from sliding forward on the pew in order to stand up. It’s another one of those things where some may find it helpful and others may not. So if you sit in one of the front pews on either side of the church, please let me know if you are in favor of or against this cushy for your tushy. In my last parish, I was told that the founding pastor did not win the favor of the parish when he was asked if they could put cushions on the pews. He suggested (at the pulpit) that he thought the women had enough padding on them that they were not in need of anything more on the plain, wooden pews. Due to the drop in the collection that Sunday, they wouldn’t have been able to afford them any- way!

Here’s a quote that is timely for the 4th of July. In the journal or diary of King George of England on July 4th, 1776, it was written: “Nothing interesting or important happened today.” Of course he was trying to downplay the significance of the signing of the Constitution. But we know over 200 years later just how interesting & important that day was, not only for the people of the United States but for the whole world. How easily we can pretend to be blind from the things that happen in our world. So let us all be sure to be acutely aware of God’s many blessings to us this summer...the beauty of nature, the warmth of the sun, the light of these long days, and the opportunities to be with family & friends. Go to Cedar Point (as the parish staff just did). Go fishing. Take a ride to the park on Sunday. Have a picnic. Use the freedom we have been given to bless our Creator and to use well the time he has given us to enjoy what he has made. 

Pastor's Column, June 25, 2017

     On June 14th we celebrated a funeral Mass for Eleanor Janoch who was 97. They had a smock displayed at the funeral home since she had volunteered working for the American Red Cross for many years. May she who helped others give the gift of life now be rewarded with eternal life in heaven. 

    On June 17th we had a funeral for Margaret Manke who was 92. She was a longtime member of St. Leo’s and remembered fondly by her daughter and grandson. May she too know the happiness of life with God and all the saints. 

    This past Thursday we celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Stan Kosiba. Stan and his wife Rose joined St. Leo’s when Corpus Christi had closed. Stan was a member of the Knights of Columbus and was a Eucharistic Minister and an Altar Server for funerals here at St. Leo’s. He was a man of deep faith who had a devotion to “Mother Mary.” I had the opportunity to anoint him a couple of times during the last months when he struggled with his congestive heart failure and he was prepared to meet the Lord. We extend our sympathies to his wife of many years, and to their children, as we pledge our prayers for them and for Stan. 

    As Sister Erin prepares to leave us at the end of this week, we once again express our deep gratitude to her for all that she has done for St. Leo Parish and School. She did incredible work, the fruits of which will be seen for years to come. And Sister is working right up to the very end, making sure that everything is ready to go for the new school year in August. She has also been working with Denise Burns, the new Principal, to provide for a smooth transition. Most recently, Sister arranged to have the lights in the gym (Lux Hall) replaced with new LCD’s which will save money since the older lights were 8,000 watts but the new ones are only 1500 watts. The new gym and classroom doors have been installed in the building along with new smart boards in every classroom (remember when all we had were “blackboards” in school? Now they have “smart boards” that know the answers even before we ask the questions). So again, on behalf of the Parish Community and the School Faculty & Staff, let me offer our sincere thanks to Sister Erin and our prayers and best wishes for her new ministry in secondary education. Godspeed!

Pastor's Column

Jean Adams is remembered by her family for her role as a loving mother and grandmother who had a devotion to Mary, the Mother of the Church. She extended her motherly care to special needs children at the Broadview Center (now closed). We continue to pray for her after her funeral Mass & ask God to show mercy to all our departed loved ones.

We wish a Happy Father’s Day to all the men of the parish. During the last year you have heard me speak or write about my own dad who will be turning 90 in 3 weeks. He continues to do very well at the assisted living residence in Lakewood. He spends a few days with his wife each week at her place in Strongsville or she stays with him in Lakewood. As I write this, I remembered that I just missed their 11th Anniversary by a few days so I better say some- thing nice about him here to make up for that. That would be easy to do as my dad has many endearing qualities, not the least of which is his deep faith. So I suggest you take the opportunity this weekend to tell someone else of something you admire about your father, whether he is living or de- ceased. And let us all remember to give thanks to God for these men who hopefully showed us a loving image of our heavenly Father through their love for us.

You’ll notice at some point this summer that we are having more work done on our parking lot as we do every year. With two large lots, it’s a challenge to keep them in good shape since the winter can take their toll on them as well as the daily traffic. We will be having sections of the lot on the school side of the church repaired, including the entrance off of Broadview and the section that connects the school and rectory lots. They will also fill in the area where we had our mobile unit and repair a couple of the drains that have sunken in.

Soon you’ll also notice some new benches at the shrine of Mary which were purchased through the generosity of a parishioner. We bought them in Amish country & they are made out of recycled plastic (good for the environment) & will not fade in color. They are so durable that they can be left out during the winter months (for those who like to sit on snow-covered benches in the bitter cold of winter...you know, for penance). While hard to describe, the back part of these benches can easily be folded up to act as a table. Please feel free to make use of this shrine area whenever you please. We hope to do more landscaping in this area in the future so that it can be a beautiful place of serenity and prayer. 

Pastor's Column

I had a funeral service this past Monday for James Deering. Please say a prayer for him as well as for his moth- er and sister who mourn his passing.

There are many other people who are ill & who are in need of our prayers too: Stan, Betty, Daniel, Judy, Donna, Pamela, & Jerry, to name just a few I have anointed lately. These are the people who carry the cross of illness and who need the healing & strength that is given by the Lord. We also remember their caregivers and loved ones who contin- ue to inspire me by their selfless dedication to the well- being of our ill brothers & sisters.

Hopefully you noticed how good our grounds are look- ing when you drove in to the parking lot today. Our mainte- nance crew has done an excellent job so early into the sum- mer by planting flowers and spreading mulch. 160 yards of mulch was very generously donated to us again by the Rosby family, parishioners of St. Leo’s. They have donated mulch to us for several years and we are very grateful to them! Even our signs (which need to be replaced & updated sometime in the future) were re-painted. The grass is kept cut, flowers are watered daily & bushes and trees are trimmed. Many thanks to our maintenance department for the great work they do and the many projects they will be working on this summer, both inside and out.

Some people have asked for the name of the book I mentioned last week when speaking of how Divine Provi- dence intervenes on our behalf at times when we think that such strange events are mere coincidence. The book is called “The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic” by Michael Medved. It’s available on Amazon (this is not a paid endorsement from either the au- thor or from Amazon...though if either of them wanted to send me a little something, I wouldn’t object).

A well-known company by the name of Collette pro- vides many tours for groups and is used by several priests in our Diocese. I would like to be part of a tour that would travel to Italy in the fall of 2018. There are three different itineraries which include places like Rome, Venice, the Amalfi Coast, Florence, etc. Next Wednesday (June 14th) at 7pm in the rectory, I’ll be having a meeting with anyone who may be interested in joining me. It’s just an informa- tional meeting so feel free to attend if you’d like to talk about the possibility of an 8-10 day tour. Whether you join me or not, here’s a travel tip: when preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. Trust my experience on this.