Pastor's Column for August 27, 2017

Eugene Zola (89) was a man of deep faith who liked living in walking distance to the church so that his family could attend Mass easily & so that his children could attend school here at St. Leo’s. He was also a man of work (at the Illuminating Company) who provided well for his family, his wife Loretta of 63 years and his four children, Keith, Nancy, Jeff & Jeannie. He knew the seriousness of serving in the Korean War but also knew how to enjoy life with his wife and family. At the parish he served funeral Masses, was an usher, and worked at our Parish Festivals. He had a full and meaningful life. May he now receive his reward.

As of July 31st, 47,952 people in the Diocese of Cleve- land responded to our annual Catholic Charities Appeal, pledging $12,066,107. Our own parish of St. Leo the Great has pledged $67,403, which puts us at about 114% of our goal. That means that because of your continued generosity, many people will be fed, clothed, sheltered and helped in numerous other ways through this charitable organization. You really know how to see Christ in your brothers and sisters. Thank you for your goodness to this wonderful cause and for your continued donations to our parish which allow us to provide many services to you and to others throughout the year.

I forgot to remind you last week about the Fest and the Feast. The Fest is the annual event that takes place on the grounds of our seminary in Wickliffe with many thousands in attendance. I didn’t make it to that this year as I was enjoying the incredibly good food at the annual Hungarian Day in Lorain. I also attended the Feast which yearly celebrates the Assumption of Mary in Little Italy (the Assumption did not take place in Little Italy, the feast did). Our staff took a cou- ple of hours off to sample their food & to make sure it was up to the standards of true Italian cuisine (it was). Pizza, cavatelli, ravioli, clams, cannoli, Italian cookies and cassata cake...everything checked out. So if you missed it this year, know that it has my stamp of approval so you can attend next year. It’s just part of the job.

As I type this I am anxiously awaiting the solar eclipse. I can’t look at the sun because I don’t have those special glass- es you need to protect your eyes. They say you can use a col- ander if you don’t have glasses but I think I would look a little silly wearing that on my head. So I’ll just enjoy the 2 or 3 minutes of nap time that comes naturally from the darkness outside. 

Pastor's Column for August 20, 2017

We extend our sympathies to Audrey and her daughter Teresa on the death of their husband/father, Joseph An- drzejewski, whose Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated this past Monday. They are a people of faith and believe firmly in the resurrection of the dead. May that faith be the source of their comfort at this time of loss.

We also remember Estelle Sikon whose funeral was held this past Wednesday. She was blessed with 98 years of life and held on to her faith, praying the rosary and watching Mass on TV when she was not able to be in church with us. We believe that such faith will find its reward in the resurrec- tion.

This weekend we welcome the Knights of Columbus to the 11am Mass. Now that the Brooklyn-Parma Council is connected with our parish, we are happy to have them join us for Mass from time to time. The “K of C” is a Catholic Men’s fraternal organization which my own dad enjoyed for many years. If you would like to meet new people & know the support of their friendship, please reach out to one of these men after Mass. They would be happy to let you know when they meet so that you can see if becoming a member is for you.

We welcome our school children back this week as we annually contemplate how the summer months can go by so quickly. We are especially happy to have Mrs. Denise Burns as our new Principal and trust she will bring many gifts to our school community.

We received a check for almost $7,000 from the estate of Ken Keipert, a parishioner who died in November of 2015. I was sad to hear of Ken’s sudden passing as he was a great support to Fr. Vesely and I and would frequently buy flowers to be placed in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary and in front of the statue of St. Leo the Great when we celebrate his feast day November 10th. And now he continues to bless us by this donation he left to the parish in his will. It would be especially meaningful to say a Hail Mary for him as he was devoted to the Blessed Mother during his life.

In the vestibule of the church are envelopes made out to each registered parishioner which contain raffle tickets we ask you to sell for our mid-October Parish Festival. The raffle is the most profitable part of this fundraiser and so necessary to the financial success of the festival. We would be very grateful if you could remember to pick them up before or af- ter Mass & then do your best to sell (or buy!) them. We an- ticipate your help with this as we have for many years in the past. Thank you in advance for your participation. 

Pastor's Column for August 13, 2017

If you go into the sanctuary (the altar area) & look straight up at the ceiling at it’s highest point, do you know what you would see? A hole. A very big hole. I first saw it when Fr. Russ Lowe was showing me around in November of 2013. He told me that there is a leak in the area directly above that hole which is where our bell tower is located. He had made several attempts to find out exactly where the water was getting through, but had no success. So when I arrived here, I inherited the problem & I too struggled to discover where exactly the water was coming in but it was so challenging because of course it would only leak when we had a very bad rain storm. We made several attempts at repairing it, thinking that we finally discovered the cause, but then we’d find a puddle of water on the floor directly below it. If the hole were just two more feet to the left, you’d see water pouring down on me if I stood at the chair during a bad rainstorm. Maybe some would enjoy that. But finally we felt we were able to find where the rain was finding it’s way in during a storm. We could not repair the hole however until it rained several more times so that we could be sure the leak was taken care of lest we repair the hole in the ceiling only to have it open up again. Before they begin to repair our heating system, we need to patch up that hole since we are losing a lot of heat through it (which naturally rises to the ceiling). There are a few more smaller holes in the arches in the back of the church and in the vestibule ceiling which will also be repaired at the same time.

Another important project this summer is to repair the arches around the church that have cracked as water has seeped in, frozen and expanded, causing the cracks. This is especially true on the west side of the church (the rectory office side). Please exercise caution when walking under them. I am waiting for an estimate on the repairs this week. At least you could say we have a very holy church!

This Tuesday, August 15th, is the feast of the Assumption of Mary, when we celebrate our belief that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven. Since it is a holy day of obligation, Mass will be celebrated at 8:30am and at 7pm.

We have begun to watch the next series of videos by Bishop Robert Barron called the “Pivotal Players,” in which he speaks about the lives of certain saintly people who have played a pivotal role in the Church. Next Sunday the video will be on St. Thomas Aquinas. We will watch the one hour video in the Parish Center at 9am. Feel free to join us. 

Pastor's Column, August 6, 2017

We welcome Liam Durell into the Church as he is baptized today (Sunday) after the 11am Mass. I had the wedding of his parents when I was pastor of St. Stephen in West Salem and they now live in the area & are members of St. Leo’s. We are happy to have all of them as part of our parish community.

Next Saturday, Bishop Gries will be having the 4pm Mass to help Raymond & Nancy Kikta celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. We welcome the Bishop and congratulate Raymond & Nancy on their Golden Anniversary. May they have many more.

Our new Principal, Denise Burns, and our new PreSchool Director, Jennifer Robinson, have been hard at work prepar- ing for the beginning of the new school year in less than two weeks. We are expecting a pretty full house again in terms of enrollment and look forward to welcoming back our dedicated teachers and staff. With new smart-boards in each class- room and new computers in the computer lab, the students will have the best technology available to aid them in their learning. I come from the days when they used chalk that would squeak on the blackboards (which were always green but for some reason we called them blackboards). The only technology I remember being available was the ability of the Principal to make announcements over the classroom speak- ers, and the use of the electronic bells that signaled the end of a class period and finally the end of an agonizing day of school. I remember the nuns (the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters) who used clickers in church to signal when we were to kneel and who blew into these black round “instruments” that were intended to help us begin singing in the right key. Sorry for this little trip down memory lane but I was reminded of advice someone gave our school children: “Respect your elders. They made it through school without Google or Wikipedia.” How did we do it?

We are very grateful to those who have started using our online contribution option called WeShare. This alternative to envelopes or cash is beneficial to both you and the parish. It is helpful to you as you don’t need to worry about bringing (or filling) an envelope with you each weekend, nor do you need to search your wallet or purse for cash when the basket comes around. It’s a benefit to the parish because it means that you’ll be able to contribute even when you’re visiting another parish such as when you’re on vacation, and it saves us money since it costs thousands of dollars each year for us to have envelopes sent to you. It couldn’t be easier to do and we’re happy to help you get set up. It takes only a few minutes. So please click the WeShare icon on our website & help us while helping yourself.