Pastor's Column for August 26, 2018

Please welcome Father John, a visiting priest who will be here this weekend for our annual missionary appeal. Such priests remind us of the needs of the wider Church and ask for our generosity toward our brothers & sisters whom we don’t even know. I will be attending a conference for priests on the west coast and then relaxing for a few days & visiting a friend who is in the San Diego area. I won’t need to bring back any sunshine as we’ve had our fair share of it this summer and I hope that every- one can enjoy it before the fall & winter creep up on us again.

We begin the school year this Thursday with an enrollment of 259 students which is a number we have not had here in a few years. I give credit to our wonderful teachers and especially to our principal, Mrs. Denise Burns, who has emerged from her first year here with a grateful staff and parents who recognize her gentle lead- ership. The students will quickly notice that the cafeteria has a new floor which proudly displays our school logo (a lion’s head) in the center. We are grateful to Mrs. Burns for being able to get a grant to cover half of that expense. As we celebrate the first school Mass of the year on Friday, we ask the Holy Spirit to give our students wisdom and faith.

One final reminder that Bishop Perez will be visiting our Parish for the first time since he was installed as Bishop of Cleveland almost a year ago. I know that you will extend the wonderful warm welcome that is charac- teristic of this parish. The Bishop will be celebrating the 4pm Mass on Saturday, September 1st, and after Mass will enjoy meeting you personally over at Lux Hall where we will have some “hardy” refreshments available. We will be blessed to have the Bishop here again in about 6 months when he returns to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our young people in March of 2019.

So here is a good question as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary: how did the parish get it’s name? Well the bishop at the time suggested that it be named St. Sylvest- er, since that was the first name of the founding Pastor, Father Sylvester Lux. But Fr. Lux objected & said that it was a terrible name as it was often misspelled & no one knew who St. Sylvester was. The bishop asked him for his suggestion & he chose the name Leo as Fr. Lux had a brother named Leo. And the rest, as they say, is history. May our patron, St. Leo the Great, pray for us.

Pastor's Column for August 19, 2018

We extend our sympathies to Jim Biando on the passing of his mother Julia. She was 89 years old and had a faith-filled life. She had a devotion to Mary as evidenced by the fact she always had a rosary with her. Julia also had a devotion to St. Christopher. She is remembered for her hospitality, her closeness to her family, and her efforts to live as a peacemaker. We entrust her into the loving arms of God who promises resurrection to those who believe in his Risen Son.

We also reach out our prayers for Bette Novak who attends the 8am Mass so faithfully every Sunday and to her husband Don. Their son Scott died suddenly at the age of 48. It’s a terrible thing for a mother to lose her child, but Bette turns to the Blessed Virgin Mary for help, remembering that she too lost her son at a young age. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated here on Thursday for Scott and he will be missed by all who loved him. May he rest in God’s peace.

Congratulations to Ralph & Dianne Buccier who celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary at the 11:00am Mass last Sunday. They look way too young to have so many years of marriage behind them! They have several family members who are connected to the parish and we are grateful for their long presence in the parish. May they have many more years together.

Last week I went to the feast (of the Assumption in Little Italy) with some staff members. The homemade cavatelli & meatballs & pizza & cannolis cannot be missed for even one year. I start at the bottom of the hill & walk up so that I’ll work up a bigger appetite by the time I get to the top. It’s a yearly tradition for me and a way for me to celebrate 50% of my ancestral heritage.

The roofers have started work on the bell tower of the church and the Parish Center. Then they will replace the roof of the church. I was hoping that these would be the last major projects we would have to deal with for a while, but of course the parade of repairs never ends. There are stone panels on the top of the newer junior high wing of the school (which match the arches on the church) and some of these are beginning to separate from the wall. We also have a couple leaks in the gym caused by the steel beams deteriorating behind the brick walls. So we have to remove some of the brick, repair the beams, and then put the bricks back in place. We are so fortunate to have the savings we need to make these repairs but it’s becoming more challenging to get ahead so that we can be prepared for whatever future repairs will be needed.

We welcome the members of the Knights of Columbus who will be joining us for the 11am Mass this weekend. It’s always good to have them pray with us. The same is true for anyone who visits our parish. In this place, you are always welcome.

Pastor's Column for August 12, 2018

This past week I joined with two families in praying for their loved ones who have died. I offered prayers at the funeral home for Gerard Mancino on Tuesday. His wife had passed away just a few months ago where we met in the same place to offer prayers for her. They are buried together at Riverside Cemetery on Pearl Road. May they both be welcomed into God’s kingdom.

I also celebrated a Funeral Mass for Theresa Kocab this past Wednesday. I had also celebrated the funeral for her husband John almost 4 years ago in October of 2014. Both times the family wrote beautiful words of remembrance and acknowledged the faith that was an important part of their lives. Theresa had a special devotion to St. Anthony, St. Theresa (her name sake) and to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she prayed the rosary often. May she and her husband now walk together in the garden of paradise.

This past Wednesday I also joined with the St. Leo Seniors in celebrating the 100th Birthday of Coletta Pacholik What a blessing to be a centenarian (my spell check tried to change the word to centurion!). May God give to Coletta a heart of gratitude for the great gift of life she has received for over 100 years.

We congratulate the parents of Adam Triscari who is being baptized Sunday at Noon. We pray that his parents and godparents will be a worthy example to him as he is raised in the practice of the faith.

This Wednesday, August 15th, is the feast of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, a holy day of obligation. Mass will be celebrated at 8:30 on Wednesday morning and at 7:00 on Wednesday evening. Please join us as we rejoice not only in Mary’s assumption but in the promise and hope of our own resurrection, body and soul, into heaven.

Thank you for your help in selling the raffle tickets in preparation for our Parish Festival in October. I read that our first Pastor, Father Lux, won the car that was auctioned off at the parish carnival that was part of the history of the early years of St. Leo’s. It may seem to be quite a coincidence that the Pastor would win the grand prize of the car...but not so much when you learn that he had $1000 worth of tickets! I was thinking of buying $1000 worth of raffle tickets in order to win the grand prize at our festival this year, but somehow I don’t think I’d make it out of here alive if I won. And if I would lose, I’d lose big. So I’ll make my small contribution and let the dice roll. To be honest I’d be happy to win $10 so I can keep buying Michaela toys that she doesn’t need. In any case, thanks for selling (or buying) the raffle tickets and good luck to you all.

Pastor's Column for August 5, 2018

This is the month when the children return to school. July always seems to go so quickly. But let’s not waste the rest of the summer by thinking too far ahead and try to enjoy each day of sunshine and warmth.

Just a reminder that Bishop Perez will be visiting our parish for the first time & celebrating the 4pm Mass on Saturday, September 1st. Please make a note of it so that you can meet him in person and tell him about St. Leo, the Great church! It’s good he can be here as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary this year. Though the choir takes a break for the summer months, I believe they will be getting ready to be with us earlier this year for the Bishop’s visit so thanks to them in advance for their sacrifice in doing this.

We recently learned that the one local hospital which called us when they admitted a Catholic patient who was from St. Leo’s, is no longer doing so since they’ve been taken over by University Hospital. While privacy is a real concern in this technological society, it comes with a high cost: the inability to know when someone is hospitalized & would like their parish to know about it. So again I’ll ask that if you would like us to visit or put you on the prayer list during a hospitalization, please give us a call to let us know as we won’t have that information available to us anymore. My continued thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Hinton who visit & send cards to those who were hospitalized at Parma Hospital. Their concern for the sick & their ministry means a lot to people who just want to know that we are thinking of them & keeping them in our prayers.

Someone found a bulletin from our parish that is from February of 1999. If I do my math right (and I frequently don’t), that was about 20 years ago when our parish was celebrating its 50th Anniversary. There was a 50th Anni- versary Prayer on the front of that bulletin which I think is still a good prayer for us to use as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary this year. Here it is:

God of our past and our future, we give you thanks for forming us as a family of faith, for guiding us with your Spirit through these 50 (70) years. These times and these days are your gift to us. Help us to open our hearts to become a welcoming people. Help us to end divisions among us by allowing us to show others the breadth and height and depth of your love. Let us be strengthened by your Spirit as we endeavor to build a place of peace and justice where all are welcome and where your love can dwell. We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen