So here we are into October already. But this is my favorite time of the year. Now that our pets are blessed, we can move confidently through this fall season & enjoy God’s many blessing on us as well.
Please keep Deacon Pat & Joan Berigan in your prayers as they are on retreat this weekend. I will be on retreat myself next week from Sunday evening until Thursday so you can pray for me as well. This Tuesday, the priests of the Diocese will have a convocation (“a calling together”) with the Bishop for a day of prayer, fraternity and reflection on our ministry. Dr. Robert Wicks, a clinical psychologist & writer who is a well-known speaker, therapist & spiritual guide, will be speaking to us about the intersection of spirituality and psychology. We look forward to the wisdom he will share with us. Again, pray for us as we gather on this day.
This past week we celebrated the feast of St. Vincent de Paul which provided me the opportunity to reflect on the SVDP ministry that takes place here at St. Leo’s. First, thank you for your constant generosity as you drop off food in the baskets by the St. Vincent de Paul shrine in the back of the church, and for your constant donations in the boxes throughout the church which also goes to provide financially for this worthy cause. I also thank all the people of our parish who work quietly yet faithfully to put this food in bags & to distribute it each month to those in our neighborhood who need our help with this basic necessity of life. They are a constant inspiration to me of doing the most important work of the Lord who said, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers & sisters, you are doing for me, for when I was hungry, you gave me to eat…” May God continue to bless them in this work of love and keep us mindful of the need to support them in this ministry through our constant donations which express our gratitude for all that God gives to us.
As COVID continues to surge, for your protection we have placed air purifiers in all the corners of the church which act as infection-control devices. These remove 99.99% of airborne particles, including pollen, bacteria, viruses and more and are left on all the time. We continue to pray for those who become infected with the coronavirus & especially for those who have died during this pandemic.
My special thanks to Joanne Deranek, our PSR (Parish School of Religion) Coordinator who does a great job in this ministry of Catholic education to our children, and to the teachers who volunteer their time to teach the faith and to witness to it by their own example. I am so grateful for their necessary ministry & invite anyone who would like to join them to contact the rectory office. PSR takes place on Monday evenings beginning at 6:45pm and is an important support to our parents who are “the first and best teachers in the ways of faith” (from the Rite of Baptism) to their children. I look forward to celebrating Mass with them Monday evening.
During the month of October, we dedicate these days to our Respect for Life. We also remember our Blessed Mother Mary during October as well, and these two intersect very well as who respected life more than the mother of the Author of all life? May Mary teach us the sacredness and beauty of life from the moment of conception until natural death, when we can finally join with her and all the saints to celebrate life eternally in God’s kingdom.
Pastor's Column for September 26, 2021
I have been requested to reserve the first pews on each center aisle for those who are elderly or handicapped in addition to the first two pews closest to the front doors of the church. These pews now have the same cushions that match the other pews that are currently reserved so they stand out as being reserved. Maybe some day we can get cushions for all the pews in the church to give you at least a little bit of relief during those long homilies. At any rate, we will bring Holy Communion to those in these first pews as we do to the others during both weekend and weekday Mass.
Thanks to John & Jeanne Sabol who have changed the archives display in the vestibule of the church with a series of photos about the visit of the Cleveland Browns to our school in 1987. It’s always interesting to see these highlights from years past.
I understand that someone has been placing political flyers on the cars in the parking lot during Mass on the weekend. We never give anyone permission to do this and it is done without our knowledge. If you happen to see anyone doing this, please let us know so that we can make it clear that this is not acceptable to us.
For centuries, people have asked the priests who celebrate Mass to pray in a special way for a particular person(s), living or deceased, or for a special intention. We have just opened up our Mass calendar for these intentions to be scheduled for the following 12 months, however we need to cut back on the number of Mass intentions an individual may request since we need to reserve some days for when I am on vacation or retreat or am not able to celebrate Mass due a scheduling conflict. So you may request one weekend Mass and one weekday Masses during the next year, but please note that we may need to reschedule an intention from time to time. The pastor is also obliged by canon law to offer one weekend Mass “Pro Populo” or for all the people of the parish so this also limits our weekend intentions. Thank you for your understanding.
Those who have lost a loved one are invited to join others in sharing their concerns, feelings & struggles as they face this challenging situation. These bereavement group meetings are from 2:00pm until 3:30pm in the Parish Center on the first Wednesday of each month. There are both men & women who attend. If you have any questions, please call Joan Berigan at the rectory office.
We received the sad news this past week that Bishop Anthony Pilla, Bishop emeritus of the Cleveland Diocese, died in his sleep at the age of 88. He was a holy priest and one loved by clergy and laity alike. He ordained me 35 years ago & so I am especially saddened by his absence among us. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced but let us pray for him as he did with and for us during his 25 year term as Bishop of Cleveland and in his retirement.
This Sunday, September 26th, is Michaela’s 9th birthday. That would make her 63 in human years, two years older than myself! But while she can still jump onto the bed (most of the time…the knees are starting to give way), I sit up & get out of the bed with aches in my back & less strength in my legs. We both still beg for treats and we both bark at people who annoy us. But she’s still more willing to go on long walks & quite capable at her job of protecting the property from all enemies, foreign & domestic. Hopefully you’ll see the new hair cut she got for her birthday…be sure to compliment her on that as girls really like us to notice.
Pastor's Column for September 19, 2021
Congratulations to Andrea Mendoza & Darren Joyce Jr. who are being married this weekend at St. Leo’s. May the Lord bless their marriage as they celebrate it in the atmosphere of faith.
Cora Dejelo will be taking over the responsibilities of being the 11am Sunday Mass Coordinator and I’m very grateful for her willingness to accept this invitation. At the same time, I want to express my profound gratitude to Doris Neylon who has been active in this role for many, many years…actually decades! The Mass Coordinator position was established to enable the priests to focus on the celebration of Mass without worrying about all of the details concerning the setup for each liturgy. This has been a tremendous help to priests over the years, and most especially to me as I enjoy using that time instead by saying hello and visiting briefly with those who are coming in the church before Mass. The person in this role determines the number of hosts that must be placed on the offertory table in the back of the church which are to be consecrated at that Mass, fills the communion cups with wine (when we are using them outside of COVID times), sets up the priests’ chalice and Roman missals, and makes sure the lectionary is setup correctly for the proclamation of God’s word. They also contact the liturgical ministers such as altar servers, lectors and Eucharistic ministers and makes sure everyone is present & ready for their liturgical ministry. Then after Mass, they make sure everything is cleaned up and locked up as well, along with many other details in-between. Again, I can’t express how important this is to the priest but also to the people of the parish who expect that the liturgy will be celebrated with all such details taken care of. Besides Doris, Loretta Mlady also retired from this ministry after many years of dedication to the 8am Sunday Mass. Chris Rath also participated in this ministry and I’m sure some others who were before my time. I am deeply grateful to them and to those who continue to serve generously in this ministry, especially Nancy Zola at the 4pm Saturday Mass & Ron Kollar at the 8am Sunday Mass, along with each of the weekday Masses. May God bless all of them for their generous time and faithful commitment over many years of service to God, the priests and the people of St. Leo.
This weekend we will be taking up another 2nd collection for those affected by Hurricane Ida. We are grateful for the recent donations to aid those who are in need as a result of these natural disasters.
Just a reminder that Confessions are heard on Saturday from 3pm until 3:30 AND on Sunday morning from 10:15am until about 10:45am. I am also happy to hear your confession any time by request or by appointment, which can be made by using the link on our website or by calling the rectory office.
We are looking to hire someone part-time as a housekeeper and lunch cook for the staff. We are also in need of another full-time maintenance worker, preferably someone young enough to keep up with our daily needs in the school, church, rectory and parish center buildings, along with some outside work. Please contact the rectory office if you or someone you know may be interested.
Pastor's Column for September 12, 2021
Congratulations to Nathan & Bethany Miller on the birth and baptism of their 2nd son, Hubert Reid who was baptized on Friday, August 27th. May they continue to find joy in their growing family.
Congratulations to Gabrielle Gorczyca & Justin Sword who were married here on Saturday, September 4th. Gabrielle was a member of St. Stephen parish in West Salem where I was Pastor before coming to St. Leo’s. May they be blessed with many years together as husband and wife.
On Tuesday, August 31st, Bishop Roger Gries celebrated the funeral Mass for Raymond Kikta, during which I concelebrated and Deacon Pat assisted. Bishop Gries has been a long time friend of Ray who graduated from Benedictine High School & volunteered there. They were classmates and went on pilgrimage to Eastern Europe. Bishop Gries also celebrated the Mass for Ray and Nancy’s 50th wedding anniversary back in 2017. Ray and his wife have been faithful members of the parish for a long time and participated in the 4pm Mass together each Saturday. Ray worked in Cleveland schools as a Junior High then High School teacher for 37 years and was an officer in the the Cleveland Teacher’s Union. He was of course very supportive of education and this was a top priority for his children & grandchildren. Ray will be missed and remembered fondly. Our sympathies are extended to his wife and two children and we pledge our prayers to them at this time.
We recently received two generous donations to the parish and we want to express our gratitude for them. One was in memory of Jason W. Shores from his parents, James & Georgia Shores, and the other was from Kim Vah in memory of her mother, Harriet Watson. We will use these gifts for items which can be used to honor the memory of Jason & Harriet. May I ask you to say a prayer right now for these two people and to pray for their surviving loved ones?
I received a letter from the Catholic Community Foundation of the Diocese of Cleveland thanking us for having reached our goal of $66,372 pledged for this years Annual Catholic Charities Appeal. There were 224 donors and we were 1.04% over our goal…close but we made it! So thank you again for your generosity and for helping us each year to provide so many basic and necessary resources for our brothers & sisters in need. May God reward you for recognizing him in your neighbor.
We had over 30 people join us on August 29th to learn more about our pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May of 2022. Most of those there signed up plus we have 7 people from outside our parish who have committed to joining us as well. Though we are limited to 30 people at this time, we are hopeful that that number will be increased in the coming months, so if you missed the opportunity to attend the meeting and are interested in going, please let me know so that I can give you a registration form and/or offer you more information about the trip. We will have a waiting list once we hit our limit. Feel free to call the rectory office for more information.
Pastor's Column for September 5, 2021
A reminder that Mass for Labor Day will be this Monday at 9am at the outdoor shrine, weather permitting. Please bring a chair if you can but we will have them available here as well.
Here is a message from Bishop Malesic, addressed to all the faithful in the Diocese:
”Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The latest information from federal, state and local public health agencies informs us that the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is surging in our area, causing increased illness and hospitalizations at levels not seen since the spring. For the safety of all who worship at Catholic parishes throughout the Diocese of Cleveland, I strongly encourage you -- whether vaccinated or not vaccinated -- to wear a face mask while attending Mass indoors. All who want to attend Mass, and who are otherwise vulnerable, should feel safe and welcome inside our sacred spaces. Please use charity and patience with those who do not wish to comply with this strongly stated request. You also might want to consider wearing a face mask for other indoor gatherings, especially for those not yet fully vaccinated. Wearing masks outdoors is not generally required except for activities involving close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.
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 about contracting the coronavirus in a large group of persons are not obliged to attend Mass.
Pope Francis recently offered a message of hope and unity to the world in an effort to continue increasing confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines, specifically in communities disproportionately affected by the virus. “Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19,” the pope said. “Getting the vaccines that are authorized by the respective authorities is an act of love. I pray to God that each one of us can make his or her own small gesture of love; no matter how small, love is always grand.”
I am fully vaccinated and recommend the same for my family and friends. In consideration of others, I also am wearing a mask during the distribution of holy Communion and I strongly encourage those distributing holy Communion at Mass to wear a mask while distributing as well.
Remember that the situation seems to be ever changing. This request to wear face masks is temporary and will be changed once this current level of increased coronavirus cases is over. We are all tired of this pandemic, but we must not forget that we are called to care for the health of others in times of crisis and must continue to protect our healthcare system and medical workers.
May God bless and watch over us in our time of need.
Bishop Edward C. Malesic”