Pastor's Column for November 29, 2020

The staff and I were planning on seeing a play at St. Edward High School last Sunday but alas, it was postponed until the spring due to COVID. I would not have guessed earlier in the year that this pandemic would have persisted so many months. And of course it appears it will take us well into the new year. I just want to thank you again for your cooperation with the guidelines when coming to church. You’ve really been wonderful about that. I know how tiring all this can be but let’s keep praying for the vaccine which we hope will help us get through this pandemic more quickly and safely. 

One blessing that has come from this has been the opportunity to get a live-streaming camera in the church so that many people could be “present” with us while yet at home as we celebrate Mass. It will continue to be useful even after the pandemic is behind us as those who are homebound or who have moved away from the area will still be able to join us “in spirit” whenever we gather. My only fear is that some may mistaken the use of a livestream video as a suitable replacement for actually attending Mass when able. While the ability to “watch” (& by that I mean “participate in”) Mass at home is certainly a better option than the alternative, there are several drawbacks to it. For one, we are not physically present to the other members of the community. It’s great being able to communicate with my dad over the phone, but I miss being able to be physically present to him & visa versa (though we will be together for a doctor’s appointment soon). Of course the other big disadvantage to live-streaming is the inability to receive Holy Communion. Catholics have believed from the beginning of the Church the Lord’s words that “this (the bread) is My Body” & not just a symbol of the Lord’s presence with us. So not being able to feed on the Lord’s “Real Presence” is again, a big disadvantage. Though we can make a “spiritual communion” with the Lord during that time, it is hardly the same. I just ask that you keep these things in mind so that when we can come together again without fear for our health, we will really appreciate again the importance of our “real” presence with the Lord and with each other. 

We just received word from the Diocese that they are in the process of reviewing the recently released guidelines regarding social gatherings due to the sharp rise of COVID cases and hospitalizations. They will let us know how that may affect our Christmas plans. I will keep you informed of course but wanted you to know that we are waiting for such guidance. Having missed the public celebration of Easter this year, it’s hard to imagine the same could happen for Christmas. 

I hope you were able to have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. I will be having dinner with my sisters Judy and Janet at the latter’s home in Akron. In a year like this, we must increase our gratitude for each other and for our health. Let’s not give in to bitterness and fear and anger but always be grateful that God remains with us in all things. 

Pastor's Column for November 22, 2020

This past Monday I celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Ralph Cosiano. Many of those who attend the 11am Mass on Sunday may have known Ralph & his wife Tannie. They have been long-time active parishioners of St. Leo’s. Ralph and Tannie were married for 62 years and have known each other since Ralph was 17 as they met when they were on a volleyball team & that was 70 years ago. Ralph was a very intelligent man who served many years as a lawyer but his greatest love was being a family man. He and Tannie have 6 children, 11 grandchildren & 2 great-grandchildren. Holidays were always very special to Ralph and he loved all things Italian. He was a bright man in terms of his intellect but also bright in the sense that he was a light for others. He had a deep faith, with a special devotion to St. Raphael (“coincidentally” he was in the St. Raphael Room at Holy Family Hospice where he died). I knew Ralph as a happy, friendly man whom I always loved seeing at Mass with his devoted wife Tannie & their children. He will be greatly missed but not forgotten. 

As I write this at 6am on Monday morning, I do so in darkness as the power has been out since 1pm when we had a hail & wind storm. It was caused by a tree that fell down across Broadview Road. In fact it’s doubtful that we will have power, lights or even heat for the funeral Mass for Ralph at 10am. Our school children will be learning remotely until the power is restored. And this is the beginning of my last week of vacation for 2020! What a year this has been. I’m sure we’ll all be glad when it’s behind us but so far 2021 isn’t looking so great either as Coronavirus cases keep increasing during the winter months. But our faith will get us through this and anything else that life can throw at us and I am grateful for that gift which so many others do not have because they refuse to believe it is offered to them. Though I won’t be with you at Mass this weekend, I am leaving you in the capable hands of our Deacon and a visiting priest from Cross Catholic who will gently ask you to remember the needs of the poor. 

I do look forward to joining many of you for our Thanksgiving Mass this week which will be at 9am on Thursday. Please remember that the rectory office will be closed on Friday as well for the holiday.

The weekly television Mass produced by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland is moving. Starting on Nov. 22, the Sunday television Mass will be seen at 10 a.m. on WUAB Channel 43. This change provides viewers with an opportunity to take part in the weekly celebration of the Mass at a much more convenient time. In addition, WUAB Channel 43 is an over-the-air station that is accessible even to those without cable TV. The weekly TV Mass is produced by the Diocese of Cleveland and it originates from the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland. In addition, the Mass can be heard on the radio, at 4 p.m. Saturdays and 10:30 a.m. Sundays on AM 1260 The Rock. Also, radio station WINT-1330 AM airs the Mass at 9 a.m. each Sunday and Cox Communications cable subscribers can view the Mass at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on channel 45. 

Pastor's Column for November 15, 2020

Two & a half weeks ago, I visited w/ a man named Myron Akuszewski who was in hospice at his home. I anointed him and gave him his last Holy Communion, known as “Viaticum”, which means “food for the journey home.” I celebrated Myron’s funeral Mass this past Wednesday & expressed the sympathy of the parish community to Paula, his wife of 29 years. Myron was a faithful church goer and a man of compassion as he took care of his handicapped sister-in-law. May he now receive the reward promised to those who see Christ “in the least of our brothers & sisters.”

I met this week with some of the priests in our “district” or those who are in neighboring parishes (we meet on a regular basis) at Our Lady Queen of Peace. We talked about how the pandemic is affecting our parishes and shared ideas for how we might plan for Christmas. It was suggested that trying to poll the parishioners to see how many planned to attend one of our Christmas Masses would not really be helpful as many of those who attend Christmas Mass, especially on Christmas Eve, are not regular church-goers who would know that we are taking such a poll. After hearing some of the suggestions of my brother priests, I am thinking that we would change our Christmas schedule this year because of the pandemic, knowing that the majority of people attend the 4pm Mass on Christmas Eve and very few people attend the 7pm or 10pm Masses on Christmas Eve. So at this point, we are thinking that we will keep our 4pm Mass on Christmas Eve, add another Mass at 5:30pm Christmas Eve but then cancel the 7pm & 10pm Christmas Eve Masses as they are not well attended & with the pandemic, most likely even less so. We would continue to have the 8am and 11am Masses on Christmas Day. Nothing is set in stone yet (though I did see a picture recently of a stone that had chiseled on it: “Nothing is set in stone”!) but I would appreciate your feedback on this change for this year. Please keep in mind that the bishops of Ohio have continued to extend the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass this year even for the Christmas feast, especially given the rise in coronavirus cases at this time. But we do hope that you consider that our efforts to contain the virus through social distancing & the mandatory use of masks has seemed to be effective during the months since we’ve been celebrating Mass publicly again. Thank you for your cooperation with these efforts.

It’s been wonderful to take many long walks through the neighborhood with Michaela during this Indian summer which apparently has broken many records for so many warm days in a row at this time of year. To walk without a coat in November has been really unusual. The only drawback is that now that our boiler has been fired up again due to the colder weather we started having last month, it can get pretty warm in the rectory as there is always some heat coming out of the registers even when the blowers are not running. But I understand that cooler weather is creeping up on us this week so we’ll have to adjust for that. 

As I type this, the Deacon just texted me a picture of a coffee mug that says, “PASTOR” Warning! Anything you say or do could be used in a sermon!” So yes, only say or do something that could be used to praise you in a sermon. 

Pastor's Column for November 8, 2020

As I type this, it is Tuesday, November 3rd. Election Day. Judging by the number of cars in our parking lots, I can say I have never seen this many people turn out to vote. It is good to see so many taking advantage of this opportunity, right & responsibility, even if it comes from a very divided country. Whatever the results, we pray that the Lord may guide our country according to His will and that we will be at peace knowing that Jesus is Lord, not our President. 


All is going very smoothly in our parish school so far this year. We are now at 278 students which is the highest number we have had yet in recent years. This is due to the leadership primarily of our Principal, Denise Burns, and is a testament to the hard work of our teachers and staff, especially during a pandemic year which only complicated things. The children will begin to attend Mass again in small groups, such as one or two classes at a time instead of with the whole student body, in order to practice social distancing in the church. It will be good to have them join us for Mass again.


We have two things to celebrate this week. First, today (Sunday, November 8th), is Father Vesely’s 92nd birthday. While he has been locked away at Mt. Alverna during the pandemic, he is not forgotten. Perhaps you would like to send him a card. The address of Mt. Alverna is 6765 State Road, Parma, 44134. I’m hoping to take him out to dinner when they give the OK for him to leave without the requirement of quarantine afterward. So please keep him in your prayers as we look forward to having him return to St. Leo’s for Mass again when it’s safe for him to do so.


The second reason for celebration is the feast of parish patron, St. Leo the Great, whose feast day is this Tuesday, November 10th. So who was this man? Leo was born in Etruria & became Pope in the year 461. He strenuously defended the unity of the Church. He is most famously known for persuading Attila the Hun & his barbarians not to march on Rome in the year 455. Pope Leo wrote many doctrinal and spiritual letters which are still included in the breviary, the book of prayers used by many people today, especially priests who promise to pray for the Church every day. Leo died in the year 461.


When in Rome, I celebrated Mass near the altar in St. Peter’s Basilica where Pope Saint Leo is buried. There is a beautiful relief of him above the altar, showing him fending off the barbarians & Attila the Hun. We are blessed to have a relic of St. Leo by his shrine in the back of the church so feel free to say a little prayer there for the good of the parish after which he is named.


I received word this week that Fr. O’Grady’s blood pressure medication was working too well & that appears to have been the cause of his weakness. So that is an easy “fix” and I’m so happy to know that he should be returning to good health quickly & hopefully will be joining us for the celebration of Mass again soon. Thank you for your prayers for him and for your concern. We are very blessed to have him pray with us and preside over the Eucharist in our parish community.