Pastor's Column, December 28, 2014

It is necessary to write this column a week before Christmas in order for it to be published by the bulletin company in time so please remember that updated information can always be found on our website (leothegreat.org) or in our mobile app, available for Apple and Android devices.

On Sunday I will baptize two children into the Faith after the Noon Mass: Nathan Rutherford and Rocco Battaglia. We welcome both of them into the Church that continues to proclaim the Good News of God’s incarnation into our world. 

These children remind me to thank all of you for your generous participation in our annual Adopt-a-Child program, and to express our appreciation to Jeanne Sabol and to all those who have coordinated this wonderful opportunity to help God’s children. May the Christ Child be honored by your acts of kindness.

My thanks to all those who sent cards and edible gifts to Father Vesely & I. I gave him the cards and kept the cookies, candies, and other sweets to myself so that he can remain healthy into the new year. Always trying to think of others…

In the name of the whole parish, I thank all those who had anything to do with our liturgical celebrations during this Christmas Time of the year. That includes our Mass Coordinators (Nancy Zola, Loretta Mlady, Fran McLoughlin, Ron Kollar, Chris Rath, & Doris Neylon), Music Director (Mike Caraffi) & choir members, liturgical ministers (ushers, servers, eucharistic ministers, lectors), art & environment committee (Nancy Zola & many others), and anyone else I may have forgotten due to brain damage from too many holiday parties. And finally, thanks to all of you, the people of St. Leo the Great, for your presence, generosity and faithfulness throughout the year. I hope we made you proud of our parish if you brought with you guests & visitors to the Christmas liturgies. I know I am very proud to be Pastor of such a wonderful parish. 

Let us begin the New Year of 2015 the right way by giving thanks to God for past blessings and praying for our needs in the coming months through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, whose feast we celebrate this Wednesday. Our holy day of obligation Masses will be at 4pm on Wednesday, December 31st and at 8 and 10am on Thursday, January 1st. This is a different schedule than usual for a holy day due to the uniqueness of this holiday so please note well the Mass times. 

I will not write you again until next year. In the mean time, stay healthy, happy & holy.

Homily Thoughts, December 28, 2014…The manger & the cross

There is a painting where Jesus is pictured as a teenager standing in his father’s carpentry shop. Jesus is hunched over working on something but then begins to stand straight & puts out his arms in order to stretch. Unknown to him, his Mother Mary is peeking through the door & she has a look of terror on her face. The light in the room is reflected in such a way that on the back wall can be see the image of Jesus w/ his arms stretched out on the cross.

Simeon tells Mary that sword will pierce her heart because her child will be controversial. There will be great suffering in her life because there would great suffering in his. 

A danger in our Christmas celebrations is forgetting what happens to the little child we come to adore in the manger. The wood of the manger foreshadows the wood of the cross. We are not saved by Jesus’ birth but by his death. Mary people carry crosses at this time of year. But Jesus was born to help us in our suffering, to suffer with us and for us. Let his birth and his death be sign of his love in whatever we may be suffering today.

Pastor's Column, December 21, 2014

Death is always a hard reality to accept, but when it comes near the holidays it can be especially painful to those left behind. Rose Wilk died last week after suffering from Alzheimer’s for about 4 years. Her husband Ted of 56 years was able to spend the last year in the same facility residing in the assisted living section of Mt. Alverna. We extend our sympathy to their two children, Stephen & Kathleen, and ask that you remember Rose in your prayers this week. 

We also extend our prayerful thoughts to the members of the McDermott family on the loss of their father, Raymond who died after a short illness. He and his wife Elizabeth had 12 children, 8 of whom are still living. They have a long history at St. Leo’s as they all attended our parish school. We can be proud to have graduated such good people who have learned the importance of family and faith through their parents. May each member of the family find solace through that faith.

The Diocese also suffered the loss of a much-loved Auxiliary Bishop, A. Edward Pevec. Bishop Pevec has been retired since 2002 and died at the Center for Pastoral Leadership where our seminaries are housed in Wickliffe. I’m sure he has been to St. Leo’s a number of times in the past. I think of him fondly as he was the rector of Borromeo Seminary High School where I started as a seminarian in 1974. I was one of his Master of Ceremonies for a few years and as many can attest, he is remembered for his exceptional kindness and gentleness. May he and all of God’s faithful servants rest in Christmas Peace. 

Finally we extend our sympathy to parishioner Elizabeth Fleming on the death of her father, Thomas. Let us remember all of these survivors that they may be consoled in their faith.

In order to prepare well for the feast of Christmas, we can take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation where we experience the fullness of God’s mercy. Individual confessions will be heard Monday at 11:00am and Tuesday at 7:00pm. 

On behalf of Father Vesely & the entire parish and school staff of St. Leo the Great, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. This is a time when we can be mindful of inviting family members, neighbors, and friends who visit us to join with us in celebrating God’s universal love at our Christmas Masses. Please extend the invitation especially to those who may not participate in our liturgies throughout the year. We warmly welcome everyone who walks through our doors and we ask them to join us in the praise of God who sent his Son to save us all. 

Homily Thoughts for December 21, 2014…Full of Grace

Retired Auxiliary Bishop A. Edward Pevec was a priest whom I have admired since I first met him in 1974 when I entered the high school seminary and he was the rector (principal). His holiness was obvious; he was a man of prayer, he was kind to everyone, he could be firm but was also gentle, he had a good sense of humor, he was friendly and made everyone he met feel that they were special, important.

I would describe him as the angel described Mary in the gospel today: as someone “full of grace.” To be full of grace is to be receptive to God’s many gifts (graces). We all have Mary as an example of holiness, but we also need people we know personally, people God has placed in our lives, who show us what it is like to be full of grace. Who are those people in your life? 

At the end of the gospel, Mary says to the angel: “Let it be done to me according to God’s word.” In other words, let God’s will be done in me. At the bottom of Bishop Pevec’s coat of arms is his motto: “I have come to do you will.” May we, who are full of grace, do God’s will so that others will be able to say of us that we are a blessing in their life.

Pastor's Column, December 14, 2014

I celebrated the funeral rites for a number of people this past week…

Adele Schierbaum was married to her husband Paul for 68 years and her passing was sudden and unexpected. We extend our sympathies to her husband and their two daughters, Dona and Debi. 

Martin Fontaine also died suddenly while his wife Miriam, was visiting with him at the nursing home (as she did so often) where he has lived for several years. They were married for 59 years. Martin was very active in the Holy Name Society and painted the mascot of St. Leo’s (a lion’s head) on a large banner that continues to hang in our gym.

Jesse Adkins was 67 and leaves behind a wife, Helen, and a son, Jesse Jr. He was called “Poppie" by his three grandchildren. 

Franklin Jeskey was 80 and married to his wife Barbara for 54 years and has a daughter, Juliann.

Please keep all of these in your prayers. Information on all our funerals, weddings and baptisms can be found on our website, leothegreat.org and in our mobile app.

Last weekend I spoke with a parishioner named Mary Hillman whose 101st birthday is this Saturday, December 13th. Last week I wished her a happy birthday a week in advance but she said, “I don’t know if I’ll be here on my next birthday!” Well, I am looking forward to seeing her at the 10am Mass this Sunday where I will wish her a happy birthday a day after she turns 101! My stepmother, Mildred, also turns 95 on the same day, December 13th. We thought that was amazing, but compared to Mary, she’s just a kid!

I received an email from a parishioner asking why our Christmas manger is set up in facing the “chapel” area where we celebrate daily Mass instead of facing the congregation, suggesting that it be placed more prominently in the sanctuary. In “The Book of Blessings” which contains the blessings of the Roman Ritual for the Universal Church, it states that “if the manger is set up in the church, it must not be placed in the presbyterium. A place should be chosen that is suitable for prayer and devotion and is easily accessible by the faithful.” The “presbyterium” is the sanctuary or altar area of a church. We avoid that area so as not to obscure the primary focus of the altar and pulpit during our liturgical worship. In our church, the place for the manger seems perfectly “suitable for prayer and devotion and easily accessible by the faithful.” While you may not always get the answer you hoped for, I welcome your questions and encourage you to ask what others may also be wondering about.

Homily Thoughts for December 14, 2014…It's Not About Us

It’s hard to visit people who are seriously sick and dying. We feel awkward about what we should say. Sometimes we offer this excuse: “I don’t want to remember them this way. I want to remember them when they were healthy.” The problem is, our visit to the sick and dying is not about us. It’s about them.

John the Baptist teaches us this. He always pointed away from himself and pointed instead to Christ. John said, “My life is not about me. It’s about preparing the way for the Lord.”

We think about ourselves too much, either because we think we are so important or because we think we are worthless. We think we are so holy or that we are such sinners. Either way, we’re thinking too much about us. So who are we to be? Nothing more than “a voice crying out: prepare the way for the Lord.”

Pastor's Column, December 7, 2014

Last week I mentioned two people who are in our RCIA process, adults who are preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. There is now a third person, Erin Waite, who was also baptized Catholic but did not receive the sacraments of Eucharist or Confirmation. She will join with the other two in preparing to be fully initiated into the Catholic Faith. We also welcome her two children, Mady, who is 4, and Noah who is 6. They will both be baptized at the Easter Vigil as well. Please remember to pray for all of those preparing for the Easter Sacraments. 

The entire Thanksgiving collection this year which totaled $727.57, will be used, as it was in the past, for the needs of our St. Vincent de Paul Organization. Thank you for your generosity to the poor throughout the year.

This Sunday, December 7th, Father Vesely will be the main celebrant for the Noon Mass as we celebrate his 60th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood. It will be another year & a half until I celebrate my 30th, and I already feel like I’ve given two lifetimes to this vocation!  And I still have 21 years to go before retirement. But I know that he will attest, as I can, that the joy we receive from the opportunity to serve you is tremendous. Let us share in that joy together as we pray with Father Vesely and thank him for his many years of service to the Lord and the Church. Everyone is invited to Lux Hall afterward (whether you’re at the Noon Mass or not) for some hors d’oeuvres. You won’t go home hungry. The parish gave Fr. Vesely an anniversary gift a couple months ago: a power chair that lifts up so that it’s easier to get up out of the chair. I was tempted to set it 25mph, but that would catapult him into the church from his room! We hope that it does indeed lift his body as well as his spirit. Ad Multos Annos!

This Monday, December 8th, is the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation for us in the United States since our nation is under the patronage of Mary with this title. Mass will be at 7am, 8:30am (school Mass), and 7pm. We remember Mary’s openness to God’s will when it was revealed to her that she was to be the Mother of God. 

I received a card at Thanksgiving that had a prayer which was perfect for my Thanksgiving Day: “I’m thankful for my family and friends…for this meal…and that I saw which part of the turkey the dog was licking…”

Homily Thoughts for December 7, 2014…Good News

The gospel writers (“evangelists”) did not just sit down & write the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death & resurrection. They made a conscious, deliberate effort to decide what they would write, even in the specific words they chose to use. 

For example, St. Mark starts his gospel with the words, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” That may seem like a simple introduction that we easily pass over, but the whole gospel is in that line! The word Mark uses is “euangelion”, the good news (which is where we get the word “evangelist” or teller of the good news). In the secular world of the first century, when a general or emperor won a battle, he would send an “evangelist” ahead of him to announce his victory. This is what Mark is doing here: announcing the victory of Jesus Christ. “The beginning of the gospel…” harkens us back to the book of Genesis where “in the beginning” God created the world. Now he is recreating the world in Christ.

Today, we need to hear that opening line from Mark’s gospel as if for the first time. We need good news today. We experience too much bad news about our world, our families, our personal lives. We need to hear Mark proclaim to us today the good news that Jesus Christ is beginning something new: he has been victorious over all that is wrong with our world & our life.