Pastor's Column for December 15, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

         About a month ago I shared with you the sad news that former pastor, Father Ned Weist, had been diagnosed with cancer. It seems to be progressing rather rapidly and while there are many who have reached out to visit with him, he is finding such visits both joyful but also very exhausting. There are some parishioners who have remained very close to him ever since he left St. Leo’s to join those at Our Lady Help of Christians parish. We talked about what we could do for him at this time and of course there is little we can offer except the promise of our prayers. So we would like to give him a “spiritual bouquet,” something that was common when I was younger. It’s simply the promise of prayers offered on behalf of several individuals. It can be as simple as a Hail Mary or Our Father or even as powerful as the offering of a Mass or a rosary. We would like to present Father with a card that expresses our concern for him and the pledge of our prayers in this way. So may I ask you to do this: between now and Christmas, commit yourself to offering some kind of prayer for him, or even a sacrifice of some kind, or an act of charity—anything that can be used to ask for God’s graces to be even more abundant in his life right now. Then without telling anyone, please fulfill that commitment when you are able. This way we can assure him that he is being thought of, prayed for and supported by this community that he loved and served for many years. I think of the times I saw him “in action” here when I would visit my cousin, Fr. Dan Schlegel, during his time at St. Leo’s. I still remember Father Weist talking to the children whose confessions we were about to hear. And now I sit in the same pastor’s office that he sat in (along with all the pastors from Fr. Lux onward). It’s an honor to follow in their footsteps. Thank you for your kindness in this matter and know what a great act of charity it is to pray for those who are ill.

I hear from parishioners that they are worried about getting to a doctor’s appointment or to see a sick friend because of lack of transportation. Most of them do not drive anymore and are unable to use alternative transportation such as Uber due to their lack of technological skills. I’m wondering if we have other parishioners who might be willing to offer a car ride on occasion to such people. We might be able to coordinate that through the rectory office. I’m not envisioning anything too regular but again we could have some willing to offer a ride here and there when really necessary for someone to get to a certain place, like to the doctor’s or to visit a friend. If you have the time and ability to offer such a service, feel free to reach out to us in the office and let us know. Again, we can limit such opportunities to more important times when someone is in need. Thank you for your consideration of this possibility. 

This Tuesday, December 17th is the 88th birthday of Pope Francis. You can see that he is pretty much confined to a wheelchair though his health otherwise seems pretty stable. Please pray for him this week. And this Wednesday would have been the 70th anniversary of ordination for Father Vesely. Let us continue to pray for the repose of his soul this week as well. 

On Friday, I will celebrate the last all school Mass for this year of 2024 as the students leave for their Christmas break. Which means Christmas is right around the corner. On this Third Sunday of Advent, we focus on the theme of joy as our rose candle is lit, another reminder of the closeness of our Christmas celebration. So be joyful for our salvation is near. 

 Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for December 8, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

         The first thing I want to share with you is my deep gratitude to two parishioners who (anonymously) donated the beautiful new signs that are now in place on our property. We were badly in need of them and it’s been on my to do list for a long time to have them replaced but it’s a big expense and a lot of work as each sign needs to be designed (kind of a pun there) and I honestly didn’t feel competent enough to do that. So longtime parishioners asked what I thought of the idea of having new signs put up and of course I was thrilled with the idea…especially when they said that they would be happy to design them (a talent of theirs) and even donate them (again, a very large expense). We discussed it as it was in progress but then they just appeared this week and I couldn’t be happier with them. The largest one is seen very clearly when you drive in the parking lot off of Broadview Rd. and is so much brighter & easier to read. It also includes our parish logo which is another big plus. It clearly directs the way to the church (of course the most obvious building) but also to the rectory, office, parish center, Marian shrine, and parish school (which also indicates that we offer Pre-school through 8th grade. It stands out with our parish colors as well and is just simply but nicely designed. There is also a sign by the Parish Center and soon (if not there already) by the Marian Shrine. There is a sign by the Rectory office and again soon (if not there already) by the West 25th entrance to the rectory parking lot. I speak on behalf of all our parishioners and visitors when I thank sincerely those who donated these marvelous signs and who did the great work of designing them. We are indebted to you!

OK, next up is just to let you know that you may hear our peal bells ringing before, during or after Mass this weekend as the Catholic Bishops of the United States are asking churches across the country to celebrate the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Parish. I’m sure you recall the sad and tragic fire that destroyed part of this iconic symbol of our Catholic faith 5 years ago. Thanks to the hard work and generous support of so many throughout the world, it is finally re-opening on December 7th & 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Of course this medieval cathedral is named after “Our Lady” (Notre Dame in French) and so it’s appropriately restored on this great feast. The First Mass & consecration of the new altar will take place on Sunday, December 8th and will draw some 170 bishops from around the world. Of course you’ll be able to watch this great celebration on TV or the internet. This celebration is dedicated to honoring those who saved and rebuilt the cathedral. I have not been there myself yet, but it certainly is on my bucket list! So if you hear our bells ringing this weekend, say a Hail Mary in thanksgiving for those who saved & rebuilt this world-wide symbol of our Catholic Faith and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Speaking of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, this may be a bit confusing but here it is: normally this feast is a holy day of obligation for us in the United States except when it falls on a Friday or Sunday (as it does this year with Sunday being December 8th). However, because Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, is the patroness of our country, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has made this holiday one of obligation for us in the United States this year, even though it falls on a Sunday. So, long and short of it is that Mass will be at 8:30a this Monday, December 9th (it will be an all school Mass but all are welcome) and then again at 7p. 

I also asked that you say a Hail Mary for Vincent & Elizabeth Rongone who lost a child through miscarriage. We celebrated a funeral Mass for their son, Charles Antonio last week. 

Pastor's Column for December 1, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

         I really have to do something about our Office Manager, Nina Capone. She’s the only one who makes me work on my vacation. Yes, I am writing this on November 22nd, the last day of vacation, because she (or rather the bulletin company) needs all bulletins for this weekend submitted by this particular date. But since this is the only thing that Nina ever asks of me (at least while I’m on vacation) I’ll have to let it go. Besides, every other day that she works in our rectory office, she brings organization, leadership, gentleness, helpfulness and creativity to our rectory staff and to all the people who come into the rectory office. She works with a great team too…Mary Lynn Haldi, Amy Mackey, Marie Phillips, Mary LaGodney, and others who work so well and with a cheerful and helpful spirit. I am truly grateful for them all, and I thought I’d use this opportunity after Thanksgiving to say what I should say more frequently so that I practice what I preach. Please be sure to thank them when they offer you some assistance. 

I’ll make this announcement at weekend Masses but this is the last weekend for helping with our annual Adopt a Child for Christmas opportunity. As you know, Jeanne Sabol spearheads this wonderful holiday charity and we are very grateful for what she organizes for the sake of so many children who are the recipients of your generosity. We need gifts for about 150 children. So thank you to Jeanne and to all who help her with this annual event and thank all of you who make it possible because you think of others at this time of the year. 

Speaking of this time of year, Happy New Year to all of you! Don’t think me crazy for being a month too early. I know it’s only December 1st, not January 1st, but this is the first Sunday (or Saturday) of Advent, which begins a new liturgical year. So out comes the purple vestments and the Advent Wreath, which of course marks the 4 weeks of this holy season of preparation for the celebration of the Nativity, of the birth of Christ. Very soon, we will be receiving our two new (or rather old) stained glass windows which match the other windows in the church which used to be enjoyed by the people of Blessed Sacrament church. I recently had a former parishioner of that church who was visiting us comment on how wonderful it was to see those windows being used in our church. It brought back many wonderful memories for her. The two new windows we will be receiving are especially meaning for our church. One will be of St. Cecilia, the patron of musicians. Ironically, I am typing this column on her feast day, November 22nd! So she came to mind when I was praying the Divine Office this morning. This stained glass window of her will be in a box like the others in the church with lights to illuminate it. It will be placed on the wall behind the organ and piano, a perfect spot for our liturgical musicians. The other window will be of the Nativity, which will be placed on the larger wall directly behind the choir. It will be flanked by two smaller windows which originally adorned the larger one of Jesus, Mary & Joseph. This is also very meaningful for us because the first Masses celebrated in this “new” church (built in 1969), were celebrated on the feast of Christmas. I don’t recall now who it was that was sharing this story with me, but a parishioner (please remind me if it was you) was to be married just a few days before Christmas. This “new” church was ready for Mass to be celebrated in it, but Father Lux, the founding pastor and the one who was responsible for building this church, would not allow any Mass to be celebrated in it until after Christmas! But I hope you will all benefit from these reminders of the holy family and of the saints, whose example we all hope to follow, especially as we approach the season of our Lord’s birth. 

 Fr. James P Schmitz

Pastor's Column for November 24, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

         I have returned from my vacation so will be happy to see you all again. I had a wonderful 2 weeks, which included a drive down to North Carolina to visit a former parishioner who has moved there with her husband to follow in a few months. It was great to visit and to just take a long but enjoyable ride (about 8 hours). I stopped at Belmont Abbey where Benedictine monks live. It’s the only Catholic University in the state of North Carolina (which of course is pretty much a bible belt area). On Saturday I went to Mass at a church where they had pictures of parishioner’s loved ones who had died over the past year. It was very moving to see that as the parishioners prayed for them during this month of November. We will “steal” this idea & do the same next year. But while on vacation I remembered when I read & mentioned in a homily a few weeks back…that vacations are not only an opportunity to get away from work as they are a time to prepare for the work that is ahead. So I return to you now rested and ready to get back in the business of serving you the best I can. 

I look forward to joining some of my nieces & nephews and now great nieces & nephews for Thanksgiving at my sister’s house near Akron. She cooks a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner and this year when she invited me I asked if I could bring a guest. When she questioned who the guest would be, I told her that it would just be me coming but I wanted her to cook extra for a meal I could take home with me. It’s amazing to think that I currently have 6 great nieces & nephews and 2 more on the way! It’s wonderful to see the family growing, especially during a time when so few people are having children which will cause some problems if that trend does not turn around quickly. The Catholic Church of course has always encouraged married couples to have children for they are the fruit of love. From the very beginning, God told the human race to “be fruitful and multiply” and here we are now, many thousands of years later, living in a world with over 8 billion people. It boggles my mind. Of course so does the fact that an ant can carry up to 50 times their own body weight. 

This weekend we celebrate the last Sunday of Ordinary Time with the great feast of Christ the King. Recently we had the sign put over the head of Jesus on the crucifix with the letters “INRI” which stand for the Latin words that Pilate wrote to show the criminal act that caused Jesus’ crucifixion (as was customary): “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.” This is our King. A King whose throne is the cross, whose crown is thorns, whose kingly robes are blood and sweat. We are reminded that when Pilate had that sign placed on the cross, others complained that he should have wrote instead, “This man claimed to be the King of the Jews.” To which Pilate responded “Quod scripsi scripsi” which means, “What I have written, I have written.” It makes one wonder if he really believed in who Jesus said he was.

I invite you to join us for our Thanksgiving Day Mass which will be at 9am. I am always pleased to see that this holiday draws the most people to Mass, even though it is not a day of obligation. I believe that is due to the deep gratitude that you have for all that God has given to you and for the many blessings you have received. This is what our whole life must be about: being mindful of all that God has given to us and done for us. If we do this, we will complain far less. We will accept our difficulties much easier. We will be more joyful. We will grow in holiness. All of this and more for doing what? Just being grateful. 

 Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for November 17, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

         I am enjoying my vacation so far. It’s good to have the time to get things done without having to rush or be on a timeline. Of course I still do a bit of work on vacation (like this column for example), but it gives me pause to think of you as I continue to remember you in my prayers daily. 

         Before I actually started my time away last Monday, I did celebrate the funeral Mass for Francine Simonski. I had her husband’s funeral about 3 years ago. They were married for 51 years and had 2 daughters & a son. Fran was a person of faith who attended Mass regularly until she became ill in 2020. Her daughters attended Catholic school and she was a playground monitor & was active in PTU. So please say a prayer for her and also one for the students from St. Ignatius High School who were there to act as pall bearers.

I have been keeping in touch with Deacon Pat and Joan and they are both grateful for your prayers and concern. Deacon Pat will continue with his therapy and again we are thankful that there does not seem to be any permanent damage as a result of the stroke. Hopefully you will see him soon so you can express your prayerful support personally.

I’m afraid there is not good news to share with you however concerning one of our former pastors, Father Ned Weist. He recently learned that he has cancer. I spoke with him to assure him of our prayers for him as well and of course he is very grateful for that. Fr. Ned was a great pastor whose kindness continues to be remembered by those who were here under his leadership. I would get a phone call from him (and he would call other priests as well), letting me know what a great job I am doing, telling me that he watched our livestream Masses or read our bulletin. He is so good about building people up and that encourages me to try to do the same, especially since that is something I don’t do often enough. Father retains his sense of humor and continues to live with acceptance of his fate through his ever constant faith. If you don’t know him, I’m sure that others who do will tell you the same. So please keep him in prayer as often as you can. Let us express our deep gratitude to him for all he has done for our parish and our Church. I will continue to let you know how he is doing and we will provide a way for you to send him a card or a note if you wish to do so. 

There are several parishioners who are also affected by cancer. I have their names on the lock screen of my phone so that I can remember to pray for them throughout the day. I don’t want to share their names with you due to privacy but I do ask that you keep them in prayer as well. I would even encourage you, when you read the bulletin each week (which I hope you do, either when you come to Mass or online at our website) to pause for a moment when you see the list of the names of people who have asked for our prayers. Pause and say a Hail Mary or even just a short prayer such as, “Divine Physician, heal everyone on this list in the manner you will.” I know that this column is full of requests for your prayers but so many are in need of them, and someday we all will be in need of the prayers of others so give that moment of your time as we hope others will do that for us. Of course this month we add to that long list our prayers for those who have died, especially parishioners who have died this past year and whose names are displayed on the table in front of the baptismal font. There is also the list of people whose names are on envelopes in the basket on the altar during Mass. We join our prayers to those of the saints who continue to intercede for us until that day when prayers will no longer be needed.

 Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for November 10, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

          Last Saturday, November 2nd, I celebrated the funeral Mass for Roman Semproch, and so we extend our sympathies to his wife Geraldine of 67 years and to their 3 children, Debbie, Karen, & Raymond. Roman actually didn’t care for his given name and so went by Ray. What was very interesting to learn was that Ray and Geraldine’s 3 children all shared the same birthday, but were all born in different years! I had to figure that out so I discovered that the probability is 1 in 48,627,125! But the other coincidence for Ray was that his funeral Mass was celebrated on November 2nd, the feast of All Souls, or the feast of All the Faithful Departed, a day when we remember and pray in a special way for our loved ones who have died as God prepares and purifies them for life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Ray and Geraldine were also blessed with 7 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren (and these were all girls…with a 5th girl on the way!). Ray had 8 siblings and was the last of them to pass away at the honorable age of 93, so he had many blessings in his life. Ray was a professional baseball player (a pitcher) for the Phillies and was a member of the military police in the Marines. He attended Mass regularly until COVID, prayed the rosary, and enjoyed his family greatly. May he be reunited now with his siblings and share with them in the joys of heaven.

This weekend, we are celebrating (non-liturgically) the feast of our patron, St. Leo the Great, which is celebrated every year on November 10th, which is the date of his death in the year 461. He was born in the year 400. Sunday always takes precedence over the feast of a saint, so while the readings and prayers of our Mass will not be the ones we would normally hear on St. Leo’s feast day, we can still remember him during our weekend Masses. In the great basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome (inside Vatican City), there is an altar to his memory. He was pope from 440-461 and was the first pope to be buried in this basilica (there are many popes buried there, including Pope Benedict and Pope St. John Paul II). You can see a picture of this altar in this bulletin. Above and behind the altar is a great carved high-relief marble portrait by Alessandro Algardi in the 17th century, which shows the meeting of Pope Leo the Great with Attila, King of the Huns. Pope Leo succeeded in halting Attila from sacking Rome in 452 (I have a picture of this in my office, which was painted by another artist with the original also being at the Vatican). Attila told his troops that when the Pope spoke, he saw the threatening figures of Peter & Paul with drawn swords before him, and this can be seen on the top of this marble relief. We have many sermons and writings of Pope Leo I, and they are read by priests and others who pray the breviary or “Divine Office,” a set of prayers prayed daily. Pope Leo is called “Magnum” or Great because of his great influence in the life of the Church due to his courage and his writings, and was the first pope to be called “the Great”. He is also a Doctor of the Church as he was the source of great wisdom to the Church. 

As you know, we have a wonderful statue of St. Leo the Great in a shrine in the back of the church where the old confessionals used to be. There is also a relic of St. Leo there (a small piece of his bone), and I have a relic of him as well. So let us thank God for his example and his wisdom, which continues to guide us today, and ask for him to intercede on our behalf as we live the Catholic Faith today with courage and wisdom.

I will be away for the next couple of weeks on vacation, so there will be no weekday Mass during that time. I hope to return refreshed and ready to celebrate Thanksgiving!

 Fr. James Schmitz

Pastor's Column for November 3, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

       We welcomed Athena Harte into our Faith last Sunday through the Sacrament of Baptism. We congratulate her parents and ask God to bless them all with a faith that will sustain them throughout life.

Last Saturday (October 26th), I celebrated a funeral Mass for Bernadine Hill. Bernie was a long time parishioner here at St. Leo’s and was one of 8 children, and the last one to die at the age of 98. I celebrated the funeral of her sister, Mildred Mach about 4 ½ years ago and the two of them would come to the 4pm Mass on Saturday so faithfully. Bernie was married to Louis for 50 years and had 5 children (one is now deceased) and several grandchildren including great-great grandchildren. She had a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary & prayed the rosary regularly. We commend her now to God and I ask you to say a prayer for her that she may be reunited with all those she loved as she enters the presence of God. 

We also extend our sympathies to the Vesely family on the death of Raymond Vesely, the nephew of Father James Vesely. I prayed with the family for him this past Tuesday and so again ask you to remember him and his uncle, Father Vesely, in your prayers. 

As you can see, the corpus of our crucifix has been painted and returned to us so I am very grateful for the great work done by the painter from Henninger’s Religious Goods store on W. 137th off of Brookpark Road. They are also the ones who painted the statues of the Holy Family and will be installing two more stained glass window shadowboxes soon. I also asked them to put up a railing in the vestibule by the steps leading down to the Information Desk as it presents a hazard to those who may be in that area. While re-installing the corpus on the cross, I asked them to place a small crucifix there which we had in the sacristy and which contained a very small relic of the True Cross. I don’t know where it came from nor did I know how we could place it in a place of honor until I got the idea to have it placed on our sanctuary crucifix so that we will know that it is there. We will bless our newly painted crucifix this weekend & ask God to allow it to remind us constantly of the great Sacrifice that Jesus offered to the Father so that sin, death, hell and Satan might be overcome. 

Of course this is the week that our presidential election takes place, a time that has produced much anxiety and uncertainty for so many people in our country. It has also given birth to so much animosity toward one another, to the point that we are not even able to talk to many people with a calmness that is respectful of other’s opinions. This is precisely the hope and work of the devil who is associated with division and hatred. So let us increase our prayer. We pray for ourselves. We pray for our enemies. We pray for our civil leaders, whomever they may be, in accord with the command of scripture. We pray for God’s kingdom to come, and His will to be done, regardless of who wins this race. We pray that we may trust, despite our fears. We pray that we will live one day at a time, as Jesus taught us, for we are not to worry about tomorrow. And finally we pray that all Christians may follow not a donkey or an elephant, but a Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

 Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for October 27, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

       I believe it is important for me to share with you a letter from Bishop Malesic to all the faithful in the Diocese of Cleveland as we come closer to Election Day. Here is what he writes:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     In the Catholic Tradition of responsible citizenship, we are morally obligated to participate and educate yourself on the candidates' positions on the critical issues that will affect us all, both now and in the future.

     Before we are members of any political party, we must be faithful followers of Jesus, who told us "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 3:35). So, it is incumbent on us who are believers to live our Catholic faith outside the walls of our Churches, putting Christ at the center of our public lives as citizens. Our consciences must be well informed through prayer and fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Then we must vote our consciences, which I urge you to do, so that your Catholic faith will impact the moral and social fabric of our society.

      In the Introductory Note to Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the document issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to help guide us on our political responsibilities, we bishops again said that the defense of unborn life remains our pre-eminent priority because abortion is a direct attack on the most vulnerable among us. We also recognize that other grave threats to the life and dignity of the human person include euthanasia, gun violence, terrorism, the death penalty, human trafficking, the redefinition of marriage and gender, threats to religious freedom, lack of justice for the poor, the suffering of migrants and refugees, racism, and the lack of care for our common home. All these issues must be considered when voting for the person who will best represent us, placing the interests of the most vulnerable first among others.

      At a time when our nation is so polarized by partisanship and ideology, and the issues are so serious and complex, it is of the utmost importance that we persevere in hope, remembering the words found in the Book of Micah, who said, "You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

     Please join me in praying for all those who are running for office in the upcoming election. May the Lord inspire and guide them to lift up the dignity of all persons they will serve if chosen by the electorate. May the Lord guide us in these important decisions at this critical time in our history, heal our divisions, and unite us one nation, under God.

May God bless you and those you love.

Your brother in Christ,

Most Reverend Edward C. Malesic, JCL

Bishop of Cleveland

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for October 20, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

         I really enjoyed the 4 day Convocation I attended with the other priests of the Diocese. It’s always great to have the opportunity to visit with fellow priests whom we don’t get a chance to see throughout the year and even to meet new priests who have been ordained in recent years but whom we may not know as we older priests are so far removed from their time in the seminary. Thank you for your prayers for us and please continue to keep us in prayer.

         Last weekend we asked God’s blessings on Ed & Betty Rospotynsky who were celebrating their 65th Wedding Anniversary. Again, congratulations to them! I also want to extend our congratulations to Ken & Mary Ann Perry who celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary this past Friday. May they see their 65th Anniversary like Ed & Betty!

I’m anxious to see many of you at our annual Parish Festival this weekend. Again, so many people work very hard for a very long time to plan and prepare for this opportunity for us to come together & enjoy each other’s company, and to welcome those in the neighborhood who also join us for this yearly event. So again in advance I want to thank those of you who have donated hours of your time and your energy, those who have planned and help prepare, and those of you who have just been present to enjoy this two-day event. It’s a great blessing that we still have so many people willing to be a part of this fundraiser and who are still able to come & enjoy time with people you may not see the rest of the year. Of course I see you all most weekends of the year but I sometimes forget that because most people go to weekend Mass on the same day & at the same time, those from the 4pm Mass on Saturday may never see those from the 11am Mass on Sunday. So this is a chance for you to see and hopefully meet others who belong to our community but may not be known to you. I’m grateful to every single person who in any way will make this gathering a “success”…not only financially but most especially spiritually as our time together as a community of faith is always a “successful” way of being a Church. And as Nancy Zola announced last weekend, we thought that it would be helpful for you to know that the profits we collect as a result of the festival this year will be donated to those students in our school who need our financial support (and there are many of them). So on their behalf and especially in the name of their parents, we thank you for contributing to their welfare. 

I celebrated an all school Mass this past Wednesday (which was the middle of the month of October) during which I spoke to the children about the prayer of the rosary. Since we dedicate this month to Our Lady (and also appropriately to the gift of life), I wanted to show the children how to use the rosary to ask for our Blessed Mother’s intercession and to be reminded of her example. Each student will be receiving a rosary and I encouraged them to carry it in their pocket so that at any time of the day, when they have a few minutes, they can pray even just part of the rosary. One of the students asked me an interesting question (and I admit I could not give them an immediate answer as I wanted to give it some thought). The question was this: Can we wear a rosary around our neck? On the one hand, it is a powerful symbol of Catholic faith and devotion and as such can be an expression of their faith, much like wearing a crucifix or a medal of a saint. On the other hand, in some contemporary fashion trends, rosaries have been used as accessories without necessarily a religious intention which of course could been seen as disrespectful. So let me know what you think & how you would respond to this student’s question. 

 Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for October 13, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

         As you can see, the Holy Family has returned from their journey to Egypt (just a joke referencing the biblical story) and hopefully will stand out much more now that they are painted in color. I will not see them myself until Saturday as I will have been gone at the Clergy Convocation in Huron this week but I trust that we will like their new appearance. I will bless these statues during the weekend Masses. 

         You also noticed, I’m sure, that the corpus has been removed from the cross in the sanctuary. Like the statues of the Holy Family, it is being painted so as to draw out more of the details in this wooden image of our Lord’s crucifixion, much of which are hidden by it’s brown appearance in front of the brown & tan bricks behind it. Perhaps you are already aware of the fact that most Protestant churches have a cross in their sanctuary while most Catholic churches have a crucifix (a cross with the corpus or dead body of Christ on it). First, many people ask what exactly we mean when we speak of “Protestant” churches. This is something of an umbrella  term which is used to group together those Christian denominations which are not Catholic. Back in the 16th century, Martin Luther (after whom the Lutheran Church or denomination is named), and some others protested against certain practices and beliefs of the Catholic Church. To be fair, Martin Luther and others had some valid concerns. But this created no little amount of argument and even battles. Thus the Protestant Reformation was born, which sought to reform the Church of it’s alleged errant beliefs and practices. Then came the Catholic Reformation, which fought back against the protestors, and which clarified the Church’s beliefs which were often misunderstood and even made changes to either correct or double down on some of the Church’s teachings & practices. The result was the birth of what has come to be thousands of individual Protestant denominations, with some of the bigger or well known ones being called Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. My church history professor would say that while the Protestants had some valid concerns, they unfortunately “threw the baby out with the bath water.” 

But getting back to the cross vs. crucifix issue…the empty cross (minus the corpus) stresses the resurrection for those of the Protestant denominations. It emphasizes Christ’s victory over death. But Catholics prefer the crucifix because without the sacrificial death of Jesus, there would be no resurrection. Also, the Mass is the “unbloody sacrifice of Jesus” which means that as Christ becomes present through the words of institution (“This is My Body…This is My Blood”), we unite ourselves with the sacrifice of Jesus as we offer ourselves with Him to the Father. Every Mass is a celebration of Christ’s sacrificial death and of his Resurrection. 

Gratefully today we have put aside many of the battles that have been fought between Catholics and Protestants over the last 500 years (battles of words and battles of real fighting) as we work and pray together for the coming of God’s kingdom (sadly, this is not so true in Ireland). But Christ prayed for unity in the Church so for this we must continue to work and pray. For us as Catholics, our disagreements with those of the Protestant faith have allowed us to become more precise in our understanding and expression of our Catholic faith. And we continue to hold that while all religions and Christian denominations have some truth as revealed by God, the fullness of God’s truth and the fullness of grace that comes through the sacraments resides in the Catholic Church founded by Christ. Feel free to ask questions!

 Fr. James P. Schmitz