Pastor's Column for April 1, 2018

Father Vesely and I wish all of the parishioners of St. Leo the Great a very Happy Easter, along with those who are visiting with us today. We hope that the beauty of the music, the flowers, and especially of God’s people gathered together for worship, will encourage you to keep joining us through- out the year. Every Sunday we celebrate Easter for every Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. It’s not just a miraculous event that happened many years ago. It is a promise that we too will be raised to share eternal life with God and one another. It is the permanent sign of God’s love and mercy. It is the Father’s answer to the sacrifice of Christ to the Father and of his self-giving to us. In a word, it is everything. Nothing else would matter much without that historical event and all that it means for humanity. How could we possibly celebrate that on just one Sunday a year?

Every funeral I celebrate here is also a sign of Easter for the grieving members of our parish. On March 22nd we had the funeral Mass for Wanda Leciejewski who was a member of our St. Leo’s Seniors. She celebrated her 90th birthday last August and has been driving (even to church) up to the time she suddenly took ill. Her 3 children and some other family members were present when I anointed her and when we prayed the Last Rites for her in the hospital. She left this world surrounded by her loved ones. May she now be surrounded by the saints whose intercession we called upon in the hours before her death.

Anna Tulenew also lead a very full and useful life. Her funeral Mass was on March 23rd. Her daughter Olga wrote a very beautiful eulogy and her family honored her with roses placed on her casket and they expressed their thanks to her and for her. I had also anointed Anna and prayed the Last Rites for her while she was in the nursing home so she too received the prayerful support of the Church. Anna was known as “Babsa” and was revered by her family. May she and all of our departed parishioners celebrate forever the Easter that is eternal in heaven.

Several parishioners and staff members have been visit- ing Father Vesely at Mount Alverna and he thanks you all for your cards and prayers. His therapy is hard work and as many know, the progress seems slow. So please keep supporting him as we wait for him to return to us.

By now you should have received our Spring edition of the News & Views Newsletter. John Sabol and his crew have done another fantastic job as they interviewed some members of the parish (and Church), new and not so new (I’m quite the diplomat). We also have a digital copy online at our website. Thanks to all who contributed to this latest edition.