This is the month when the children return to school. July always seems to go so quickly. But let’s not waste the rest of the summer by thinking too far ahead and try to enjoy each day of sunshine and warmth.
Just a reminder that Bishop Perez will be visiting our parish for the first time & celebrating the 4pm Mass on Saturday, September 1st. Please make a note of it so that you can meet him in person and tell him about St. Leo, the Great church! It’s good he can be here as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary this year. Though the choir takes a break for the summer months, I believe they will be getting ready to be with us earlier this year for the Bishop’s visit so thanks to them in advance for their sacrifice in doing this.
We recently learned that the one local hospital which called us when they admitted a Catholic patient who was from St. Leo’s, is no longer doing so since they’ve been taken over by University Hospital. While privacy is a real concern in this technological society, it comes with a high cost: the inability to know when someone is hospitalized & would like their parish to know about it. So again I’ll ask that if you would like us to visit or put you on the prayer list during a hospitalization, please give us a call to let us know as we won’t have that information available to us anymore. My continued thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Hinton who visit & send cards to those who were hospitalized at Parma Hospital. Their concern for the sick & their ministry means a lot to people who just want to know that we are thinking of them & keeping them in our prayers.
Someone found a bulletin from our parish that is from February of 1999. If I do my math right (and I frequently don’t), that was about 20 years ago when our parish was celebrating its 50th Anniversary. There was a 50th Anni- versary Prayer on the front of that bulletin which I think is still a good prayer for us to use as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary this year. Here it is:
God of our past and our future, we give you thanks for forming us as a family of faith, for guiding us with your Spirit through these 50 (70) years. These times and these days are your gift to us. Help us to open our hearts to become a welcoming people. Help us to end divisions among us by allowing us to show others the breadth and height and depth of your love. Let us be strengthened by your Spirit as we endeavor to build a place of peace and justice where all are welcome and where your love can dwell. We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen