On November 26th, we celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Loretta Zola, the mother of parishioners Nancy Zola and Jeannie Zola. We express our sincere sympathy to them and to their brothers Keith and Jeff. Loretta, nicknamed “Lola” by her siblings, a combination of her first name (Loretta) & her middle name (Laverne), was an active homemaker and a devout Catholic. She had a special devotion to Mary through the prayer of the rosary and to St. Jude, whose intercession she sought when having back surgery some 60 years ago. Lola had been lovingly taken care of for several weeks by the good people at Holy Family Hospice. Many family members and parishioners were present at her funeral Mass to show their love for her and to comfort her family. May Lola Rest In Peace now with her husband Gene and with all the faithful departed.
Our prayers also go up for Louie Salemi who will be baptized today at 10am. May his parents, Brandon & Taylor, give thanks to God for the gift of their child and express that gratitude by raising him in the practice of the faith.
We now have Oplotki available in the rectory office. These white wafers, much like those used for Holy Communion (unleavened wafers baked from pure wheat flour and water) are embossed with Christmas related images and are shared with each person present at a Christmas meal.
Thanks to John & Jeannie Sabol for the pictures displayed in the vestibule of the church showing Christmases celebrated here at St. Leo’s in past years. Do they bring back memories?
There was a glitch in our online parish registration form which means that we may not have received the information from some people who filled out that form. If you believe this to be the case for you (you would have received a welcome phone call from our Deacon and his wife), please give us a call at the rectory office & we can make sure we have your information.
Also, we have had some technical problems with our marquee sign at the entrance to the church property on Broadview Road. We hope to have it repaired soon but do remember to check our website for the latest information.
Besides Friday, December 17th, being the 85th birthday of Pope Francis (remember to pray for him!), today, December 12th, is the 102nd birthday of my stepmother, Mildred. We are so grateful that she has been able to live in a nice apartment at Vitalia Assisted Living in Strongsville, where my dad has an apartment as well. He is on the 2nd floor and Mildred is on the first floor so they eat meals together in the dining room and then dad spends the majority of the day in Mildred’s apartment before retiring to his place after dinner. My sister Judy and I had lunch with them the day before Thanksgiving & they both look great! Mildred recently came off of Hospice (she got kicked out of the Hospice facility because they have a two month limit!) and we’re so glad she’s doing so well. Their marriage of over 15 years has been a heaven-sent blessing to both of them and they are keeping each other alive and active. If only their hands were strong enough to help us make our homemade ravioli & soup noodles this week…