I had a funeral service for Lewis Morrow who died at the age of 86. He had been living in another state for many years as he was mentally challenged but his nephews wanted to be sure to give him a proper Catholic burial through St. Leo as the family had been connected with our parish for many years. May he rest in the peace and joy of God’s kingdom where we will be made whole in body, mind and spirit.
I also had a funeral service for Dorothy Kish whom I had anointed at her home where she had been taken care of by her two daughters and by Hospice. May she too experience the fullness of the resurrection which we have celebrated during this Easter season.
Congratulations to Lilly Ring who will be making her First Communion during the 8am Mass this Sunday. May the Lord remain with her as she grows in wisdom, age & grace.
Congratulations too to our eighth graders who will be graduating this week. It is a joy for our teachers to watch them mature over the years through the education and formation they receive in our parish school. And again a special thanks to our Principal and teachers and school staff who faced such a challenging year with courage and dedication. We look forward to a new school year where we expect to return to normal after this pandemic.
As I write this on Tuesday, May 18th, we have not heard yet from the Bishop regarding the lifting of COVID restrictions for the parish. Of course I will share that news with you as soon as I hear something. As of the first weekend in June, the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass will be lifted so again, we welcome back to Mass those who have been away due to the pandemic. Of course those who are seriously ill and/or homebound continue to be dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass but we hope that they will continue to take advantage of our live-streaming of the Mass which will permanently remain available for both weekend and weekday Masses and will continue to be an option for funerals and weddings. Many thanks again to our camerawoman, Joan Berigan, who does a great job directing the camera toward the altar, the pulpit, the chair, and so on during Mass. She does it while in the pews using her iPhone and has become quite proficient in this ministry!
My stepmother Mildred has been back & forth between the hospital & a nursing facility since she developed pneumonia a few weeks ago. The pneumonia is now gone but she has been diagnosed with stage 4 congestive heart failure which continues to make it difficult for her to breathe unless she is just sitting up in a chair. My dad (Bill) also has congestive heart failure but does well managing it at his assisted living apartment in Strongsville, though he too continues to find it increasingly difficult to walk and to breathe while walking. Prayers for both of them are very much appreciated.
Today the Easter Season comes to an end with the Feast of Pentecost. The paschal candle which has been lit at the pulpit since Easter will be returned to the baptismal font. But while we enter back into the “Ordinary Time” of the church year, we still have two more feasts to celebrate in the next two weekends: that of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Body & Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi). May these celebrations find us rejoicing in the faith we have received.