Dear Parishioners,
On July 28th, I celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Veronica Nagel, known more commonly as “Ronnie.” She and her husband Jimmy were married for 19 years and we are grateful for their loving relationship which St. Paul says is a reminder to us of the faithful love of Christ for his Bride, the Church. Ronnie enjoyed praying the rosary and so had the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “now and at the hour of her death.” Ronnie and Jimmy would always sit on the tabernacle side of the church by the stained glass window which depicts the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. They both always wore a smile and had a friendly disposition. Ronnie loved the color pink which is symbolic of joy, just as the Church uses the similar color of rose during Advent to signify our joy at the nearness of Christ’s coming. Ronnie enjoyed her work at an accounting firm and grew in her skills there. She will be missed by many so we commend her to the mercy of God and pray that we may see her again in God’s kingdom.
I’d like to remind you that The 135th General Assembly approved a special election to be held this Tuesday, August 8th, for the citizens of Ohio to vote on Issue 1. Issue 1 asks voters if Ohio should “Require that any proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State of Ohio receive the approval of at least 60 percent of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment.” Raising the threshold to amend the Ohio Constitution does not have any direct moral content, therefore the bishops of Ohio are maintaining a neutral position. While not taking a position, the bishops are asking all Catholic churches in Ohio to inform parishioners about this election and encourage voter registration and participation in the special election. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship states, “In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.” Just a reminder that our Parish Center here at St. Leo’s is a polling location which makes it very convenient to vote for many of us.
Some of you would remember Mildred Ancin, the sister of Father Vesely who was a parishioner here at St. Leo’s and who sadly died shortly after her brother last year. Mildred would have been 99 years old today, August 6th. She shared a birthday with several other people I know, but that would not be of interest to you. May she and Father Vesely rest in peace as we pray they may celebrate the life of God in heaven.
I received a letter from Bishop Malesic this past week thanking me for helping the parish reach its goal for the 2023 Annual Catholic Charities Appeal we held earlier this year. But in reality I did very little in that regard…you were responsible for allowing us to do that again this year as in years past. Please know how grateful I am to you for your continued generosity not only to Catholic Charities which helps thousands of people here in the Cleveland area, but also of your contributions to the parish every week which allow us to do what we can in proclaiming the gospel to those in our parish and neighborhood community. Your donations to our capital improvement fund also help us to keep up with the repair and maintenance of our buildings and grounds and so I appreciate your assistance in that as well.
This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. This is celebrated every year on August 6th and is not a holy day but when it falls on a Sunday, we celebrate it as a feast instead of a Sunday of Ordinary Time. Of course you will hear the story in the gospel of how Jesus was transfigured before 3 of his Apostles and what it meant for them and hopefully in our preaching, you can hear what it means for us.
Fr. James P. Schmitz