Pastor's Column for August 5, 2018

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

Pastor's Column for July 29, 2018

Our thanks to all those who coordinated the Parish Picnic that many enjoyed last Sunday...and to all who setup, cleaned up, brought food or served food. Rarely do you find a hamburger that is large enough to stick out from the bun, or a hot dog that fills the bun completely! To me these are great and important advances in the hamburger and hotdog indus- tries. You probably think I’m getting too excited over this, but I appreciate the small things in life (or I should say the larger things, like hamburgers & hot dogs). Many brought food which complimented the main course, and the desserts were the icing on the cake & the cherry on the top (how about those puns). The rain held off & the weather turned out to be perfect for such an event. It was so good we’ll do it again next year.

I hear there is going to be an event (i.e. more food available) at the corner of Pearl & Broadview this Sunday so I’m going to try to check it out. As we always welcome members of the surrounding community to join us for events like our parish festival, it’s good for us to support the community out- side of our parish. Maybe I’ll see you there.

The good priests at St. Albert the Great have an annual Summer Steak Roast for the clergy so Fr. Vesely & I do our best to attend every year so I’ll be picking him up from Mt. Alverna on Friday. But you’ll have a chance to see him & say hello this weekend as he will be celebrating the 4pm Mass. He is doing great and they continue to appreciate his priestly ministry at Mt. Alverna.

Enough about food. But I do want to mention a place where food is eaten. We had a new floor put in the school cafeteria last week as the former one has several chips & cracks due to all the traffic in that space as it is the main way that people enter the building & of course our children enjoy their lunches there during the school year. Our principal, Denise Burns, was able to secure a grant for a good portion of it so thanks to her as we continue to keep our buildings safe and attractive.

Father Lux, our first Pastor, was known as an excellent administrator, though he was also pretty tough as many priests were in those days. Someone said of him, “Father did what he wanted. You could do whatever you wanted as long as he wanted it.” That sounds like a great way to lead. I think I’ll try that too. I also heard a story about how an all-male choir was singing a long Creed at Sunday Mass. Finally Fr. Lux turned around from the altar & said “That’s enough!” I guess brevity was a value for him. I would never say such a thing to our choir, even when I am thinking it (though to be clear, I would never think it either).

Pastor's Column for July 22, 2018

Today we are having our Parish Picnic—rain or shine— after the 11am Mass. If it shines, we’ll be out by the shrine area behind the Parish Center. If it rains, we’ll be in Lux Hall. Either way, we’ll have hamburgers & hot dogs, shrimp and escargot, filet mignon and lobster tails. OK, we’re only have hamburgers & hot dogs, but now that your mouth is watering, come join us for some good food and enjoyable fellowship. My thanks in advance to those who will be setting up and tearing down, cooking and serving, and to everyone who is helping you and I to have a relaxing, enjoyable time. Even if you can stay only for a few minutes, we would love to see you.

And on your way out of church this weekend, can you remember to pick up the envelope with your name on it in the vestibule of the church? By asking everyone to help us sell just a few raffle tickets, we are able to make enough money to pay some bills. The Parish Festival is less than 3 months away, so please do your best to help us make it successful financially as well as socially.

Last week we had the marble floor of the sanctuary cleaned and polished and it’s looking great. Though it looks slippery it isn’t so if you’re a lector or Eucharistic Minister, don’t be afraid to come into the altar area. We learned that marble should only be cleaned in a certain way and that chemicals or wax should never be applied to it so if there’s ever a need for something to be cleaned up, please let me know so that our maintenance crew can take care of it the proper way. We hope it will retain its shine for many years.

So back to a little history as we continue our 70th Anniversary of the Parish. In 1949 the men of the parish began building the first church on parish property right where the current drive is at. It only took a few weeks to builds as it was meant to be a temporary structure. It had exposed light bulbs and hard kneelers with no padding on them! That’s what we had in the high school seminary too...talk about penance! People still complain to me that their knees were forever altered as a result of too much praying back then.

A couple of years later, the new church, meant to be more permanent, was built and dedicated on July 3, 1951 and Mass was celebrated in it starting on December 24, 1950. This is the church where many of you went to Mass, received your First Communion, were Confirmed and married in. Later, when our current church was built, this structure was moved to it’s present location and is now used as a gym and social gathering space, but it has been named Fr. Lux Hall after our first Pastor, under whom all three church buildings were built. You can see pictures of the first temporary church & of this second church in the display case in the church vestibule. Take a look at our history!

Pastor’s Column for July 15, 2018

We took out the 2nd pew on each side of the church so that there is more seating available in these handicapped sec- tions. There are now two rows for the handicapped, and they are easily identified by the green cushions. We put the two pews we removed in the vestibule of the church so that there is more seating for when we have Donut Sunday, etc. No charge.
I would like to welcome our new Athletic Director, Rey Caraballo. Many of our school parents would know him as he was our Site Director this past CYO season & was also our score keeper for several seasons. He is a graduate of our parish school and has accepted the offer to be our new Athletic Director. Rey will be taking over the day to day operations for all CYO related sports and events.
In extending a welcome to Rey, I also want to express my sincere thanks to Matt Tullos who has been our Athletic Director during the last 4 years. Matt began working as Athletic Director shortly after I arrived here at St. Leo’s and has done an excellent job, not only in coordinating, fund- raising, planning & supervising the whole athletic program, but by opening it up to more people & more activity. As a result of his efforts, more & more people have asked about our parish school as they enter our gym building connected to it, and Matt has always given great reports to them of how much our parish school has helped his children (the oldest of which, also named Matt, is now a student at Ignatius High School and has been one of our best & faithful altar servers). So Matt has really helped expand our presence and image in the community and by so doing has helped increase our school enrollment. Matt will continue to work with Rey as his assistant so that the transition will be a smooth one. Thanks again to him and a warm welcome to Rey.
The company which has put a new roof on our rectory in the past will be installing a new roof on the two levels of our Parish Center (the old convent) as it has been leaking into the Conference Room and into the Preschool area on the 2nd floor. They will also be putting a new roof on our bell tower which has caused leaking in the sanctuary area (to the right of the priest’s chair) for several years and has created a large hole in the ceiling, which will be repaired as soon as the new roof is installed. We also need repair work done on the roof of the school/gym buildings and will most likely also have a new roof installed on the church this summer as well. We cannot fix the cracked archways of the church until we have corrected the problem that caused the cracks in the first place. The cost of all these repairs will be over $150,000 so thank you for your donations to the capital improvement fund.
 

Pastor's Column for July 8, 2018

I’d like to tell you more about the history of the parish since we’re celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Parish this year. But first I want to let you know that Bishop Perez will be here on Saturday, September 1st, to celebrate the 4pm Mass. This will be his first visit to St. Leo the Great & we will use it as an opportunity to give thanks to God for the blessings of these past 70 years. You will have a chance to meet the Bishop personally in Lux Hall after the Mass where we will have some refreshments available to you. We look forward to meeting the Bishop in person and welcoming him here to St. Leo the Great Church.

Back to our parish’s beginnings. I had already written about how the First Mass of the Parish was celebrated in the Auditorium of Ben Franklin School on Sunday, October 17, 1948, and how a bulletin announcement from Our Lady of Good Counsel (currently Mary Queen of Peace) announced the start of this new parish to be called St. Leo the Great. At the time, Our Lady of Good Counsel had their first Sunday Mass at 6:00 a.m. so Father Lux, the first Pastor, decided to have Mass at 5:30 a.m. in order to entice those who liked an early Mass!

The home of parishioner Bill Heminger was used for holy day Masses. It is a white house on the east side of Broadview (currently owned by another parishioner) which later was used as the first rectory and then the first convent. It had a little porch that Fr. Lux had extended for daily Mass. I spoke to Sr. Joseph Marie who is currently the head of Mount Alverna (where Fr. Vesely lives) as she was one of the first nuns who lived and taught here at St. Leo’s. She told me that the nuns lived in this white house on Broadview be- fore moving into the convent built in the mid 1960’s (now our Parish Community Center). Sister said that more than 10 nuns lived in that house on Broadview Road! Hard to believe that more than 5 people could live in there comfortably, but the Sisters did what they had to do.

In 1949, the men of the parish began building the first church on parish property right where the current entrance is off of Broadview Rd. It was a temporary church but at least on parish property. It took just a few weeks to build. The lights bulbs were exposed and it had hard kneelers but it would do for Sunday Mass. There is a large picture of some parishioners building this first church in the vestibule, hang- ing over the display case (which has a number of pictures from the first years of the parish...if you haven’t checked it out yet be sure to do so!).

One more thing to note: John Sabol, a long-time active parishioner who is one of our cantors and our parish archivist & historian, will be giving a presentation on the history of the parish, planned for October 18th. More information to come as we get closer to that date.

Pastor's Column for July 1, 2018

As we celebrate our July 4th holiday this week, I invite you to begin the day by joining us for 9am Mass as we give thanks for the great blessing of belonging to this country. This is also an important time for us to pray that God may restore unity to us despite our great diversity. There is no doubt that our country is experiencing a time of great division these days. Regardless of our political affiliation or views, we all need to learn how to engage each other respectfully in conversation. Pope Saint John XXIII, when opened the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960’s, also sensed a great difference of opinion regarding those who took a more liberal or conservative view of the Church. He wrote, “In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.” Good words for us to heed even today.

A note regarding the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick: it is a good thing for family members to call when a loved one is seriously ill, requesting that they be anointed. Many hospitals and hospice centers also have a Catholic priest as Chaplain but if they are not available, do not hesi- tate to call us. However the Church would like to accompany such a person at the beginning of their illness instead of anointing them “at the 11th hour” or shortly before they are expected to pass. So I would encourage you to notify us early on when a loved one has become seriously ill so that we may not only anoint them but be present and available to them throughout the course of their illness to offer support, even if their illness is not terminal. When we are called just hours before someone has “made a turn for the worst”, it may not be possible to anoint them if I am away from the parish or some situation keeps me from being able to be present to them immediately. So please do not hesitate to call long before someone reaches that stage. We also have now a Deacon and his wife, besides myself, who are able and willing to visit and bring Holy Communion to those who are in a Hospice situation especially. We want to do whatever we can to minister to those who need us at such a difficult time.

Beginning this weekend we will return to the practice of processing toward the altar from the back of the church instead of from the sacristy door. So you’ll hear the bells ring behind you instead of in front of you to signal the beginning of Mass. We will use the “cry room” to prepare for Mass but parents with small children are still welcome to use that space. That room is also used as the “bride’s room” before weddings so it has many purposes. I can also make faces at you from there without you knowing it.

Pastor's Column for June 24, 2018

Bob Terry had been in a wheelchair for the past 3 years but is now free to walk with the Lord. We celebrated his life & funeral Mass last Saturday and extend our sympathies to Shelley Aigner and to his two living children. He was always smiling when Shelley brought him to Mass & I am glad he was able to pray with us even though his prayer was from his heart. May he and all the faithful departed rest in God’s peace.

Pope Francis has chosen 14 men to be the newest cardi- nals in the Church and will elevate them this Friday, June 29th, on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. One of them is his chief aide in helping the homeless and poor in the city of Rome. He has also named prelates who are in Iraq & Paki- stan where Christians are a minority. You’re probably wondering when I will “receive the red hat” as we say (the Pope gives the new cardinals a red “biretta” or hat that they wear for certain occasions). I have a black biretta but I’m not counting on it ever turning red. While I like to visit Rome (as I will be in October with some parishioners), I don’t really want to work there. Daily pasta would be great but I’d have to buy a lot of new clothes. Speaking of Pope Francis, when we had our last school Mass, I asked the children if they knew what well-known person was about to be married (Prince Harry). One of them answered with great enthusiasm: “Pope Francis!” Now that would have been a wedding people would have tuned in to watch!

I’ve been a bit negligent sharing some of our parish’s history with you as I’ve promised as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. So here’s a bit of history from our beginning: The first Mass of the parish was celebrated at the Ben Franklin Auditorium on Sunday, October 17, 1948. There was a simple announcement in the bulletin of Our Lady of Good Counsel that spoke of the birth of St. Leo’s and gave the parish boundaries. The Diocese had already bought land from Alvin to Portman on the other side of Broadview, close to Schaff Road. It was all empty & full of weeds. But Fr. Lux didn’t think it was a suitable place & so he spotted the land where the church currently sits but said that it was a swamp. And the woman who owned the land would never sell to a Catholic! But Fr. Lux had connections & he had someone else buy the land from her! He bought the land right up to the railroad tracks (on the other side of 480 now), knowing that a highway would be going through (he later sold the land to the State so they could build 480 & that helped pay for the church). Our first Pastor was a shrewd and clever businessman as well as a prayerful priest.

Pastor's Column for June 17, 2018

We welcome Raelynn Hope Molloy who entered into the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism last Sunday, and Amelia Mendez who is being baptized this Sunday. May they grow in the knowledge of God’s love.

I wanted to let you know that as of May 31st, the Catholic Charities Appeal raised $11,102,800.00 from 41,362 donors in the Diocese of Cleveland. Here at St. Leo’s, $60,937.00 was pledged by our own parishioners which is 98.5% of the goal given us. Thank you so much for coming to the aid of so many in need.

I was so saddened by the news that the predominately Catholic country of Ireland recently voted in favor of legalized abortion. I know that unwanted pregnancies can be so difficult for people who are not prepared or able to care for a child but there are also options available (like adoption) which can and should be seriously and prayerfully considered. We must pray that people be open to the grace of God who alone can change minds and hearts. I am proud of the fact that here at St. Leo’s, we help those who need prenatal & maternal care through places like Providence House, Maggie’s Place, & Womankind which we donate to during Advent & Lent. Thank you for recognizing the dignity of all God’s children.

One night last week I was awoken by some ruckus and Abby’s screams in my living room. Abby nose to nose with a raccoon (though gratefully there was a glass window between them). The raccoon climbed on the roof of the garage which is right outside my living room window. I was surprised that the sight of Abby did not scare it away though I was not surprised that Abby was not at all intimidated by the raccoon (as Michaela & I were!). Gratefully it went away & I haven’t seen it since though we did have a company out called “Catch a Critter” who reminded me that raccoons carry rabies & that I should be careful of getting near one. Did he really think I had to be warned about that? I was also made aware that a coyote has been seen in the area as well and while they look an awful lot like dogs, they aren’t quite as tame as Ms. Michaela so I will keep my distance from them as well. We have also spotted skunks on the property. I admit I am prejudiced against certain critters even though God made them all. But some are meant to be looked at from a distance.

My dad and his wife just celebrated 12 years of marriage last Sunday and both are doing quite well. As I wish my dad a Happy Father’s Day, I also extend the same to all the men of the parish who live or act as a father to others, including Father Vesely, who was so happy to be here a couple weeks ago. We look forward to his visit again next month. We also remember our deceased fathers and grandpa’s and ask God to show them his loving kindness.

Pastor's Column for June 10, 2018

Congratulations to the parents of Joshua Kindry who was baptized here on May 27th. Ray & Jan Norris are our parishioners and are Joshua’s grandparents. We give thanks for the gift of children and the gift of faith.

This weekend we celebrated a Memorial Mass for Raymond Smith who passed away peacefully at the Malachi Hospice Center the day after I gave him the last rites. He had been receiving Holy Communion at home by one of our Eucharistic Ministers. May he be free now from the cross of illness and know the peace of Christ.

We also extend our sympathies to Tara Kenaga on the death of her mother Dianne Holland whose funeral Mass was held at Sacred Heart Church in Fremont, Ohio. May Dianne and all the faithful departed Rest In Peace.

Deacon Pat Berigan will be introducing himself at the 4pm and 8am Masses this weekend as he did at the 11am Mass 3 weeks ago. Again we are happy to have him and his wife Joan join us on the Pastoral Staff here at St. Leo’s. Please keep them in your prayers that they may minister well.

I received word from the nephew of Irene Venesky that she has moved out of the parish in order to enter assisted living in Macedonia. Irene is a gentle woman with a smile that makes you feel so comfortable in her presence. We wish her well in her new home and will stay in touch with her. She turned 90 earlier this year. If you would like her address and or phone number, please call the rectory office. I’m sure she would be so happy to hear from you.

I want to express my gratitude to all of our altar servers who are so helpful to the priests who celebrate Mass here at St. Leo’s and who are so faithful to this ministry. I am especially mindful of 2 servers who have been serving since they were in the 5th grade in our Parish School and who have just graduated from high school. Alyssa Lizzini first served Mass on Easter Day. She attended Padua High School and has been involved in basketball, drama, and as the secretary for the National Honor Society. She will be attending the Cleveland Institute of Art on a scholarship to become an illustrator.

Patrick Criscuolo attended St. Ignatius and has participat- ed in the Labre Homeless Ministry (sharing food & friendship with Cleveland’s homeless) and in the Arimathea Pallbearer Ministry (where the students act as pallbearers at funerals when the family cannot provide any). Patrick went on a mission to Louisville, Kentucky and was on the crew team at St. Ignatius. He has held a seasonal job at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo & joined scouting as a Tiger Cub in first grade. He earned his Eagle Scout rank from the Boy Scouts of America in 2017. He will be attending Canisius College and plans to major in biology leading to a career in the medi- cal profession. God has blessed them both with many gifts! We are proud of them and grateful for their service to us over the years.

Pastor's Column for June 3, 2018

I will not be with you this weekend. Our family has this tradition of going to Vegas when a niece or nephew turns 21 and so there was a trip planned for this past week. My sister in Florida asked me if I wanted to go to Vegas with them or to dog sit for her in Florida. I’ve been to Vegas enough times to know the odds...that you’ll come back with less money than you brought there, so I chose dog sitting. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make so that my family can enjoy their trip out west. I’ll put up with the heat, the loneliness of being in the pool by myself, and the boring days of doing nothing but eat- ing and reading a good book.

We are extremely grateful for a very generous donation given to us by a parishioner named Georgianne Mroczka. Sadly Georgianne passed away back in November and her funeral Mass was celebrated here at St. Leo’s. Georgianne’s generous donation has enabled us to welcome three new people to our staff, (Deacon Pat & Joan Berigan and Nathan Noga) and they will have a direct impact on the lives of the parishioners through their ministry here. I think Georgianne would be happy about that. Here are just some of the words that her sister Christine Woodland used to describe her: “The most important part of her life would be to spend time with family and friends. She would drive great distances alone to be with family for special occasions or just to be there for you. She went to great lengths to keep a very detailed family history that she updated and shared on a regular basis. She was the organizer of monthly luncheons with the people that she had worked with in the past. She always had a positive attitude and was very generous. She would listen wholeheartedly to her family and friends and would be there to support them in any way she could. She was never judgmental. She looked for the best in people and would take their problems and stories to heart. She would write notes and letters to nieces and nephews to encourage them in their goals and take the time to listen and encourage them to go on. She was quick to remind you of your good qualities and character. She was always interested in whatever you were doing. She would keep you up to the wee hours of the morning just talking. There were so many times when talking and remembering old times would have you laugh so hard you would have happy tears running down your face. And that was probably one of my best memories of her....... laugh until you cry those happy tears.” May God reward her for her generosity to us and for her great love of others.

Our sympathies to Tom Richlovsky on the death of his father, Simon, who was 97 years old, and was buried in his parish of St. Charles in Parma. God’s peace be with him