Pastor's Column for April 7, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

I mentioned in last week’s column that I would tell you just a little bit about the 3 people who were formerly “catechumens” or those preparing to receive the Easter Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at our Easter Vigil this year. I’ve included a picture of them below along with their sponsors. On the left is Debra (Debbie) Bunosky, wife of Mark Bunosky. Next to her (in the pink) is her sponsor Eva Bunosky, an active parishioner and of course the mother of Mark and mother-in-law of Debbie. The lady on the other side of Eva is Leslie Bierschwal who is the sister of Debbie. Eva was also Leslie’s sponsor. Standing behind Leslie is Philip Rogers and his sponsor (to his left) is his father-in-law, Joseph Ratka. All three of the newly baptized are wearing a white baptismal garment which they put on during the rite of Baptism at the Easter Vigil. They were also confirmed & received their First Holy Communion.

During my homily at the Easter Vigil, I spoke of how each of them came to the decision to enter the Catholic Church because of the example of other Catholics in their families. Debbie & her sister Leslie had the example of their sponsor, Eva Bunosky, as well as the example of Debbie’s husband Mark, also a faithful Catholic of our parish. And Phil had the example of his father-in-law, Joe, whom Phil would drive to Mass each week. This is how our faith is spread. This is how powerful our example is. And I encouraged each of these 3 newly baptized to now be open to God using them as God used these others in their lives. We may not even be aware that God is using us to bring others to faith. Our example alone suffices. Our prayers are heard. So let us welcome these 3 new family members of St. Leo’s into the Church and into our parish and thank their sponsors for their living faith. Remember to pray for them all today.

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, a commemoration instituted on this 2 nd Sunday of Easter by Pope St. John Paul II. I look forward to sharing with you a little story I heard that really helped me to understand how God’s mercy works

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for March 31, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

To all who are with us today, whether parishioners or visitors, we welcome you and thank you for joining us as we celebrate this greatest of all feasts, the Resurrection of our Lord. Nothing is more important to the faith of a follower of Jesus than what we have reflected on during this past week…the suffering, death and rising of Jesus. What Christ has done for us has to do with our eternal salvation, so what could possibly be more important? Today, let us joyfully praise God for all He has done for us, especially through the Passion & Resurrection of His Son.

The climax of our liturgies is the Easter Vigil which takes place on the night before Easter Day. This is not only a celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection, but a time for us to Baptize, Confirm and give the Holy Eucharist to those who desire a participation in the life of Jesus and a place in the Church. We are blessed this year to welcome three people into our Catholic Family: Phillip Rogers, Debra (Debbie) Bunosky, and Leslie Bierschwal. All three have been meeting with Deacon Pat and Joan Berigan over the last few months to prepare themselves for these three Sacraments of Initiation which are celebrated at the Easter Vigil. We will have their pictures and a little bit about each of them in next week’s bulletin. Thousands throughout the world are being washed clean at the Easter Vigil through baptism, anointed with the Spirit and fed with the Holy Eucharist. So they join this great crowd of new members of the Church as we celebrate their new life in Christ here at St. Leo the Great. It’s important for you to know that each of them were influenced strongly to consider becoming Catholic through the people in their lives, their family members especially, who have lived lives of faith and who have given them an example of what it means to be a faithful follower of Christ. What a gift it is when God uses us to witness, to inspire, to draw others to possess what we already possess ourselves! May we all continue to give an example of faith to others that God may use us to draw them to Himself.

I also want to congratulate Daulton Dehil, a young man who was confirmed this past Wednesday during the 8:30am Mass. May the unique gift of the Holy Spirit allow him to also be a witness for Christ. And allow me to take this opportunity to invite anyone who was baptized but not confirmed to let us know that you would like to complete your Christian Initiation through the Sacrament of Confirmation. Deacon Pat & Joan Berigan are able to work with you individually according to your needs and schedule to prepare you to receive this Sacrament. Just reach out to us to let us know that you would like to be confirmed & we will help you with that.

I am grateful to all those who made Lent & Holy Week a time for our community to come together for communal support and for liturgical prayer: those who worked at our delicious Fish Fry’s, those who prepared the church for all our liturgical services, those who provided music and who used their time and gifts to help us all to pray…ushers, altar servers, lectors, eucharistic ministers and sacristans. You all are needed and appreciated for all you do!

Let me also thank Father Felipe Gonzalez for his help with Mass and confessions during his time here at St. Leo’s (he and the seminarians, Tim & Angelo, will continue to be with us at least until July). Many of you will remember the Neocatechumenal talks that they gave here last year. They asked if they could speak again at our parish and of course they have my full support in doing this. They will speak at all the Masses on April 13th & 14th, and will speak about the Christian faith on Tuesdays & Fridays in April & May. More information can be found in this bulletin. You are of course, welcome to attend again even if you did so last year.

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Colum for March 3, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

Well here we are into the month of March already. Beware the Ides of March (though I should really warn you about that next week…if you don’t know what it means…make a visit to Google… if you don’t know what that is, try an encyclopedia). As I write this, it is quite warm in my office…75 degrees. It’s not that warm outside but our boiler is always pumping out heat even when our radiator fans are turned off. I often make the mistake of shutting off the boiler system & turning on the air conditioner far too early, and then we freeze when it gets cold again. But not this year. We made a note not to turn off the heat until May. In fact it’s suppose to go down into the 20’s again today (a big drop!) but then get warmer again. Anyway, you may be a bit warm in church in the next few weeks but you won’t be cold. Either way, I hope to keep you as comfortable as possible so let me know if you need a sweater or a fan.

I’m sure many of you will remember Fr. Joseph Pednekar, whose picture is below. Father Joe passed away on February 14th , which of course was Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day this year. He was certainly in love with the Lord and I pray he may have the reward of his goodness. Father Joe used to help us by having one Mass every weekend and would also help with weekday Mass from time to time. It’s been a few years since he’s been here due to his declining health but he lived close by at Jennings. May I ask you to offer a Hail Mary for him now as you read this so that we can help him with our prayers? Here is his obituary from the Cleveland.com: REV. JOSEPH C. PEDNEKAR, M.S.F.S. "Fr. Joe" age 93. Born in Goa, India to the late Shevanti and Sonu Pednekar. He was the the second youngest of 12 siblings. He was ordained a priest on October 3, 1962. He was sent to Rome to further his studies before coming to the United States and landing in Cleveland. Bishop Isseman requested for him to serve the Diocese of Cleveland. He served at St. John Cathedral, St. Phillip Neri, St. Mary Chardon, St. Brendan and for over 30 years at St. Patrick Church (West Park). He was a member of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales for over 60 years. He enjoyed all sports but loved golf. You could find him walking the course every chance he got. Passed away February 14, 2024. Funeral Mass Friday, February 23, St. Patrick Church (West Park) at 11:00 AM. Most Reverend Roger Gries, Principal Celebrant. Friends may call FRIDAY 9:30-10:30 AM. at St. Patrick Church (West Park). Interment Holy Cross Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Patrick Church, 4427 Rocky River Dr., Cleveland, OH 44135 or Missionaries of St. Francis De Sales, Provincial House, 3887 Rosebud Rd., Atlanta, GA 30052. Arrangements by: CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOMES 216-251- 6566. www.chambersfuneral.com Published by Cleveland.com from Feb. 16 to Feb. 18, 2024.

Congratulations to the parents of Charlotte Elizabeth Grubic who is being baptized this Sunday. May she grow into the love and holiness of God through her parents and godparents.

Our Fish Fry’s have been going very well. Our lobster tail option is especially very popular and we had a great turn out for that last Friday. We will be offering them again on March 15th, but you do need to order that dinner in advance so please plan ahead if you want to enjoy that delicious meal. And again, feel free to join us for the Stations of the Cross afterward (7pm in the church). It’s 25 minutes long and will help you to make a connection between your cross and the cross that Christ carried for us

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for February 25, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

We are still in search of a full time Music Director but they are very hard to come by. I’m very grateful though for the subs we have been able to get and thank Joan Berigan & Mary Piechowski for dealing with all of that. We are also working to have our microphone system replaced as it just went out on us a couple weeks ago so it may not sound up to par in the mean time. We need to transfer from our older analogue system to a digital system. It was working quite well up until recently. As they say, it’s always something.

I’m sure many of you will remember the Neocatechumenal Team that gave some talks last year. They reached out to me as they are doing missionary talks in Norton, Ohio & in Kentucky but were in need of a place to stay for a few months & I had offered our hospitality to them in case they were in need. We are able to have them stay with us in the unused suites in the rectory so we welcome Father Felipe Rodriquez and seminarians Tim Johnson & Angelo Calderon who will be here until July. You may see them around, especially at weekday Mass and Fr. Felipe may be able to celebrate Mass or help with confessions from time to time. We are happy to have them with us again as they continue to proclaim the gospel to others.

Please remember them in your prayers during their time here. We extend our sympathies to the family of Marilyn Davis whose Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated here on February 16th. Marilyn had 7 children, 14 grandchildren & 7 great grandchildren, and all of her children attended our parish school. In fact, Marilyn was a substitute teacher at our school and invented new ways of teaching according to the needs of the individual students. Marilyn was also the Director of the Westside Catholic Center. Marilyn was the program director and a licensed nursing home director of the Welsh home for over 20 years. I’m grateful for their invitation to come to where Marilyn was living in order to anoint her and give her Viaticum, her last Holy Communion before she died. May our Blessed Mother, called upon frequently when Marilyn prayed the rosary, now intercede for her.

Our 2nd graders made their first Confession last Sunday and all did a great job celebrating that Sacrament for the first time so thanks to their parents and to the Faith Formation Team for helping them prepare for the sacramental reception of God’s forgiveness. We continue to pray for them as they prepare now for their First Holy Communion at the end of April.

Following the Fish Fry we have the Stations of the Cross every Friday at 7pm. But don’t feel that must pray the Stations communally or even just on Fridays. You can enter the church any day (we’re open until 3pm Monday through Friday) and pray the Stations by yourself, either with a booklet you bring (we’ll try to have some available for you as well) or just by walking the stations and allowing the mosaic image to remind you of what Jesus & others experienced on his way to Calvary. This is a wonderful devotion we have as Catholics to allow the suffering of Jesus to make sense out of our own suffering…whether big or small.

This is also another reminder about our Have a Heart, Lend a Hand act of charity which we offer as an opportunity to you each year during Lent. There are paper hearts in a container at all the doors of the church. We invite you to take one (or more if you wish), purchase the item written there & then bring it to the church & place it in one of the baskets at the doors of the church. It’s a another great way, besides Catholic Charities, to reach out & help meet the corporal needs of others.

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for February 4, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

Last Saturday I celebrated the funeral Mass for Potenciana Carranza (nicknamed “Naty”) who was 99 years old. She and her husband Ven had 6 children, 19 grandchildren and even greatgreat children. She was “Auntie” to many nieces, nephews & friends. When she prayed for these members of her family, she would mention each of them by name, just as God calls each of us by name, according to Scripture. She ran a family business in the Philippines before coming to the United States in 1978. She was faithful to attending Mass & had a devotion to St. Anthony of Padua. Let us intercede for her that she may join with St. Anthony in the praise of God.

This Saturday, February 3rd, is the feast of St. Blase. As is our custom, we will have the blessing of throats after each of the Masses this weekend. Please come up the center aisle in 2 lines during the closing song if you would like to be blessed. Here is some information about St. Blase which can be found at catholic.org:

Saint Blaise was the bishop of Sebastea and a doctor. The first known record of the saint's life comes from the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus, where he is recorded as helping with patients suffering from objects stuck in their throat. Many of the miraculous aspects of St. Blaise's life are written of 400 years after his martyrdom in the "Acts of St. Blaise."

Saint Blaise is believed to begin as a healer then, eventually, became a "physician of souls." He then retired to a cave, where he remained in prayer. People often turned to Saint Blaise for healing miracles.

In 316, the governor of Cappadocia and of Lesser Armenia, Agricola, arrested then-bishop Blaise for being a Christian. On their way to the jail, a woman set her only son, who was chocking to death on a fish bone, at his feet.

Blaise cured the child, and though Agricola was amazed, he could not get Blaise to renounce his faith. Therefore, Agricola beat Blaise with a stick and tore at his flesh with iron combs before beheading him.

Congratulations to Lucas Russell who is being baptized this Sunday. We welcome him into the family of God’s Church. May he and his family know the love of God through each other.

I’m currently reading a book I bought when I was at the Evangelization gathering this past summer in West Virginia. It’s called “Friendship and the Fathers” (referring to the early Church Fathers) and speaks about how the Church grew in the first few centuries from the friendships that Christians made with others. But the book begins by pointing out why this is important for us to know today. It says that in 1985, Americans could name 3 people they considered to be close friends and confidants. But by 2005, one in four Americans could not name one close friend with whom they could discuss their thoughts or struggles. In 2018, the British government announced that it was going to treat loneliness as a public health crisis. We are more connected to more people than in any other time in human history, but we don’t feel connected at all. We may have hundreds of friends on Facebook but still feel lonely. Social media has trivialized the very meaning of friendship. When Christianity was an illegal underground movement it spread from friend to friend because that was the only way it could spread. Friendship takes work. Especially friendship with God because it requires prayer and presence. Thank God for the friends in your life today & ask yourself how good of a friend you are to God.

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for January 21, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

I am able to send this to Nina, our Office Manager, who in turn will send it off to the bulletin company, due to the WiFi that is available on the ship so it’s good to be able to remain connected though I am far away. We’re actually on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, not in the Bahamas as I previously and mistakenly wrote last week. I’m waiting to take a little excursion on St. Thomas island, and from there to St. John’s. I was all signed up for an excursion with my sisters to go horseback riding yesterday but they called to get my weight as there is a limit (the horses can only take so much, after all). I won’t tell you what the limit was, but I missed it by 5 pounds. One of my sisters said she understood why as she said, “I would laugh if I just pictured you on a horse” to which another said, “I would laugh by picturing the horse!” But in response I’ll just say that I was called to give last rites to those horses after my sisters rode them. I sure hope my sisters don’t mistakenly fall overboard. That’s all I can say for now.

I used to take cruises for free as I would be invited by the cruise lines to be the ship’s chaplain. I would celebrate Mass on Sunday, along with having a Protestant service (where I had to remember not to make the sign of the cross) and even a service for the Jewish people (where I only used scriptures from the Old Testament.) Those were great ecumenical experiences. But they don’t have a Catholic chaplain on board this ship and so only have a Shabbat service, no Mass. So I celebrated Mass in my cabin last Sunday. It was the most expensive Mass I’ve every celebrated as I had to order a glass of wine which cost me $14.16 (gratuity included). But I was happy to be able to pray with you even though we were many miles apart.

I wanted to acknowledge Kathleen Schmidt whose funeral Mass was celebrated while I was away. Here is some information about her from her obituary: KATHLEEN A. SCHMIDT (nee Faulhaber), age 81. Beloved wife of the late Leonard Schmidt. Devoted mother of Laurie Mathis, Sheila Zemek (Rocky); loving grandmother of Devin Zemek and Amber Bilinovich (Garrett); dear sister of Don Faulhaber (deceased), Mary Gamble (Ben, deceased) and Frank Faulhaber (Michele); cherished aunt and friend of many. Passed away on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Funeral Mass at St. Leo The Great, 4940 Broadview Rd, Cleveland, on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. Please keep her and all our beloved deceased in your prayers.

During this month of January, the Diocese of Cleveland celebrates Catholic Schools Week. We are very fortunate to still have a school as part of our parish here at St. Leo’s. I ask that you keep our school’s staff and students in your prayers. I am grateful to Mrs. Denise Burns, our Principal, and to all of our teachers for their commitment to the education of our children in the atmosphere of faith. They work hard and long hours. It has been a joy for me to get to know many of the students better this year as I try to spend time with them during their lunch period in the school cafeteria. The little ones especially come up to give me a big hug & you just sense that they need the affection and attention of adults. I am grateful that their parents have chosen to entrust their children to us and to support their education at a Catholic school, irrespective of their own faith background. The 8th graders come to Mass every Friday morning and we have a Mass with the whole school community about once a month. The children say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning and pray together before and after lunch. There are so many staff members who tend to these students throughout the day and we are very grateful to all of them. Jesus told his disciples that “their angels always behold the face of God in heaven.”

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for December 17, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

On December 9th I celebrated a Funeral Mass for Zofia Chyla, the mother of George & John, to whom we extend our sympathies and our prayers. Zofia was 95 years old and still living in her own home at the time of her death. She had been married for 52 years. Her two children went to school here at St. Leo’s and the family has been parishioners since 1967, two years before our present church was built. Zofia had a devotion to the Holy Family and attended Mass regularly until she was unable to do so. May she rest in peace now and enjoy the rewards of a life of faith.

Through our new cameras that have been installed in the school, I was able to see how many gifts were dropped over in the school cafeteria last weekend in support of our annual Adopt a Child program, so thank you for your generosity and kindness to the many children who will benefit from your loving compassion. And of course thanks to Jeannie Sabol & all those who assist her in organizing this effort and distributing these gifts each year. May it please not only the children but the Lord Himself who is seen so clearly in the children among us.

I’m grateful for your cooperation as I or others like John Sabol lead the congregation through a cappella singing at those Masses when our Associate Musician, Mary Piechowski, is unable to play organ or piano for us. We are grateful for Mary’s extra time as well as we continue to search for another musician, hopefully someone who might be able to work with a choir as well. As I mentioned once before, another musician in the Diocese said several parishes are searching for such talented musicians but they are hard to come by these days. Honestly, I appreciate the opportunity to sing without the accompaniment of a musical instrument (“a cappella”) from time to time, and even to have a little more silence in our liturgy, as much as I also appreciate the importance and beauty of such instruments like the piano and organ. Either way, we are still praising God in song which raises the heart along with the mind to our Creator. I’m also grateful to Ruth Novak and to Matt Bobby who have been assisting us with our funeral liturgies. Please continue to pray that God may spare you from my voice and provide us with someone who is talented and available to join us in the ministry.

We had stopped renting out the Parish Community Center for a few months except to active parishioners and parents of our school children since some were not respecting either our property or our rules, such as not using alcohol or not taping things to the ceiling tiles which easily damages them. But this became challenging due to those who claim to be a parishioner but who are not active or regular in their Mass attendance any more. So I’ve decided to allow the Parish Center to be rented again to anyone as we have so many requests for the use of that space. It has proven to be quite convenient to many who need such a space for larger family gatherings and celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc. But we are going to raise the cost a bit to cover the expenses we incur for the maintenance of those rooms and for the coordination of the rentals. However, I’ll let you who are reading this know, that if you are looking to rent the Parish Center, if you see me in church (which means you’re an active parishioner or at least a supporting visitor) & let me know you’re renting that space, I’ll give you a special discount. I believe that people who support the parish with their contributions and especially by their presence here at Mass should be shown a special courtesy. So thank you for your generosity and your presence…both are always appreciated.

Pastor's Column for December 3, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

I was sad to have missed the Mass of Christian Burial for Barbara Pavlick while I was away at the Good News Conference in Florida, but I was able to see her at Holy Family Hospice before I left, while one of her sons and her husband was there. Barb’s funeral was celebrated on November 17th and Deacon Pat preached while Fr. Jim Roach (from St. John Cantius) presided at the Mass. Barb and her husband Alex, both very faithful Catholics, joined us for our trip to Italy this past March, and I’m glad that they were able to do so before Barb passed away. Barb was a gentle and humble soul and I trust she is now enjoying the eternal peace that comes not only from the absence of sickness but from the presence of our loving God. We extend our sympathy to her husband Alex and to their sons Joe & Jermaine. May she rest in peace.

While away at the evangelization conference in Orlando, I was able to meet Bishop Barron in person & thank him for his great work as he signed one of his books for me, “Pivotal Players.” In the book, he lists 12 people who have had a pivotal role in the evangelization of the world. So I asked him to write “#13” in the book for me as I consider him to be one of the great pivotal players of evangelization today. He did so, though I’m not sure he understood why. I enjoyed his talks and the Mass he celebrated for the hundreds of people who were in attendance. I also enjoyed the conversation that took place between the bishop, Dr. Jordan Peterson & Fr. Mike Schmitz on stage. I bought even more books while there, knowing that I have so many unread books here at home. But I love to read and to learn more about how others are proclaiming the gospel today in a world that is so often devoid of faith and understanding.

You will be reading this after we have all celebrated Thanksgiving with good food, family and friends, but I do hope you all enjoyed the holiday. This time of year always calls for some traditional ravioli and soup noodle making, so my sister & I plan on doing that the day before Thanksgiving. With my dad & Mildred now gone, and the sister who usually hosts the Thanksgiving Dinner is away this year, that leaves my sister Judy & I to fend for ourselves. We plan on eating at a local restaurant for our holiday meal and we are nonetheless grateful for the opportunity to do so. But life certainly changes as we get older and our immediate families shrink and our friends of many years pass away. In fact I am waiting to hear about the imminent passing of a dear friend from St. Ladislaus where I was pastor. I celebrated her husband’s funeral just a few months ago in June, and so I gave the anointing, Viaticum (one’s last Holy Communion) and last rites to his wife over the last few days. I have been involved in so many of their family events such as the baptism of their grandchildren, then their graduation from high school, and so on. It is at this time of year when the Church reminds us of “the last things” so that by keeping death always on our minds, we may do well to live this short life as best we can with the help of God’s grace.

This weekend we even bring the Church’s liturgical year to a close with the celebration of the feast of Christ the King. With the dying of nature around us at this time of year, we trust that the spring of new life will undoubtedly come in a few months. A reminder that this Friday, December 8th, is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, a holy day of obligation. Mass as usual will be celebrated with our school students at 8:30am and then again at 7pm. Let us remember how God prepared Mary to be the tabernacle of His Son by gracing her with the absence of original sin at her conception by the Holy Spirit. May she be our inspiration as we soon prepare for the celebration of her Son’s birth.

Pastor's Column for November 5, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

This past Monday I woke up with a deep cough. So I laid low during the day, careful not to spread any germs to others (the only time we are called in life not to share is when we’re sick). I didn’t sleep well Monday night, and by Tuesday morning I had no voice. I had a cold at this time last year and I remember that one Christmas…perhaps a couple of years ago…when I lost my voice over that holiday. I’m sure it will be back by the time I celebrate Mass this weekend though perhaps not when I celebrate Mass on the feast of All Saints.

I regret that I may not be able to attend the funeral for Elaine Hocevar, the sister of Doris Neylon who is an active parishioner here at St. Leo and a wonderful support to me and to her fellow parishioners. Gratefully, Fr. Ned Weist was available and willing to celebrate Elaine’s funeral Mass here and I promised Doris that I would be with them in prayerful spirit. Fr. Ned has been a friend of Doris & her family for some time and again I’m grateful for his presence especially when I am ill. Our sympathies are extended to Doris on the passing of her sister and our prayers remain for both Doris and Elaine.

I want to be sure to thank you for the cards and support I received after Michaela’s passing. I always try to acknowledge you when I see you but sometimes a few weeks can go by before I see you before or after Mass and then my forgetfulness sets in but please know I am grateful for your kindness and I ask God to bless you in your compassion. I still miss Michaela greatly but glad I have Abby to spend time with. One of these days I’ll have to introduce you to her so you know she’s not a figment of my imagination!

I also want to warn you that from time to time I hear that someone has received an email which bears my name, or even a text message, asking them to buy me a gift card so that I might help some needy parishioner. A few weeks ago, all of the teachers in our parish school received such an email, asking them to contact me as soon as possible which naturally put them in a bit of a panic! Please know that I would NEVER ask you personally for money, for a gift card or for anything else, even on behalf of a needy parishioner. If you receive a message like this, at least ignore it, but it’s also helpful if you let me know about it so that I can put others on alert. It’s called SPAM in the digital world and sadly some people use it to try to scam others out of money. You are always encouraged to call the rectory office or me personally if you receive such a message so that we can confirm it is a hoax.

I hope you enjoy the book we gave out this past Wednesday on the feast of All Saints which gives some quotes from many different saints. I enjoyed reading it (though I’d read just one or two quotes at a time) & hope it may bring you some wisdom. The saints are wonderful friends who left us some of their God-given wisdom & who even now pray for us on our journey of faith so that we may join them some day. May they always intercede for us!

I don’t need to remind you that the election this Tuesday, November 7th, is a very important one for our state and for our Church. There is a video on our website which I encourage you to watch…it is from our Bishop, Edward Malesic, and I always appreciate his faithful but gentle approach to the difficult & pressing issues we face today. Again I thank you for listening to the voice of the Church on these matters & ask you to vote according to your informed conscience. We are hoping that a NO vote on Issue 1 will protect human life from its beginning and give parents the rights they are entitled to. We leave all things in God’s hands.

Fr. James Schmitz