This week I had a funeral service for Patricia Baker who died at the age of 90. Pat had been a very faithful parishioner of St. Leo’s for many years until she was no longer able to come to church due to illness. Please keep her and her husband Gus and their two children in your prayers.
I gave the last rites to Bill Kordick this past Monday. He and his wife Edda joined our parish last year and they have had a very difficult year due to Bill’s cancer. So please remember both of them in prayer this weekend.
I want to congratulate those who were baptized and received into the Church at our Easter Vigil. The children who received baptism were Danniel Lockhart, Benjamin Jungeberg, Madilynn Tomotchko & Noah Tomotchko. Michael Jodon, an adult already baptized, received the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. And several received all three sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist: Angelique Arroyo (adult), and children Blake Burke, Brookelynn Burke, Destiny Hupcej-Young & Jacob Nerantzoulis. What a wonderful celebration it was on the night before Easter. You can see their pictures on our website and through our mobile app, as well as other pictures from Holy Week. You can also see a picture of our new principal, Sister Erin Zubal OSU whom I welcomed on Easter weekend. We will let you know soon about our farewell tribute to Mrs. Diane Weiss, our current principal.
I want to thank you for your generosity in our Easter collection. Supporting the parish financially is one of the ways that you help us to offer many services to you and to others throughout the year. Sometimes we may take your goodness for granted, so I just wanted to say thank you for what you give not only at Easter but throughout the year.
I won’t be with you this weekend as I will be visiting some friends in Florida. I just hate it when friends move so far away & I have to make the long trip to visit them, especially in warm & sunny Florida where they live by the beach & enjoy the great restaurants of Fort Myers. But once again, I must sacrifice for their sake. Please welcome those priests who will filling in for me: Fr. Joe Pednigar (Saturday at 4pm), Fr. Bob Lorkowski (10am) and Fr. Tim Kalista (12pm). Notice how it takes three priests to take my place when I’m gone? Does that mean I should be getting triple the salary I am now? Please don’t answer these questions out loud! But do welcome them and offer them the old St. Leo’s hospitality.