Many parishioners were grieving this past week the unexpected passing of Jim Gabel. Jim died from complications from a sudden illness. He and his wife of 58 years, Eileen, have been very active members of St. Leo's for many years. They did so many things...changing the altar candles, ordering hosts & wine, filling up the holy water fonts, helping with St. Vincent de Paul, counting money, and so much more, like working at the festival. The contribution of their time and effort has been a great blessing to the parish and Eileen is anxious to get back to work in honor of her husband. They have several children & grandchildren, all of whom were able to be with Jim in his final days. My cousin, Fr. Dan Schlegel, longtime friends of the Gabel's, presided at the funeral Mass as Fr. Vesely & I concelebrated. He will be missed but not forgotten. We pledge our prayers to Eileen as we entrust her husband to God's loving care.
Pat Huston was a parishioner for many years at St. Leo's and is under Hospice Care in Macedonia. Her daughter called & asked for our prayers. Her family is taking very good care of her and she is grateful for the friendships she still enjoys with people from our parish. Please remember her & a parishioner named Leonard, and all those members of our community in need of strength & peace.
John Sabol has graciously agreed to work on organizing an archive of historical items for the parish. He is collecting, organizing & marking many items that are of historical interest. History is an important dimension of a parish as it tells us where we have been & helps us to see more clearly where we are going. If you have any items that may be of interest to us such as pictures, movies, or any other items that you think may be useful, please let us know. You can drop them off at the rectory office or just hand them to me after Mass. We are happy to make copies that we would keep but then return the originals to you. Thanks for helping us put the pieces together.
This past Friday, January 22, marked the 42nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion in our country. We continue after these many years to mourn the loss of so much innocent life. We pray for those who may be considering abortion as an option & pray that they may recognize in the unborn the reality of human life. May those who have recognized their wrong choice in the past know God's mercy and healing today.