On June 14th we celebrated a funeral Mass for Eleanor Janoch who was 97. They had a smock displayed at the funeral home since she had volunteered working for the American Red Cross for many years. May she who helped others give the gift of life now be rewarded with eternal life in heaven.
On June 17th we had a funeral for Margaret Manke who was 92. She was a longtime member of St. Leo’s and remembered fondly by her daughter and grandson. May she too know the happiness of life with God and all the saints.
This past Thursday we celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Stan Kosiba. Stan and his wife Rose joined St. Leo’s when Corpus Christi had closed. Stan was a member of the Knights of Columbus and was a Eucharistic Minister and an Altar Server for funerals here at St. Leo’s. He was a man of deep faith who had a devotion to “Mother Mary.” I had the opportunity to anoint him a couple of times during the last months when he struggled with his congestive heart failure and he was prepared to meet the Lord. We extend our sympathies to his wife of many years, and to their children, as we pledge our prayers for them and for Stan.
As Sister Erin prepares to leave us at the end of this week, we once again express our deep gratitude to her for all that she has done for St. Leo Parish and School. She did incredible work, the fruits of which will be seen for years to come. And Sister is working right up to the very end, making sure that everything is ready to go for the new school year in August. She has also been working with Denise Burns, the new Principal, to provide for a smooth transition. Most recently, Sister arranged to have the lights in the gym (Lux Hall) replaced with new LCD’s which will save money since the older lights were 8,000 watts but the new ones are only 1500 watts. The new gym and classroom doors have been installed in the building along with new smart boards in every classroom (remember when all we had were “blackboards” in school? Now they have “smart boards” that know the answers even before we ask the questions). So again, on behalf of the Parish Community and the School Faculty & Staff, let me offer our sincere thanks to Sister Erin and our prayers and best wishes for her new ministry in secondary education. Godspeed!