Pastor's Column for January 3, 2021

The day after Christmas, the family of Genevieve Novak gathered at the church for her funeral Mass. I can only imagine the sadness of losing a mother just days before Christmas (Genevieve had 11 children!). But it was consoling to hear how she had been such a person of faith and love. Genevieve had been a parishioner of St. Leo’s for over 60 years and she sent all of her children to PSR here & they likewise received their sacraments in our parish. She was greatly loved by so many as she was devoted to her family and to her parish, having been a member of our Senior Group. She was proud of her Polish heritage and accordingly had a devotion to the rosary and to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Married for 28 years to a police officer but then widowed for 45 years, she was a woman of strength who practiced the virtues in her life. We extend our sympathy to her family and I assured them, as always, of our prayerful support during this time. 

I suspect that many people will be glad that the year 2020 is in our rearview mirror, but I believe that one of the gifts of faith is optimism and hope and the realization that God brings good out of evil. While it is true that the pandemic has caused not only illness and death but also sadness to many for so many different reasons, I also believe that God always looks for opportunities to bring redemption out of suffering (my Christmas homily). So I can wish you all Happy New Year with confidence. Be safe, healthy and happy in 2021. That is my prayer for you.

It wouldn’t be 2020 without a couple of technology glitches taking place at the parish. On Christmas Eve our phones were down so if you tried to call for Mass times & couldn’t reach us, that’s the reason. You can always email us at info@leothegreat.org if you need to get a hold of us and the phones aren’t working. Also on Christmas Eve, the livestream camera was very blurry for some reason...and of course it was when we had almost 300 people trying to watch the 4pm Mass, our most populated Mass all year! Frustrating for us to be sure, and perhaps for you as well. But like so many things this past year, it was out of our control. Hopefully you could still hear us clearly even if the vision of things was blurry. It’s such a shame too because I looked so good on Christmas Eve...but now you’ll just have to take my word for it. 

In 2021, Deacon Pat & Joan & I will be trying something new...we’re going to invite people to join us via Zoom (which many have come to be familiar with during COVID) for opportunities to grow in faith. I’ll explain more later, but our first Zoom gathering will be next Monday, January 11th at 6:30pm. Join us from the comfort & warmth of your home (for as long as you’re able). I’ll be sharing my favorite passages from a book called “Intentional Discipleship” & we are giving that book for free to anyone who is interested. For now, please see our website for more information & let me know if you’d like a book & would be interested in joining us.