A few months ago, we were informed that the company which used to handle our HVAC throughout all our parish buildings was reducing the number of clients they had so we moved to another company that we have been very happy with. I asked them why it’s always cold in the church vestibule and they looked into it & saw that a belt was on backwards on the blower near the vents. The good news is that it’s fixed & so we now have heat in the vestibule of the church and in the cry room. That means that we can once again open up our Information Desk located in the old baptismal font area. So starting this weekend, after all of the Masses, you can see Amy there who can save you a trip to the rectory office which forces you out into the cold. You can schedule Mass intentions, buy Sweepstakes tickets, purchase gift cards (the more popular ones like Giant Eagle, Speedway & Marc’s), and pick up things like sponsor certificates which have already been prepared for you. We also have some free cookbooks that were sold at one time from the PTC committee which you are welcome to take home. Feel free to let Amy know what else we can make available to you back there which would save you a trip to the rectory office. I’ll remind you about this information desk after Mass from time to time & hope it will be convenient for you to have someone there to assist you.
At this time of year, we have many people who request a Contribution Statement which they can use when filing their taxes. If you have already requested one, you can pick that up from the Information Desk as well. To have a statement prepared for you, you can call the rectory office or email us at info@leothegreat.org and we will be happy to get that ready for you to pick up in the rectory office or in the vestibule of the church. We can also send it to you via email or snail mail. You can also request this right from the homepage of our website, leothegreat.org.
A couple more reminders (if you’re like me, it’s always helpful to have reminders of things that are easily forgotten)…I am in the confessional which is through the door by the tabernacle in the church on Saturdays from 3pm until about 3:40pm, and on Sunday from 10:15am until about 10:40am. I’m always available by request as well. Also know that I’m happy to anoint you as I’m walking around the church before all the Masses (though I need to start vesting for Mass about 5 minutes before Mass begins).
I just spoke with Eddie Abufarha from Trinity Tours who is coordinating the trip to the Holy Land this May. He informed me that Israel is open for tourism and has removed limitations that had been in place due to COVID so that is great news. We currently have 36 pilgrims signed up for the trip and can take 4 more so if you were waiting to see if the trip is still on (it is!) and thinking about joining us, this is the time to get onboard! Their November trip was very successful. So please reach out to me or to Eddie (I can give you his phone number) if you’d like more information or would like to sign up. I am really looking forward to walking in the same place where the Son of God walked among us and to seeing the holy sites that have been revered for 2,000 years.
Our students have returned to school and all is going very well in this new year for them. Please keep them and our teachers (many of them are new to St. Leo’s this year) in your prayers. May God grant us all a healthy and happy new year.