Last Saturday, July 16th, we celebrated the life of Nenita Wilde, the sister of parishioner Cora Dejelo, so we extend our sympathies to Cora who has been very active in our parish over the years and who presently serves as the 11:00am Sunday Mass Coordinator and as a Eucharistic Minister. Her sister Nenita or “Nette” was also very active in her faith but also balanced her life of service with prayer. Nette was also a Eucharistic Minister, volunteered at Holy Family Hospice, and also volunteered for the Philippino-American Community. She attended daily Mass and prayed the rosary each day as well. We extend our sympathy to her two sons and trust that she will now receive her reward for a life of prayer and service.

We offer our congratulations to Ron and Jan Regal who are celebrating 25 years of marriage at the 11am Mass this weekend. They were married here at St. Leo’s by Father John Oselca and they are active parishioners and faithful participants at Sunday Mass. We are happy to ask God’s blessing on them as they continue to remind us, as St. Paul says, of the faithful love that Christ has for his bride, the Church. May they enjoy many more happy years together.

An elderly parishioner (she recently celebrated her 95th birthday!) is seeking someone who can live with her at her ranch home and tend to her daily needs. We frequently have people ask if such caregivers are available in the parish so I thought it might be helpful to put the word out there in case such a person may be looking for free room & board in exchange for taking care of an elderly person who needs someone to keep an eye on them. We can put you in touch with this parishioner if you would like more information so call the rectory office if interested.

I heard that Father Vesely was experiencing some changes in his health so I went to visit him at Mount Alverna, along with Deacon Pat & Joan Berigan. It was great to see that he is as mentally alert as ever but sad to see that his heath has declined to the point where he can no longer walk at all, and even needs assistance getting in & out of bed. They have moved him from his assisted living apartment to the skilled nursing section. Father continues to serve the residents there despite his physical limitations, especially by listening to those who experience the effects of illness and aging as he has. We will keep his address in the bulletin so that you can send him a card as I’m sure he would be encouraged to know you are thinking of him and keeping him in your prayers. I’m aware that some parishioners also stop by to see him from time and time and I know how much he appreciates those visits as it can get lonely especially for a priest who is used to being in regular contact with people. We will continue to keep him in our prayers at both weekend & weekday Mass and I want you to know how much priests appreciate your prayers for us on a regular basis. Father Vesely also let us know that he is now the oldest living priest in the Diocese of Cleveland! When I was first ordained, I was the youngest priest in the Diocese as I was the youngest in my ordination class. Now I just continue to age along with the rest of the priests who have been at this work for a long time. But I am grateful for my health and conscious that any one of us can be hit with health problems without warning so please keep Father Vesely in mind when you pray for priests. We continue to have his name on the front of our parish bulletin even though he has not lived here for several years since we continue to consider him a member of our parish community. He served the people of St. Leo’s for many years by celebrating Mass & hearing confessions. May the Lord now give him the strength he needs to continue serving the residents of Mount Alverna, especially through his priestly presence there.