Dear Parishioners,
I was able to visit Norma Janiak at Regina Health Care shortly before she died at the age of 98. Norma was such a delightful woman who would frequently come up to me with a smile & let me know what was going on in her life. She was a longtime member of St. Leo’s (70 years!) and a member of our choir. She was also a member of the knitting club here and active in Habitat for Humanity. Outside of St. Leo’s, she volunteered at Cornerstone of Hope (a bereavement ministry) and was active in the Cuyahoga Heights PTA. She was married for 42 years & raised 3 sons and had several grandchildren & greatgrandchildren. She was devoted to St. Francis of Assisi, St. Augustine & to the Blessed Virgin. May they now welcome her to her eternal home.
We also celebrated the funeral Mass for Daniel Szymanski last week. Dan was a kind, gentle and faithful soul who came to Mass regularly. He has 3 children and several grandchildren & greatgrandchildren. At 94 years old, he was blessed with many years to enjoy with his family, to whom he was very devoted. There were many pictures of him at the funeral home, showing the time he spent with his loved ones. We thank God for his life of faith and for all the people that he had touched in his 94 years of life. We trust that he will find true and lasting happiness in heaven, for the scriptures proclaimed at his funeral Mass assured us that such people will become like God for they shall shine like the stars forever. Dan lived the beatitudes Jesus taught us on the mountain and so we pray that he may receive the reward promised to those who are faithful.
This week I will be away with the rest of the priests in the Diocese of Cleveland for our Convocation with the Bishop which takes place every other year, though it has been four years since our last gathering due to…you guessed it…COVID. We will meet as usual at Sawmill Creek in Huron. This year we will hear speakers on the topic of “Priesthood in a Post Modern World.” The two speakers will focus on Evangelization and outreach to the People of God.
In the preface of the book that priests received from Bishop Malesic at Christmas, From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, there is a quote from Archbishop Fulton Sheen: “we are at the end of Christendom. Not of Christianity, not of the Church, but of Christendom. Now what is meant by Christendom? Christendom is economic, political, social life as inspired by Christian principles. That is ending— we’ve seen it die” But he went on to say, “These are great and wonderful days in which to be alive...It is not a gloomy picture— it is a picture of the Church in the midst of increasing opposition from the world. And therefore live your lives in the full consciousness of this hour of testing, and rally close to the heart of Christ.” These are both challenging & yet hopeful words. Please pray for all of us during this week.
Deacon Pat will preside at a Communion Service at 8:30am from Tuesday through Friday of this week. However, we have been notified by Bishop Malesic that after this week, Communion Services will no longer be permitted as “Daily Mass remains the norm for the life of every Catholic community.” So beginning the week of October 9th, we will no longer offer a Communion Service when I am away on Thursdays as the recent directive from the Bishop indicates that “Communion Services should not be scheduled at the parish for the priest’s day off or vacation. The faithful should be informed of the neighboring Mass schedule and encouraged to participate in the weekday mass at the closest neighboring parish.” This directive continues, “It should be made clear to the faithful that a communion service celebration is not the same as or of equal value to the celebration of the Mass in which the Eucharist is encountered as both Sacrifice and Sacrament.”