Dear Parishioners,

It seems that this date…9/11 as it has come to be remembered…will forever be etched in our minds as a sad day for this country. We continue to remember prayerfully all those who died on this day and all those who have died as a result of terror. May violence not rule our country or our hearts. 

On a happier note…we congratulate the parents of Benjamin Gobel (married here at St. Leo the Great in 2017) on the baptism of their son this weekend. Pray that Benjamin and his parents may know the richness of our Catholic faith through the Sacrament that is the door to the other sacraments and to a life of grace.

This is the first Sunday of our new Faith Formation, where the children of our parish will gather three times a month in the Parish Center as we share the good news of Christ with them and their parents. While this is a time for them to learn more about our Catholic Faith (“catechesis”), we are emphasizing the first step of faith which is developing a relationship, a friendship with God through Christ. We will only want to learn more about God and the ways of faith if we first have a loving relationship with the God who loved us first. This Faith Formation is for all the children of our parish (whether they attend our parish school or not). It is also the way through which some of these children will be prepared for the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation. By taking this religious education out of the classroom and having the students and their parents in a more conversational atmosphere, we hope it will be a more enjoyable & rewarding experience for everyone. Both students and parents will meet from 9:30 until 10:45am in the Parish Center and then will join us for the 11:00am Mass. I am very grateful to our catechists who will be working with these young people and to the Berigan’s who will be meeting with their parents at the same time. This is an exciting venture for us and I’m so happy we have the leadership of Joann Deranek & Macrina Dodson to guide us on our way. Please pray for the success of this evangelistic effort to bring the faith to both children & parents.

I also ask your prayers for myself & some of my brother priests who will be on retreat this week at the Jesuit Retreat House on State Road in Parma. I will be there from Monday  through Friday so will be unavailable for appointments in the rectory office. I will however continue to celebrate daily Mass here (except for Thursday) as it is only a 5 minute ride back to the parish. 

Thanks to all who have submitted their registration forms for the pilgrimage to Italy in March. I know there are several more expected to come in. If you are interested in joining us, you can pick up a flyer on one of the tables in the 4 corners of the church and then see us in the rectory office (or email me at jschmitz@leothegreat.org) for a registration form and brochure. We just celebrated Mass in our chapel area this past Tuesday evening for those who were on our pilgrimage to the Holy Land this past May and we blessed the icon of the Mystical Supper that now hangs over the altar. Thanks again to Alan Morinec for his generous contribution of this beautiful gift! We were able to enjoy refreshments and each other’s company afterwards, continuing to share more pictures of our time together. It was an experience that will be with me (and the others, I’m sure) for a lifetime. 

In last week’s column, I mentioned that I’d like to put a plaque up in our Marian Shrine in remembrance of Fr. Lowe and Fr. Vesely, but no one spell-checked the column so it said I was going to have a plague in their memory (instead of a plaque). See what one wrong letter can do?!