Dear Parishioners,

As I type this on Tuesday, May 23rd, I look forward to the Graduation Ceremony for the 8th graders of our parish school which will take place this evening at 6:30pm in Lux Hall. They had a dinner/dance last evening & it was good to see them gathered along with their families. We have the 8th graders attend the 8:30am Mass each Friday & I enjoy talking with them for just a couple minutes after Mass each week. I hope and pray that their time with us here at St. Leo’s, whether only for this past year or for 9 years (including Preschool), that it will prove to be a good foundation for their lives.

This Monday, May 29th, is Memorial Day and so we will be celebrating Mass at 9am outside at our Marian Shrine (weather permitting). Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Diocese of Cleveland has also scheduled Masses at several of its cemeteries on Memorial Day and most of these will take place outdoor but in a few cases, they will be indoors or in a church. You can get information about the time and place of these Masses at the Diocesan website at this URL: https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/news/2023/05/22/ catholic-cemeteries-set-indoor-outdoor-memorial-day-masses. We pray for all those who have died, especially those in service of our country.

Last weekend, on May 20th, Bishop Malesic ordained 6 men to the priesthood at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland. Please pray for these men as they begin their life-long ministry in the Church and pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

I am happy to share the news that my cousin, Fr. Dan Schlegel, has received a new assignment as Administrator of Communion of Saints Parish in Cleveland Heights. I’m glad that he’ll remain somewhat close by and that he will be able to shepherd the people of that parish and school. Communion of Saints used to be called St. Ann but merged with the parish of St. Philomena and so received a new name. The church building of St. Philomena is still used for one Mass every weekend. The church building of St. Ann is very large and beautiful and I’m anxious to see it again as it’s been many, many years since I was there. I’m proud of the good work Father Dan has done as Vicar of Clergy and Religious and glad that he’s able to move on from that position to be with the people of Communion of Saints. Please keep him in your prayers as I know many of you remember him from his time here at St. Leo’s back in 1988 through 1994.

My sisters and some other family members will be traveling to Greece to attend the wedding of a niece of mine. I will not be traveling with them since I’m still recovering from my recent trip to Italy (as in trying to lose the excess weight I put on while there!). But I’ll be enjoying a few days off myself so I will not be joining you for Mass this weekend. I’m grateful to Father Caesar Amandua who is kind enough to celebrate Masses for you this weekend. He will also be available for confessions at our usual weekend times, Saturday from 3:00pm until 3:30pm and Sunday from 10am until 10:30am. I will however be celebrating Mass at our Marian shrine on Memorial Day.

Our parish school children will be leaving for their summer vacation as of this Thursday, June 1st. We hope they have a safe and enjoyable summer and I ask your prayers for them. We will be doing a lot of maintenance work in the school building this summer. I’ll share with you in another column all that we plan on doing to increase the safety and environment of that building.

Fr. James P. Schmitz