Nov 26, 2020

Greetings,

Starting this weekend we will bring out the purple vestments. It is Advent, the Cinderella of seasons pushed aside by her more boisterous sister seasons. Forgotten, her time trampled on to help serve the popularity of the others, she sits quietly and with secret joy waiting for her Savior to come. Invite this lonely season to your home this year. Have an Advent wreath or calendar, perhaps look up special family prayers on line, consider coming to the Advent organ and Adoration times at the parish and maybe getting to confession. A great experience with Advent can only add to the joy of Christmas.

IN OTHER NEWS:

GIVING TUESDAY UPDATE: Please support #weGiveCatholic on Tuesday, December 1st.

St. Sebastian Parish will participate in the global effort of Giving Tuesday as we kickoff this season of giving in a concentrated “Catholic” effort sponsored by the Catholic Community Foundation in the format of “#weGiveCatholic.”

This online day of Catholic Giving in Northeast Ohio is taking place on December 1st-“Giving Tuesday” - the biggest online giving day of the year.

The St. Sebastian Parish 2020 #weGiveCatholic project … “Chalk the Walk” will bring attention to the need to restore and repair the beautiful sandstone walkways around our school and rectory. We hope you will join us on Tuesday and follow this link to support St. Sebastian Parish School and the “Chalk the Walk” project.

Search for: St. Sebastian Parish School to donate and view the video featuring our students, www.wegivecatholic.org/organizations/st-sebastian-parish-school

CRANES TO RISE OVER ST. SEBASTIAN CHURCH: In the very near future you may see large cranes round about our church. These machines will be here for a few reasons. The most pressing is the removal and replacement of our 60-year-old boiler. A new boiler will raise the efficiency level from 50% to 95% and drastically cut our costs spent on maintaining the old boiler. It will also reduce the floor space needed for the boiler dramatically. At the same time, we will be replacing our chiller which has broken down multiple times every summer that I have been here, typically on the hottest days of the year, which forces me to spend a lot of time in the basement before and after Masses tending to the machinery so that it will keep us cool. A special note of appreciation is extended to the St. Sebastian Parish Foundation for their assistance in covering a portion of the expenses of this project.

Further, we have had hail damage to our beautiful tile roof which has led to damage on the interior plaster. Fortunately, insurance will cover this. There will be repairs both to our tile roof and to the plaster work (front and to the right) of the church.

NEW HIGH SCHOOL OPPORTUNITY: There is being established in the Akron area a Chesterton Academy, a classical high school in the Catholic tradition. The mission of Chesterton Academy Schools is to help parents raise up a new generation of joyful leaders and saints, educated in the classical tradition and the truths of the Catholic faith. The rigorous, integrated curriculum unlocks student’s potential and prepares students to succeed in college and professional life, and to excel in service of family, of country, and of Christ our Lord. Mr. Rocco Galizio, a parishioner at St. Sebastian is the headmaster of this new high school which will be located at St. Paul Parish. For more information call 330-299-5117 or email the school at info@akronchestertonacademy.org.

Thank you and God bless,

Fr. Valencheck